Chicago Society

I.    Powers of Board of Directors
The policy-making powers of the Chicago Society are vested in the Board and it alone shall determine compliance with our stated purposes and shall have the power and authority to perform all acts and functions not inconsistent with all applicable laws, our Constitution and By-Laws. The Board's powers shall include, but not be limited to, determining the meaning of “members in good standing,” “resident,” “non-resident,” and whether a “vacancy” exists in any office or committee.

 

II.    Senior Membership
A member in good standing may attain Senior Membership based upon their age and years of membership in accordance with the schedule detailed below by submitting a letter to the Board with such a request. Senior Membership includes all the benefits of the Chicago Society, with reduced annual dues as prescribed in the By-laws:

A.    Age 65 and 25 years of continuous membership
B.    Age 66 and 24 years of continuous membership
C.    Age 67 and 23 years of continuous membership
D.    Age 68 and 22 years of continuous membership
E.    Age 69 and 21 years of continuous membership
F.    Age 70 and over and 20 or more years of continuous membership

 

III.    Non-Resident Status
A.    A member in good standing who resides outside a county which is contiguous to Cook County, Illinois, may obtain Non-Resident status by submitting to the Board a letter requesting Non-Resident status which includes information about current residency, anticipated frequency of attendance at meetings and other relevant information.
B.    Statements concerning residency will be accepted as submitted, subject to the Board's discretion as based on factual evidence available at the time.
C.    A former member may be reinstated as a Non-Resident member upon compliance with the requirements of this Section as well as the applicable reinstatement requirements relating to the applicant's status at the time of leaving the Society.

 

IV.    Initiation Fees
An applicant for Active Membership shall submit a $50 initiation fee with their membership application to the Board of Directors. An applicant who is the child of a member or who is applying for Associate Membership shall submit a $25 initiation fee with their membership application.

 

V.    Dues 
A.    Annual dues for all members shall be $150, except as follows:
    i.    For Senior members, the annual dues shall be $75.
    ii.    For members age 28 or younger the annual dues shall be $75.
    iii.    For Non-Resident Members and Associate Members, the annual dues shall be $45.
B.    Dues are billed on January 1 for the calendar year.
    i.    Dues not paid by March 1 will be considered delinquent. 
    ii.    If delinquent dues are not received by April 1, the delinquent member will automatically be suspended.
    iii.    Dues for new members are prorated for the year from the month following the date of induction and are due within 60 days. 

 

VI.     Waiver of Dues
Any member of the Society may request waiver of dues for a member who is physically unable to attend meetings by reason of poor health or is enduring other hardships. The Board of Directors shall consider and determine each such situation on an individual basis.
 
VII.    Membership Privileges
A.    A member “in good standing” is one whose dues are current.
B.    Each member in good standing shall be permitted one vote in any matter requiring a vote by the general membership. Voting by proxy is not permitted.

 

VIII.    Membership Reinstatement
A.    A Member in good standing who has resigned from the Society is eligible for reinstatement by submitting to the Board the following:
1.    Letter requesting reinstatement.
2.    An updated membership application--initiation fee not required.
3.    Pro-rata dues for the year of reinstatement
B.     A former member not in good standing is eligible for reinstatement by submitting to the board the following:
1.    Letter requesting reinstatement 
2.    An updated membership application--initiation fee not required.
3.    Payment of dues in full for the current year.

 

IX.    Qualifications for Office
A candidate for President, 1st Vice president, and 2nd Vice president shall have been a member in good standing of the Chicago Society and of the Polish National Alliance for a minimum of two (2) years immediately preceding his candidacy for office and a member of the Board of the Chicago Society for a minimum of one (1) year.  A candidate for any remaining elected office shall have been a member in good standing of the Chicago Society and of the Polish National Alliance or at least one (1) year immediately preceding his candidacy to office.

 

X.    Officer Attendance at Board Meetings
Any officer who has three (3) consecutive unexcused or five (5) total unexcused absences from meetings of the Board in a given term may be removed from his office, subject to Board approval.

 

XI.    Bonding
Every Officer, Director, Committee Chair and/or Member who is or will be entrusted with money shall be bonded as provided in the Constitution. The premium for such bonding will be paid by the Society.
 
XII.    Termination of Office
Upon the termination of their office each Officer, Director, and Committee Chair shall provide an exit report summarizing all activities of the past term together with all Society funds, records, accounts and other assets to the incoming Secretary within thirty (30) days of leaving office. 

 

XIII.    Forfeiture of Office
A member who loses their membership for any reason shall automatically forfeit their position held as an officer, director or committee chair.
 
XIV.    Member Attendance at Board Meetings 
Any member in good standing shall be permitted to attend a regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors but shall not be permitted to speak or address the Board unless and until they have first notified the President of the subject matter that they plan to discuss and has obtained the President's approval to comment. Non-Board members in attendance at any Board meeting are not entitled to vote on any issue presented.
 
XV.    Expense Allowance
The Board of Directors shall verify, approve and reimburse in a timely manner all Society related expenses incurred and submitted by Officers, Directors, Chairpersons and Members.
 
XVI.    Privacy Policy
Any and all personally identifiable information (“PII”) collected by the Chicago Society of the Polish National Alliance (“Society”), which may include but is not limited to e-mail addresses, will be used for the exclusive purpose of contacting and identifying members in order to further the Society’s objectives. Permitted uses of collected PII include but are not limited to facilitating member communications, publishing a member directory, providing event or other notifications and distributing a newsletter. Any Society member wanting to limit the distribution or use of their PII should submit said request in writing to the board of directors (“Board”) clearly outlining the scope and reason for the requested limitation(s). The Board will review any limitation requests and facilitate any approved limitations within three (3) months of receipt of said request. As a condition of membership, all Society members, both past and present, have agreed not to disseminate the PII of any members, past or present, collected by the Society, however obtained. No member shall disseminate any PII obtained or collected by the Society to any non-member without the written consent of the member whose PII is to be disseminated. Any member found by a majority vote of the Board to have disseminated or utilized PII collected by the Society in violation of this policy is subject to discipline to be determined by a majority vote of the Board. 

 

XVII.    Official Language
English shall be the official language of the Society.

 

Adopted August 17, 2022