BYLAWS OF THE USS ULYSSES S. GRANT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
ARTICLE I: NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1
The name of the organization will be the USS Ulysses S. Grant Alumni Association, hereinafter called The Association.
Section 2
The USS ULYSSES S. GRANT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION is a tax-exempt IRS 501C(19) Veterans fraternal organization of United States Navy Submariners who served aboard the nuclear powered fleet ballistic missile submarine USS Ulysses S. Grant (SSBN 631). The USS Ulysses S. Grant Alumni Association is the formal continuation of the USS Grant Forum established by Michael Arterburn. The primary purpose of the Association is to encourage and support the ongoing communication and friendship among its members. The Association will maintain a website that includes an Association Sailing List, contact information of all shipmates, periodically-issue newsletters and special bulletins. The Association will also organize and host formal reunions for the benefit and camaraderie of its membership.
Section 3
The Association is non-profit and will not have nor issue shares, stocks or dividends.
ARTICLE II: OFFICERS, TERMS OF OFFICE, COMMITTEES
Section 1
The elective officers of the Association will be President, Vice-president, Secretary, Treasurer and Communication Director.
Section 2
Elective officers will be elected at the biennial meeting and their terms will be two (2) years. There is no limit on the number of terms for any office, but each officer must be nominated and elected as described within these bylaws. Individuals may hold multiple offices if so elected with the exception of President and Vice-president.
Section 3
The President may form committees, including but not limited to a Reunion Committee, and may appoint chairmen for such committees as necessary to conduct the business of The Association. The Chairmen of the Reunion Committee will report to the President.
Section 4
The elective officers and the Chairman of the Reunion Committee will form the voting membership of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is responsible for the managing of monies for The Association, with the specific task of recording and reporting the activity of those funds delegated to the Treasurer.
Section 5
In the event of a mid-term vacancy of an elective officer the President shall appoint a successor that will be reviewed and voted on by the general membership at the next biennial meeting.
Section 6
The Association Board may from time to time develop and/or approve procedures which formalize and standardize selected Association procedures.
ARTICLE III: DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN
Section 1
The President shall preside at all business meetings and act as reunion host. He will give notice of all meetings and conduct the correspondence of The Association. He may appoint other officers for the purpose of accomplishing the business of The Association with a concurrence of a majority of The Board. In addition to other duties, the President will also authorize any requested Mini-Reunion, monitor the progress of the Reunion Committee, approve the reunion city/hotel/dates selection, co-sign any reunion hotel contract, and insure approved Association procedures are utilized and updated, when necessary.
Section 2
The Vice-president will render such assistance to the President as he may require and will perform the duties of the President in his absence or disability. The Vice-president will be the Chairman of the Membership Committee. As the Chairman of the Membership Committee, he is responsible for updating and maintaining all aspects of the computerized Association Sailing List by working with the Webmaster to provide a current posting on the website.
Section 3
The Secretary will be responsible for taking and reading the minutes and notes of all Association functions. He will maintain, as a minimum, a file of all Board meeting minutes, a copy of the current Association by-laws, a list of members in good-standing and recorded documents/statistics for previous reunions.
Section 4
The Treasurer will be responsible for keeping the accounts of The Association and report thereon at all business meetings and within any published newsletters. At least one elected officer will be a co-signer of The Association Treasury; however, only the Treasurer is required to sign checks for paying The Association bills, reunion re-imbursements and authorized mini-reunion reimbursements. He will forward all Membership Forms to the Membership Committee to facilitate entry of the new member’s information onto the Sailing list. He will collect membership dues as specified in ARTICLE IV, Section 6 and forward membership forms, if applicable, to the Secretary along with a list of members in good standing. He will prepare and issue an annual financial statement of The Association funds to the Board. When requested, he will provide the President with a summarized financial statement and a status of current membership dues. The Treasurer will maintain the certification of the Association as a tax exempt IRS 501C (19) Veterans fraternal organization.
Section 5
The Communications Director will be responsible for establishing, implementing and continually improving a comprehensive and effective communications strategy for the Association. He will coordinate the activities of the Communications Committee and will be responsible for all the duties of that committee. With Board approval, he may appoint committee members as needed to meet the communication needs of the Association. The Communications Committee members may include, but are not limited to the roles described in the following subsections:
Subsection A – Newsletter Editor
The Newsletter Editor will be responsible for creating a newsletter for the Association members, publishing it on a schedule approved by the Board and maintaining an archival file of published newsletters.
