Preparatory work to be carried out prior to proposal writing

A project proposal is a detailed description of a series of activities aimed at solving a certain problem. The proposal should contain a detailed explanation of the:

• justification of the project;
• activities and implementation timeline;
• methodology; and
• human, material and financial resources required.

The project proposal should be a detailed and directed manifestation of the project design. It is a means of presenting the project to the outside world in a format that is immediately recognised and accepted.

Conducting preparatory work prior to proposal writing

A quality project proposal is the final product of a participatory process that involves considerable study, discussion and learning from past experiences

Interview past and prospective beneficiaries: Though feedback was likely received when the previous project ended, new benefits and conditions may have arisen since that time. Speak to prospective beneficiaries to ensure that what you are planning to offer is desired and needed

Review past project proposals: Avoid repeating mistakes and offering to reproduce results that have already been achieved. Donors will be unlikely to provide more funding for something that should already have been done.

Review past project evaluation reports: Don't count on project members to remember all the mistakes and areas for improvement from previous efforts

Organise focus groups: Make sure that the people you need are willing and able to contribute

Check statistical data: Don't let others discover gaps and inaccuracies in the data you are relying on

Consult experts: Outside opinions will give you ideas and credibility

Conduct surveys, etc. Gather as much preliminary information as possible to demonstrate commitment to the project to refine the objectives

Hold community meetings or forums: When the public feels that they have been consulted on an issue, they will be much more likely to cooperate and support the project


Adapted from "Project proposal writing" by Besim Nebiu

Writing a good report to the donor

The word “report” has many meanings, most associated with the idea of “carrying back” information. The sorts of reports you will be writing may be defined as the delivery of information in response to an instruction or for a particular purpose. Everyone who works on projects has to write reports. You must always report to a donor on the progress of spending the project funds and progress towards achieving objectives. This means explaining the outputs you produced in the project and the longer-term impacts you have begun to identify in your community.

Remember the three most important things about writing reports:

1. Know as much about your reader as possible before you put pen to paper; keep thinking about your reader all the time you are writing.
2. Bearing your reader in mind, use the simplest words and sentences to express your meaning clearly. In other words, spoon-feed your reader. Make your writing as easy to read as possible.
3. Before you begin a paper, write a plan.

In report-writing the key to success is planning—that is, writing a good outline. A good outline will enable you to structure and organize your thoughts in a logical way that will make it easy for your reader to absorb your information.

A Report Outline

Some partners or donors may have forms they want you to use when reporting on grant agreements. In cases where there is no preferred format, the following generic report outline should prove useful. It can also be used for a variety of other reports that you may be called on to prepare in the course of your career.

The generic report format below can be used for all sorts of reports, not just for reporting to donors. When reporting to donors, it is useful to identify what type of report you are writing. For instance, it might be an annual report, a final report, a semi-annual report, or a special report.

Generic Report Format

Covering Letter/Memo Report Title Summary (may be omitted in short reports) Terms of Reference (or Purpose of the Report)

Covering Letter: This is where you address the person most interested in the report. Following the most important thing about writing, the more you know about this person, the better your covering letter will be. If possible, have that person in mind as you write.

Your covering letter will summarize the reason for the report and its content, and provide an opportunity to highlight any sections or recommendations that you think will be of particular interest, or on which you especially wish to receive feedback. You should mention if the report is annual, final, special, or other.

In signing the covering letter, you (or your Director) are taking full responsibility for the content of the report.

Report Title: The title should leave the reader in no doubt as to the subject of the report. If necessary, use a subtitle. HIV/AIDS Education Through Rural Radio: First annual report is a better title than Report on HIV/AIDS Education Through Rural Radio.

Summary: As with a proposal, the summary of a report is often the most important section , because it is likely to be the only part that most readers look at. You need a summary for all reports longer than, say, five to seven pages.
The summary will briefly mention all the most interesting points in the report, as well as the report's purpose and main conclusions and recommendations.

