RIVER at P.O. Box 8395, Cincinnati, OH 45208 US - RIVER Constitution

RIVER CONSTITUTION Revised June 2003 Article I. Name and Purpose A. The name of the organization shall be: "River" B. The Mission Statement of the organization shall be: "We endeavor to provide a supportive environment in which to challenge and nurture faith growth among single adults through service, spiritual, and social activities. Article II. Membership A. A full member shall be any person who has completed a River retreat. A member is eligible for any event and voting privileges provided that annual dues have been paid by March 1 unless the Board has granted a fee waiver. New members are expected to pay annual dues during the year following their new member retreat. Full members may be granted lower event fees at the approval of the Board B. An associate member shall be one who has completed a River retreat and has subsequently married. An associate member's spouse is welcome to participate according to the guidelines of an associate member. These members are eligible for any event. A married couple (i.e. associate members) participating in River shall pay the annual dues of one full member but shall have no voting privileges. C. A potential member is one who has not paid annual dues and has not made a River retreat. A potential member may attend any River event. They may not be added to or receive a River phone/address list; however, they may receive the monthly newsletter at the discretion of the Board so that they may be aware of the types of activities of the organization. A potential member may be added to the online address book for email updates. A potential member shall have no voting privileges. Article III. Constitutional Amendments A. Any proposed amendment to the constitution must be approved by a simple majority of votes. All full members must be given the opportunity to vote by at least two means (phone registration, postal mail, or e-mail). A previously designated Board member shall be appointed to register such votes. Article IV. Elections and Voting A. Any full member can nominate another full member including him or herself to a one (1) year Board position. An associate member can also nominate a full member but the associate members may not themselves cast a vote. B. Associate members may not hold a Board position. C. Nominations for a Board position will be accepted by the President who will verify the final board nominations. D. The Board positions of President and Retreat Coordinator will have terms which run from January through December. The Board positions of Secretary, Treasurer, and Activities Coordinator will have terms which run from July through June. E. Nominations for the Board positions of President and Retreat Coordinator will be accepted between September and mid-October. Nominations for the Board positions of Secretary, Treasurer, and Activities Coordinator will be accepted between March and mid-April. F. Voting shall occur in November of each calendar year for the President and Retreat Coordinator positions. Voting shall occur in May of each calendar year for the Secretary, Treasurer, and Activities Coordinator positions. G. Ballots shall be submitted in one of the following manners: mail, one Open Meeting, e-mail, or telephone. A previously designated Board member shall be appointed to register such votes. H. Voting shall be done by popular vote and is restricted to full members whose membership dues have been paid in full for the current year. Article V. Open Positions Mid-Term A. If a Board member is unable to fulfill their duties the following process will occur: a. The remaining Board will select the candidate who received the next largest amount of votes for that specific position from the previous election. b. Should this candidate decline the position or if the position was run unopposed during the previous election for the position, the Board then is at liberty to select a mutually agreed upon full member to fill the position. B. If the position of President should become open mid-term, then the current Board members shall decide among themselves who will assume the duties of President. The Board position that then becomes open as a result of this shift will be filled by the process described in ArticleV, Sections A. Article VI. Duties of Board Members A. Each Board member shall attend at least 75% of all general and Board meetings held during his/her term of office. B. The Board shall be responsible for planning and holding a minimum of two (2) Open Meetings per year. C. The Board shall have the responsibility to assure that the form and content of the website is consistent with the mission and/or goals of the organization and conforms to the website/email policy of the organization. D. The Board shall appoint members to the Appointed Positions of the Organization (See Article VII), which include: the Retreat Committee, External Relations Coordinator, Website Coordinator, Activities Assistant Coordinator and Communications Coordinator. E. The President shall preside at all Board meetings and all general meetings. He/She may appoint special committees as required. The President will be the liaison between the External Relations Coordinator and the Board. He/She shall act as the executive officer of the organization. F. The Retreat Coordinator shall be responsible for organizing and administrating the new members "River" Weekend retreat (at least 2 per year) and coordinating all follow-up events of these retreats in accordance with the Retreat Planning Binder. The Retreat Coordinator shall be responsible for organizing and administrating other retreats as directed by the Board. However, the Board may delegate the planning and implementation of these retreats to another Board member or