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Constitution & By-Laws of
Springfield Creatives
ARTICLE I – NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1 – Name: The name of the organization shall be Springfield Creatives. It shall be a
nonprofit business league organization incorporated under the laws of the State of
Missouri.
Section 2 – Purpose: Springfield Creatives is organized exclusively to provide an opportunity
for creative individuals to enhance the knowledge and skills that will assist them in
personal and professional development, to address social and physical needs of the
community, and to promote the impacts of a thriving creative community on a national
and local economy and culture.
The purpose of this organization is:
ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 – Eligibility for membership: Application for membership shall be open to any current
resident, business owner, employee, or student of the city of Springfield, Missouri
and the surrounding Ozarks region that supports the purpose statement in
Article I, Section 2. Membership is granted after completion and receipt of a
membership application and annual dues.
Section 2 – Annual dues: The amount required for annual dues shall be $40 each year,
unless changed by a majority vote of the board of directors at the first board meeting of
the new year. Annual dues for members that joined the organization prior to January 1,
2016 shall stay $25 each year until otherwise stated by a majority vote of the board of
directors. Full time students of the collegiate level and lower and full time teachers
and professors may join at no cost with the representation of a valid School ID at
the meeting proceeding membership application. Continued membership is
contingent upon being up-to-date on membership dues.
Section 3 – Rights of members: Each member shall be eligible to create a member profile on the
organization’s website, attend monthly meetings and special events at no additional
attendance cost, exclusive access to the organization’s inner business communication’s
platform, and receive other benefits and perks determined by the board of directors.
Section 4 – Termination: A member can have their membership terminated by a majority vote of
the board of directors if said member violates the organization’s Code of Conduct policy,
abuses his/her membership rights, or perform actions that can potentially put the
organization in legal and/or moral trouble.
Section 5 – Non-membership attendance: Any non-member individual may attend a singular
monthly event after a fee of $10 to the organization. Exceptions may be made by a
majority vote of the board of directors in the case a non-member individual is incapable
of contributing financially to the organization. The board of directors shall have the
authority to establish and define additional perks for non-member attendees.
ARTICLE III – MEETINGS OF MEMBERS
Section 1 – Regular meetings: Regular meetings of the members shall be held on the third
Wednesday of every month, at a time and place determined by the meetings
and events committee. All regular meetings will begin with a brief update on organization
activities by the organization’s president and end with the activity or discussion
determined by the meetings and events committee, lead by a meetings committee
member.
Section 2 – Special meetings: Special meetings may be called by the chair of any committee
given that the special meeting does not conflict with the regular meeting and supports
the purpose statement in Article I, Section 2.
Section 3 – Notice of meetings: Meetings will be announced to all members of the organization
no less than 1 week prior to the meeting.
Section 4 – Cancellation of meetings: Any regular or special meeting may be canceled by a
majority vote of the board of directors if the meeting date is also a legal holiday, or in the
case of the death of an organization member, an epidemic, a disaster [natural or
otherwise] affecting the community as a whole, or an armed conflict in the community
that endangers the lives of organization members. The board may not cancel more than
one regular meeting in a year for causes not otherwise specified herein.
ARTICLE IV – BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1 – Board role, size, and compensation: The board of directors is responsible for overall
policy and direction of the organization, and delegates responsibility of day-to-day
operations to committees. The board shall be comprised of 7 members. The board
receives no compensation.
Section 2 – Requirements: To be a board of director and to stay in good standing with the board
of directors, each board member must be an active member in at least one committee (except the
Treasurer), and follow the attendance policy, Article IV, Section 3, for board of directors.
Section 3 – Attendance: All board of directors must attend 4/12 regular meetings, and 6/12
board meetings. All board of directors must give 48 hours notice of an expected
absence.
Section 4 – Roles of board of directors: The board of directors shall consist of a president, vice
president, treasurer, secretary, and 3 general board seats with the following roles:
The president shall preside at all regular and special meetings of the organization. He/She will give updates on the organization to all active members at each regular meeting. He/She shall be an ex officio member of all committees.
The vice president shall be the acting president if the president is absent, sick, resigned or terminated, or in the event of the president’s death. He/She shall act as the committee liaison, listening to and finding solutions to problems and concerns within all committees. If the problem or concern can not be solved by the vice president, then he/she will present the problem to the board of directors at the preceding board of directors meeting. He/She shall report committee updates at the meeting of the board of directors in the event the committee members are absent.
The treasurer shall have custody of all organization funds, maintaining all necessary financial records and reposting all such funds in an account approved by the board of directors. He/She shall report on the organization’s financial status at each meeting of the board of directors and shall hold all records available for inspection by any organization member. All disbursements shall be by check and with the signature of two authorized board members. The treasurer is not required to be an active member of a committee.
The secretary shall maintain all organization records. He/She shall keep minutes of all regular meetings and meetings of the board of directors, and provide copies of such to the board of directors.