A summary may contain subheadings to make it easier to read.

Be careful not to waste words in a summary—make every word count. Don't say: Conclusions about the success of the radio programs are drawn. Instead, repeat the specific conclusion: Unexpectedly, the radio programs led to listeners (on average 95%) making at least one effort to change their attitudes towards those affected by HIV/AIDS.

Because the summary makes reference to all the other sections of the report, it must be written after the other sections are complete. A report summary must always be written last.

Because the summary is all most readers (including the most important) will ever read, it requires time to get it right. Allow enough time to write the best summary you can, and then re-read and edit it.

The summary should be as short as it possibly can be. President Ronald Reagan required his staff to give him a one-page summary of world activities every morning. They had to work all night to squeeze information on many, often momentous, events into a single page. They learned it could be done. The summary should be no longer than 10% of the length of the final report.

Terms of Reference or Purpose of the Report: This is easy to write, and should take no more than a single paragraph. Here are some of the reasons you might be writing to a donor:

• The purpose of this report is to summarize progress on Project X from June 2002 to June 2003.
• This is the final report on Project X, which has been underway in Uganda since 2002.
• This is the second annual report on Project X; significant delays outside the control of the project mean that the rural radio station X is hereby applying for a no-cost extension. If this request is granted, the project, now slated to end in March 2005, will be extended for completion in March 2006.
  

Monitoring Procedure: This section describes the steps taken to collect information that monitors or evaluates progress in the project. As in the summary, avoid vague statements. Instead of a number of farmers were interviewed use twenty female farmers from each site in Region A were interviewed by the volunteers from radio station X at the Farmers’ Association meeting held in January 2004 in Kaduma.

If you are reporting to donors on a specific grant, use the grant agreement and/or the project proposal to structure your report, and make specific reference to outputs promised in the project concept note.

In this section you may want to refer to the project management arrangements. For instance, you may report that two project workshops were held during the reporting period, which were attended by farmer representatives and all partners. Such meetings, as well as any training sessions or radio programs developed, might be important milestones for your project and should be mentioned in the monitoring procedure part of your report.

Findings: In this section you present all the information you gathered without interpretation. To some extent, use tables and other aids to help your readers to understand the information or data as quickly and easily as possible.

Conclusions: Here is where you present your interpretation of the findings. You may wish to use the same headings as in the Findings section. Remember, there is no shame in reporting failure if lessons have been learned. If things are going wrong with your project, do not be tempted to blame everything on others, or events outside your control. Sometimes the fault is yours or that of your colleagues. If so, tell the truth, explain what you learned and how you will avoid making the same mistake in the rest of the project or in future, and move on. Donors are human. They will respect your honesty and learn to trust you more.

Recommendations: These are the steps you think should be taken, or not taken, based on the conclusions in the previous section. You can write recommendations using “should.” However, you may want to make some recommendations more strongly than others. In this case you can use “it is suggested that” for the less strong, and “it is recommended that” for those points you feel more strongly about. Good recommendations are not just your own opinion, but those logically based on the findings and conclusions.

Attaching a Financial Report: Some evaluation reports that are sent to donors, and certainly all annual and final reports, need to be accompanied by a financial report that shows accurately how money has been spent in the intervening period.

It is recommended that these reports be prepared by the accountant or person in charge of the radio station accounts, and then reviewed together with the project leaders before being sent to the donor. It is very important that the financial information be correctly and clearly presented.

If all is going well with your project, you may not need a recommendations section in your financial report, or your recommendation may be to continue to implement the project as designed.

If, however, implementation of project funds is not following the plan envisaged in the grant agreement or contract with your donor, you may wish to propose a redesign. As noted earlier, this might involve a request for a no-cost extension, or for flexibility among budget items. You may also wish to eliminate one site, accelerate the project, add another partner, or redirect your attention to a related area.

Annexes: This is the place for details that you cannot bear to leave out, but which the donor will not need to follow the logic of your report. Annexes are where to put examples of outputs like workshop reports or radio scripts, lists of people interviewed during monitoring and evaluation of the project’s progress, etc.

