INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SILVER ART COLLECTORS
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I – CLUB NAME
The name of the organization shall be the “International Association of Silver Art Collectors” and may be referred to as IASAC. The name “International Association of Silver Art Collectors and/or IASAC”, its logo and its website (https://thesilverbugle.com/) are the property of the Associationand may not be used without permission from the Board of Directors (“Board”). Any member in good standing is entitled to use the IASAC logo to designate their membership credentials.
ARTICLE II – CLUB ORGANIZATION
IASAC is incorporated as a Not-for-Profit Corporation under the laws of New York State and, as such, will observe all local, state and federal laws, which apply.
IASAC is organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes and none of its earnings will inure to any private shareholder or individual. In addition, it is not an action organization, and may not attempt to influence legislation nor participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates.
ARTICLE III – CLUB PURPOSE
The International Association of Silver Art Collectors shall provide service, education, and fellowship to all interested in the history and collecting of silver art bars, art rounds, medallions, Mardi Gras doubloons, old and new pours, collector plates, figures, castings in 925, 958, 999 and some collectablenumismatic issues. It shall also encourage the preservation of these items.
ARTICLE IV – MEMBERSHIP
There are 3 classes of membership in the club: Regular Membership, Junior Membership and Life-Time Membership.
SECTION 1 – REGULAR MEMBERSHIP: Any person over eighteen (18) years of age shall be eligible for full membership upon completing the membership application. Regular members shall pay annual dues as set by the Boardwith the approval of the regular membership.
SECTION 2 – JUNIOR MEMBERSHIP: Junior membership is available to those under 18 years of age with the approval of a parent or guardian. Junior members shall receive the club newsletter but not have voting rights. Junior dues shall be half the rate of regular members. Junior Membership is available to youth ages ten (10) to eighteen (18).
SECTION 3 – LIFE-TIME MEMBERSHIP: Any person over eighteen (18) years of age shall be eligible for life-timemembership upon completing the membership application. Life-Time members shall pay a one-time fee for dues as set by the Board with the approval of the regular membership.Winners of the Duane Spellman Award for Distinguished Service shall be awarded a Life-Time Membership so long as they are a member in good standing. Fannie Kidd and the American Numismatic Association also enjoy Life-Time Memberships.
SECTION 4 – MEMBER PRIVILEGES: Regular and Life-Time members shall be entitled to all privileges of the club including the right to vote and to hold a position on the Board. Junior members have all privileges of the club but do not have voting rights and cannot be on the Board.
SECTION 5 – MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION: Club membership occurs upon completion and submission of a “Membership Form” form stating applicant’s name, address, phone number, occupation and email address as well as the payment of the first year’s dues. Each applicant may list a referral source. Applications for membership are reviewed by the Secretary / Treasurer for completeness and payment.
SECTION 6 – MEMBERSHIP RECORDING: All members shall be assigned a membership number by the Secretary / Treasurer after the Membership Form and annual dues received by the Secretary / Treasurer.
SECTION 7 – MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING: Shall be those members whose dues are current and have conducted themselves in a manner not detrimental to IASAC or its members.
SECTION 8 – SUSPENSION / EXPULSION OF MEMBERS: When a member conducts himself or herself in a manner prejudicial to the welfare of the club, any member in good standing may present a written “Request for Suspension / Expulsion” to the President. The “Request for Expulsion” should state the charges against the member and must be signed. The President shall present this request to the Boardfor consideration. The accused shall be furnished a copy of the charges and shall be afforded a period of 30 days to enter a written defense to the charges. Within 30 days of the receipt of the written defense, the Board must make a decision. The majority vote of the Board rules. Until the final decision is made, the accused shall continue in good standing. Should the person being considered for suspension / expulsion, that Board member is ineligible to vote in this process. Should the person being considered for suspension / expulsion be the President, the written letter must be addressed to the Vice-President and the Vice-President must follow the steps in this Section; in this instance, the President would be ineligible to vote in this process.
ARTICLE V – NOMINATIONS, VOTING, ELECTIONS & EXPULSION OF BOARD MEMBERS
SECTION 1 – ELIGIBILITY: Only members in good standing age 18 or older may be nominated on the Board of IASAC.
SECTION 2 – LENGTH OF TERMS: Each member of the Board serves a term of two years. The President, Vice-President, Secretary / Treasurer and Historian are elected in odd number years and the five Trustee positions are elected on even number years.
SECTION 3 – NOMINATIONS: The President will call for nominations through an announcement in The Silver Bugle at least 180 days prior to the annual meeting. Any member in good standing may declare candidacy in writing to the Election Committee Chairman. A resumé shall be provided as information to the membership about the candidate for publication in the club newsletter upon acceptance of the nomination.
