Organization's By-Laws
posted October 2, 2007
PURPOSE
As the official auxiliary of the Palmetto Battalion (PB), a nonprofit, volunteer organization, The Palmetto Soldiers Relief Society (PSRS) is dedicated to accurately portraying women of the War Between the States Era. We will support and enhance the authenticity of the Palmetto Battalion. The PSRS seeks to preserve and perpetuate Southern History and Heritage through historical talks to groups, living history exhibits, parades, battle re-enactments, Confederate Balls, and Memorial Ceremonies.
I. MEMBERSHIP
A. Must be a member of an approved Unit of the PSRS.
1. A PSRS unit is a Ladies organization affiliated with and recognized by an established PB unit or an At Large unit
consisting of ladies not affiliated with a PB unit. Should the Executive Staff determine that the At Large unit has become large enough to warrant division, it will first be divided between upstate and coastal regions and secondarily east and west, each with a unit representative.
a. Should an established PB unit withdraw its membership from the PB, the affiliated PSRS unit will be eligible to keep its membership standing with the PSRS upon written request from the PSRS unit. Letter must be sent within 30 days of withdrawal. This written request is valid for one year from receipt of letter.
b. Should the PSRS unit withdraw from the PSRS, they would then have to reapply for future membership in the PSRS by affiliating themselves with another recognized PB unit.
B. A PSRS approved "Application for Membership" must be filled out and sent to the Secretary, along with dues.
C. Must abide by the PSRS by-laws and PB by-laws, field orders and safety regulations.
D. Termination of Membership
The membership of a member shall terminate upon the occurrence of any of the following events:
1. Upon her notice of such termination delivered to a PSRS Officer, by fax, mail, or E-mail, such membership to terminate upon the date of delivery of the notice.
2. Upon failure to renew her membership by paying dues and submitting a renewal application on or before its due date, such termination to be effective on the date of the PSRS Annual Meeting in September. A member may avoid such termination by paying the amount of delinquent dues and submitting a renewal application prior to the termination date.
3. After providing the member with not less than fifteen days written notice and an opportunity to be heard either orally or in writing, upon a determination by the PSRS Executive Staff that the member has engaged in conduct materially and seriously prejudicial to the interests or purposes of the PSRS. Any person expelled from the PSRS shall receive a refund of pro-rated dues already paid for the current dues period.
4. All rights of a member in the PSRS shall cease on termination of membership as herein provided.
5. Further procedures found in PSRS’ parliamentary reference and the South Carolina Corporate laws in reference to restricting the rights of members will be followed.
E. Termination of Unit Approval
Any unit may lose its PSRS approval.
1. A request for removal must be endorsed by a PSRS unit and submitted to a member of the PSRS Staff.
2. Thirty days (30) notice to PSRS membership must be given; 2/3 vote to pass motion for removal.
3. Further procedures found in PSRS’ parliamentary reference and the South Corporate laws in reference to restricting the rights of members will be followed.
F. In the event of the resignation of a member or unit of members, no refund of dues will be allowed.
II. DUES
A. Annual dues are payable prior to September 1st for the upcoming fiscal year. Members renewing after that date will not be eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting for that fiscal year. Full dues are payable September through February. Dues will be prorated at $1.00 per month March through June. Those dues received in July and August will go towards the new season. Checks are to be made payable to the "Palmetto Soldiers Relief Society" and must accompany a completed PSRS approved application.
B. Dues are for Publication of Newsletter and Operating Expenses.
C. Dues will be set at the annual meeting by a majority vote of the members for the next fiscal year.
D. The fiscal year shall be September 1st through August 31st.
III. MEETINGS
A. PSRS General Business Meetings will be held three (3) times a year:
1. The Annual Meeting will be held in September unless otherwise directed by the PSRS Executive Staff, giving reasonable notice of change. The purpose of the Annual Meeting shall be for the election of Officers, reports of Officers and Committees, and amendments of By-Laws, and any other business that may arise.
2. Two (2) other general meetings to be announced. Place to be determined by Executive Staff.
B. Called meetings may be held at any or all scheduled events sanctioned by the Palmetto Battalion.
C. The parliamentarian reference will be Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.
D. Quorum - all PSRS members at a meeting constitute a quorum.
IV. BY-LAWS
A. By-laws may be amended at the Annual Meeting by a majority of the eligible voting members present. Only those proposed by-laws amendments submitted 45 days prior to the Annual Meeting will be published at least two weeks prior to the meeting date. Proposed by-law amendments may also be accepted from the floor at the Annual Meeting.