How long should a report be? As short as possible. Spare your time, your reader’s time, and the paper. The most effective reports are crisp, clear, open, honest, and short.

This article is extracted from a training module by ISNAR prepared by Marian Fuchs-Carsch Zenete Franca on “How to Write a Convincing Proposals.” Adaptations for rural radio stations were made by Helen Hambly Odame (University of Guelph, Canada).

Transfer of Trust format

Dear Sir or Madam:

This is to inform you that I intend to transfer the property described herein to ____________ (“Trust”). This Trust is a ___________________Trust. The undersigned is the Grantor and sole beneficiary.

Please acknowledge receipt of this letter and confirm that the intended transfer will not cause any undue adverse effect. Please indicate your consent to the above transfer without any negative effect by signing and dating the enclosed copy of this letter and returning it to me in the enclosed envelope.

If I do not receive your reply objecting to the proposed transfer within thirty days from the above date, I will assume that you consent to the transfer and that there will not be an adverse effect from this transfer.

If you need me to fill out forms for your organization, please forward them to me at the address on this letterhead and I will do so immediately.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.

__________________
Grantor

Date:

Acknowledgment: _____________________

Enc. Second copy of letter for signature; self-addressed stamped envelope for return.

Format for Trustee Resignation

I, __________________, Trustee of __________________________________ do hereby resign on _______________ (Date) all of my Trustee responsibilities, rights, title, and any other interest whatsoever I may have or had in this trust or trusts.

Before resigning, I appoint __________________________________________ (Name and address) as the successor Trustee.

In witness thereof, I hereby sign my Resignation as Trustee of the above trust (s).


________________________
Trustee


________________________
Notary


________________________
Witness

______________________________________________________________________

Trustee Resignation

Review List

This review list is provided to inform you about the document in question and assist you in its preparation. It is imperative you get this Trustee Resignation following the appointment of a Trustee to represent your interests in any way. You should get the Trustee to resign in one document in favor of yourself or your spouse or close relative, and in a second document, in favor of another of those parties. This must be done after the first agreement has been signed, and better if done a few days later. There is nothing to prevent you from first doing it at the initial closing contemporaneously with the close and then again a few days later. Keep the resignations in your safe and only use them if you find the need to do so. Again, an ounce of caution is better than a pound, or perhaps two!, of cure. This prevents trouble if you ever have a falling out with a Trustee on this or other matters, which is an all too common experience.

Nominee Agreement

This Agreement was made on ____________ between ___________ of ___________ ("Nominee") and ________________ of ___________________ (the "Owner").

Whereas Owner is the sole beneficial owner of the land described in Exhibit 1 to this Agreement, including all buildings and other fixed improvements thereon and all interests therein and rights appurtenant thereto;

AND it has been agreed between Nominee and Owner, at the request of Owner and as a matter of convenience, that for the time being the said land will be registered in the name of Nominee and that Nominee shall hold, as nominee for Owner on the terms and subject to the conditions hereinafter set forth, the said land and all related rights and interests (including without limitation those under agreements and other documents such as mortgages, charges, easements, leases, licenses and by-laws) that Owner may from time to time assign to Nominee (such land and related rights and interest are collectively called the "Real Property"), Nominee having itself no beneficial interest in the Real Property;

NOW in consideration of these premises and the mutual covenants, conditions and agreements herein contained, and for other good and valuable consideration (the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged), the parties hereto hereby covenant and agree as follows:

1. Nominee hereby acknowledges, declares, covenants and agrees that:

(a) Nominee will hold, as and from the date hereof, the Real Property, and all right, title and interest therein and benefit to be derived therefrom, as nominee for and on behalf of the Owner;

(b) Nominee otherwise has no legal or beneficial interest in the Real Property; and

(c) All other attributes of the beneficial ownership of the Real Property shall be and remain in Owner.

