Amended on April 7,

Transcription

1 The Bylaws of Ethio Edir Article 1.General Rules Article 1.1. Designation The name of this self-help organization is called Ethio Edir. Article The Address and Establishment The address of the Edir is located in the City of Seattle in the state of Washington The Edir is a nonprofit organization that was established according to the law of the state of Washington The Edir was established for an indefinite period of time. Article 1.3. The Objective To provide financial assistance for funeral services or for transporting the body of a member of the Edir To disseminate information to the members of the Edir of the death of a member To coordinate and assign the tasks associated with the death of a member To encourage members to be present in the mourning for consoling the surviving family members of the deceased member To provide the necessary information about funeral services or for transporting the body of a deceased member to the family members Any other objective that is believed to be necessary for the usefulness of the members may be added. Article 1.4. Definition Information related to masculine gender also equally applies to feminine gender too Edir means Ethio Edir A member is a person who was registered upon the acceptance of the bylaws of Ethio Edir and who is fulfilling or has fulfilled his membership obligations A family equates to the spouse of the member and his children who are registered as members of the Edir and whose ages are under 21. Article 1.5. The Income of the Edir Membership fee A member with his family, (husband and wife and with their children whose ages are under 21) pays $ (one hundred twenty dollars) at least every six months or $240 a year. Amended on April 7,

2 Donations (Donations may be obtained from donors or from the organizations that sponsor the events organized by Edir). Article 2.1. Being a Member Article 2. Membership A person who lives in Seattle and its vicinities and whose age is 18 or older Anybody who accepts the bylaws and regulations of the Edir can be a member A member who leaves the area and lives in another area can continue his membership by fulfilling his obligations The Rights of the Member A member has a right to vote from the date he is registered A member has a right to be elected if he/she has been a member for a year A member will not get financial benefit if he/she has not been a member for a year If a death occurs in a member s family from the date he was registered, the Edir will serve the mourners dinner for one night and console and support them for 3 (three) days If a member stays in his/her membership for one year fulfilling his/her membership obligations, and if death occurs, he/she will get $5, (five thousand) dollars If a member stays in his/her membership for two years fulfilling his/her membership obligations, and if death occurs, he/she will get $7, (seven thousand five hundred dollars) If a member stays in his/her membership for three years or more fulfilling his/her membership obligations, and if death occurs, he/she will get $10, (ten thousand) dollars If the child of a member whose age is under 21 dies, the family receives 50% of what the member gets. Article 2.3. The Obligation of the Member Fulfilling what the bylaws of the Edir require Correctly filling out the membership and other forms of Edir and return it to the Edir Paying regular membership dues on time Unless an unforeseen circumstance occurs, a member must attend the general assembly. Amended on April 7,

3 Strive to create collaborative and cooperative environment within the Edir When a member dies, unless there is an unforeseen circumstance, each member of the Edir should be present at the mourning, burial service or at the farewell service of the member body before it will be transported to the final resting destination. Members are not obliged to attend if the service is out of the organization location When a member passes away, another member who has the information is responsible for informing the Edir If there is any change in the member s status (for example, when a child s age is over 21 or if wife and husband divorce), the member should notify the Edir of such changes within 30 days If there is a newborn in the family or a child whose age is below 21 joins the family, the child can be a member by paying a one-time registration fee of $ Note: This does not apply to members who already registered with a child/children If the member and his spouse divorce, both of them may continue their membership by paying the membership dues separately. Article 2.4. Membership Fee Membership registration fee, one-time fee: Individual $ Member and his spouse $ Single parent $ Member and his spouse including children $ The membership due is $ a year. A member has an option to pay $120 twice a year If the Edir s account balance is less than $50, (fifty thousand dollars) and if a member dies, then the members will be requested to pay additional contribution Disciplinary Actions Article A warning by telephone will be given first to a member who does not fulfill his obligations. A member is said to have not fulfilled his/hers obligations if a year has passed without paying the membership dues. Amended on April 7,

4 If a member skips two years of payments he/she will be removed from the edir in understanding that he/she cancelled the membership on a voluntary basis A member who was removed from the membership for not paying his dues can be reregistered as a new member If a member provides false evidence to the Edir, obtains undeserved money or other benefits, or is found making the effort to do so, then the Edir can remove him/her from the membership. The Edir can also take legal action to get back the benefits he/she obtained If a member is removed from the membership, the money which he/she paid to the Edir during his active membership will not be refunded. Article 4 The Leadership Team of the Edir The Edir has a General Assembly, the Board of Directors, Executives and Auditors. Article 4.1. The General Assembly The General Assembly is the general council in which all of the members are included. It is the highest authoritative body of the Edir The General Assembly is called for a meeting once a year The General Assembly where more than half of the members are found in a meeting is considered to be a full quorum If the quorum is not achieved in the first meeting, the second meeting is considered a full quorum even if below half of the total members is in attendance As it was stated under and 4.1.4, the full assembly can pass any other decisions except the one that is stated under Article Two-thirds (2/3) of the total members vote is required in order to dissolve the Edir If the Edir shall dissolve, the movable and immovable assets of the Edir, including cash will be donated to the Ethiopian Community in Seattle. Article 4.2. The Duty and the Authority of the General Assembly Elects the Board of Directors Approves the bylaws of the Edir Approves the administrative budget of the Edir Elects Auditors Oversees how the income of the Edir is collected and gives decision on the issues of the expenditures of the Edir's money. Amended on April 7,