SECTION 4 – ELECTION COMMITTEE: Addressed in ARTICLE VII – SECTION 1.
SECTION 5 – ELECTIONS: All elections shall be held by mail (email and / or United States Postal Service) unless the election is uncontested; then no ballot will be issued and one vote will be cast at the general meeting by any non-candidate. The ballot will be included in the newsletter immediately prior to the annual meeting and successful candidates shall be elected by a simple majority of all ballots returned by a specified time. Results will be announced at the annual meeting and an installation will be performed.
SECTION 6 – EXPULSION OF A BOARD MEMBER: Any Board Member that deliberately impedes the progress of the club, harasses any member, refuses to follow procedures, and is found to be a detriment to the Association, shall be temporarily removed from IASAC and designated as a member “not in good standing” while the process described in ARTICLE IV – SECTION 8 has been completed. Once the Board member is removed, they will have 7 days to return all materials, monies and equipment belonging to the club.
ARTICLE VI – BOARD MEMBERS & THEIR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
SECTION 1 – VOTING & COMPENSATION: All Board members hold the right to vote on all Association matters so long as they are members in good standing. No Officer or Trustee shall receive compensation for service to IASAC except for the expenses necessary to perform the duties of their office as well as reimbursement for valid expenditures made on behalf of the Association and have been approved by the President.
SECTION 2 – PRESIDENT: The President provides visionary leadership and shall preside at all meetings of the members and the officers, decides all points of order, perform all duties incidental to that office, appoint or remove chairmen of all committees, and call special meetings as needed. The President shall set the agenda for the annual meeting, reports of all Committees, and various other club records regarding Club administrative matters and will oversee and approve content to be placed and viewed on the club’s web site. The President shall have check-signing/debit card privileges in order to provide back-up for the Treasurer if the need arises. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees. The President can require an audit of the Treasurer’s books. *In the event the President cannot complete their term of office, the Vice-President will assume the position until the next election. The Vice-Presidentposition will be filled according to the bylaws.
SECTION 3 – VICE-PRESIDENT: The Vice-Presidentperforms all administrative duties not performed by the Secretary / Treasurer. The Vice-President shall assist the President, act in their absence at the annual meeting and assume the duties of that office in the event of the President’s vacating due to death, injury or other circumstances.
SECTION 4 – SECRETARY / TREASURER: The Secretary / Treasurer shall maintain a record of all actions at the annual meeting and an official file of membership. The Secretary / Treasurer shall also prepare and receive dues notice and fees and pay bills with proper receipts from a separate IASAC account, answer correspondence, and generally maintain and safeguard all the records of the IASAC. The Treasurer is authorized to withdraw funds from the bank account and to pay bills and obligations of the club with the written consent of the President. The Secretary / Treasurer shall have check-signing/debit card privileges. The Secretary / Treasurer shall prepare a quarterly Treasury report to be included in The Silver Bugle. The Secretary / Treasurer shall also assemble an annual report of all receipts and expenditures for the annual meeting.
SECTION 5 – HISTORIAN: The Historian is responsible for maintaining an accurate record of the club’s history by cataloging the club’s newspaper and magazine articles, maintaining a club photo album, storing any video taken at events and educational presentations. The Historian will also make an effort to retrieve as much club information as possible to provide the membership with past historical information. The Historian is responsible for storing and safeguarding of the Association’s dies. The Historian may also appoint an assistant if the need arises.
SECTION 6 – TRUSTEES: There are 5 Trustees positions on the Board. Trustees serve as requested by the President.Trustees may aid other Board members in their duties as allowed by the President, with the exception of Treasury duties requiring bank account access.
SECTION 7 – DEATH, RESIGNATION, EXPULSION: In the event of a death, resignation or expulsion of any Officer or Trustee before the end of his/her term, then any other Officer or Trustee may recommend any member in good standing to fill the vacancy until the next scheduled election. A majority approval by all Officers and Trustees shall be necessary to fill the vacancy.
SECTION 8 – BINDING OFFICERS – The President and the Treasurer can act separately and are the only two Officers that can bind the Association, with majority Board approval.
ARTICLE VII – COMMITTEES
SECTION 1 – ELECTION COMMITTEE: The President has the authority to assemble an election committee of twomembers in good standing to oversee the election of any of the positions in which there are more than one candidate. Members on this election committee must not be currently running for office in that year’s election cycle. Also, must not be relatives or business associates of current board members or those currently up for election.
