Bylaws

The name of this organization shall be the ALLENTOWN PHILATELIC SOCIETY.

The objectives of the Society are to promote and encourage interest in philately through sharing of knowledge; trading, buying and selling of philatelic materials; conducting educational programs; making available reference publications; fostering fellowship and friendship among the Society’s members; assisting in the sale or disposition of philatelic materials by members, their families and the local community.

Any Person of good character and reputation, and 11 years of age or older, who is interested in philately may become a member of the Society. There shall be two classes of membership as follows:
JUNIORS – Persons of age 11 to 17 inclusive
REGULAR – Persons of age 18 and older
Juniors must be sponsored and guaranteed by a Regular Member of the Society. Such sponsorship and guarantee shall continue until the Junior reaches the age of 18, at which time the Junior becomes eligible to be a Regular Member.

The Officers of the Society shall consist of:

• President
• Vice-President
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Librarian

Only regular members in good standing shall be eligible to hold office in the Society.

The term of all elected officers shall be for one year. Any elected Officer may be re-elected for any number of succeeding one year terms.

The duties of the President shall be:

1. The President shall preside at all meetings. In the absence of the President, the Vice President, the Secretary, the Treasurer or the Librarian shall preside.
2. The President shall assure Society objectives are met.
3. The President shall have the authority to demand financial checks/audits.
4. The President shall appoint all committees as required from time to time, and shall designate the chairpersons of such committees.
5. The President shall appoint all Officers in case of a vacancy, to serve for the remainder of the calendar year.
6. The President shall have the deciding vote on any question in the event of a tie.

The duties of the Vice-President shall be:

1. The Vice-President shall assume the office of President in the event of a vacancy.
2. The Vice-President shall represent the Society at meetings and events in the absence of the President

The duties of the Secretary shall be:

1. The Secretary shall issue a membership card to each new Member. Each membership card shall carry the Member’s name, number and be stamped with the Seal of the Society.
2. The Secretary shall handle all correspondence and communications. All significant correspondence, whether received by the Secretary or any other Officer of the Society, shall be maintained in chronological order.
3. The Secretary shall keep all records such as meeting minutes, membership files, membership rosters and any other such records as may be created for not less than five years.
4. A copy of the membership roster shall be sent annually to the American Philatelic Society in order to retain this Society’s relationship with that organization. Otherwise the membership roster shall be kept confidential by all Members, and shall not be divulged to any person or organization.
5. The Secretary shall maintain cordial ties with the American Philatelic Society.

The duties of the Treasurer shall be:

1. The Treasurer shall collect all dues and other monies as may accrue from stamp shows, auctions, sale of donated philatelic materials and so forth.
2. The Treasurer shall maintain these monies in a checking account in the Name of the Allentown Philatelic Society. Authorized signatories shall be the President, the Vice President, & the Treasurer.
3. The Treasurer shall give a correct report of the financial condition of the Society at each regular meeting and whenever called upon to do so.
4. The Treasurer shall pay bills on behalf of the Society, once such bills have been presented and approved at a regular or special meeting.
5. The Treasurer shall notify all Members of annual dues required and of any dues delinquencies, and shall notify the Secretary of such delinquencies.

The duties of the Librarian shall be:

1. The Librarian shall maintain and renew as necessary all reference materials owned by the Society.
2. The Librarian shall make such materials available to loan out to members for periods of one month.
3. The Librarian shall acquire reference material, such as catalogs for the use of eligible Members.

The Executive Board Shall consist of:

1. President
2. Vice-President
3. Secretary
4. Treasurer
5. Librarian

The order of business shall be:

1. Call to order
2. Secretary’s report, including any correspondence. Minutes shall be distributed via email prior to the next meeting in sufficient time for members to review before attending the next meeting.
3. Approval of minutes of the last meeting
4. Treasurer’s report, including presentation of bills
5. Applications for membership
6. Committee reports
7. Election of Officers (October meeting only)
8. Old and new business
9. Adjournment – by motion
10. After the business portion of the meeting, the informal meeting will continue with presentations, auctions, buying and trading amongst Members.
11. The business portion of the meeting shall be conducted according to the latest version of Roberts Rules of Order.

