Independent Achievers | Networking | Business

The incumbent candidate for the above positions has the option to attend Board meetings. Although these individuals will not be required to attend Board meetings, they will have a vote at such meetings if they do attend. These individuals will report directly to the Board as needed with committee updates.

The Vice-Chair shall be a candidate for the position of Chair. This person, along with any others who may be nominated from the floor, shall constitute the list of candidates for the Chair. Individuals nominated from the floor must have been members of Independent Achievers for one full year.

Nominations for the positions for the Board of Directors will be announced at the regularly scheduled May lunch meeting. Any nominations need to be communicated to the Chair and will be recorded by the Chair. The nominations will close at the regularly scheduled June meeting. An election will take place at the regularly scheduled June lunch meeting. No proxy voting is allowed. Each member present at the elections is entitled to one vote per position.

IA may, by resolution passed by a simple majority vote of members present at a special meeting held for that purpose upon proper notice, remove any member of the Board of Directors before expiration of her term of office and appoint another person in her place to hold office until the next elections if that Board member:

The newly elected and appointed Board of Directors members shall be installed into their respective offices at the June meeting and shall assume the duties thereof immediately following the June meeting.

It shall be the duty of the Chair to preside at meetings of IA and Board and to perform such other duties as ordinarily pertain to her office.

It shall be the duty of the Vice Chair to serve as a member of the Board of Directors and to perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Chair or the Board.

It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep the minutes at Board Meetings and keep documents and records of IA. The Secretary will also check the Independent Achievers' mailbox periodically for correspondence. Upon her retirement from the office, she shall turn over to her successor or to the Chair all records or any other club property in her possession.

It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to have custody of all funds, accounting for the same to the Board at monthly Board meetings, and at any other time upon demand by the Board and to perform such other duties as pertain to her office. Upon her retirement from the office, she shall turn over to her successor or to the Chair all funds, books of accounts or any other club property in her possession. An annual statement of revenue and expenses shall be presented to the Board at the June Board of Directors Meeting.

It shall be the duty of the Membership Coordinator to distribute and collect membership forms and fees, and maintain a current list of members. The membership coordinator shall remit fees to the Treasurer, as they are collected.

It shall be the duty of the Reservations Coordinator to liaise with the facility where the luncheons are held to ensure that the facility is booked and needs of IA are met regarding the facilities. The Reservations Coordinator shall also collect the reservations for each monthly luncheon (members and guests) and contact the facility with the appropriate number of guests.

It is the responsibility of the Newsletter Coordinator to gather information for the monthly newsletters, prepare the newsletters, and email the finished copy to the Chair for distribution at least 10 days prior to each monthly luncheon.

It shall be the duty of the Speaker Coordinator to arrange for speakers at the monthly luncheons as requested by the Board. The Speaker Coordinator will also arrange for the introduction and thank-you to the speakers the day of the luncheon.

It is the responsibility of the Directory Coordinator to gather necessary information, photos, etc. to prepare the club directory. The Directory Coordinator will also prepare the directory for printing as directed by the Board.

It is the responsibility of the Meeter/Greeter Committee to arrive 20 minutes prior to commencement of the monthly luncheons to greet members, assist them with nametags and prepare seating arrangements as directed by the Board. This committee will also be responsible for the preparation, storage and transportation of the nametags.

It is the responsibility of the 50/50 ticket committee to sell tickets at the monthly luncheons, draw a winning ticket, distribute the prize (112 the pot), and remit the remaining funds to the Treasurer.

It is the responsibility of the Publicity & Promotions Committee to maintain a file of all contacts for community advertising, contact these contacts prior to the membership drive in September to give information about IA, as well as perform any other duties as directed by the Board. Upon finishing her term, she shall turn over to her successor or to the Chair the publicity and promotions file.

It is the responsibility of the Historian to maintain a scrapbook of photos from events, newspaper articles about IA, and gather any other information as the Board sees fit. Upon finishing her term, she shall turn over to her successor or to the Chair the scrapbook, and any other documents collected.

It is the responsibility of the Social Committee to organize social events for members as directed by the Board.

It is the responsibility of the Member-at-Large to act as a liaison between the membership and the Board.

No remuneration shall be paid to officers other than reimbursement of expenses incurred in the conduct of IA businesses.

The Board members agree not to divulge, publish, or otherwise make known to any unauthorized persons or to the public, any information collected about IA members except for that information which is contained on the member's business card. Yearly on its membership form, IA will obtain consent from its members to disclose the personal information given throughout the year as needed for IA to perform various networking and club functions.

Meetings are usually held on the 2nd Thursday of each month. The meetings begin at 11:45 a.m. and end at 1:15 p.m. with networking available afterwards for those who wish to stay.

Meeting fees cover the cost of food and are paid by members and guests at each luncheon at a price predetermined by the Board.

Members are required to confirm attendance for themselves and their guests by contacting the Reservations Coordinator before 5 :00 PM the Friday before the meeting date.

Promotional Materials will include all member handouts and/or promotional items. Members may places these on the designated promotional table provided at each meeting and NOT on each meeting table. Members are requested to pick up any excess literature/items at the end of the meeting or they will be disposed of.

All members are encouraged to bring guests. Guests may only attend twice before making a membership commitment. After that, they will be required to join IA and pay the membership fee. Members are reminded to advise their guests accordingly.

IA members who have invited guests to the Luncheon meetings will be given the opportunity of doing a 20 second introduction of themselves and their guest( s). Any other introductions of IA members will be at the discretion of the Board.

Members in good standing are allowed to showcase their business for three minutes. Requirements for this are to bring a door prize and notify Spotlight Committee that they would like to be in the spotlight. Members giving a spotlight that goes beyond their three minutes will be given a "time's up".

