Last Revision: January 22, 2014

ARTICLE I: ATTENDANCE

  1. General: No member may have more than three consecutive unexcused absences, or eight unexcused absences in a calendar year. An excused absence is one which is reported to the secretary or any other officer prior to the meeting in question. Members will be required to attend at least 70% of all scheduled meetings in a calendar year, unless this requirement is waived by the board.
  2. Membership Substitutions: If a member is not able to attend a meeting, it is the position of the club that a substitute should be sent. If a member knows they will miss more than three consecutive meetings (excused), a designated substitute can be sent. The designated substitute should be briefed by the member regarding club rules. The secretary or membership chairman should be notified when the designated substitute will be attending the meetings.

ARTICLE II: FEES

  1. Dues: Dues are $50.00 per month. Payment is due upon receipt of bill and becomes delinquent thereafter. If dues are 60 days past due there will be a late charge of $10.00 added to the member’s account for each additional month past due. After 4 months past due, the membership is in jeopardy.
  2. Initiation Fee: The initiation fee is $10.00 and is due when the application is submitted. In addition, the initial payment should include the first month’s dues.
  3. Fees: Minimum fee is 25 cents and the maximum fee is $5.00. Member makes decision as to amount rendered and records amount on weekly tip sheet.
  4. Guest/Non-prospective Members: The member shall pay for the guest’s meal. The guest’s occupation should not be discussed unless the guest is an employee of the same company and/or shares the occupation of the host.
  5. Waiver of Dues: One month’s dues shall be waived for the sponsor of each member who meets new member criteria. If member’s company pays their dues, member will be presented with a check for $25.00 (Article III, Section C, 1-3).

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

  1. Preamble: The position of each member of the TipMasters Club is unique in that they are the exclusive members of their particular profession. As such, the member owes a high professional duty toward any leads furnished by a fellow member, while at the same time; they also occupy a position of trust and loyalty with their own profession.
  2. Membership Rules:
    1. Individual is a Member: The membership in the Club belongs to the member, not to the company.
    2. Change of Employment: If a member changes jobs, they should notify the membership chairman and the board should review and approve the new employer with regard to possible conflicts. No formal application is necessary, however, an application form should be completed in order for the secretary to have correct information for Club records. The member may attend meetings in the interim, but may not announce his new employer until the board meets and approves the change. If the board or any member perceives a conflict, the member will not be accepted.
    3. Company Acquisitions: If a company for whom a member works is acquired or merged with another company, the same rule applies as with change of employment, as the new company may have conflicts within the membership.
    4. Primary Employment: A member must be employed in an active business engaged in the occupation for which they hold membership. In the event of unemployment, the member may hold his position for a reasonable length of time.
    5. Multiple Applications for the same position: Up to three application for a vacant or new position will be accepted, in chronological order, by the membership chairman and submitted to the board. After board approval, the membership will vote on either a majority or plurality basis with regard to the applicants at a subsequent meeting. A tie vote shall be decided by the President.
    6. Overrule Objection: The board, by a two thirds majority vote, may overrule an objection by any member(s) to a prospective applicant.
    7. Associate Membership: A member may submit an application for Associate Membership in Accordance with Article III, Section C. Fees shall be applied in accordance with Article II. Speaking and voting privileges are limited to the Member only; although the Member may yield to the Associate Member to speak on their behalf. Associate Members cannot be elected or appointed to any office or chair position. Associate Membership shall be terminated along with the Member termination or resignation; however, a former Associate Member may apply for any open category. All rules of conduct and ethics shall be observed by Associate Members.
  3. New Members:
    1. Bringing Guests To Meetings: Any member in good standing, may invite a guest for potential membership. The procedure to follow is either to have the prospective guest qualified for membership by the Bylaws; or first contact the Membership Chairperson. The Membership Chairperson will then either clear that potential guest for discussion at the next meeting or will exclude that potential guest because of a conflict perceived by the Membership Chairperons or by others of the Board of Directors with whom the Chairperson is obligated to contact in order to clear or exclude that potential guest for introduction for discussion before the full club. It is important for each member who is sensitive about potential personal or professional conflicts to be at every meeting to avoid missing the discussion and invitation of guests.
    2. Application for Membership: Any member in good standing may sponsor an applicant for membership in the Club. The sponsoring member shall complete a membership application form, including a description of the applicant’s business products and services, and submit the application to the Membership Chairman, who will check for obvious conflicts with existing members.
    3. Approval of Application: The membership chairman will submit the application to the Board with their comments regarding potential conflicts. The Board will approve or disapprove the application by majority vote before submission to the membership. If approved by the Board, the application will be submitted at the next general membership meeting. The sponsor will be given an opportunity to comment on the applicant before a vote is taken. The application will be approved by majority vote of the members present. If two applications are presented which could be in conflict, the application receiving the plurality of the vote will be approved. Any tie vote is decided by the President. Any application which fails to win approval in the case of a plurality vote will be automatically resubmitted to the membership chairman for future reference if the approved applicant fails to accept the invitation to join.
    4. Acceptance of Nomination: If the application is approved, the applicant will be notified by their sponsor that they have been invited to join the Club. The applicant may accept the invitation for membership by forwarding payment of the initiation fee and first month’s dues to the Club’s Treasurer. If the applicant fails to accept the invitation within two weeks of approval, the invitation automatically expires. If the applicant accepts the invitation to join, they will be invited to give a two-minute self-introduction at the next regular membership meeting.
  4. Termination of Membership: Membership shall be terminated involuntarily only by action of the Board pursuant to Articles I (A) and II (A) by two-thirds majority vote.

