The 1994 GFSA Bylaws

Goldfish Society of America Bylaws (April 1994 revision)

Article I - Name

The name of the organization shall be the Goldfish Society of America (abbreviated as "GFSA").

Article II - Purpose

The purpose of the Society shall be to proclaim, further and advance the keeping, breeding and study of Goldfish, along with Koi, and to promote fellowship among its members.

Article III - Membership

Section 1. Membership in this Society shall be open to all persons regardless of age, sex, race, color, creed, or nationality, who are interested in the aims of the Society and who have paid the prescribed dues.

Section 2. The Charter Membership shall consist of all individuals accepted as members in good standing as of July 15, 1972.

Section 3. Membership in this Society shall be personal and non-transferable and shall terminate upon death, resignation, or one month after the period for which dues have been paid, or for cause as provided by these Bylaws.

Section 4. The Board of Directors (BOD) may reprimand, suspend or expel any member for cause, which is hereby defined as conduct contrary to the aims and best interests of the Society. Furthermore, Board members may be removed by a Board vote. Grounds for this activity include lack of participation of the Board member, constant disruptive behavior, and unethical actions. The above type of action requires at least a simple majority of votes of the BOD.

Article IV - Board of Directors

Section 1. Seven Directors shall be elected from the membership who, at the time of election, are paid up and/or members in good standing. They shall hold office for a two-year term. An election will be held each year to appoint new Directors to bring the total number of Directors to seven. No more than five of the Board positions will be open in any one year. This will function to provide continuity on the board.

Section 2. The offices of Chairman and Secretary shall be elected for one-year terms, by written vote among the BOD members. The office of Treasurer may be elected as above but can be designated to an individual at the Boards discretion. If a non-Board member resides as Treasurer, that person will act as a Board consultant but will not have voting status. No more than four of the seven Directors shall reside in one region, based on the division into the following four regions:

1. West Coast: To include California, Washington and Oregon.
2. Western United States Balance: To include all other states west of the Mississippi River including Minnesota.
3. Eastern United States: To include all states east of the Mississippi River except Minnesota.
4. All other geographic areas: To include all areas outside of the Continental United States.

Section 3. In the event of negligence, or actions detrimental to our Society, a Director, or Directors, or the entire BOD shall be subject to a recall. A recall petition, in order to qualify for a vote, must be signed by 10% of the qualified voters (members) and accompanied by sworn statements of the sponsors that the signatures were secured according to law.

1. A member in good standing must submit a letter or petition calling for a recall. Said petition form would appear in following GFSA publication. All members that sign recall shall return the petition to the author of the petition. A 10% vote shall qualify petition for an immediate election.
2. This election shall carry up to the prescribed election time.
3. No stigma of disability for further office holding shall prevail. However, a recalled officer shall be placed on probation for five years from holding office.

Section 4. Any vacancy on the BOD, due to sickness or personal reasons, shall not be replaced as long as there are five or more persons on the Board. In the event that the number of Directors becomes less than five, with more than six months prevailing before election, the position(s) shall be filled by the person who as next runner-up in the previous election, providing there are not already three Board members from said person's region. If the position(s) cannot be filled by this method then a special election shall be called.

Section 5. Voluntary submission of Self-Nominations shall prevail for all elections. January will be the announcement of "Nomination Time". Elections will be held in March, approximately two months before the beginning of the Society's fiscal year, which begins June 1st.

However, if insufficient voluntary nominees are received by February 15th, then a Nominating Committee will be formed The Chairman of this Nominating Committee shall be the retiring GFSA Chairman. The committee shall consist of the other present Board members. Each Board member will propose two or more nominee's names to the Chairman. He will then send the nominees a letter informing them of their nomination and requesting a Resume and a "Statement of Office Holding Wishes" from them. If they do not wish to be nominated they need only return a note saying so. The answer must be in the Nomination Chairman’s hands by March 5th. They are then mailed to the printer for inclusion in the March 15th publication.

Section 6. Duties of the BOD shall be:

1. Chairman’s Duties - The Chairman shall watch over the Society's business-at-hand by being the guide of the content and direction of the monthly Board letters. He/she shall be able to vote on proposals and will have the tie-breaking vote. He/she shall be able to keep the Directors in line where/when a Director steps out of line for some reason. He/she shall submit a monthly report to the GFSA Publication. He/she may authorize expenditures up to $500.00 without a board vote. These expenditures will include items like gift subscriptions, computer repairs, accommodations for speakers of GFSA events, and advertising. Individual items over $100.00 must be recorded by the Chairman or Secretary in the monthly letters to the board. The Chairman may appoint Board and non-Board members to function as Advertising, Membership, Convention, Editing, and Back Issue Chairmen. In order to make this appointment the Chairman must provide dual access to all post office boxes, files, and other critical documents.
2. Secretary’s Duties - The Secretary shall report to the Society, via the GFSA Publication, all Election Results. He/she shall make notes of the monthly Board letters so the Board’s activities or projects for the month can be reported in the monthly publication from time to time. He/she shall record all proposals and present them in an orderly list to the Board members so that they may be voted upon. He/she shall prepare a yearly Questionnaire, submit it for publication, and tabulate the results so they may forward correspondence to the proper committee, and present informative letters to the GFSA Publication and/or the BOD, wherever the information will be most helpful.
3. Treasurer’s Duties - The Treasurer shall receive the dues of the members and all other monies from whatever source accruing to the Society. He/she shall pay all bills associated therewith the above. He/ she shall make a financial report to the membership twice a year, via the GFSA Publication. The Chairman shall appoint an auditor, preferably from the membership of the Society. The auditor shall be prepared to make a report of the financial condition of the Society. The books shall be audited and signed once a year, preferably for the year-end financial report to the membership.
4. BOD Duties in General - Through a monthly business Board letter (written at the time the Chairman prescribes), they shall direct, vote on proposals, manage and control the affairs and business of the Society and make such rules and regulations for the membership not inconsistent with these Bylaws. They shall foster and encourage the purposes for which the Society has been formed.

Article V - Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Society shall commence on June 1st and extend through May 31st of the following year.

Article Vl - Dues

Upon finishing the annual audit, the BOD will determine the dues for the following year. The dues will coincide with the necessary expenditures needed to manage the Society.

Article Vll - Mode of Operation

Insofar as it is applicable, the business of the Society shall be carried out by written correspondence. At the discretion of the Chairman, phone votes may be carried out on an infrequent basis. The Chairman or Secretary will record these results in the next written correspondence.

Article Vlll - Amendment

Section 1. These Bylaws may be amended as follows:

1. A majority of the BOD may adopt a resolution specifying the nature of any intended amendment, repeal or new provision, and upon such adoption the same shall be submitted to the membership for action thereupon by written ballot two months after the notification of the membership.
2. One-tenth of the entire membership of the Society may sign and file in writing to the Secretary, proposed amendments, repeals or new provisions to these Bylaws. Thereupon the BOD shall cause to be submitted to the membership the same for action via written ballot two months after the notification of the membership.

Section 2. Such proposed amendments, repeals or new provisions shall become part of these Bylaws upon favorable two-thirds vote of the membership voting.