2. Nominee covenants and agrees, subject to the indemnity hereinafter provided, that it shall at all times and from time to time deal with the Real Property as nominee for Owner only in accordance with the written or verbal instructions and directions of Owner and not otherwise; and that it will do no act relating to the Real Property without the express authorization and direction of Owner, and that it has no active or independent duties to perform in respect of the Real Property except as may be specifically provided for herein.

3. Nominee shall enter into, and execute and deliver as nominee for Owner only, all such instruments, including, without limitation, all such documents, assignments, deeds, transfers, leases, subleases, assignments and surrenders of leases, mortgages, charges, hypothecs, servitudes, easements, licenses, privileges, management contracts, personal property security contracts and other agreements, (collectively called "instruments') as may from time to time be requested by Owner in connection with the Real Property, including without limiting the generality of the foregoing a conveyance and transfer in registrable and/or other form(s) of all right, title and interest of Nominee in the Real Property.

4. Nominee acknowledges, declares, covenants and agrees that all rents, profits, emoluments and other receipts and revenues of any nature or kind arising from the Real Property or the use thereof shall belong legally and beneficially to Owner, and that Nominee has no legal or beneficial interest in such rents, profits, emoluments and other receipts and revenues. Nominee shall, subject to the rights of any mortgagee or other secured creditor, promptly remit to Owner all rents, profits, emoluments and other receipt and revenues of any nature or kind arising from the Real Property, which may be received by Nominee as nominal party to any instrument. Nominee shall incur no liability to any person for making any such remittance as directed in any notice from any such mortgagee or other secured creditor, or, in the absence of such notice, pursuant to a direction from Owner. Nominee shall, at the request and expense of Owner, account to Owner for all sums received with respect to the Real Property.

5. Nominee shall promptly deliver to Owner all instruments with respect to the Real Property, together with all recording information relative thereto, to the extent that Nominee may come into possession of any thereof.

6. Nominee shall promptly transmit to Owner copies of all notices, claims, demands or other communications, which Nominee may receive and which relate in any way to the Real Property. Nominee, upon the request of Owner, shall be a nominal party to any action in response to or as a consequence of any such matter. Any such action, proceeding, negotiation or other response shall be conducted by Owner, with counsel selected by him, and Nominee shall not, nor shall it be obligated to, take any such action itself, its only obligation being that of a nominal party thereto subject to the indemnity hereinafter provided.

7. Owner acknowledges, declares, covenants and agrees that he shall be responsible for all encumbrances, charges, costs, expenses, losses, damages, claims, demands and liabilities in any way connected with or related to the Real Property (collectively called "expenses"), that Nominee has no active duties to perform in connection with the Real Property, and that all obligations (including any mortgage obligations), responsibilities, acts or omissions pertaining to the Real Property shall be the responsibility of and shall be performed or omitted to be performed by Owner.

8. Owner hereby releases Nominee from any and all liability that Nominee may incur in respect of any action taken by Nominee either pursuant to the authorization or direction of Owner or pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. Owner shall indemnify and hold Nominee harmless from all liabilities of whatsoever kind and character that may arise out of any act or omission by Nominee pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and from the said expenses, obligations and responsibilities during the entire period of time that the Real Property is vested in Nominee pursuant to this Agreement.

9. It is understood and agreed between the parties hereto that the relationship between them shall be that of principal and bare nominee only, that there is no intention to create a relationship of partnership, or agency between Owner and Nominee, and that this Agreement should not be construed to create any trust, association or joint venture between Owner and Nominee.

10. Each of the parties hereto covenants that it will from time to time as may be deemed necessary and requisite do all such acts and effect such further and other assurances as may be reasonable necessary or desirable to effect and carry out the true intent and purpose of this Agreement.

11. This is the entirety of the Agreement. No changes can be made except in writing and signed by both parties. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of ________________.

12. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.


__________________ ____________________
Owner Nominee

__________________ ____________________
Witness Witness

Articles of Association format

Articles of Association

To further the purposes set forth herein, the members agree to be, and hereby are, organized under these Articles of Association as a not for profit service and social club, for the Association to be named _____________________________.

