ARTICLE I.    NAME

The name of this association shall be The Rich Family Association, hereinafter referred to as the Association.

ARTICLE II.    PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

The purpose and objectives of this Association shall be to discover, procure, and preserve whatever may relate to the Rich Family in America; to procure and maintain collections of photographs, records, heirlooms, etc., relating to the Rich Family; to encourage study and research relating to the Rich Family; and to disseminate information thereon; to maintain charitable scholastic achievement, and historical museum activities; to erect and maintain suitable memorial monuments; and to acquire and maintain real estate for these purposes.

ARTICLE III.    MEMBERSHIP

Membership in this Association shall be open to persons who have a Rich Family name, who are descended from a Rich Family, or who are married to a person descended from a Rich Family.

Membership classifications shall be: active, life, honorary, and such other classes of membership as the Board of Directors may constitute.

ARTICLE IV.    OFFICERS

The officers of this Association shall be of two categories, elected and appointed.  Elected officers shall be a president, a vice-president, a secretary, and a treasurer. Appointed officers shall be an honorary president, state representatives, an editor, a genealogist, and such others as may be determined by the Board of Directors. All officers shall be voting members in good standing.

ARTICLE V.    BOARD OF DIRECTORS

There shall be a Board of Directors composed of the elected officers and ten directors elected from the membership.   The appointed officers shall be eligible to attend all meetings of the Board of Directors with voice but without vote.  All members of the Board of Directors shall be voting members in good standing.

ARTICLE VI.    CHAPTERS

The Board of Directors shall approve the organization and the granting of charters to regional or local chapters, as provided by the Bylaws.

All members of the Association residing within the geographic area of a chartered chapter shall be members of that chapter, and no person shall be a member of such chapter who is not a member in good standing of the Association.

 ARTICLE VII.    ELECTIONS

The officers shall be elected by a majority of the votes cast by the voting members at an annual election.

A vacancy among any of the elected officers shall be filled by a majority vote of the members of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VIII.    MEETINGS

A meeting of the Association shall be held at least annually, the power to call additional meetings being vested in the Board of Directors

ARTICLE IX.    DUES AND FUNDS

The power to levy dues and assessments and to receive funds from these and other proper sources shall be vested in the Board of Directors.

Life and Honorary Members shall pay no annual dues

The Board of Directors may establish such reserve or endowment funds as it may decide to establish, and it shall formulate plans and regulations, authorize depositories and appoint custodians of such funds as may be accumulated from dues or received by donation from any source

 ARTICLE X.    AMENDMENTS

An amendment to this Constitution may be proposed by any voting member who shall submit such proposed amendment in writing to the Secretary.

The Secretary shall send a copy of the proposed amendment to each member of the Board of Directors.

If approved by two thirds of the members of the Board of Directors voting, the proposed amendment shall then be submitted to the membership, and such amendment shall become effective if approved by a majority of the voting members at a meeting, or, in the event of a mail ballot, by a majority of the voting members who have returned mail ballots thereon.

ARTICLE XI.    DISSOLUTION AND DISPOSAL OF ASSETS

Upon the dissolution of the Association, the Board of Directors shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of all the liabilities of the corporation, dispose of all the assets of the corporation by conveying or otherwise appropriately transferring title to the New England Historic Genealogical Society, so long as said organization qualifies on the date of said transfer as an exempt organization under section 5Ol(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future U.S. Internal Revenue Law).

ARTICLE XII.    AUDITING COMMITTEE AND AUDIT

1. There shall be an Auditing Committee, consisting of a chairperson and two other members, one of whom shall be elected by the active members at the annual meeting each year for a term of three years. Candidates may be recommended by the board of directors or the nominating committee to the membership.

2. The Auditing Committee shall examine the records of the treasurer and any other financial officers as of the last day of the calendar year and to coincide with the Corporation Tax returns to the IRS and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The tax returns are due the 15th of March. The auditing committee shall complete its work by the 15th of April and file their report with the Secretary who shall send a copy to each member of the board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall approve the report at the annual board meeting and report it to the annual membership meeting for their approval.