B. A majority vote by a quorum at a regular meeting can schedule an interim review and vote on the By-laws, provided members are given two weeks written notice prior to any vote on changes. Only published proposals will be voted on at an interim review. No amendments will be accepted from the floor.
V. VOTING
A. For voting rights at the Annual Meeting, a member must have paid dues for the coming year and attended three Battalion sanctioned events in period clothing. Only those events attended AFTER dues have been paid will go towards voting eligibility. Members must sign-in at events or have their Unit Rep verify their attendance to the Secretary.
B. A written slate of nominated officers will be mailed to all dues paid members at least two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting.
VI. ELECTIONS
A. Elections will be held annually in September. The offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer will be for a term of two years with a maximum of two consecutive terms (four years total). After a one-year break, that person may run for any office again. The office of CLA Editor will be appointed by the President.
B. Anyone interested in holding an office must submit to a member of the nominating committee, the name and office preferred on or before 15 days prior to the annual meeting. Any nomination must be cleared by the party being nominated. Verification of dues paid status within the Unit and within PSRS must be made before a nominee can take office.
C. All nominations for the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer must be made through the Nominating Committee; nominations will also be accepted from the floor on the day of the Annual Meetings.
D. In the event an officer resigns, the Executive Staff will meet and chose an individual to fulfill the rest of that term--with the exception of the office of the President. If the President resigns, the Vice President will fulfill the term of the Presidency.
E. Each member must have their name validated by either the Secretary or Treasurer as dues paid and as having met the three-event requirement before receiving a ballot for voting.
F. Incoming officers will assume their duties upon adjournment of the Annual Meeting in September. The formal installation ceremony will take place following elections at the Battle of Secessionville, in Charleston, S.C.
VII. EXECUTIVE STAFF
A. The Executive Staff consists of Officers, Counselor and Unit Representatives.
1. Officers - President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, elected annually; and CLA Editor.
2. Counselor - Immediate past President; serves one year in an advisory capacity with full voting rights.
3. Unit Representatives - A PSRS representative from each Unit of the PSRS.
B. General Duties
1. Prior to each PSRS Business Meeting (or more often, if deemed necessary), discuss those issues concerning the PSRS and set the agenda for the PSRS Business Meeting.
VIII. REQUIREMENTS FOR OFFICERS
A. General Duties
1. Must be a PSRS member in good standing for at least one year, prior to Annual Meeting.
2. Attend 75% of all maximum effort sanctioned events.
3. Become familiar with, and execute, the duties of her position.
4. Attend all Executive Staff meetings.
5. Copy the President and Secretary on all PSRS correspondence.
IX. EXECUTIVE STAFF SPECIFIC DUTIES
A. President
1. Manage overall development and progress of the PSRS.
2. Preside over PSRS meetings.
3. Coordinate all event participation for PSRS.
4. Chief liaison between Palmetto Battalion and PSRS, which consists of keeping the Battalion Colonel and Adjutant, as well as the officers and membership, informed of activities, projects, and meetings.
5. Attend Palmetto Battalion staff meetings with no vote in military matters. Send proxy if unable to attend, and/or send an alternate.
6. Will be an ex-officio member of all standing committees, and attend such meetings as deemed necessary.
7. Appoint committees as necessary.
B. Vice President
1. Oversee the PSRS, preside over PSRS meetings and attend Battalion Staff meetings in the absence of the President.
2. Chair By-laws Committee.
3. Responsible for the annual summer workshop.
C. Secretary
1. Keep minutes and records of PSRS meetings.
2. Chair Nominating Committee.
3. Take attendance at meetings.
4. Maintain membership and event roster, and provide officers with current listing.
5. Verify only dues paid members vote on any subject brought up for a vote of the membership.
6. Responsible for "Application for Membership" form and any changes thereto.
7. Oversee the PSRS in the absence of the President and Vice President.
D. Treasurer
1. Collect, oversee, and protect any PSRS funds and dues.
2. Keep books open for review by membership.
3. Produce a written financial report for the PSRS meetings.
4. Chair Finance Committee.
5. Oversee PSRS in the absence of the President, Vice President and Secretary.
E. Confederate Ladies Album Editor
1. Responsible for the publication of the Confederate Ladies Album (CLA) six times a year.
F. Counselor
1. Immediate past President; term of office is one year.
2. Will be looked upon for advice and has an open invitation to all Executive Staff meetings and committee meetings.
G. Unit Representatives
1. Must be a member of the PSRS and selected by her Unit.
2. Attend all Executive Staff meetings, with a voting position.
3. Relay information to her Unit, which includes making and distributing copies of such things as PSRS "Application for Membership", Workshop Applications, Handbook Updates, etc.
