Bylaws of LRA, Inc.
Ver. 10-03-2009
Article I: Name
The LRA, Inc. is incorporated in the State of Nevada and is domesticated in the State of Illinois. Herein it will be referred to as LRA.
Article II: Purpose
The LRA is a private, non-profit, members-only organization based in the Chicago metropolitan area for people who are actively involved or seriously interested in alternative lifestyles and activities.
Our primary goal is that of education with secondary goals of social activities and community outreach. Our educational goals include the establishment and maintenance of an educational, informational, support and community network for members within the alternative lifestyle community.
Membership in the LRA is open to adults 19 years of age or older, regardless of sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, or physical ability. LRA stresses courteous, tolerant, and respectful behavior, and the practice of safe, sane, and consensual activities or risk aware consensual relationships. We welcome novices and experts who have open minds, playful spirits, and the desire to teach and to learn.
We believe that it is the right of adults to engage in safe, sane, and consensual behavior expressions. To that end, we seek to build and encourage an environment where all alternative lifestyles are welcomed with acceptance, caring, respect, and dignity while adhering to the fundamental concepts of safety, sanity, and consensuality.
As a community organization, we feel that it is important for us to reach out and to maintain contacts with other groups, organizations, and communities who share similar interests and concerns for alternative lifestyles.
Article III: Operating Rules
LRA is a non-profit organization, and this organization shall be operated to fulfill that nature and the purposes stated in Article II of these bylaws. All monies received shall be used for the expense of operations of the organization and its activities, and any other purposes as determined by the members of the Board of Directors (herein referred to as "the Board").
Article IV: Membership
A member is an adult person 19 years of age or older who has a completed and signed application and members waiver on file, has visited LRA at least once, and has paid the appropriate fee for membership privilege.
Membership rights are personal unto the member. They are not transferable by act of the member.
Membership and other fees are to be set by the Board, and may be changed only by a majority vote of the Board.
Anyone can be barred from a single event by the Sergeant at Arms or his/her designee DM in charge of that event, for unsafe or disruptive behavior. Disruptive persons may be suspended for a length of time determined by a majority vote of the Board. (See Section 2 below.)
A majority plus one of the Board may permanently bar extremely disruptive people.
Section 1: Members' Rights and Obligations
Rights of Members
A. Voluntary attendance and participation at LRA sponsored events and functions, as appropriate.
B. To nominate and vote in organization elections as stipulated in the bylaws.
C. To vote at the General Meetings as stipulated in the bylaws.
D. To make written suggestion.
Members' Obligations
A. To abide by the LRA rules, Regulations, and Bylaws.
B. To uphold the good name of the Association.
C. To cooperate with other members, to assist new members, and provide guidance and mentorship
commensurate with Member's knowledge when appropriate.
**D. To volunteer 2 nights per year toward the good of the LRA. (i.e. set-up, clean-up, various committees, etc.)
Section 2: Revocation or Non-Renewal of Membership
The LRA Board of Directors ("the Board") shall have the right to refuse, without comment, any application. Any member who violates the bylaws, is injurious to the character or interests of the LRA, or is extremely disruptive, shall cease to a member following the majority vote decision of the Board. The Board reserves the right to deny membership to any individual or group in its sole discretion.
Notwithstanding the discretionary nature of membership, infraction of any LRA Rules and Regulations may result in a member's membership being suspended or revoked. The basis for the suspension or revocation may include but is not limited to the following acts.
- - Violation of LRA rules and/or regulations.
- - Conduct within the community that reflects negatively on the LRA or the membership.
- - Conduct that is malicious or deliberately harmful to the LRA and/or other similar organizations.
- - Refusal to meet financial obligations or service alternatives in support of the organization.
Should any of the above stated acts occur, the on duty Dungeon Master, the LRA operations manager, or any LRA Board Member present shall first verbally warn the member that their conduct is in violation of the above and request that the member cease such activities that have resulted in the verbal warning. Should the member refuse to cease said activity any of the previously mentioned officers or staff shall then issue a written warning to the member. Said warning shall then be reviewed by the board at the next board meeting immediately following its issuance and upon a majority vote of the board the warning shall be confirmed.
Upon the issuance of a third written warning to a member, that member's membership shall be immediately suspended pending review by the Disciplinary Board. Should a member receive a third warning a Disciplinary Committee shall be convened and shall consist of three members in good standing of the LRA. The LRA Board of Directors shall select one member, the member charged with the violation shall select one member and the third member shall be picked at random from a standing pool of members who have volunteered to serve on the Disciplinary Board if needed.
No member serving on the Disciplinary Board may have a personal relationship with any member of the LRA Board of Directors, any staff member who issued any of the written warnings, the member charged with violating LRA rules or if a complaint was made directly by one member against another, with the complaining member. A personal relationship shall be defined as being engaged in an ongoing romantic, business, or play relationship. The fact that a selected member may have a personal friendship with any of the above stated parties will not disqualify them from serving on the Disciplinary Board.
Upon the issuance of the third warning a member shall be entitled to a review as soon as possible but said review must occur within twenty one days of the issuance of the warning. The member shall have the right to address the Disciplinary Board regarding any of the events that led to the issuance of the third written warning, and the Disciplinary Board shall have the right to inquire of any member as to the facts that gave rise to the third written warning. Neither the Disciplinary Board , nor the member being reviewed shall have the right to call witnesses or examine them as if the proceedings were taking place in a court of law.
After the member has addressed the Disciplinary Board, the board shall consider the facts it has obtained and the member's statement and shall then upon a majority vote determine whether or not the third written warning shall be confirmed. Should the Disciplinary Board vote to confirm the third written warning, the board shall then determine the appropriate sanction. The board may vote to assign the member a service project to benefit the LRA as a whole, suspend the member, or revoke a member's membership permanently. The decision of the Disciplinary board shall be final and no review or appeal shall be available except should the Disciplinary Board vote to revoke a member's membership.
Should the Disciplinary Board vote to revoke a member's membership, then that decision shall be immediately conveyed to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall then call for a meeting of all members in good standing thirty days after the Board of Directors has been notified of the issuance of the revocation. At the members meeting the President of the LRA shall read the three written warnings to the assembled members and announce the findings of the Disciplinary Board. At that time the member shall have up to fifteen minutes to address the assembled members and if the member wishes they may accept questions for clarification for fifteen minutes thereafter. Said period is to be used solely for the purpose of a member asking for clarification from the member whose membership is up for revocation and is not to be used for general discussion, or to advocate on behalf of or against the charged member.
Upon conclusion of the address and question period a vote shall be taken by secret ballot and if a simple majority of the members casting votes, vote to confirm the Disciplinary Board's decision, the member's membership shall be revoked. Should a majority of the members casting votes, vote not to confirm the Disciplinary Board's decision, the matter shall be returned to the previously convened Disciplinary Board for the imposition of a lesser penalty then revocation.
It shall be expressly stated that it is not the desire of the LRA to see any member's membership terminated. These procedures are to be used solely for the protection of the LRA membership at large and are not to be based on personal animosity or to be used to deliberately harass any member.
Article V: Board of Directors
There shall be a board of directors, who must have been members in good standing for a period of 6 months prior to nomination. The board will consist of not less than five and not more than seven members in the positions of president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and three directors. Positions and responsibilities may be changed at the discretion of the board.
The board shall be empowered to make decisions and generally operate the organization. The board may establish such rules as necessary for the safe and orderly conduct of the club. The board shall follow simplified parliamentary procedures and no proxies shall be used. A quorum necessary for the transaction of business shall be defined as a majority of the total number of currently existing board members. Minutes of Board member meetings will be kept and will be made available to any members who wish to access them.
Article VI: Terms of Board Members and Elections
Section 1. Terms of Board Members
Members of the Board shall be elected by a majority of the votes cast to a term of two years. Normal elections shall be held the fourth Saturday in July each year. The newly elected officials will be seated 4 weeks thereafter. Elections will be held every two years for President, Secretary, Director 1 and Director 2. In opposite years, elections will be held for Vice-President, Treasurer, Director 3.
