Scout Memorabilia Collectors of
Preamble
The
purpose of the Scout Memorabilia Collectors of Canada is to educate its membership and the
public regarding the heritage of Scouting and Guiding through the collecting
and trading of Scouting and Guiding related memorabilia; to sponsor events for
the purpose of promoting collecting and trading; to promote ethical conduct; to
provide information through publication of a catalogue of memorabilia on the
world wide web; and to engage in any other related activities.
Bylaw One
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Section 1. Name
1. The name of this
organization is the Scout Memorabilia
Collectors of
Section 2. General
In
this bylaw
“Member
in good standing” means a member who has paid the requisite registration fee
and who has no outstanding complaints regarding an infraction of the Code of
Ethics against him or her.
“Robert’s
Rules of Order” shall mean the rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised,
which shall govern the SMCC in all cases to which they are applicable and in
which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws or any special rules of order
the SMCC may adopt.
“Scouts
Section 3 Membership
1. Any person is eligible for
membership in the SMCC on or after his 10th birthday.
2. By
applying for and accepting membership in the SMCC, every member of the SMCC
agrees to be bound by and will govern himself or herself in accordance with the SMCC’s Code of Ethics as enumerated in section 4 of this
bylaw.
3. Any person wishing to join
the SMCC will pay an initial registration fee. The initial registration fee
shall be set annually at the General Meeting.
4. Members are entitled to
attend and vote at the general meeting, to receive a directory of members and
to have full access to the Member Services feature of the SMCC website.
5. Any two or more persons who
share a permanent or near-permanent common abode or residence may apply for
group membership in the SMCC. A
constituent person of the group membership must be selected by all members of
the group to act as the group representative who will vote for and act on
behalf of the group. All persons
comprising a group membership will complete a proxy form that has been adopted
by the Executive Committee before the group representative may vote for and act
on behalf of the group. All constituent
persons who comprise a group membership are jointly and severally responsible
for compliance with the SMCC’s Code of Ethics and are
jointly and severally liable for any breach of the SMCC’s Code of Ethics.
6. (a) Any member who desires to resign from the SMCC
shall submit his resignation in writing to the Secretary-Treasurer who shall
present it to the Executive Committee and will record the termination of
membership in the minutes of the meeting.
(b) A member may have his or her
membership revoked for any infraction of the Code of Ethics.
(i) Any person may provide a
signed complaint regarding a member of the SMCC to the Executive Committee.
(ii) The Executive Committee, upon
receipt of the complaint,
will establish a Discipline Committee consisting of not less than
three members of the SMCC who are not the complainant or members of the
Executive Committee.
(iii) The Discipline Committee
shall investigate the complaint and speak to any person who might have
knowledge of the alleged infraction.
When the investigation is complete, the Discipline Committee shall
prepare a written report for the Executive Committee and provide a copy to the
accused member. The report will include a recommendation for either revocation
of membership or that no action be taken.
(iv) The accused member shall have
an opportunity to respond to the report in writing. After carefully considering both the report
and the response provided by the accused member, the Executive Committee shall
decide whether to revoke the membership of the accused member or to do nothing
by a motion requiring a two-thirds majority to pass. The President shall inform
the accused of the outcome in writing.
(v) The accused member may appeal
the decision to revoke his or her membership to the General Meeting provided
that the accused member provides written notice of his or her intent to appeal
not less than sixty days prior the General Meeting. Notice of the appeal and both the written
report of the Disciplinary Committee, the written decision of the Executive
Committee and any written defence produced by the accused member must be
provided to every member not less than thirty days prior to the General
Meeting. The decision of the General
Meeting is final.
Section 4 Code of Ethics
The
Code of Ethics of the SMCC is as follows:
I
accept:
a. The Aims and Principles of
Scouts Canada, the obligations stated in Scouts Canada’s Duty of Care document
and know of no reason that I would not be accepted for membership in Scouts
Canada if I applied.
I
will
b. Apply the Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would have them do
unto you) to all transactions, never trade or sell an item that is known to
be a fake or reproduction without disclosing the fact and never knowingly
misrepresent an item in any way.
c. Never consider a trade or a
sale complete until all parties are happy.
d. Never knowingly take
advantage of inexperienced individuals and always demonstrate great tact and
respect for individual circumstances when acquiring memorabilia from others,
particularly but not limited to the family, executors or estate trustees of any deceased
person.
e. Ensure that all items (or
proceeds from items) acquired in the name of Scouting or Guiding, remain with
or are used for the benefit of the Scouting or Guiding
movements.
f. Respond to all mail
including email as soon as possible.
g. Always follow the rules of
an event that apply to trading or sale of items.
h. Promote good understanding
and relationships with all branches of Scouting or Guiding
movements and with other Collectors’ associations.
i. Encourage new collectors.