Regular meetings shall be held on the first Tuesday of each month. Special meetings may be called by order of the President or upon written request of five or more members.

Any meeting falling on a holiday shall be postponed or changed by order of the President or by voice vote at a regular monthly meeting.

At a regular monthly meeting seven Members, including two Officers of the Society, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Application for membership shall be made in writing to the Secretary, accompanied by the application fee and annual dues. The name of at least one individual who is involved in the stamp collecting community in the Lehigh Valley may accompany the application as a reference. The Secretary shall present the application to the membership for approval or rejection at their next monthly business meeting. If the application for membership is rejected by the membership, the applicant shall be notified and given a full refund of fees & dues paid.

The fee shall accompany each application for admission to membership in the Society, as decided by vote of the members.

The fee shall accompany each application for admission to membership in the Society, as decided by vote of the members.
Dues of new Members received between 1 August and 31 December shall apply to the entire following calendar year.
All annual dues shall be collected by the Treasurer between 1 January and 31 March.

Any Member whose dues are unpaid by 31 March shall be notified by the Secretary within the first week of April. Any Member who remains delinquent by the regular meeting in May will be warned of suspension of membership if dues are not paid by the regular meeting in June. If a Member remains delinquent at that time, he or she shall be notified of suspension by the Secretary.

If a Member has been suspended from membership in the Society for non-payment of dues and seeks reinstatement, he or she must reapply as a new Member, complete with the usual application and the $2.00 fee.

Only Regular Members in good standing (i.e., dues are current) shall be entitled to vote.

At the September meeting the nominating committee, consisting of at least two Society officers shall announce a slate of officers for the forthcoming year. Individuals being nominated must be present to affirm their willingness to serve. That slate of candidates shall be made known to as many members as possible prior to the October meeting when the election will be held. At the October meeting the Secretary will announce the slate of candidates. If there are no contested positions the Secretary will announce the slate and the President will request a voice vote from the membership. If one or more positions are contested (more than one person seeks the same position) the President will first ask the membership to approve all non-contested positions by voice vote, then the Secretary will proceed to announce candidates for contested position(s). Voting for contested positions will be by written ballot and the Secretary will announce the winning candidate(s) after personally counting the ballots. Nominated officers must be present to assume the office to which they are elected but that requirement can be waived by the Executive Board. Only Regular Members in good standing can vote and must be present at the October meeting.

Fees and Handling of donated materials as described:

1. All monies received from Auctions of donated materials shall be deposited in the Society’s checking account by the Treasurer.
2. The Society shall receive 10% of the receipts of all auctions of Member owned materials. This fee may be waived at the discretion of the President. Material for such auctions is to be solicited from Members of the Society. Each Member shall be entitled to submit up to ten lots in each auction. If not enough material is submitted, the appointed Auctioneer may, at his discretion, accept more than ten lots from any Member. The appointed Auctioneer shall also have the right to accept or reject lots submitted to assure a well-rounded sale. The owner shall be allowed to place a “reserve” on any lot submitted.

Upon the request of both disputing parties, the Executive Board will settle all matters of dispute, complaints, unfair practices, misrepresentations etc., that may arise through trade, sale or intended sale of philatelic material. The decision of the Board shall be final in each case, and the Board’s findings shall be reported to the membership and written into the records of the Society.

Any intended alteration or amendment to these Bylaws must be made in writing, and shall be considered by the Members of the Society for at least one month before allowing a vote on the acceptance or rejection of the proposed revision and / or the adoption of an amendment thereto.

These Bylaws supersede and annul any and all previous Constitutions and Bylaws of this Society.

Any action to dissolve & disband this Society must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of eligible voting members of this Society present at a meeting called to specifically consider such action, for which meeting written notice (sent via US Mail) has been issued to all members eligible to vote in accordance with the provisions of these bylaws. Should the membership of this Society vote to disband, any accrued assets of the Society will be assigned to the American Philatelic Society, if any remain after payment of debts.