Tickets are sold at the beginning of the meeting. Prices are predetermined by the Board of Directors. One-half (1/2) of the proceeds will go to the winner of the 50/50 draw and the other one-half (1/2) will go to charity chosen by the Board of Directors each year.

Special Events occur from time to time and are planned by the Board of Directors or a selected subcommittee.

Members are encouraged to submit any articles that would be of interest to the group. Please contact the Newsletter Editor for further information. The Newsletter Editor will establish publication deadlines.

Any woman directly engaged in trade, commerce or economic welfare of the community is eligible for membership in Independent Achiever's. Memberships are offered on an individual basis. You may register one business in the directory per membership; however, an individual eligible for membership may purchase more than one membership to register further businesses.

To be considered a current member, dues must have been received by the membership coordinator. Membership fees are annual. Members joining mid-year pay a pro-rated fee.

Membership fees are subject to change from time to time to meet ongoing financial demands of the group. These fee changes will be submitted to the general membership for approval. Potential fee changes will be announced and a simple majority vote of members in attendance shall be deemed acceptable for a fee change.

The membership directory is designated to be a vehicle for members to promote networking in every sense of the word. Through the directory, you will have access to women who can provide a wide array of information, advice, products and services. By utilizing the directory, you should be able to connect with other women for business or personal reasons.

In order to protect the privacy of the information contained in the directory, they will be distributed to MEMBERS ONLY. We cannot ensure against possible misuse of the information, but we can try to control it. If you receive calls or mail that cannot be traced directly to a member, or that you consider inappropriate, please let us know. Remember your name is in here too, so please ensure your directory always stays with you.

Should you wish to correct or update the information in the directory, please advise the membership coordinator as all additions and changes are published regularly in the newsletter. If you move, change jobs, earn a promotion, or find a new interest, please let us know.

A member who fails to pay annual dues automatically ceases to be a member and will be removed from the register.

Membership is subject to review of the Board. Independent Achiever's reserves the discretionary right to cancel or refuse the membership of a member if the conduct of such member, in the Board's opinion has legal or ethical implications detrimental to Independent Achiever's. In the event that the board contemplates such action a letter of intent will be provided to the member in question. This letter will provide the specific concerns of the IA Board, set a time and date for a meeting to discuss these concerns.

Procedures for this process will follow the principles outlined in the Complaints Management Procedures (Articles 6 and 7 herein), with the additional option that the board may refuse a membership application.

A member who has knowledge that another member has committed a violation of the Code, set out in Article 5 herein, which raises substantial questions as to the member's honesty, or trustworthiness, shall promptly inform the Board.

Independent Achievers primary goal is to provide an opportunity for women of all walks of life to network for personal and professional growth. Our mission is to provide education and support to our members. To facilitate these goals we have adopted the following principles that guide the actions and activities of our group.

In all professional activities members shall perform services in accordance with: applicable laws, rules, and regulations of governmental agencies and other applicable authorities.

All members are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect both during group functions and in public. Respect is treating others in the same fashion that you would want to be treated and is an essential trait of any professional.

Fairness All members shall perform professional services in a manner that is fair and reasonable to clients, principals, partners, and employers and shall disclose conflict(s) of interest in providing such services. Fairness requires impartiality, intellectual honesty, and disclosure of conflict(s) of interest.

A member's conduct in all matters shall reflect credit upon the networking group. A member shall behave in a manner that maintains the good reputation of the network.

All members expect to develop networking relationships based on trust with fellow members. To this end all members are expected to accurately represent their qualifications and experience in both oral and written communications to fellow IA members.

Whereas Independent Achievers wishes to have its members conduct the promotion of business enterprises using high standards of conduct; and

Whereas the Complaints Management Committee is formed to assist in promoting high standards of conduct; and

1. Upon receipt of a written complaint, the Chair of IA will send a copy of the complaint to the Vice-Chair. Should any other Board member receive a written complaint, the Board member will duly forward the complaint to the Vice-Chair.

2. The Vice-Chair will forward a copy of the written complaint to the Complaints Management Committee, to be made up of the Chair, Vice-Chair, and Past-Chair.

3. The Vice-Chair will mail a letter to the complainant acknowledging receipt of the written complaint.

5. A letter will be sent to the member involved advising of receipt of a written complaint. A copy of the written complaint will accompany the letter. A response, to be returned within 10 working days, will be requested from the member involved.

6. A date for a meeting of the Complaints Management Committee will be chosen. Failure on the part of the member to respond in the time allotted will not alter the meeting date.

a. The complainant will be referred to a regulatory body of the IA member or the head office of the IA member, if applicable; or

d. The committee chooses to cancel or refuse an IA membership as per the terms outlined under the bylaw entitled Termination of Membership.

8. The Vice-Chair, on behalf of the Board, will communicate the results of the meeting to the member and the complainant.

It is accepted that the following process will be used in managing all complaints by IA members (other than complaints against other IA members):

1. Upon receipt of a written complaint, the Chair of IA will send a copy of the complaint to all members of the Board of IA. Should any other Board member receive a written complaint, the Board member will duly forward the complaint to the Chair for distribution to the other Board members as provided for herein.

3. The complaint will be reviewed as an Agenda item at the first regular IA Board meeting following the receipt of the written complaint. The Chair will advise the complainant of when and where the IA Board meeting is being held and if the complainant wishes, the complainant may attend at the Board meeting to discuss the complaint.

4. The Board, at is sole option, may ask the general membership for comments regarding the complaint (also to be submitted in writing).

7. If the decision affects other IA members the Board, at its sole option, may chose to announce the decision of the Board to the IA membership generally.