Unicorns Bylaws
Soon to be Adopted
ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of this nonprofit shall be "The Unicorns Community”, and referred to in these Bylaws as "the community." The governing body of the community shall be the Board of Trustees, hereafter called "the Board.".
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE AND REQUIREMENTS
PURPOSE: The purpose of this organization shall be to act with benevolence and wisdom in all things, to find and share joy and connection, to shelter and nurture the innocent and vulnerable, including ourselves, and to respect our world and tend to it, including ourselves.
REQUIREMENTS:
40 dollars ($480 annually) or a minimum of 4 hours labor per month (48 hours annually).
An organization needs both funds and labor and we seek to be as accessible as possible. Labor must serve current recognized needs as designated by the Executive Director. Examples of labor: setup, cleanup, childcare, admin assistance, and more.
Attend meetings regularly (at least 4 per year), volunteer even if you are paying for membership at least occasionally, be at least 18 years old and agree to abide by the following ethical guidelines:
Carrying these qualities within you and striving towards them at all times is what shapes a good person and leads to a life well lived.
Empathy/Compassion/Love
Ethics/Integrity/Honesty
Curiosity/Inquisitiveness/Creativity
A Wide, Deep and Inclusive Sense of Perspective
Patience/Flexibility/Adaptability
Sense of Humor
Passion/Perseverance/Determination
Sufficiency/Contentment/Serenity
Efficiency/Moderation/Balance
Accountability/Reliability/Responsibility
Respect for and Balanced Consideration of Self and Others
Self-confidence with a Sense of Humility
INCORPORATION: The community shall be incorporated in the State of Illinois as a 501c7 nonprofit organization.
ARTICLE III: NON-DISCRIMINATION
1. It is specifically understood that membership, programming, hiring practices and the calling of professionals in this community are not and cannot be predicated upon race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, class or national origin.
ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP AND VOTING
REQUIREMENTS: Any person who subscribes to the purposes and requirements of the community may join as a Member. After 30 days of membership, members shall have the privilege of voting at business meetings and in any other formal votes taken by the community.
FRIENDS: Members can bring up to 2 friends and their own children to events open to friends.
WITHDRAWAL: Anyone may withdraw from the community at his or her own request or maybe dropped from the membership roll by the Board for failing to abide by requirements or extended non-participation.
ARTICLE V: MEETINGS
TIMETABLE: The fiscal year shall run from January 1 through December 1. There shall be twelve regular business meetings of the community each year, one per month. The Board trustees shall be elected during the November meeting. The specific time and place of meetings shall be set by the Board.
OPEN MEETINGS: All meetings of the community shall be open to all members of the community. The Board reserves the right to move into executive session.
ARTICLE VI: Administration
Paid Executive Director and Childcare Supervisor shall be employed only after a screening committee has:
reviewed his/her qualifications;
arrived at mutually agreeable conditions of employment;
recommended action by the membership; and
the membership has approved the conditions of employment.
Contracts between the Executive Director and/or Childcare Supervisor and the Unicorns shall normally be for a 12 month period and shall be reviewed annually.
Priorities for the Executive Director's duties shall be established by consultation between the Board and the Executive Director.
The Executive Director shall meet with the Board and have a vote.
Article VII: BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Description of the Board of Trustees (hereafter called the Board). The Board shall consist of the following officers (hereafter called Trustees): President-elect, President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member At-Large Trustee. All Trustees apart from the founding members, shall be members of the community for at least six months prior to holding a Trustee position.
Elections, Terms, and Limits: An election shall be held at the November business meeting to select Trustees to fill positions that are due to expire by December 30. These Trustees shall be selected from those volunteering for the positions by vote of the membership.
The positions of President-elect and President are one-year terms. Persons elected to the Presidential cycle will serve consecutive one-year terms as President-elect and President for a total Board tenure of two years.
The positions of Secretary, Treasurer, and Member-At-Large Trustee are two-year terms. These terms are staggered so that only two of these positions expire during a year.
Terms of office for all Board positions commence on January 1 following election at the November business meeting.
Persons who complete a two-year cycle may not serve on the Board of Trustees for a period of one year.
If any board member is unable or unwilling to perform the duties of their office, the board may vote on a motion to remove the board member from their office. Since this action could have very divisive impacts, the action must be approved by all the remaining members of the board.
Replacement of Mid-Term Vacancies on the Board:
Trustee positions that become vacant during the term must be filled with an Interim Trustee by appointment by the Board. This Trustee serves until the next business meeting, where the community elects a Trustee to fill the remaining portion (if any) of the vacated position. An Interim Trustee will go on to fill a consecutive full-term Trustee position if desired and elected by the community at the November business meeting.
In the case of a mid-term vacancy in the position of President, the President-elect becomes Interim President for the remainder of the term. The Interim President becomes President on the following January 1 and finishes out their term.
Article VIII
ARTICLE : PARLIAMENTARY RULES
QUORUM: Thirty percent (30%) of eligible voting Members shall constitute a quorum at community business meetings.
In the event that a member is unable to physically attend a Business Meeting, that member may request in writing, five days prior to said meeting, to the President of the community that a proxy be issued to another member of the community. The designated member's name must be entered in writing into the proxy request. Request for a proxy vote is subject to approval by the Board.
AMENDMENT: These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the community, a quorum being present, or by a majority of the entire community, whichever is smaller, provided that the substance of the intended amendments has been made accessible to all members no later than 14 days before the meeting at which the amendments will be considered. At such meeting the amendments may be modified; if however, in the opinion of the Members present (to be decided by simple majority vote if there is disagreement) the modifications constitute a significant departure from the publicized intent, they will not take effect unless approved at a subsequent meeting of the Membership, held in accordance with the provisions of Article IV.
ARTICLE X: CAPITAL EXPENDITURES AND MAJOR DECISIONS
A major decision of the community shall be subject to a special decision-making process as defined by this section. Major decisions shall include the following matters: Approval of the purchase of real property, with or without improvement or purchases totaling over $10,000 (ten thousand dollars). Final action on a Major Decision or Capital Expenditure shall require a quorum of 60% of voting members. Final action constitutes approval from 3/4 of the eligible members present. Voting will consist of a secret ballot of all those present. Absentee ballots must be received by mail before or by the time of the vote. Emergency proxies may be accepted by the Board.
ARTICLE XI: DISSOLUTION
Should the Unicorns cease to function and the community vote to disband, all community property, real and personal, remaining after payment of all just claims, shall be conveyed to a nonprofit agreed to by the Board, which shall perform all actions necessary to effectuate such conveyance.