SECTION 2 – AUDIT COMMITTEE: If needed, an audit committee will be formed when asked to and will be appointed by the President. They are responsible for auditing the Treasurer’s records. Consists of at least three (3) club members in good standing.
SECTION 3 – AD-HOC COMMITTEES: Ad-hoc committees may be formed and dismissed as needed by the President. The President shall appoint and/or discharge all Ad-Hoc Committee Chairs as necessary. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all Committees. The President shall have the authority to select any member as a chair of an ad-hoc Committee.
ARTICLE VIII – MEETINGS
SECTION 1 – ANNUAL MEETING: An annual general membership meeting shall be called to conduct business, install newly elected Officers or Trustees and conduct programs. Meeting notice shall be posted in The Silver Bugle.
SECTION 2 – SPECIAL & OTHER MEETINGS: Special and other meetings may be called by the Officers or Trustees to insure a smooth operation of IASAC.
SECTION 3 – CONDUCT: All meetings shall be conducted according to these Bylaws. Roberts’ Rules of Order will be used should the need arise where an issue is not addressed in these bylaws.
ARTICLE IX – DIES & CLUB MEDALS
SECTION 1 – DIES: Dies used in the striking of any IASAC medals (bars and rounds in alternating years) shall remain the property of the club and shall be held in safekeeping by the Historian. These dies shall not be defaced or cancelled in any manner. No Board member shall ever be authorized the power to use, or grant the use of, any of the annual convention diesfor the purpose of striking additional medals (unless it is to restrike a piece that has been lost in transit from IASAC to purchaser or damaged). They shall never be given, sold or auctioned to the private ownership of any individual. Any future use of these dies for any of these purposes shall be reason for automatic and immediate expulsion from IASAC.Should the IASAC cease to exist, the dies shall be donated to the American Numismatic Association, Colorado Springs, Colorado. ARTICLE IX – SECTION 1 of the IASAC Bylaws shall never be subject to change or amendments and shall remain in effect for the lifetime of the club.
SECTION 2 – MEDALS: Once the initial striking of theannual convention medal is complete, no future or additional striking of any previously struck medal shall be authorized(unless it is to restrike a piece that has been lost in transit from IASAC to purchaser or damaged). The winner of the annual design contest shall get medal #00. The Association will retain at least two of the annual club medals in the IASAC archives. At the direction of the President, the club may purchase additional medals to be resold to future members of the Association.
ARTICLE X - FINANCES
SECTION 1 – DUES: Membership dues shall be at a rate determined annually by the Board, are payable in advance, and non-refundable. The dues fiscal year shall start January 1 of each year and end December 31 of each year. Any changes shall be posted in The Silver Bugle as recommended by the Board. Anyone who fails to pay his/her dues by March 31 of each year, shall be dropped from the membership roster and will be considered “not in good standing”. A member “not in good standing” may not vote.
SECTION 2 – FEES: The Board, in its discretion may hold a member responsible for any fees (bounced check fees, PayPal fees and / or credit card processing fees) associated payments made to IASAC.
SECTION 3 – FUNDS: All money paid to the Association shall be placed in the Associations bank account. The Association shall use its funds only to accomplish the objectives and purposes specified in these bylaws.
SECTION 4 – DISBURSEMENTS: All monies paid out by the Association should be by check. Any check must bear the signature of one of three Board members to be valid. The follow Board Members can be authorized to sign checks; Treasurer, President, and Vice-President. The above officers could also be approved to use alternative payment processes such as a debit card as required. Any disbursement of $500 or more needs the approval of the President and any disbursement in excess of $2,500 requires the majority approval of the Board.
SECTION 5 – The fiscal year of the Association shall end on the 31st day of December in each calendar year.
ARTICLE XI – AMENDENTS TO BYLAWS
SECTION 1 – Any member may submit changes to these Bylaws in writing to the Secretary at least sixty days prior to the annual meeting. President will then assemble a 3 person Bylaw Committee to review said changes
SECTION 2 – After a majority vote of the Bylaw Committee and Board, these Bylaws may be amended, revised or repealed by a 2/3 vote of the responding members in good standing. All changes shall be published in The Silver Bugle.
ARTICLE XII – CLUB DISSOLUTION
SECTION 1 – Upon dissolution of the club, disposition of assets shall be made by the Executive Council with the approval of the general membership and is subject to the restrictions herein set forth. The Executive Council, upon dissolution or liquidation of the club, must distribute the assets of the club to one or more national, regional, state or local numismatic associations or societies or public libraries, archives or museums.
ARTICLE XIII – INDEMNIFICATION
Non-profit executive liability insurance
Bonding
Etc.