an appointed full member of the organization. The Retreat Coordinator will be a member of the Retreat committee and the liaison of the committee to the Board. G. The Secretary shall be responsible for writing and mailing the monthly newsletter, maintaining/updating the mailing list of the organization's members, keeping the minutes of the Board and general meetings and have them available for all full and associate members to review upon request, as well as handling all correspondence of the organization. The Secretary shall be the organization's archivist. The Secretary will be the liaison between the Communications Coordinator, the Website Coordinator and the Board. H. The Treasurer shall be responsible for handling all monies of the organization and shall keep accurate account of said monies. All disbursements shall be made by written requests only and shall be accompanied by receipts. The Treasurer shall be responsible for signing checks. In the absence of the Treasurer, the President may sign checks. The Treasurer shall provide an annual financial statement to the organization in writing and shall present a Treasurer's report at each general meeting, a copy of which shall be submitted to the Archivist. I. The Activities Coordinator will be responsible for organizing and planning activities which promote the mission of the organization including social, service, and spiritual events. The Activities Coordinator is responsible for organizing the River Christmas party and annual picnic. The Activities Coordinator is responsible for sharing the event information with the Secretary for communication with the organization. The Activities Coordinator will be the liaison between the Activities Assistant Coordinator and the Board. Article VII. Appointed Positions of River A. The Appointed positions of the organization shall include the External Relations Coordinator, the Retreat Committee, the Communications Coordinator, the Website Coordinator, and the Activities Assistant Coordinator. B. The Board shall appoint full members to the Appointed Positions of River to handle aspects of River management, based on qualifications and desire to serve the organization. These appointed positions have no term minimums or restrictions, and are determined at the discretion of the board. Appointees are, however, required to communicate to the board if they are no longer able to continue in a position, and they must provide sufficient time for the appointment of an eligible replacement. Appointees are encouraged to recruit other River members to assist them as necessary. Appointees report to their designated Board member and are required to attend board meetings when requested. C. The External Relations Coordinator shall work to involve River with the greater community of Cincinnati. This individual will network with other organizations in the Cincinnati area in order to expand awareness of and promote the mission of River. Although not exclusive of Catholic organizations, primarily this networking will be with civic or service groups whose members are professional young adults not necessarily involved with the existing Catholic singles community. This position will work towards an annual citywide event that will unite and promote the River community. The External Relations Coordinator reports directly to the President. D. The Retreat Committee shall be composed of at least 3, but not more than 4, full members of the organization plus the Retreat Coordinator. The Retreat Coordinator will be the chairperson of the committee unless otherwise agreed upon by the committee with the Board's approval. Members of the committee shall be active members of the organization with prior experience on an River retreat team and/or with other retreat leadership experience. The committee is responsible for aspects of the new member retreat including: selecting the team members, budget oversight, adhering to the timeline/schedule, and all other responsibilities enumerated in the Retreat Planning Binder. The Retreat Committee members will have an advisory/oversight role only to the River retreat teams and support coordinators and will have no more of a role in the new member retreat weekends than that of a full member. The Retreat committee will be responsible for post retreat evaluations and recommendations to the Board for future retreat modifications. The Retreat Committee reports directly to the Retreat Coordinator. E. The Communications Coordinator will be responsible for sharing River information with the parishes of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Diocese of Northern Kentucky and other Catholic organizations on a regular basis. This shall include, but is not limited to, general information of the group, upcoming retreats, and other special events. The Communications Coordinator shall work to develop an ongoing relationship with these entities to further broaden the organization's mission throughout the Catholic community and encourage referralof potential members to the organization by these entities. The Communications Coordinator reports directly to the Secretary. F. The Website Coordinator shall be responsible for monitoring and updating the organization's website on a periodic (at least monthly) basis with information regarding the mission, goals, and activities of the organization. The Website Coordinator shall report directly to the Secretary. G. The Activities Assistant Coordinator is responsible for the organization and promotion of periodic events in the area service, social, or spiritual, which has been determined by the Board to be the focus area during his/her term. The Activities Assistant Coordinator reports directly to the Activities Coordinator.

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