5 Hears the report of the board, investigates and gives instructions when it is needed. Article 4.3. The Board of Directors The number of board members elected is 9 (nine) The duration of the services of the board members is 2 (two) years When more than half of the board members are present, it is a quorum A board member can serve after being elected consecutively for 2 (two) terms In any board s election time, the members who served in the previous term will not be more than half If a board member resigns from his duty before completing his term for any reason, the board will assign a replacement member from within the Edir membership During any board election time, if a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors is re-elected for the membership of the board, he/she can t maintain the same Executive Committee position held in the previous term The board member who served in 2 (two) consecutive terms has to serve as a Board Consultant for at least one year before being re-elected. Article 4.4 The Duties and Authorities of the Board of the Directors The board elects 3 (three) Executive Committee members from the board members Oversees and implements the decisions of the board of the Executive Committee Presents the work performance report to the full assembly within a pre-given period of time Controls the total expenses of the Edir which should not to exceed the amount that is approved by the assembly. When the expense exceeds the approved amount by over 10% (ten percent), the board is required to give justification None of the members of the Edir will be paid or compensated for the services they provide for the Edir When necessary, the chairman of the board may invite some prominent and senior citizens of Ethiopian origin to be present in the meetings of the board of Edir. However, those consultants will not vote in the meetings apart from sharing their experiences and giving suggestions The board election will be conducted in February of the second year. Article 4.5. Executive Committee and Duties Amended on April 7,

6 4.5.1 The Board of the Edir will elect a Chairman, a Secretary and a Treasurer who conduct the daily operations of the Edir Prepares a procedure manual for implementing the board decisions Establishes sub-committees as needed to perform the guidelines of the board decisions Performs its regular tasks including chairing meetings Presents a report to the Board of Directors Collects the income of the Edir Prepares forms for use Insures a member has received benefits according to the bylaws Oversees the dissemination of information to members Insures the management of the property and monies of the Edir Researches how the Edir can be improved and implements any recommendation approved by the board Chairs the board meetings. Article 4.6. The Chairman Plans the tasks of the Edir to be performed according to the bylaws of the Edir Guides the work of the Edir, coordinates and supervises Executive Committee members Presents the performance reports of the meetings for the Board of Directors that is held periodically Calls the Board of Directors for meetings including an emergency meeting and gives suggestions/recommendations as to when a general meeting will be held Signs expenditures and letters on behalf of the Edir. Article 4.7. The Deputy Chairman Performs the tasks of the Edir in the absence of the chairman. Article 4.8. The Secretary Keeps a list of the membership of the Edir In consultation with the chairman, prepares the agenda of the Executive Committee and the General assembly and calls the Executive Committee to meetings every month as well as when needed to call the entire members of the Edir Takes the minutes of the meeting, prepares and delivers them to the Board. Amended on April 7,

7 Conducts the secretariat office tasks of the Edir. Article 4.9. Treasurer Collects the money due to the Edir and deposits it in the bank account of the Edir according to the bylaws Disburses funds due to the members upon the approval of the Board Verifies that the checks are signed by two executive committee members Prepares the budget of the Edir, and implements it when it is approved Ensures that the expenses are not over the approved budget Handles the bookkeeping of the Edir. Article Accountant Handles the receipts and the expenditures of the Edir Verifies that the income of the Edir is collected appropriately Maintains and reconciles bank books of the Edir Prepares the accounting report of the Edir, and presents it to the Board members Prepares the tax documents that are required by the government Publicizes the tasks of the Edir Public Relations Establishes relationships with different institutions that have similar objectives Prepares literatures which will publicize and promote the Edir Disseminates information that is related to the Edir to members and makes sure that the information is delivered Informs the board of any assistance that may be obtained from entities that may advance the objectives of the Edir Establishes relationships with organizations that may advance the objectives of the Edir and presents a detailed report about their work to the Board of the Edir. Also, paves the way for how the Edir delivers the service in a better manner. Article Chief of the Operations and Technology Researches and reports how the operations of the Edir is facilitated Amended on April 7,

8 Provides necessary studies and the performance reports to the Board about the institutions and services that are related to the Edir (such as the funeral homes, transport, and police) Provides a researched report in which the Edir can get benefits from insurance companies Leads the effort in establishing committees that are believed to be helpful in the implementation of the objectives of the Edir Helps the Edir to get legal status and maintains it Guides the work of establishing, administering and developing the website of the Edir Gets the domain name for the website of the Edir, registers and maintains it regularly Researches and recommends the optimal use of the website to the members Article Auditors Three auditors are elected by the general assembly The auditors report to the Board of Directors The auditors investigate the report that is prepared by the accountant and presents to the board The auditors may present monthly, quarterly, semiannual or annual report when the Board of Directors requests it as needed. Article 5. The Bylaw of the Edir Article 5.1. This bylaw can be called upon as the bylaw of Ethio Edir as amended in It is implemented as of February The task performance and accounting of Ethio Edir commences February 1 and every year the account is closed on January 31st. The annual Cycle is from February 1 st to January 31. Amended on April 7,