ARTICLE I - THE ORGANIZATION

1.0 Name of Association

The name of this Association shall be: ________________________

2.0 Offices of Association

The principal office of the Association shall be at the home of the President of the group. The Association may have such other offices as may from time to time be designated by its members or its Executive Board.

3.0 Purposes

The primary purposes of the Association is to provide a community service by:

improving __________________________;
share information;
educate and encourage newcomers to join and participate in the Association;
provide social activities for members;
further the art, science, and enjoyment of the subject matter.

The activities of the Association shall be held and maintained in the spirit of these purposes.

4.0 Powers

The Association shall have all the powers necessary to provide activities to conduct its purposes including, but are not limited to, the power to collect, hold and disseminate information consistent with its purpose: to conduct seminars and workshops, and the power to collect dues and disperse funds for the membership.

5.0 Membership

Any individual interested in the subject is welcome to be a member in the Association as long as said member remains in “good standing”. A member is in “good standing” when: - the member pays his/her annual membership dues when required.

A member is no longer in “good standing” when: - the member fails to pay his/her annual membership dues when required.

In the judgment of the majority of the members, the member no longer supports the best interests of the Association.

If a member so elects, he or she may include within his or her membership any or all of the interested parties who reside in his or her household. In the event of such an election by a member, said member and all of the interested parties who reside in his or her household who he or she has elected to include within his or her membership shall be deemed to be one member of the Association and entitled to one newsletter. In addition, regardless of the number of such interested parties, any member may elect to include within his or her membership, each member of the Association shall be entitled to only one vote on each Association matter to be decided by a vote of the members. Additionally, household memberships are limited to one entry into any prize drawing that require membership. Yet, at any time any member of an included household, may become a voting member by paying dues appropriate to becoming a member.
Complementary memberships are extended to both students and faculty of any bona-fide institution of learning, to include additional complementary memberships may be granted to persons in key positions of authority as deemed appropriate by the Executive Board, and voted upon by the general membership.

6.0 Dues, Assessments and Fees

The Association’s activities shall be funded through the use of annual membership dues, assessments, and fees charged to the individuals who take part in the Association’s various activities. Except for any excess fees refunded as provided hereafter, all the funds collected by the Association shall be used by it to provide for the various activities permitted by these Articles.

The annual membership dues required for membership in the Association, and any assessments which may be required of the members, shall be established by a majority vote of the members of the Association, upon the recommendation of the Executive Board. The annual membership dues for any fiscal year shall be established at such an amount per member as will, when multiplied by the number of individuals which the Executive Board estimates will be members for the fiscal year for which the annual membership dues are being established, be sufficient to pay at least 80% of the “normal operating costs” which the Executive Board estimates will be required to operate the Association for the fiscal year for which the annual membership dues are being established. The balance of the “normal operating costs”, if any, shall be paid from assessments assessed against the membership, investment income, and/or surplus funds available from prior fiscal years. The annual membership dues and any assessments may be varied from fiscal year to fiscal year, but any such dues and/or assessments in effect for any fiscal year shall be the same for all individuals.

Fees shall be charged by the Association to pay the costs of any of its activities, or parts thereof, which do not fall within the meaning of “normal operating costs”. Said fees shall be established by the Executive Board at an amount per individual per activity, or part thereof, which shall not exceed the amount which is reasonably estimated to be necessary to pay the costs of said activity, or part thereof, which do not fall within the meaning of “normal operating costs”. Should the fees established and collected for any activity or part thereof, not be sufficient to pay all the costs which do not fall within the meaning of “normal operating costs” which are generated by said activity, or part thereof, the deficiency shall be paid as a “normal operating costs” of the Association. Should the fees collected from any activity, or part thereof, exceed the costs of such activity, or part thereof, which do not fall within the meaning of “normal operating costs”, and should such excess exceed the greater of $200 or 20% of said non “normal operating costs” incurred to provide said activity, or part thereof, said excess shall be refunded pro-rata to the individuals who paid the fees for such activity, or part thereof. The fees established for any activity, or part thereof, shall be the same for all individuals who take part in such activity, or part thereof, regardless of whether they are members of the Association or non-members.