Subsection B – Webmaster
The Webmaster will be responsible for the maintenance and care of the official USS Grant website and all associated accounts and properties including hosting, web platform and email services.
Subsection C – Social Media Manager
The Social Media Manager will be responsible for maintaining a social media presence on social platforms, as approved by the Board, to enhance the Association communications. He will ensure that content posted to social media on behalf of the Association is consistent with the policies of the Association and with social media best practices. He will be responsible for the security of the Association’s social media accounts and will evaluate and advise the Communications Director and the Board on the adoption of social media platforms.
Section 6
The Chairman of the Reunion Committee will be responsible for directing the Reunion Committee activities to plan and conduct the biennial reunion. He will select the members of the Reunion Committee. His responsibilities include those listed in the Board-approved procedures identified in ARTICLE VI, Section 2, Subsections A through D. He will also, with the approval of the Association President, select the location and dates for any upcoming reunion.
ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP, DUES, CONTRIBUTIONS
Section 1
All persons who served onboard the USS Ulysses S. Grant (SSBN 631) at any time are eligible for membership in The Association.
Section 2
Spouses of deceased individuals who are either current members or would otherwise be eligible for membership become Auxiliary Members and are exempt from paying dues.
Section 3
Children are eligible to become Auxiliary Members of The Association if an otherwise eligible parent is deceased.
Section 4
The Board may bestow Honorary Membership upon individuals for service they have provided in the support of The Association. Membership will be approved by a majority vote of The Board. Members in good standing may nominate individuals for Honorary Membership.
Section 5
Only members in good standing by having paid their annual dues have voting rights. Honorary and Auxiliary Members are non-voting members of The Association.
Section 6
Annual dues will be $10.00 with future amounts to be determined at the biennial business meeting and will cover a period of January 1 through December 31. To reduce the administrative burden of annual dues collection, all dues may be collected in two (2) year increments. New members, paying their dues after October 1, will have their dues credited to the next calendar year. Any changes in the annual dues will require a majority vote of the members in good standing at the biennial business meeting. Dues will be paid to the Treasurer who will maintain a list of those members in good standing.
Subsection A
The board, by majority vote, can suspend the collection of dues based on reports from the Treasurer for a period of two years (between reunions).
Subsection B
Initial Lifetime Dues were arbitrarily set at an amount of $50.00 and, once paid, confer membership to the Association for the duration of the existence of the association. A bi-annual assessment will be made by the Treasurer on the adequacy of the Lifetime Dues amount and will present a recommendation to the board to either retain or change the amount as appropriate. Lifetime dues may only be modified or removed by majority vote of the Board of Directors. Any modification to the Lifetime Dues would only affect future new Lifetime memberships.
Subsection C
Lifetime dues will be evenly divided between The Association’s General and Lifetime Membership Accounts. The Treasurer is authorized to move funds from the Lifetime Membership Account to the General Account in the amount of one year’s membership fee per Lifetime member per year.
Section 7
Donations and contributions will be accepted for the purpose of funding the functions of The Association. All such donations or contributions will be forwarded to the Treasurer for recording and deposit. The Board will provide guidance to the Treasurer on distribution of any donations and/or contributions for the benefit of The Association.
Section 8
The Association may collect dues in a variety of methods (cash, check, or electronic payment). If any such payment method were to be compromised in some way but not through the negligence of any officer (e.g. website hacked, payment processor hacked, banking error by the banking institution), then the officer(s) shall be held blameless so long as they make The Board aware of the issue as soon as they become aware and collectively The Board takes action to correct the issue.
Section 9
The Association has tax exemption status under section 501 (c)(19) of the Internal Revenue Code and as such should amendments be necessary to the bylaws to be in compliance with those regulations then a simple majority vote by The Board is all that will be necessary to change the bylaws but only as they pertain to the Internal Revenue Code.
Section 10
The Association will recognize and coordinate with an Auxiliary organization – USS Ulysses S. Grant Auxiliary Alumni Association, hereinafter called the Auxiliary Association, if formed by the spouses, surviving widows or children of either current members or those that would otherwise be eligible for membership. This is a distinct organization and in no way should conflict with the rights granted by Article IV, Section 2 and Section 3.
