|
CCBC Board Policy File, Updated January 18, 2012
Goals for the current year:
Ø
Improve safety
Ø
Continue to have fun
Ø
Increase volunteer pool
Ø
Communicate openly
Ø
Provide a rich ride menu
- Definition of “Club Ride”:
A “club ride” (or a CCBC ride)
is any ride listed on the ride schedule of the club web site. This definition
does not include rides to or from a club ride, or any other gathering of club
members for rides not so listed
- Board Meetings:
The by-laws require at least
quarterly meetings with four officers needed to form a quorum. As a rule the
Board will meet monthly at the discretion of the President, unless there is no
business to discuss, in which case the meeting will not be held. Should officer
absences make it difficult to convene a quorum, the President or his designated
representative may survey the officers by email in order to obtain a vote to
resolve any issue. The Secretary is in charge of scheduling the meeting
location.
4. Membership Meetings:
Regular meetings are held on the
second Monday of each month, except that there are no scheduled meetings in the
summer (June – August). The Board may make changes to this as the situation
warrants. The membership meetings will be conducted in accordance with generally
accepted procedural rules of order. The Secretary is in charge of room
reservation and room set up. The VP is in charge of inviting and introducing
guest speakers as appropriate.
5. Communication to
Members:
The Club communicates with
membership in three ways: a.) Membership Meetings; b.) Website, which displays
upcoming events, new members, weekly and monthly rides, event photos and other
items of bicycling interest; and c.) Periodic electronic broadcast messages. The
President or his representative runs the membership meeting and writes a short
monthly article/update for the website. The President manages all e-mail
Broacast content. The Webmaster edits the website. The Director of
Communications sends the ride schedule to various media in the area and may
respond to inquiries from the public.
6. Financial Management:
Per Club Bylaws, routine
disbursement decisions will be made by the board and non-routine disbursements
will be voted on by the board and then presented to the membership for a vote.
The Treasurer has the authority:
Ø
To disburse funds for routine expenses, either approved by the
board or coincidental with, and in support of, any of the Club’s authorized and
ongoing activities.
Ø
To disburse funds for non-routine expenses approved by the
membership.
Ø
To manage expenses related to all club rides.
Process for reimbursement of
club ride expenses:
Ø
Because club funds are being used, any after ride functions are
open to all members whether or not they participate in the ride.
Ø
The ride leader prior to the ride must communicate with the
treasurer indicating 1.) Which ride the expense is related to, 2.) In general
what the money will be spent on, and 3.) What dollar amount will cover the
expenses.
Ø
The treasurer may grant permission to spend, or take it to the
board for a decision. In no case will this authority be granted after the ride.
Ø
After the ride, the ride leader will submit a request for payment
with appropriate receipts to the treasurer.
Ø
The treasurer will disburse the funds to the ride leader.
Ø
As a general policy, ride leaders who request reimbursement of
club ride expenses will not be reimbursed for alcohol. As exception to this
policy, the board can authorize the use of alcohol in conjunction with a
particular event or ride. Such exception must be approved by the board prior to
the event or ride.
7. Support to Charitable
Causes:
Per Club Bylaws, “Club income
and resources shall not be expended on charitable organizations or to raise
funds for charitable causes”. The Board interprets this as precluding
expenditure of club funds or hosting a club ride or event in support of any
member’s charitable cause. The Board also interprets this as allowing the
inclusion in our periodic email broadcast to our membership of a short (several
lines) personalized (include name) message from any member to the rest of our
membership on behalf of a charitable cause with which the member is directly
connected. As a footnote, the club got quite involved in support in the
aftermath of Hurricane Charlie. Such exceptions will require a membership vote.
8. Club Relations with
Bicycling Organizations:
Our club
maintains membership in various local, state, and national organizations
promoting bicycling. Specifically, the club maintains an annual membership in
the League of American Bicyclists (LAB), the Florida Bicycling Association (FBA), the
Friends of the Legacy Trail (FLT), and Venetian Area Beautification, Inc. (VABI),
which supports the Venetian Waterway Trail. (Because there does not appear a way
to support the Pioneer Trail independent of the overall Charlotte County budget,
we do not.)
These and
other bicycling organizations could receive additional financial support on a
case-by-case basis pending financial review of excess funds and subsequent
membership approval. The Secretary will maintain correspondence with these
organizations. Club members may be asked to serve as liaison as needed. The
Treasurer will maintain a historical log to determine our past history with
regard to money going to any of these organizations so that we can consider
precedent in our decision making.
9.
Club Relations with Community Organizations and the Press:
The club will also eagerly
respond to publicity requests from local press and community organizations such
as chambers of commerce. To support this effort, the Board will endeavor to
enlist a point of contact from the membership as appropriate (e.g. someone from
Venice for the Venice Gondolier). These contacts will be coordinated by, and
under the direction of, the Club’s Director of Communication.