7.0 Fiscal Year

The Association shall operate with the calendar year as its fiscal year.

8.0 Funds Management and Authorities

No individual member has the authority to obligate the Association in any way. In doing so that member becomes personally responsible for that obligation and not the Association.

Elected Executive Board Members may obligate the Association for up to $25 on non-recurring expenses.

The President with the approval of the treasurer may obligate the association for up to $100 on non-recurring expenses. The President and Treasurer should monitor all increases in recurring expenses.

The Executive Board in simple majority may obligate the Association for up to $200 on non-recurring expenses.

The Membership in simple majority must approve non-recurring expenditures in excess of $200.

New recurring expenses must be approved by simple majority of the membership. Increases in existing recurring expenses do not require approval of the membership.

These Articles describe the rules by which the Association is to be governed. Any situation concerning the governing of this Association which is not specifically described in these Articles shall be governed by “Robert’s Rules of Order”. In any situation in which these Articles conflict with “Robert’s Rules of Order”, these Articles shall prevail.

ARTICLE II - THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

1.0 OFFICERS’ DUTIES

The Executive Board is composed of the officers elected by the general membership at the November general membership meeting. The officers are responsible for the daily operation of the Association as described in the officers’ duties. The order listed below indicates the order of succession to the presidency.

The following describes the duties of each of the officers:

PRESIDENT - The office of President is the primary person responsible for the business operation of the Association and presides at the regular membership meetings and the Executive Board meetings.

VICE PRESIDENT - There shall be one Vice President. He / She will have one vote on the Executive Board. The Vice President is responsible for the performance of the President’s duties in the absence of the President. The Vice President, along with the Executive Board, is responsible for the program planning for the general membership meetings. He / She shall schedule speakers for each month’s meeting and publish the planned topics and speakers’ names in the newsletter on the month prior to when the topic is scheduled. The Vice Presidents are also responsible for the coordination of obtaining audio-visual materials required by the speakers.

SECRETARY/TREASURER - The Secretary is responsible for maintaining the non-financial records of the Association’s operations. The Secretary provides meeting notes of all general membership and Executive Board meetings. These notes/minutes will be recorded in a Secretary’s book and will be available (posted in the newsletter) for the general membership to review. The Secretary is also responsible for all non-financial correspondence for the Association business activities. The Secretary shall act as the Treasurers primary alternate to conduct the everyday business of collecting dues and signing up new members. The Treasurer is responsible for all the funds of the association. The Treasurer shall maintain a detailed listing of the clubs membership and dues records. The Treasurer shall publish a monthly financial statement, report to the membership and publish a summary report in the Association’s newsletter. The Treasurer shall maintain a record which he or she shall make available for inspection within five calendar days of his or her receipt of a written request for such an inspection from any member or a written or verbal request for such an inspection from the Executive Board. The President or Vice-President may perform the duties of Treasurer as required. The Treasurer shall maintain the membership records for the Association.
MEMBERS AT LARGE -There shall be two members at large whose duties shall be deemed by the President.

2.0 ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Nominations will be opened at the September general meeting and close just prior to the election at the November general meeting. Absentee ballots will be accepted, if delivered prior to the November general meeting. Nominations and ballots will be published in the November newsletter. The election will be held at the November meeting with the results announced at the end of the meeting. Officers will be installed at the January meeting. Each officer shall serve for a term of one year from the date of his or her installation and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. In the month of October the President will select a nominating committee, subject to the confirmation of the Executive Board. The committee will choose a slate of candidates and will place their names in nomination. In addition, nominations for any office may be made from the floor or written-in, prior to elections being held, by any member. If the members who have been so nominated consent to run and to serve if elected, and if their respective nominations have been duly seconded, their names shall be placed on the ballot along with the names of the members chosen by the nominating committee. The election of officers shall be a simple plurality of ballots presented to the Secretary during the November meeting.