Section 5 – Terms: All members of the board of directors shall serve two-year terms with
the exception of the president, who shall serve a one-year term. Members of the
board of directors are eligible for re-election for up to 6 consecutive years, but may not
serve the role of the president for more than two terms. In the event the president-elect
is a current member of the board of directors, their previous term will end and their role
of president will preside.
Section 6 – Meetings: The board of directors shall meet the second Monday of every month
at an agreed upon time and place. Board meetings are open to all organization
members, but only the board of directors may make a motion and/or pass a motion. The
board of directors may have a closed meeting to discuss private matters; such as,
terminating a member or board member, nominating a board member to fill a vacancy, or
any other discussion deemed private by a majority of the board of directors.
Section 7 – Cancellation and rescheduling of board meetings: A board meeting may be
cancelled if the meeting date is also a legal holiday, or in the case of the death of an
organization member, an epidemic, a disaster [natural or otherwise] affecting the
community as a whole, or an armed conflict in the community that endangers the lives of
organization members. The board may not cancel more than one board meeting in a
year for causes not otherwise specified herein. In the event of a board meeting
cancellation, the board should attempt to reschedule the board meeting for the previous
week and if quorum, mentioned in Article IV, Section 8, cannot be met, then the board
of directors shall have a paper meeting the week of cancellation.
Section 8 – Quorum: A quorum must be attended by at least half of the board of directors for
business transactions to take place and motions to pass.
Section 9 – Board elections: New and current board members shall be elected or re-elected by a
simple majority of the current board of directors. A current board of director must abstain their vote
when their re-election vote is on the table. The current board will vote and pass
the new board of directors at the December board of directors meeting.
Section 10 – Election procedures: Nominations for board members shall be open to all members
of the organization. All nominations are as a general board seat, unless otherwise
specified to run as president of the organization, and all nominations must be
submitted prior to December 1. The new board will decide the roles of vice president,
treasurer, and secretary after the new board takes office.
Section 11 – Vacancies: When a vacancy on the board exists mid-term, the president must
receive nominations for new board members by the present board of directors prior to
the following board meeting. These nominations shall then be discussed by the board
and narrowed down to no more than 3 members. The president will then reach out to
each nominee individually to seek interest and then the board of directors will vote in the
new board of director at the immediate next board meeting.
Section 12 – Resignation, termination, and absences: Resignation from the board must be in
writing and received by the secretary after being presented to the president. A board of
director will be terminated from the board due to excess absences [more than two
unexcused absences in a year] or for breaking the organization’s Code of Conduct. A
board member may be removed for other reasons by a two-thirds vote by the remaining
board members.
Section 13 – Special meetings: A special or emergency board meeting may be called by any 3
members of the board of directors, but motions may not be passed without a quorum,
Article IV, Section 8.
ARTICLE V – COMMITTEES
Section 1 – Committee formation: The board of directors may create committees as needed. It is
the responsibility of a general board member to fill the committee chair of the new
committee if no volunteers present themselves.
Section 2 – Committee chairs: Chairs of a committee will be decided by the members of that
committee. In the case that there is no chair, a general board member will take on the
role until a member volunteers.
Section 3 – The committee roles: Each committee is formed and expected to function in a way
that supports the organization’s purpose, as stated in Article I, Section 2. The following
are the committees of the organization and their purpose:
Memberships Committee shall actively recruit new members and cultivate a culture of creativity for the organization’s members. This committee shall also develop benefits and perks for members.
Meetings and Events Committee shall plan and promote engaging, informative, and content driven regular meetings and special meetings, a minimum of one per month. This committee shall be responsible for picking venues, brainstorming activities, and securing speakers.
Communications Committee shall create content for the organization’s website and media focused on highlighting and promoting the organization’s members, events, and vision.
Website Committee shall develop, maintain, and improve the organization’s website and give the organization a strong online presence that keeps the organization’s members, sponsors, and supporters engaged.
Students Committee shall find creative ways to connect, engage, and recruit students from local universities to become active members in the organization, foster mentorship, and create a student friendly environment.
Outreach Committee shall forge connections between the organization and the surrounding community by building connections and developing partnerships with community leaders, creating opportunities for collaboration with creative and nonprofit organizations, advocating for the organization’s vision and culture, and expanding awareness of local creative talent.
ARTICLE VI – ACCEPTANCE OF CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
Section 1 – Acceptance of constitution and by-laws: Every member of the organization, by
acceptance of membership, thereby accepts the principles of Springfield Creatives as
expressed in Article I, Section 2 and agrees to comply with the constitution and by-laws
of the organization, and on these conditions alone is entitled to the privileges of the
organization. No member shall be absolved from the observance of the constitution and
by-laws on the plea that a copy was not provided and/or received.
ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS
Section 1 – Amendments: These bylaws may be amended when necessary by a majority vote of
the board of directors. Proposed amendments must be submitted to the secretary to be
sent out at the following board meeting.
CERTIFICATION
These bylaws were approved at a meeting of the board of directors by a unanimous vote on June 12, 2017.
We owe tons of thanks to our wonderful sponsors! Their generous support enables our community to keep growing and Springfield Creatives to do what we do.