Sample NAR Section Bylaws
Individual Sections may wish to alter these sample bylaws or add to them due to local circumstances. Make your own originals, and be sure you have enough for your members. The purpose of these sample bylaws is to provide a guide for each group in drawing up their own bylaws.)
Article 1: Name
The name of this organization shall be the Club Name Section of the National Association of Rocketry.
Choose a name which reflects the nature and location of the club. (e.g. Philadelphia Area Rocketry Association, San Gabriel High School Section, etc.) Some clubs choose names to fit a desirable acronym, but try not to duplicate existing names or acronyms. (We already have three "MARS" Sections!)
Article 2: Purpose
It shall be the purpose of this Section to
- aid and abet the aims and purposes of the NAR in locality,
- to operate and maintain a rocket range in accordance with NAR
standards, applicable regulations, and the NAR Safety Code(s),
- to hold meetings for the purpose of aiding and encouraging all
those interested in rocketry, and
- to engage in other scientific, educational, or related activities as the NAR, the Section, or the Section Board of Directors may from time to time deem necessary or desirable in connection with the foregoing.
You'll probably want to keep the purpose as general as possible in keeping with the aims of your club. Don't make your purpose so specific that it's impossible to live up to it.
Article 3: Membership
All members of this Section shall be NAR members in good standing who reside in locality.
Here's where you'll detail any restrictions on membership: "Students of San Gabriel High School," "Residents of the Delaware Valley," etc. Again, don't be too restrictive ("Rocketeers on Main Street between 13 and 13.5 years old"), or not restrictive enough ("all rocketeers in the galaxy"). That kid on Alpha Centauri may have trouble getting to the meetings. It helps if the territory you cover is small enough so everyone can get to the meetings. This size is highly dependent on your membership, and the transportation available.
Article 4: Dues
Dues shall be $ per year, payable in advance. These Section dues are separate and distinct from national dues paid to the NAR. All dues monies shall be kept in a General Fund by the Treasurer and shall be paid out by him only on order of the Section Board of Directors. Special assessments may be levied by a majority vote of the members present and voting at any meeting of the Section provided notice of such intent is given in writing to each member at least five days preceeding such a meeting.
Many clubs decide on what dues will be charged depending on the club's needs, such as equipment to be purchased, newsletter costs, postage, NAR charter fees, etc. If your dues are high, try to spread the cost over a period of time, to lessen the burden on each member. For example, you could charge $1.00 per month instead of $12.00 on the first of January.
Article 5: Meetings
Meetings of the Section shall be held at least N times per year at times and places designated by the Section Board of Directors. Operation of the rocket range shall not be considered a meeting. A quorum shall consist of 50% of the membership of the Section. Meetings shall be conducted and governed by "Robert's Rules of Order, Revised."
Set a regular interval for meetings, such as monthly, or bi-weekly. A minimum time should be set for the calling of special meetings, such as "five days notice must be given to members when a meeting is to be held." Meetings can, of course, be held more frequently than the bylaws call for, but should not be held less frequently.
Article 6: Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of this Section shall include the four officers, and the Senior Advisor, if applicable.
Article 7: Officers
The officers of this Section shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, all of whom shall be members of the Club Name Section and of the NAR.
Every club needs a President, whether you call him President, CEO, or Grand Poobah. The president acts as a binding force for the entire club, and runs the meetings and other activities. The Vice-President takes care of the President's duties when the President is inactive or unavailable. The Secretary keeps a record (the minutes) of meeting activities and is usually responsible for keeping the club roster and notifying everyone of meetings. The Treasurer, of course, handles the club's money. Some clubs even elect their Newsletter Editor, in order to give everyone a fair chance at trying out the job. In a small club, some of these jobs can be combined. Your bylaws should create four distinct jobs and allow them to be combined if needed.
Article 8: Elections
Elections of officers and members of the Board of Directors shall take place at the first meeting of the calendar year. All officers and members of the Board shall serve a term of one year. Vacancies in office and on the Board shall be filled by nomination and election of a Section member to fill the unexpired term of office and shall take place at the Section meeting at which the vacancy is announced. Nominations for all elections shall be made from the floor, and the candidate having the largest number of votes shall be elected.
In this section, a time and procedure is set for the election of officers. If you are a school club, follow the normal time and procedure for elections of your school's club's officers. Otherwise, the elections can be held anytime. Usual procedure is to elect the president by one polling, the VP by another, etc. Obviously, the candidate with the most votes wins. Be sure you have set a definite time ("the first meeting of the year") and balloting procedure in your bylaws.
Article 9: Committees
There shall be three Standing Committees of the Section, plus such additional committees as the Board of Directors may from time to time deem necessary or desirable. The Standing Committees are as follows:
- Operations Committee shall be in charge of the Section's rocket
range, shall monitor the experimental technical activities of the
Section members, and shall act as Safety Inspectors. The Chairman of
the Committee shall be a Senior member of the NAR in good standing,
and shall act as Range Safety Officer under the NAR standards,
regulations, and Safety Code(s).
- Contests and Records Committee shall be in charge of all
arrangements for contests, and shall monitor all national record
attempts by Section members.
- Activities Committee shall be in charge of making all arrangements for all Section meetings, for conducting membership campaigns, and for carrying on public relations.
The Section President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.
Committees are groups of people within your club that are responsible for certain tasks or activities. For example, the Range Operations Committee builds and maintains club equipment and operates the range. The Contest Committee runs the club contests. The Publicity Committee handles publicity. you get the idea. The committee chairman is usually appointed by the President and the Chairman then chooses the committee members.
Article 10: Amendments
These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of those Section members present and voting at any meeting of the Section, providing written notice of the pending amendment has been sent to the membership of the Section at least five days in advance of such meeting.
Conditions change, and so must bylaws. To prevent hasty or foolish changes the amendment procedure should be fairly difficult. For example, "the amendment must be approved by 3/4 of the members present at each of two meetings held at least five days apart with written notice to be given to all members of the meetings and the amendment."
Adopted (date): ________ Signed: _________________________