March 29,2025
To:  DQN Members
Fr:  Jeanne Spala, President
Re:  Bylaws Revisions for 2025
Once again, the DQN Board is asking for your approval of revisions to our Bylaws. Several of these changes were identified to bring our bylaws incompliance with our current operations while addressing some items that were never defined. 
 
The goal of this revision is to create a document that defines the structure needed for the Guild to operate in compliance with all laws while providing flexibility by avoiding specific dates for events so that the bylaws will not need to be revised when a basic change is made, for example, changing the Over 90 to a more general membership category allowing the Board to make these changes without requiring a bylaws change.
 
The Bylaws will be voted on at the May 1, 2025 Quarterly Meeting.  Questions may be addressed to me – Jeanne Spala, [email protected].
 
The attached document includes the following changes:
  1. Membership
    1. Defines the membership year
    2. Changing Over 90 to Esteemed – supporting the new age level at 87
    3. Defining when new members can join and when membership closes
    4. Adding additional information to the Circles section to ensure compliance with tax law and insurance
  2. Meetings
    1. Eliminating Quarterly and replacing as General Membership meetings to give us flexibility as to when we hold our meetings as it has proven difficult to identify a location and date to match the details currently defined as well as to allow flexibility to schedule and avoid meeting during a major holiday.
    2. To define the First General Membership meeting as our Annual Business Meeting and to provide the option for the Last General Membership meeting to also be our Election meeting during election years.
    3. Changing the requirement for 2 additional general membership meetings to at least one or more. The July Swap Meet and Challenge meeting has seen drastic decline in attendance the last several years. This provides flexibility to hold additional meetings as needed and at times more conducive to membership participation.
    4. Eliminates the requirement for a business meeting at each general meeting.  Allows for more time for the guest speaker and informal membership contact  while not forcing time be set-aside for this purpose.  Quick announcements can be included at any meeting.  Business information is provided via the website & chat and Board reports at the Circle meetings.
 
  1. Board of Directors
    1. Grants Board voting rights to additional Committee managers whose time commitments to the Guild justify them having rights to vote. Note: Changing the name of 12-4-12 to Members’ Showcase Chair and adding Volunteer Scheduling Manager.
  2. Executive Board
    1. Changes meetings to as needed.
    2. Defines the actual voting requirement for appointments and grants supervisory authority.
  3.  Officers
    1. Defines basic requirements to serve as an officer on the Board.
    2. Defines how officers may be removed.
    3. Added to Duties of Secretary maintaining master copy of Standing Rules document.
    4. Under Duties of Treasurer, changed annual financial review from 2 months to the first quarter.
  4. Nomination and Election Processes
    1. Added this as a new Article
    2. This includes moving sections from other articles about the election to this section.
    3. Changes the quorum from 25% to 10%.
  5. Committee Managers
    1. Edited list of possible positions including changing the name of 12-4-12, Volunteer, and adding Volunteer Scheduling Manager.
    2. Made all Committee Managers voting members of the Board.
  6. Events
    1. Added as a new Article
    2. Needed to be in full compliance with our insurance policy
Updated:  4.3.25 hs