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ACE By-Laws
::Purpose PurposeThe purpose of ACE is to further reinforce and facilitate individual professionalism and success by affiliation and networking within the organization. As a group, Members will strive to do business with each other whenever possible, given reasonable options. However, no Member will be asked to change or interfere with existing business relationships or providers. The governing body of ACE shall be the Leadership Council, consisting of the Charter Members, Executive Officers and Chairpersons and shall be chaired by the immediate President. Officers (Executive Committee) The Executive Officers shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. Officers shall be nominated by the general membership at the July business meeting with the election to take place at the August business meeting. Officers will assume their responsibilities on September 1. Nominated members must be a member of ACE for at least one year. Standing
Committees shall consist of Attendance,
Social, Presentation, Performance,
Membership/Classification, Newsletter,
and Business Expo. Additional committees
shall be established as necessary by
the Leadership Council. Committee chairpersons shall
be nominated and voted on by the General
Membership at the August business meeting
following the election of officers. All
members shall serve on at least one committee. New members may
be assigned to a committee by the Executive
Committee. There
shall be a Business meeting the first Tuesday of each month. Business
meetings shall be open to members only. All other meetings are
General meetings. Members are welcome to bring guests to General
meetings. Members are strongly encouraged to be punctual in their
attendance. Meeting Content Meetings
shall consist of each Member introducing
themselves, the service they offer, and then thanking any fellow
member for referrals
they have received; the minutes from
the previous meeting are approved; Old Business is discussed;
New Business is discussed; Reports from any Chair Persons; and
a Presentation by a member for 10 to 15 minute profiling their
business. One Presentation shall be done at each meeting, except
the Business Meeting. The President may elect to cover the items
in any order they wish. Criteria New
Member recommendations should be
of individuals on the basis of
achievement of a level of success
in their respective fields. Such
individuals should demonstrate knowledge, a desire for growth
in their field, professionalism
and above all, a high degree
of integrity. Additionally, potential
members must have worked in their
field or profession a minimum of
one year and been with their new
employer at least six months;
or if a new business owner, the
business must have been in existence
for at least one year. The
potential members must also be
an Executive, Business Owner, Partner
or Account Manager and employed
full-time by their company. A
master category list has been developed
and membership is based on open categories.
If a prospective new member does not have a
category listed in their profession,
the Leadership Council may elect to add
a category to the list. Changing Any
Member whose category is changed due
to a change in employment must go through
the member selection process in their
new category. The minimum length of time
in a field or business will be waived
for these existing Members should their
new category be available. The Newsletter Chair will run the prospective members name, company and category in the Newsletter for a minimum of two weeks to give other members a chance to contact the President or Vice President with objections. The sponsoring member is responsible for letting the Membership know about the new members qualification (this should be done during the meetings). The prospective member will be voted on during the next business meeting. If the prospective members application has not run two weeks in the newsletter, they will not be voted on until the following business meeting. An anonymous vote on each potential new member shall be taken by the general membership during a business meeting. They will become new members if they receive “yes” votes from at least 80% of the members in attendance. Individuals who do not receive 80% “yes” votes, will not be able to join. The sponsoring member must wait one year before putting forth the potential members name again for membership. If the prospective member is voted in, it is the responsibility of the Sponsoring Member to contact them and help them through the first few meetings. Should the new member fail to attend at least one of the four meetings following their selection, their membership shall lapse and their category shall be reopened. A
potential member is required to attend
at least two, but not more than three
General meetings within a fiscal year before submitting
an application for membership. If they
are interested in applying for membership,
they may read the By-Laws and fill out the application
on the website. The sponsoring member
is responsible for reviewing the By-Laws
with the prospective Member. When the application is
completed, it is forwarded to the Membership
Chair and copied to the President and
Secretary. After the Membership Chair approves
the applicant, the application will run
twice in the Newsletter for review from
the general membership. After applying for membership,
potential members may attend any meeting
and social event, except business meetings,
while waiting for the application process and
acceptance into the group. Meeting
attendance is extremely important for this organization to function
successfully for all it's members. However, when members cannot attend scheduled meetings or sponsored events, the following applies: A referral consists of providing the Referred Member with the name, address, phone number and background information on an individual needing services provided by the Referred member. The Referring Member shall also provide said individual with the Referred Members name and credentials so that no member is placed in the position of making a cold contact. When appropriate, a written recommendation to the individual with a blind copy to the Referred Member is suggested. Each Member is responsible for furnishing the other ACE Members with his or her resume, brochure or business cards for use in making referrals. Each Member is encouraged to respond to or acknowledge referrals received. Referral Policy Members shall attempt to give as many referrals as possible on a yearly basis. However, it is acknowledged that it may be more difficult to refer to some Members than others. Additionally, no Referring Member guarantees that a referral shall generate business for the Referred Member Referral Recognition Quarterly, the Attendance Chair shall acknowledge the Member or Members making the most referrals. At the December general meeting, the Membership Chair shall recognize the Member or Members making the largest number of referrals for the year. Dues shall be assessed of each Member per category per calendar year. The amount of the dues shall be determined by the Leadership Council and shall be adjusted as needed. The membership dues will be invoiced to each member per category by the Treasurer after January 1st. The amount will be due within 30 days. At the end of 60 days, any unpaid dues are increased by $10. At the end of 90 days, any unpaid dues are increased by another $10. If the membership dues are not paid after 90 days, the membership will be terminated and the category re-opened. The Quorum of ACE is fifty percent (50%) of the Active members. If a Quorum is not met, those present may elect to suspend the by-law to achieve quorum, with approval of 50% of those members present. Amendments of the By-Laws of ACE shall be approved by the Leadership Council. If approved by the Leadership Council, the amendment will be listed in detail in the newsletter for two weeks, then voted on in the next business meeting. Any amendment changes require two-thirds majority vote of the Quorum. Absentee votes should be sent to the President prior to the voting day. The Quorum of ACE is fifty percent (50%) of the Active members (this excludes inactive and honorary members). For question regarding membership, send us an email. |