10. Sunshine:
This is our club effort to reach
out to members during their times of need and/or unique life situations, ranging
from injury to death. Our intent is to be in touch and supportive, while
respecting personal privacy. A card is sent when a need becomes known. On some
occasions the card is signed by members at a ride start or at a club meeting. If
a member is injured on a club ride, we intend to have a volunteer make a visit
with a small “get-back-on-the-bike-soon” cheer gift from the club. On some
occasions, having received permission by a family member, a brief announcement
or update is issued in our e-mail broadcast. The process for each situation is
flexible and personalized, with the intent of being meaningful, timely, and
respectful. Members assist this program by informing the Sunshine Director when
a need occurs.
CCBC Board Policy, September
29, 2010
-
Guest Memberships:
Effective October 11, 2010.
This policy applies to non members or new
riders who have yet to join the Club and to
friends or family who wish to ride with us
while visiting on vacation.
In
keeping with our tradition of friendliness
and welcoming new members, these people will
be offered guest memberships to our Club for
a 14 day period. This is not unlike what we
have done in the past with nonmember
waivers, however
the
tone of offering guest membership
(once) is more positive and inviting than
requiring a nonmember waiver
signature (repeatedly).
These riders must sign the guest membership waiver form,
which will
allow
them to be covered by our Club’s medical insurance while on a Club ride
or activity and which will protect the Club
from liability during this period. The one
form covers a 14 day period and negates
additional waiver forms if someone shows up
several times. For new members, this
provides them adequate time to send in their
membership application with check.
For family and friends visiting
Florida, it covers
them for 14 days. For longer visits, these
people should join our Club. This program is
available to any new person or visitor only
once during any calendar year.
This guest membership permits attendance during this 14 day period at
all Club functions to include membership
meetings, however the guest members will not
be allowed to vote. If a guest member
desires to contribute to cover refreshments
or meal after a ride, he or she should be
encouraged to donate a sum to the
coordinator equal to approximately the
per-person cost of the event. This is
optional.
Riders who fail to join the Club within that 14 day period will not be
allowed to ride with the Club. For the sake
of fairness, this provision should be
strictly enforced by the ride leaders. It
puts teeth into the process and prevents
someone from just riding and not joining. We
recommend the ride starter or leader
initiate a private conversation with the new
rider, asking if and when the person signed
the guest membership form and with what ride
leader, thus assessing the status of the new
person. Telling someone nicely not to
participate in a given ride may be
difficult, but it is not rude. It is
essential. Our Club is not protected after
that 14 day window.
Ride starters or leaders may use one form for multiple guest memberships
at any ride, but a new form should be
initiated for a different day. When
completed, these forms should be sent to our
Club Secretary. They should go in a file
chronologically and be batched at year’s end. These need to be retained for 4 years, and then
destroyed.
Should a ride leader desire to check on a
guest’s status, the Secretary will be able
to assist.
In accordance with our insurance policy, in any calendar year, those
guest members who have not joined the Club
will be tallied at year’s end and added to
the total number of members submitted to our
insurance company to determine our premium.
-
Membership
Assuming the membership
votes to approve this change to a per-person
membership system instead of having
different rates for individuals and
families, the Club will set a dues level for
each person, allowing a family to pay for
two people. This policy starts for our
membership year of January 1, 2011 to
December 31, 2011. Dues for this year will
be $10 per person.
For members who joined
in October – December 2010, who, according
to our bylaws, gain full membership for the
next year, the Membership Chair will assess
dues according to the following:
For those joining the club in Oct or Nov of 2010: The new single
joins for $15; he or she gets credit for
2011 for one at $10. A family joins for $20;
they get credit for 2011 for two at $10.
For those joining in Dec 2010:
Because they will be
paying at the same time as the rest of us
for 2011, the new single club member would
pay $10 not $15; the family would pay $20.
Both single and family would receive full
membership status for December of 2010 and
for all of 2011.
-
Web Site Advertising:
Bikes and bike-related items may be listed for sale or as “wanted” only
by club members. There is no fee and
the ad will be listed for 90 days.
Individuals must submit to the Webmaster
complete wording to include price and
contact information. A picture may be
included.
Commercial business ads are accepted at a flat rate per year
as established by the Board. Ads are posted
on a calendar basis from January to
December. Ads which are non-bike
related must be reviewed by the Board and
will be accepted or rejected at the Board’s
discretion. Accepted advertisers will be
directed to the Webmaster to establish
submission requirements.
-
Establishing Dues:
The dues for the Club will be determined using this formula as a
guideline: We will manage our funds in such
a way as to maintain an amount of working
capital roughly equal to $10 per person in
the Club. In the fall, the status of our
working capital and the number of our
members can be ascertained, and the dues for
the following year can be set to increase or
decrease the Club’s working capital. Our
bylaws, as of this date, require that any
changes to dues must be approved by the
membership. When the bylaws are next
changed, we propose that authority for
setting the dues be given to the Club Board.
|