ARTICLE V: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1
Members will assist in locating former shipmates and forward their names and contact information to any Association officer, who will then transfer the information to the Membership Committee for inclusion in the Sailing List.
Section 2
Members may assist in obtaining newspaper, television, radio, or magazine coverage for reunions and distribute emails, flyers and/or bulletin board notices of same.
ARTICLE VI: MEETINGS, REUNIONS, ELECTIONS
Section 1
All members in good standing may attend the biennial business meeting and reunion.
Section 2
There will be a biennial Land Reunion followed by a Cruise Reunion to be held in a city chosen by the Chairman of the Reunion Committee with the approval of the Association President. The conduct of a Land-only Reunion requires Board approval. The conduct of the biennial reunion will be in accordance with the subsections below:
Subsection A
The reunion city shall be selected in accordance with the Reunion City Selection Procedure v1.0, included as an appendix to these by-laws.
Subsection B
The hotel shall be selected in accordance with the Hotel Selection Procedure v1.0, included as an appendix to these by-laws.
Subsection C
The Land Reunion will be conducted in accordance with the Reunion Committee & Land Reunion Procedure v1.0, included as an appendix to these by-laws.
Subsection D
The Cruise Reunion, if conducted, will be completed in accordance with the Cruise Reunion Procedure v1.0, included as an appendix to these by-laws.
Subsection E
Mini-Reunions can be conducted by any current Association member in good standing. If applicable, financial assistance by the Association will be provided in accordance with the Mini-Reunion Procedure v1.0, included as an appendix to these by-laws.
Subsection F
Any deviation from the aforementioned Association Procedures must be approved by the Association President.
Section 3
All members attending the biennial reunion will be requested to attend the biennial business meeting for the purpose of electing officers and voting on other business matters.
Section 4
There will be at least one Board meeting during non-reunion years. This may be done by telephone conference or by e-mail if travel to a common meeting place is not feasible. Not less than a majority of The Board voting members must be present at the meeting or conference to constitute a quorum for making decisions or obtaining approvals.
Section 5
The President, at his discretion, may call for meetings of the Board at other times to conduct business of The Association; however, in accordance with Section 4 of ARTICLE VI, there must be a quorum of voting Board members to constitute an official Board meeting.
ARTICLE VII: PROTECTING THE ASSOCIATION
Section 1
No member of The Association, acting in the name of The Association, will engage in any activity for self-profit in the form of money or assets, arising from business transactions or dealings. No member of the Association, whether for self-profit or not, shall distribute to any non-member the private information of members contained in the membership list maintained by the Association.
Section 2
Any member whose actions dishonor or jeopardize the existence of The Association will be subject to review and possible expulsion from the Association by the Board of Directions. Expulsion will require a unanimous vote from all Board members.
ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS
Section 1
These by-laws may be amended by any member in good standing provided that:
Subsection A
The amendment has been received and reviewed by the President of The Association and communicated to the Board.
Subsection B
The amendment is published to the members in good standing at least two (2) weeks prior to a vote regarding the changes to the by-laws.
Subsection C
The amendment is passed at a biennial meeting by a two-thirds vote of the members in good standing.
ARTICLE IX: DISSOLUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION
Section 1
When circumstances arise that render the Association unable to maintain adequate membership to sustain Association operations, it may be necessary to dissolve the Association.
Subsection A
The required offices of President, Vice-president, Secretary, Communication Director and Treasurer can no longer be filled through temporary appointment (Article II, Section 5) or election.
Subsection B
Reunion no longer has attendance of at least 10 shipmates.
Subsection C
Any other time as deemed appropriate and voted on by The Board.
Section 2
The Board of Directors shall initiate such action and a majority of the Board must approve the dissolution proposal before presenting the proposal to the membership for vote.
Subsection A
Then a simple majority vote of all members in good standing would be required for dissolving the Association.
Section 3
Upon dissolution, the Board of Directors will vote on the distribution of all monies. All monies must be donated to a viable, legitimate, charitable organization as decided upon by the Board. Under no circumstances, will any asset of the Association be retained by any individual member nor may any member directly benefit from the disposition of funds or other assets. Memorabilia from the ship not previously donated to a museum will either be transferred to a museum of the Boards choosing or to the Navy Archives in Washington DC.
[8/31/2024]
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