ARTICLE IV: LEADS AND SALES

  1. Giving Leads: When you have a lead for a fellow TipMaster, contact them immediately with the necessary information.
  2. Reporting Sales: When you have made money from a tip/lead given to you by a fellow member, you should fill out the tip sheet indicating such. You will be billed on your next statement for the fee.

ARTICLE V: THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND BOARD MEMBERS

  1. Board Composition: The TipMasters Board of Directors includes the following: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, TipMaster, Membership Chairman, and two immediate past Presidents.
  2. Meetings & Attendance: All board members should attend. Board Meetings should be held in the seven days prior to the monthly business meeting. The President will set the place and the exact time of board meeting. The procedure for absences from Club meetings also applies to Board Members attending Board meetings. Any member may attend board meetings at any time.
  3. Business: The Board may entertain any Club business at this time and will retain the discretionary power to set and adjust dues and fees, as well as budgeting and assessing for all entertainment events.

ARTICLE VI: SPEAKERS

  1. A. Scheduling: The Vice-President will schedule members, on a rotating basis, to give a ten-minute talk. This serves as a member’s opportunity to familiarize fellow members with the type of project or service he or she sells or performs. It is important that the speaker make the point as to the types of leads they seek.
  2. B. Forfeiture of Turn: If a scheduled speaker is absent from the meeting on the day they are scheduled to speak, or if a member scheduled to speak declines to speak after being scheduled and does not notify the Vice-President prior to Noon on the Monday prior to the meeting, they forfeit their turn.

ARTICLE VII: ELECTIONS

  1. Elections: Elections of officers will be held by ballot during December of each year with installation to take place the first regularly scheduled meeting in January.
  2. Schedule:
    1. November – Announcement of election and meeting of nominating committee.
    2. First Wednesday in December – Announcement of slate of officers by nominating committee.
    3. Second Wednesday in December – Additional nominations and election.
  3. Nominating Committee: Current President and all past Presidents will constitute the nominating committee. The committee should prepare the slate of nominees at least three weeks prior to the election.
  4. Voting: The candidate receiving more than 50% of the vote will fill the office. If one candidate does not receive more than 50% of the votes cast in the first ballot, the two candidates receiving the highest vote will be voted on in a second ballot. In the event of a tie between any two candidates in the second ballot, the tie will be broken by the majority of the Board in attendance at the meeting.

ARTICLE VIII: OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES

  1. The officers of the Club shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Chairman and TipMaster.
  2. The term of office shall be one year. The President and Vice-President shall not be eligible for the same office for more than one consecutive year.
  3. The duty of the President is to preside at the weekly meetings, and in general, to guide the affairs of the Club. The President may optionally appoint a Secretary-at-Arms to enforce order and/or rules of the Club for any length of time deemed necessary. The President may optionally appoint a coordinating advisor to coordinate committee activity. The President shall serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors.
  4. The Vice-President shall be an aide to the President, and perform the duties of the President in their absence. The Vice-President shall also be the Program Chairman, responsible for scheduling speakers. The Program Chairman shall notify all member speakers that they will be limited to the time specified. The Vice-President shall serve on the Board of Directors.
  5. The Secretary shall keep in permanent form the minutes of the Board meetings and reports of all officers and committee chairmen. Also, upon request, minutes of any regular meeting shall be recorded and kept in permanent form. The Secretary shall serve on the Board of Directors.
  6. The Treasurer shall receive all Club monies, make a weekly deposit, and disburse funds in accordance with the budget adopted by the Club, or upon order of the Board. The Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all receipts and disbursements and make monthly reports to the Board and at the regular meetings. The Treasurer shall serve on the Board of Directors.
  7. The TipMaster shall keep records of all sales and leads and report Tip fees to the Treasurer. The TipMaster shall also be responsible for developing programs to promote the giving and receiving of leads. The TipMaster shall serve on the Board of Directors.
  8. The Membership Chairman shall be responsible for keeping an up-to-date list of all members in good standing. The Chairman shall be prepared to make a report at all meetings on any matter pertaining to membership. The Chairman shall adhere to Article III with regard to prospective members.

ARTICLE IX: VACANCIES

  1. In the event an office (exclusive of the office of President) or a seat on the Board should become vacant, the President, at the next meeting will make the announcement to the membership and elections will be conducted as per Article VII of the By-Laws.
  2. In the event the office of President becomes vacant, the Vice-President shall automatically become President.

ARTICLE X: COMMITTEES

  1. Entertainment Committee Chairman: The Entertainment Committee Chairman shall be responsible for the scheduling and arrangement of all social events.

ARTICLE XI: ISSUES NOT ANSWERED BY THESE BY-LAWS

The Board shall have final authority to decide any issue that arises which either is not addressed or is specifically answered by these By-Laws. Such an issue must be decided by a majority vote of the Board with the President deciding any tie vote.

ARTICLE XII: AMENDMENTS

The Board of Directors of TipMasters may amend these By-Laws by a two-thirds majority vote. In order for a By-Law change to take effect, a majority vote of the general membership for ratification is required.