Article VIII. Duties of Officers

Section 1
    The duties of the officers of this branch shall be those customarily pertaining to the various offices; and shall include any specific duties assigned to branch officers by the national bylaws.

Section 2
    The files of the corresponding secretary, the minute books of the recording secretary, the account books and other records of the treasurer constitute part of the permanent official record of this branch. At the end of her term of office, each of the foregoing officers shall turn such files and records over to her successor for use. The recording secretary in office is responsible for the safekeeping of the branch records not currently in use.

Section 3.
    The depository for branch archival records shall be the Topeka room of the Topeka public library.

Article IX. Committees

Section 1
    This branch shall have the following standing committees: membership, publicity, concerns, finance/philanthropic, yearbook and by- laws.   

Section 2.
    Chairmen of the foregoing committees shall be appointed by the president. Their term of office shall expire with the administration in which they were appointed. The duties of these committees shall be those ordinarily pertaining to them, as well as any special duties assigned to them by the branch.

Section 3.    
    Special committees may be appointed for special purposes at any time. Chairmen of such special committees shall be appointed by the president.

Article X. National Conventions

Section 1
    Voting representation of this branch at national conventions shall be in accordance with the provisions of the national bylaws, Article VII.

Section 2
    Two or more months before the date of a convention this branch shall elect the proper number of active members in good standing to represent this branch as elected branch delegates and alternates at the convention.

Section 3.
    The branch president shall be responsible for forwarding the names of delegates and alternates and any additional information required, to the national officer or chairman requesting it. She shall also be responsible for seeing that each representative of this branch is furnished with the required type of credentials, in accordance with the instructions.
 
Article XI. Parliamentary Procedure

    The branch parliamentarian shall be the authority for the conduct of the meetings of this branch and of its executive board. Robert’s rules of order newly revised shall be the basis of parliamentary authority in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the national constitution and bylaws and with these bylaws of this branch.

Adopted April, 1991. Amended March 2007.

Guidelines
for the Topeka Branch of NLAPW
Article I   Duties of  Officers  and Committees

Section A.  Elected Officers

1. President
a. Along with the traditional duties of the President, including presiding at meetings, preserving order and making committee appointments, it shall be the duty of the President to serve as Chairman of the Yearbook Committee.
b. The President shall write “Thank You” notes to program speakers.

2. Vice President
The Vice President shall preside in the absence of the President, realizing that this position demands a thorough knowledge of the association’s bylaws and functions.  She must be informed of all actions taken by the President as well as being aware of the President’s responsibilities.

3. Recording Secretary
a. The Recording Secretary shall enter in the Minutes, all important remarks.
b. Every resolution adopted, and each motion and its disposition by favorable or unfavorable vote, shall be recorded.
c. Minutes shall be exempt of any comment by the Recording Secretary either favorable or otherwise, upon anything said or done in a meeting.
d. A copy of the Minutes shall be distributed to members before each meeting.
e. The Secretary has the custody of all papers belonging to the Association with the exception of those dealing with the finances of the Branch, which shall be in the custody of the Treasurer.
f.  In the case of her absence, the Secretary or the President shall make necessary arrangements for another member to fill her position at that time.
g. All minutes shall be signed by the Recording Secretary.

4. Corresponding Secretary
a. She shall handle all general correspondence to the National Headquarters, and shall report to the President any item received from or communicated by members of National Headquarters.
b. It is the responsibility of all members to inform the Corresponding Secretary of the illness of a member or of any situation that would affect the attendance of a member. It is the responsibility of the Corresponding Secretary to send greeting cards and remain aware of the status of such situation and report to the membership. 

5. Treasurer
a. The Treasurer is the financial officer of the Branch.
b. It is her responsibility to report monthly to the membership on all financial activity.  It also is her responsibility to handle investments, deposits, disbursements, correspondence, statements, etc. for the Topeka Branch.
c. She is required to turn over her records to the Auditor for her perusal and report, once each year.
d. The Treasurer also is required to handle the Branch membership accounts, collecting local and national dues and transmitting national dues and a list of the current membership to Washington headquarters.
e. The Treasurer shall have custody of all financial records and papers of the Branch.

Section B.  Appointed Officers
1. Auditor
At the close of each fiscal year, the Auditor shall.
a. Audit the Treasurer’s records including our checking account, savings account and income from our certificate of deposit and stocks.
b. Enter the income and expenditures of the Branch on the spread sheet.
c. Check the contents of the safety deposit box.
d. Prepare an Auditor’s report of the year’s income and expenditures and a list of the contents of the safety deposit box, to be presented at the fall business meeting.