An additional audit  shall be performed if a different individual assumes the office of treasurer or other financial officer prior to the normal time of auditing.
 
 

1. Active membership shall be available to all eligible persons on submission of application on forms provided by the Association and on payment of annual dues as determined by the Board of Directors.

2. Life membership shall be available to Active Members who shall contribute a life membership fee in an amount to be determined by Board Directors.   Life Members shall enjoy all the privileges of Active Membership but shall not pay annual dues.

3. Honorary membership may be conferred by the Board of Directors on any person who has made a distinguished contribution to the Association but who is not eligible for Active Membership.

4. Only Annual and Life Members shall be entitled to vote, to hold office, and to take part in the business of the Association.

5. A member in any category may be suspended or expelled by the Board of Directors for conduct which, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, is or has been detrimental to the Association, provided that written notice of the proposed action and the time and place of the Board of Directors meeting shall have been mailed to the member at least thirty days prior to such meeting,  and provided further that the said member shall have been given a reasonable opportunity to appear at such meeting and be heard.

CHAPTER II.    OFFICERS AND DUTIES

1. Elected officers of the Association shall chosen by ballot at the annual meeting and shall hold their respective offices for three years or until their successors are duly elected. They shall be eligible for re-election.

2.   Appointed officers shall be named by the President with the approval of the Board of Directors.

3. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association and the Board of Directors. He shall perform the customary duties of his office and shall be a member of all committees.

4. The Vice-President shall assist the President and shall perform whatever duties are assigned to him; he shall be responsible for the direction of the State Representatives in their duties; in the absence of the President or at his request, the Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President.

5. The Secretary shall handle all correspondence and shall maintain the membership files and shall record the attendance and minutes of the annual meetings of the Association and the meetings of the Board of Directors.

6. The Treasurer shall have custody of and management of all the invested property, funds, and financial affairs of the Association. He shall have full authority, in the name and behalf of the Association, to receive, collect, take charge of, and disburse all monies, and to give due aquittance thereof. He shall deposit such monies and safeguard the securities and records in
the name of the Association in such banks or trust companies as places of safekeeping as the Board of Directors shall designate.

7. The Honorary President, who shall be appointed by the Board of Directors, shall be the oldest known Active Member. The Honorary President shall hold the position for life.

8. The State Representatives shall be selected to represent the geographic regions of the United States.   They shall be appointed by the Board of Directors and shall serve for an indefinite term. Each State Representative shall be responsible for the activities of the Association in his assigned area, shall develop publicity and public relations concerning the Association, shall provide the Secretary with copies of all correspondence and related material,  and shall assist in every way possible to promote the purposes and objectives of the Association.

9. The Genealogist shall be that member of the Association most qualified by background and experience to supervise the genealogical research and work of the Association. He shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Board of Directors for an indefinite term and shall maintain all genealogical files of the Association.

10. The Editor shall be responsible for the publications of the Association and shall serve as the chairman of the Publications Committee. He shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Board of Directors. There shall be a subcommittee of the Publications Committee, to be known as the Liaison Committee, which shall be responsible for placing KINFOLK in libraries of historical societies, genealogical societies, and public  libraries with genealogical departments, on a complimentary basis

CHAPTER III.    BOARDS AND COMMITTEES

Board of Directors

1. The Directors, who, together with the elected officers, shall constitute the Board of Directors, shall be elected by members of the Association. Of the ten members to be elected, two shall be elected annually each for a three-year term.

2. The Board of Directors shall meet at least once a year and more often as should prove necessary. The Board shall have power to call meetings of the Association, shall determine the amount of annual dues and of life membership payments, shall be empowered to confer Honorary Membership, shall have power to suspend or expel a member in any category,  as herein provided, and shall have the power to grant charters to regional or local chapters of the Association.

3.   The Board of Directors shall formulate the policies and programs of the Association subject only to the direction of the membership as expressed at annual or special meetings

Committees

1. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a list of qualified nominees for each elective office to be filled for the coming year at the annual meeting of the Association.   Additional nominations may be made from the floor by any member in good standing.