Section 5 Executive Committee
1. The Executive Committee
consists of the following officers: a President, a Vice-President, a
Secretary-Treasurer, a Cataloguer and a Webmaster.
2. The members the Executive
Committee are elected at the General Meeting for a period of one year and are
not be limited to the number of terms to which they may be elected.
3. A member of the Executive
Committee may be removed from office for consistently not carrying out assigned
responsibilities by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee.
Section 6 Responsibilities of the Executive Committee
1. The Executive Committee is
empowered:
a. To act on behalf of the SMCC between meetings
on all matters pertaining to its business affairs including the acquisition or
disposal of materials.
b. To appoint members to a
vacant Executive position between general meetings if vacancies occur.
c. To rule on all matters
related to the Code of Ethics including disciplinary action against a member
whose actions, behaviour or activities are deemed to bring discredit or damage
to the SMCC.
d. To make recommendations to
the membership regarding the business of the SMCC including such things as the
initial registration fee and changes to this bylaw or any other bylaw that the
SMCC may from time to time adopt..
e. To establish special
committees for a specific purpose and with a defined time period for the
completion of the specified purpose. They may not become permanent committees
without approval of the General Meeting.
2. The duties of individual
members of the Executive Committee are as follows:
President - to oversee the bylaw of the SMCC; to organize and chair
meetings of the Executive Committee as required; to organize and
chair General Meetings.
Vice-President - to assume the responsibilities of the President during
absences; to organize and chair a Nominating Committee consisting of at least
two members from the general membership who are not members of the Executive
Committee.
Secretary-Treasurer - to record the minutes of executive and general
meetings; to receive and disburse all funds for the club and to maintain an
orderly accounting of funds; to maintain membership lists; to communicate with
members on matters related to SMCC news and business.
Cataloguer - to be responsible for the content of the catalogue
maintained on the SMCC website; to chair a Cataloguing Committee consisting of
members of the SMCC.
Webmaster - to be responsible for the maintenance of
the SMCC website.
Section 7 General Meeting
1. A general meeting will be
held annually. Notice will be given of the specific place, date and time of the
meeting. The General Meeting will be held annually no less that 305 days and
not more than 425 days from the previous general meeting.
2. All persons are welcome to
attend the general meeting but only those members in good standing may vote.
3. The business of the general
meeting includes;
President’s Report
Ratification of the
actions of the Executive Committee during the past year.
Election of
Officers.
Membership Report.
Treasurer’s Report.
Approval of the initial Registration
Fee
Cataloguer’s Report.
Webmaster’s Report.
Old and new
business.
Input from the floor.
4. All decisions are to be made
by a simple majority vote unless it involves an amendment to this bylaw in
which case a 3/5 (three-fifths) majority of the cast votes is required.
5. SMCC members have the right
to amend this bylaw at a general meeting provided that at least 70 days prior
notice is given.
6. A total of 10 members
including at least two members of the Executive Committee constitutes
a quorum.
7. A special general meeting
may be held if requested by the Executive Committee or by at least 10 members
in good standing.
Section 8 Other Matters
1. There is to be a Nominating
Committee, chaired by the Vice-President, consisting of at least two additional
members in good standing. The responsibility of the committee is to prepare a
proposed slate of officers for presentation to the general meeting. The slate
will be distributed to the membership by mail (including e-mail) not less than
one month in advance of the general meeting.
2. The assets of the SMCC can
not be transferred to any member except the payment in good faith for services
rendered to the SMCC, for goods supplied to the SMCC or for any reasonable out
of pocket expenses incurred by members. All such expenditures must be approved
by the Executive Committee.
3. The SMCC is not to be wound
up or dissolved except by 3/5 vote of the current membership. At least 60 days notice of such vote must be
given. If this should occur, the assets of the Club will be transferred to a
like non-profit organization if such exists and would accept the donation and
failing this to Scouts Canada. The members of the SMCC will appoint a person or
persons to hold the assets until a recipient is found.
4. For purposes of an election
of officers or amendment to this bylaw, a member in good standing may vote by
mail or e-mail directed to the Secretary-Treasurer provided that such vote is
received no later than the day prior to the scheduled vote.
5. The membership list of the
SMCC is confidential and may not be sold, lent or otherwise released to
non-members for any reason except when required by law. The membership list will be used only for the
business of the SMCC and not for any other purpose.
6. The headquarters of the SMCC
will be located at a place in
Section 9 Effective Date of this Bylaw
1. The effective date of this
bylaw is