2. Historian
The Historian shall keep records of the history of our Branch as it occurs, and include clippings concerning the Branch or members, copies of Newsletters, etc. It shall be her responsibility to keep our records current in the Topeka Room of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library and/or the Kansas State Historical Society Library and Archives.

3. Parliamentarian
a. The Parliamentarian shall be the authority for the conduct of the meetings of the Branch and of its Executive Board.  Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall be the basis of parliamentary authority in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the National Constitution and Bylaws and with the Bylaws of this Branch.
b. The Parliamentarian shall maintain the official copy of the Topeka Branch Bylaws and Guidelines.
c. The Parliamentarian will serve as chair of the Bylaws Committee.

Section C.  Committees

1. Membership
a. The Membership Chairman of the Topeka Branch shall always be on the lookout for prospective members and shall keep a current file.  Newspaper articles about women in the arts are a resource.  She shall encourage Branch members to make suggestions.
b. The National office has prepared a membership kit which is helpful.  It describes the necessary qualifications for membership in Arts, Letters and Music.  The Bylaws of NLAPW, contained in the roster, also list qualifications for each department.
c. The Chairman follows this procedure:
(1). Present the name of a prospective member to the membership for a vote to decide if we should invite her to present her credentials.
(2). If the vote is favorable, contact the prospective member in person or by phone informing her of the favorable vote.  Visit with her and answer her questions.
(3). Write a letter to the prospective member, enclosing the appropriate application forms for her to fill out.  Offer to help in any way in preparing her credentials.  Then make a follow-up call if necessary.
(4). When the prospective member’s credentials are in good order, present them to the membership for a vote.
(5). If the vote is favorable, send the application form, credentials and initiation fee to National.
(6). Present to the new member her Certificate of Membership (signed by Branch President and Branch Membership Chairman).

2. Publicity
The Chairman of the Publicity Committee shall provide information on the organization and services of the League through multiple media.

3. Finance/Philanthropic
a. The Treasurer shall have the responsibility of the chairmanship of this committee which should, if possible, have a member from each category of arts, letters and music.
b. This committee shall:
(1). Remain aware of ~he extent of our assets, where they are) what they yield, when) etc.
(2). Prepare an annual budget and advise and assist the members in the wise and effective use of the money as it becomes available each year.
(3). Make occasional long range recommendations for handling our assets and distribution of funds

4. Yearbook
a. This committee shall be made up of the Executive Board, with the President serving as Chairman
b. It shall be the responsibility of this committee to arrange for the year’s programs, as well as the necessary typing and printing of the book, generally following the format of previous years.
c. The Yearbook also should include a listing of dates, times, locations and hostesses of the monthly meetings.
d. It shall be permissible in the second year of each term to supply an insert sheet including all the above details, rather than issuing a complete book.

5. Bylaws
a. The Parliamentarian shall be chairman of the Bylaws Committee.
b. Whenever it is necessary to amend or change the Bylaws, the Bylaws Committee shall formulate such changes and present them to the membership  for approval before being sent to the National Bylaws Committee.

Article II - STANDING RULES

Section A - Meetings
1.  This Branch shall hold two regularly scheduled Branch business meetings each year.  
2. The regular meetings of the Topeka Branch shall be held on the second Saturday of each month beginning with September and ending with May.
3. One-third of the resident members of the Branch shall constitute a quorum, and three members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Section B - Delegates
The Branch shall vote on the Delegate(s) to National Conventions with preference given to the incoming President as a Delegate.  An alternate also should be selected.

Section C. Approval of Expenditures
1. The President or any other officer or member of the Branch must have prior approval from the membership before making any purchases to be paid from funds of the organization.  When itemized receipts for such approved purchases have been tendered to the Treasurer, she shall make reimbursement.
2. An exception to this ruling is covered by petty cash allowances routinely provided by the Treasurer for items such as stamps or stationery used by officers or members who are involved in any correspondence regarding Branch affairs.

Section D. Honoring a Member
At the time of a special occasion in the life of a member, such as hospitalization, birth of children, 50th anniversary and every 5th anniversary after that, ninetieth birthday, and other special occasions,  the Branch shall present a red rose to that member.

Section E. Death of a Member
In the event of the death of a member, the Treasurer shall send a monetary gift to a memorial designated by the deceased member’s family.

    The above Guidelines and Standing Rules were Voted on and Approved by the Topeka Branch of NLAPW at our regular meeting on April 13, 1991 and became effective at that time. These Guidelines and Standing Rules were amended in 2007.