2. The Publications Committee shall have general supervision over the publications of the Association. The appointed Editor of KINFOLK shall automatically serve as chairman of the Publications Committee.

3. The Library and Museum Committee shall receive, accession, acknowledge, and exhibit all books, pamphlets, photographs, artifacts, and other memorabilia pertaining to the Rich Family and shall solicit such materials from the membership and other interested parties.

4. The Scholarship Committee shall establish and announce the requirements for all Rich Family Association scholarships which may be awarded shall receive all applications for these, and shall announce the recipients at the annual meeting of the Association.

5. The Isaac Rich Scholarship Committee shall maintain liaison with Boston University in respect to the University's action in awarding this scholarship, shall arrange for applications to be received for this scholarship, shall determine the eligibility of the applicants, and shall recommend one of these applicants to Boston University.

6. The Genealogical Records Committee shall assist the Association Genealogist in whatever ways are requested and shall encourage all members to file their family lines.

7. The Reunions Committee shall be responsible for the arrangements for the annual reunions of the Association under the  supervision of the Board of Directors.

CHAPTER IV.  MEETINGS

1. The Annual Meeting of the Association shall be held at a date and place to be determined by the Board of Directors.

2. The Annual Business Meeting shall be held during the Annual Meeting. A quorum for the transaction of business at this Annual Meeting shall be thirty voting members.

CHAPTER V.    CHAPTERS AND AFFILIATES

1.    A group of ten or more voting members living or working within a specific geographic area and desiring to form a chapter of the Association may submit to the Secretary a written application signed by all the applicant charter members. Upon approval of the application by the Board of Directors a charter will be issued by the Association. Chapters shall retain their charters at the discretion of the Board of Directors and they shall conduct their affairs in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association.

2. A Chapter shall be named for the city, county, district, or region in which it is located. The geographic boundaries of each Chapter shall be fixed and may be altered from time to time by the Board of Directors. More than one Chapter shall not be chartered in any given area.

3. Each Chapter shall have a President, a Secretary-Treasurer (or a Secretary and a Treasurer) and such additional officers as it may elect to have. It shall be the duty of the Chapter Secretary to keep the Association Secretary and Editor currently informed of the activities, meetings, and elections of the Chapter.

CHAPTER VI.    DUES AND FUNDS

1. Subject to the annual determination of the Board of Directors, the dues shall be on a  calendar year basis, the amount to be determined annually by the Board of Directors for both active membership (annual) and life membership (single payment).        9/18/1982

2.   The Association shall maintain a Scholarship Fund, the interest from which shall be used to provide scholarships for children of members according to provisions established by the Board of Directors.

3.   Other funds may be established by the Association to carry out the purpose and objectives of the Association. All funds shall be in the charge of the Treasurer and shall be administered by the Board of Directors.
 

4. All sums received by the Association as donations or bequests (unless the donors or testators shall otherwise prescribe), all annual dues, and all income from investments may be applied to the current expenses of the Association or added to the general fund or to the permanent funds of the Association at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

CHAPTER VII.    PUBLICATIONS

1. A magazine, the Rich Family Association KINFOLK, shall be published at least semiannually, under the direction of the Publications Committee. It shall contain such material pertinent to the general purposes of the Association as the Editor and Publications Committee shall consider proper.

2. The Publications Committee may authorize other regular, occasional, or single publications.

3. Except on written authority given by the Board of Directors in each particular case, no member of the Association shall associate the name or shall use the seal of the Association in any publication to make it appear that the publication was issued by or under the auspices of the Association.

CHAPTER VIII.    AMENDMENTS

These Bylaws may be amended at any annual meeting of the Association by a two-thirds vote of all members of the Association present, provided that a statement of the general nature of the proposed amendment or amendments has been included in the notice of the meeting.

In case of emergency as certified by a majority of its members, the Board of Directors may amend the Bylaws by written ballot, provided such amendment is approved by three fourths of the Directors returning the ballot.

CHAPTER IX.    RULES OF ORDER

The latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order Revised shall be the authority on all questions of procedures and parliamentary law not covered by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association.