4. Responsible for ensuring that the prospective member is a member in good standing in an approved Unit, a PSRS approved "Application for Membership" is filled out correctly, and that the application is signed by the Unit Representative.
5. Keep Secretary informed of any changes to the Unit membership; such as new addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, etc.
X. STANDING COMMITTEES
All Committee Chairmen are to submit a written report on the status of their committees to the Secretary for the use in Executive Staff Meetings, Business Meetings, or newsletter.
A. NOMINATING COMMITTEE
1. To be chaired by the Secretary of the PSRS.
2. This committee shall consist of PSRS members chosen by the Nominating Chair.
3. The duties shall be to obtain nominations for the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. It is the responsibility of each Unit Representative to submit nominations given her from ladies in her Unit. It is not necessary to nominate from within your own Unit; nominees should be selected from the body at large. Nominations are to be submitted in writing forty-five (45) days prior to the Annual Meeting. It will then be the responsibility of this committee to present to the membership a slate of officers two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting.
B. BY-LAWS COMMITTEE
1. To be chaired by the Vice President of the PSRS.
2. This committee shall consist of PSRS members chosen by the By-Laws Chair.
3. The duties shall be to accept petition of changes or revisions to the By-Laws received from the membership. These changes or revisions should be prepared in the form of a motion and submitted in writing forty-five (45) days prior to the Annual Meeting. It will then be the responsibility of this committee to present to the membership the proposed by-law amendments at least two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting.
4. The by laws committee is authorized to correct article and section designations, punctuation and cross-references and to make such other technical and conforming changes as may be necessary to reflect the intent of the PSRS in connection with by-law, guidebook, and standing rule amendments.
C. FINANCE COMMITTEE
1. To be chaired by the Treasurer of the PSRS.
2. This committee shall consist of the Executive Staff.
3. The duties shall be to propose a budget for the following fiscal year to the membership for approval at the Annual Meeting.
4. Arrange for an audit of the books at the end of each fiscal year, and whenever there is a change of Treasurer. The audit may not be performed by the incoming or outgoing Treasurer.
D. HANDBOOK COMMITTEE
1. This committee shall be responsible for compiling, printing, and the distribution of a handbook for the ladies of the PSRS. This handbook should contain helpful information on participating in the re-enacting community, as well as guidelines for dressing authentically.
2. Chairman will be appointed by the Executive Staff.
3. The duties shall be to maintain and update the handbook as necessary, and to publish and distribute these updates to the Unit Representatives.
E. AWARDS COMMITTEE
1. Chairman will be appointed by the Executive Staff.
2. This committee shall consist of PSRS members chosen by the Awards Chair.
3. This committee will be responsible for the Lady of the Year activities, which include:
a. publishing and/or updating Lady of the Year guidelines;
b. accepting nominations for Lady of the Year (Officers are exempt from receiving this award);
c. verifying that the nominees have met or exceeded the guidelines;
d. issuing, collecting, and counting ballots; and
e. purchasing and presenting the award.
4. This committee is responsible for purchasing and presenting the outgoing President’s gift.
5. Establish and present other awards as deemed necessary.
6. This committee will be responsible for:
a. securing three to four door prizes for each General Business Meeting, the annual Meeting and Staff Meetings;
b. accepting donations and providing ticket numbers to participants;
c. turning funds over to the Treasurer; and
d. submitting receipts for expenses to Treasure for reimbursement.
XI. DISSOLUTION
In the event of the dissolution of the PSRS, all assets are to be donated or sold, and the money received donated to a non-profit historical cause chosen by a majority vote of the membership.
XII. Any issues not covered by these by-laws that need immediate action will be addressed by the Executive Staff.
PSRS By-Laws Originally Adopted 09/11/94 1st Revision 09/17/1995 6th Revision 09/29/2002
2nd Revision 09/14/1996 7th Revision 09/20/2003
3rd Revision 06/07/1997 8th Revision 11/07/2004 4th Revision 09/28/1997 9th Revision 09/23/2007
5th Revision 09/27/1998