Officers must be members in good standing at the time of their election and must maintain their good standing throughout their term of office.

2.1 Removal from Office

Any officer may have his or her duties suspended by a unanimous, unopposed vote of the remaining members of the Executive Board. The suspended officer may request a reinstatement vote by the general membership, following the rules of elections of officers at the next general membership meeting. If the suspended officer does not request a reinstatement vote or if the vote is opposed to reinstatement, the Executive Board must then select a successor to fill the vacant position. The selection is subject to general membership confirmation by a majority vote at the next regular meeting.

ARTICLE III - APPOINTMENTS

The President or Executive Board may select members to serve special assignments of need. The appointments will be subject to approval by the general membership.

ARTICLE IV - ADVISORY BOARD

The Advisory Board is composed of the appointed members appointed by the president and approved by the Executive Board. The members of the advisory board positions are not appointed for a specific duration and may be replaced at any time by the President with the Executive Boards approval. The appointees serve as technical advisors and subject matter experts to provide added expertise to the executive board and meet with the Executive Board at the Executive Board meeting. The position listed below serves only as a guide to the advisory board’s positions and are not limited to those positions.

1.0 General Membership Meetings

The entire membership meets monthly. The meetings are conducted by the President or designated alternate. Meetings shall consist of programs of general interest to the membership, brief announcements, and club business. A minimum of 5 members must be present to conduct FORMAL club business.

2.0 Executive Board Meetings

The Executive Board shall be called by the President as needed or as designated for purposes indicated at the General Membership Meeting by a majority vote of the membership present. The Executive Board Meetings shall be open to the general membership. Executive Board Meetings and location shall be announced in advance to the membership whenever possible. A minimum of 3 voting members (or designated representation) must be present to conduct club business.

ARTICLE VI - NEWSLETTER

1.0 Purpose

The content of the newsletter shall be under the control and responsibility of the newsletter Editor and approved by the Executive Board. The club will only publish articles (information) which are clear and free of legal encumbrances and copyrights.

2.0 Publication

The newsletter shall be published and made available at the General Membership Meetings to members in good standing. Anyone providing articles or notices is required to provide the information to the Editor for publication at least 10 days before scheduled publication.

ARTICLE VII - REPRESENTATION OF THE CLUB

The use of the name of this Association or its identifying symbols by any person or organization will be subject to the consent of the majority of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VIII- AMENDMENT OF ARTICLES

Two methods exist to propose an amendment to, addition to, or repeal of, any provision of, or all of these Articles of Association.

1.0 By Executive Board

The Executive Board may propose any such change in these Articles by presenting said changes at a General Membership Meeting.

2.0 By Members

Any member may propose any such change in these Articles by submitting to any member of the Executive Board a petition which sets forth the proposed change and which is signed by at least 2/3 of the members at a meeting to be voted on at the next meeting. The membership list of the month previous to the month in which the petition is submitted shall be used for determining the membership count.

Any proposed change must be published in the newsletter one month prior to the meeting in which the votes are due to be submitted. Approval of any amendment to, addition to, or repeal of, any provision of, or all of, these Articles of Association requires a majority of the submitted signed, votes received from the members.

ARTICLE IX - DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS

In the event that the Association ceases to function, or in the event that the members decide to terminate it, the Executive Board shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all of the Association’s liabilities, distribute all of the remaining assets of the Association to such organization or organizations which the Executive Board shall select which are then qualified as exempt under Section 501 © (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law). Any assets not so distributed shall be distributed by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principal office of the Association is then located, or was most recently located if the Association has ceased to function, to such organization or organizations which said Court shall select which are then qualified as exempt under Section 501 © (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).

_____________________
Founder of Organization

_____________________
Founding Members (each should sign and initial)

Dated: