By-Laws for the Lady Vandal Softball Booster Club
ARTICLE I: Name
The name of this organization shall be Lady Vandal Softball Booster Club. ARTICLE II: Mission Statement
Our mission is to assist the coaches and administration to insure our student athletes have the ability to work in an environment that fosters high morals, values and ethics. We wish to enrich the lives of student athletes by e
xtending the following:
1. Support athletic and academic excellence in all student athletes.
2. Promote active and involved parent and community leadership.
3. Promote sportsmanship and provide supplementary financial support.
4. Maintain the history and tradition of excellence, which exemplifies our student athletes and coaches. ARTICLE III: Parliamentary Procedure
Roberts Rules of Order Revised shall govern this club in all cases to which they are
applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws. ARTICLE IV: Purpose
The purpose is to stimulate and sustain interest among students, parents, and community in the Lady Vandal Softball Program by cooperating with the school administration, Athletic Director(s) and the Head Softball Coach. The Lady Vandal Softball Booster Club will follow all UIL Booster Club guidelines. No member may use his or her membership to influence coaches. ARTICLE V: Membership and Dues
Section 1: The membership of the Booster Club are the parents or legal guardians of softball players currently participating in the softball program at Van High School or other individuals, including extended family members, community members, VISD personnel and alumni who are dedicated to supporting the softball program. Members are entitled to vote on club business as long as they remain in good standing. To remain in good standing and maintain membership and voting privileges a Booster Club Member must complete the following duties:
1. Be current with membership dues and attend at least three meetings within the current year.
2. Volunteer participation in at least one major activity or committee during the softball season.
3. To conduct themselves in such a way that they uphold our Mission Statement and Purpose of the Booster Club and do not act in any way that would be detrimental to the Booster Club, Student Athletes, VISD or the Community. Section 2: Annual membership dues will be set by the Executive Board of each school year. The membership year will run from September1 through August 31. Section 3: It is the duty of every member to conduct themselves in accordance with the By-laws of this organization and in a manner that will bring credit to the organization, the VISD, and the student athletes. Any member acting in a way that is considered detrimental to the mission of the Booster Club or that reflects poorly upon the organization, the VISD, or the student athletes can have their membership revoked. Any member of this booster club can request that another member's membership be revoked. A request with reason for removal of any member must be sent in writing to all members of the executive committee. The written request must state reasons for the member’s removal.
2. Within 7 days of receiving the written request for revocation of membership, the executive committee shall meet to determine by majority vote whether or not to hold a hearing based solely upon the information presented in the written request.
3. The executive committee shall communicate its decision in writing within 3 days to the member who submitted the request. A copy of the original request for removal shall be attached to the board copy. Section 5: Hearing Process:
1. Prior to a vote for revocation of membership, the member in question is entitled to a hearing before the board.
2. A hearing for the revocation of membership shall be held within 10 days of the decision to hold a hearing.
3. The member in question must be notified by registered mail at least 5 days prior to the hearing. If the member in question fails to appear, that individual’s rights for a hearing are forfeited.
4. Based upon information presented at the hearing, the board may by majority vote recommend removal from Booster Club. Section 6: Action:
1. After the hearing of the board, any recommendation for removal from Booster Club must be submitted to the membership for action at the next general meeting. A member may be removed by a majority vote of the membership present and voting. ARTICLE VI: Officers
Section 1: The officers of the Booster Club shall be President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Section 2: The above officers shall be elected for a term of two years and shall serve until their successors are elected and installed. Term of office will begin on September 1st of each year. Section 3: Elections shall take place in September of each year. Nomination for officers shall be made and voted upon during the September meeting. Officer elections shall be done on the following schedule:
1. President & Secretary elections shall be held in September during even years serving a term of two years.
2. Vice-President & Treasurer elections shall be held in September during odd years serving a term of two years. The outgoing officers will inform incoming officers of all unfinished business and educate them on the business transactions, rules and procedures of the Booster Club to make the transition as smooth as possible. No officers shall hold the same position for more than two consecutive terms. Only one member of a family can hold an office during the same term(s). Section 4: A vacancy occurring during the year in an office shall be filled by appointment from the remaining officers. Should the vacancy be the President, the Vice-President shall fill the vacancy and the appointment will be made for the Vice-President. ARTICLE VII: Duties of Officers
Section 1: The President shall preside at all the meetings of the organization, shall appoint
special committee chair members, and shall perform all other duties usually pertaining to the office. Section 2: The Vice-President shall assist the president and shall act as chairman of committees. Section 3: The Secretary shall keep a correct record of all club and executive committee
meetings; shall perform reporting duties and other such duties as may be delegated. The secretary shall also keep a record of all members present at each meeting by having members sign in. Section 4: The Treasurer shall receive all money of the club; shall keep an accurate record of
receipts and expenditures; shall give the club periodic financial statements itemizing all
receipts and expenditures; shall pay out of the club funds by the direction of the Executive
Committee or by the club in a general meeting; shall issue receipts for all money received by the Club; shall, with the chairmen of each money raising project, count money and deposit money received in a timely manner. The treasurer will allocate funds according to Article XII Booster Club expenditures. ARTICLE VIII: Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers. The Head Coach may sit in with the Executive Committee but is not required to. Its duties shall be to transact business between the club meetings and such other business as may be referred to it by the club. Meeting of this committee shall be held at the call of the President or upon request of a majority of the Executive Committee. A majority of this committee shall constitute a quorum. A report of the Executive Committee meeting shall be made at the next regular meeting of that club. ARTICLE IX: Meetings
Regular meetings of the club shall be held at the discretion of the President or
Executive Committees as needed. ARTICLE X: Amendments
These bylaws may be amended by the board of directors by a two-thirds vote of the board
members present. If the proposed amendment passes by a majority vote, it must then be
approved by the Head Coach before the bylaws are in fact amended. Once approved by the Head Coach, the amendment may/or may not need to be approved by the Superintendent and/or the School Board. ARTICLE XI: Fund-Raising
Section 1: All fund raising activities must be approved by the Head Coach
Section 2: The club must first discuss if a particular fund-raising activity is something that the club can manage and that the net result will be worth the effort required. All details should be discussed, questions answered, and problems worked out before a fundraiser is considered by a Booster Club. If it is agreed to be a fundraiser worth pursuing, the club should bring forth the proposed fundraiser to the head coach of that club and convince him/her that the club should pursue that activity. The Booster Club should consider many things about the fundraiser including; impact on the community; the general nature of the activity and how it represents the school district and athletic department; whether that activity could possibly hurt another club’s fund-raising programs. Section 3: A fundraiser request will not be considered if:
1. The fundraiser in any way reflects poorly upon the VISD Athletic Department.
2. The fundraiser is not consistent with district policies or state UIL rules.
3. The fundraiser might negatively impact a fund-raising activity already being used by another club. ARTICLE XII: Booster Club Expenditures
Booster Club officers will work with the head coach when deciding what to purchase with club revenues. Club expenditures should be initiated by a member or the head coach making a request at a regular meeting. The request should be made to the President then allowed to elaborate if necessary, allow the club to discuss and ask questions, then vote on the expenditure. It is the job of the President and Treasurer to make sure that the finances of each club stays healthy and that funds are available for each purchase. Funds must be in the account at the time an order is made when using booster club funds. Employees of the VISD who are coaching should not have control of or have signature authority over booster club funds including petty cash or miscellaneous discretionary funds. When items to purchase are decided upon, a check should be made payable to Van High School for the amount needed to cover the transaction and given to the coach with a request for the check to be deposited in the softball school budget account to cover the amount of the purchase. It is the responsibility of the head coach to use proper VISD ordering procedures and to make sure that the check is given to the proper personnel to be deposited into the proper VISD account before the order is placed. ARTICLE XIII: Business Transactions
Section 1: All financial transactions shall be handled through a checking account at an FDIC approved financial institution within the VISD. Section 2: All incoming checks must be made payable to the Lady Vandal Softball Booster Club or LVSBC. Section 3: All invoices received by the Booster Club must be reviewed and paid
within 30 days. Section 4: Checks written on behalf of the Booster Club shall require signatures of two of the
following officers: President, Vice-President, Secretary, and/or Treasurer. Members of the
same household are not allowed to sign the same check. Section 5: No officer may sign a check when they are the payee. Section 6: The Executive Committee shall have the authority at its discretion to spend $500 or less without a majority vote of the members. This would require a majority vote of the Executive Board and can be voted upon in the following manner:
1. Meeting of the Executive Committee
2. Telephone communication between Executive Committee via the President.
3. Electronic communication between the Executive Committee via the President. A full financial report of such expenditures shall be given at the next scheduled meeting. Section 7: The Booster Club shall charge a fee for a returned check. The fee for returned checks to the Booster Club shall be set by the Executive Committee each year. If anyone that has an outstanding balance due to the Booster Club, they can be excluded from other functions until their balance is taken care of or a payment arrangement has been reached with the Executive Board. The privacy of the person responsible for the returned check shall be kept discrete as much as possible, if the person does not respond or take care of the returned check appropriate action will be taken, up to and including turning the check in to the District Attorney for further action. ARTICLE XIV: Scholarships
The total amount allocated to the fund as well as the standard scholarship award will be determined annually by the officers of the Lady Vandal Softball Booster Club. For a senior to be considered for a scholarship award she must have demonstrated compliance with all softball policies related but not limited to behavior, ethics, academics and attendance communicated to the team by the Head Softball Coach. She must also complete a scholarship application and return by the date due noted on the application. (The application will be available via the Head Coach) The parent(s) or legal guardian of the Senior MUST BE IN GOOD STANDING with the Lady Vandal Softball Booster Club. (See Article V, Section 1) The Executive Board shall be responsible for the final selection of qualified recipients of scholarships to be awarded at the Athletic Banquet. Upon approval of any scholarship award, the recipient must show proof of enrollment at the college she has chosen to attend and money will be sent to the college or university they attend. At the end of the school year, any unused scholarship money shall remain in the general booster club funds. ARTICLE XV: Booster Club Dissolution
If the Booster Club dissolves, the assets will become the property of the VISD and shall be earmarked for use & benefit of the Lady Vandal Softball Team.