All board member's memberships will be extended throughout their term.
Section 2. Elections
Members who otherwise qualify, may campaign for positions for a period of one month prior to election.
To vote specifically in the Board elections, a member must have been a continuous member in good standing for 6 months prior to the elections. Voting by proxy is not allowed.
To run for the position of President, a nominee must have served on the Board in another position.
If the election of an already seated board member to a different position occurs, and such an election leaves a vacancy in another position on the board, nominations for the vacated position will be held for the following 30 days, with the election for such position occurring 30 days after close of those nominations.
If a board position other than president becomes vacant for any other reason, the board may appoint a member in good standing to fill that position until the next regularly scheduled election for that position, as per Article VIII below.
Special elections:
The Board of Directors of the LRA shall have the authority to call special elections outside of the annual July election schedule if necessary to fill certain vacancies on the board.
A Special Election can be called to fill a vacancy in the office of President and/or multiple board seats which have been caused by a reason other than the expiration of the annual term. The seats to be filled and process of the special elections will be announced at least 6 weeks prior to any election date.
- (a) Nominations shall be accepted for two weeks after the elections are announced.
- (b) The list of nominees shall be published within two days of the close of nominations.
- (c) The election will be held during a member meeting not less than 6 weeks after the announcement of the special elections.
Article VII: Supporting Positions
The board shall appoint various chairs, who must be members in good standing and who shall be responsible for various functions and activities as necessary and or desirable to the operation of the LRA.
All Chairs and committee members serve at the pleasure of the Board and may be removed by a majority vote of the Board, with or without cause. These chair positions may include, but need not be limited to: Bylaws, Newsletter, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Phone Volunteers, Orientation, Advertising, Party Planning, and Programs. These positions will be given a Board member to whom they will report directly. Chairs may have cause to attend Board meetings at appropriate times.
Article VIII: Abandonment or abuse of Board Positions
The Board positions shall be considered necessary to the functions of this organization. If a person resigns, disappears, or has been absent from the meetings of the board for more than three regularly scheduled board meetings (unless their absence from such meetings has been excused by the approval of a majority of the Board), then the Board must deal with this vacancy.
Whenever the Board determines and declares a position to be abandoned and vacant, the Board has the right to appoint a successor to that position until the next formal elections for that position are held.
In the instance that a board member is deemed to be acting in a way that is counterproductive to the greater good of the group, that board member may be removed by a unanimous vote of the remaining members of the board.
Article IX: Insignia
The official logo of the organization is demonstrated below in Black and White.
(There is also a color version of the logo, which is not demonstrated here, with red rose petals and green leaves. The lettering is in Black and White.) Other color variations are not acceptable.
The official logo may be used on printed or other materials when deemed appropriate by the Board. Members may use the official insignia on clothing and apparel for personal use only, so long as they have member status as defined in Article III.
No member shall use the official insignia or organizational name on printed items or clothing that are used for that members' business purposes, or personal money-making efforts, or to represent events or functions which are not officially sanctioned as being LRA events or functions.
Article X: Meetings of members
The organization will hold no less than two membership meetings during the calendar year. All membership-wide meetings will be announced a month in advance whenever possible.
Notwithstanding the provision above, the Board may call a membership meeting in emergency or urgent situations with less than one month notice (but with as much notice as possible.)
Article XI: Amendment of Bylaws
Any member in good standing may submit a proposed change to the bylaws. The proposed change will then be entered as new business, and must be voted on in the next meeting of the Board. If the change is approved by a majority vote of the Board, it must then be ratified by the membership by a 2/3 vote of the membership (less abstentions), to be amended in the bylaws.
Article XII: Debt Obligations and Personal Liability
No member, officer, or director of this corporation shall be held personally liable for the duly incurred debts or obligations of this corporation, nor shall any of the personal property of the members, officers, or directors be subject to the payment of the debts or obligations of this corporation.
Article XIII: Dissolution
Should it become necessary to dissolve this organization, all assets will be given to another non-profit community, with preference given to another non-profit, alternative lifestyles organization, as decided by the Board.
