Bylaws of the Sacramento Home Winemakers

CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
SACRAMENTO HOME WINEMAKERS, INCORPORATED

ARTICLE I – NAME
The name of the organization shall be “Sacramento Home Winemakers, Inc.”

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE
Section 1. General
The organization shall be a non-profit, informational, educational organization; the purpose of which shall be to promote interest in the art of winemaking by the amateur.

Section 2. Specific and Primary
Organize, conduct and/or attend discussions, lectures, field trips, experiments and competitions.

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Membership
There shall be three classes of members: active, student and honorary. To be eligible for membership a person shall have attained the age of twenty-one (21) and have an interest in the art of winemaking.
1. Membership–active, student and honorary–of an individual entitles members of that individual’s family to participate in all club activities. Only one vote per household is allowed.
2. Members who are commercial winemakers shall not be allowed to enter their wines in club wine competitions.
3. To be eligible for an honorary membership, the President shall, at the request of an active member, appoint a committee of two who shall be responsible for an investigation into the qualifications of the person proposed for the honorary membership. The Executive Board shall then review and approve or deny the honorary membership proposal.
4. To be eligible for a student membership, the applicant must be enrolled in a recognized viticulture and/or enology program.

Section 3. Privileges
Active and student members are entitled to all privileges, inherent and established. Honorary members are entitled to all the privileges of the organization except they shall not vote or hold office.

ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS
Section 1. Number of Officers
Officers of the organization shall be: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Chair, and up to five Executive Board Members at Large. President and Vice President are elected annually and may serve for no more than two consecutive years. Secretary and Treasurer are elected to two year terms, Secretary on the odd years and Treasurer on the even years; there is no limit to the number of terms they may serve.  Membership Chair and up to five Executive Board Members at Large are elected annually with no limit on the number of terms they may serve.

Section 2. Election of Officers
Election of officers is by a simple majority vote of those members voting at the annual meeting held in November of each year. Members unable to attend the annual meeting may vote by presenting their vote to the Secretary prior to the annual meeting.

Section 3. Vacancy in Office
In the event of a vacancy, the office shall be temporarily filled by a member of the Board of Directors appointed by the Chair of the Board of Directors until a permanent member can be appointed by the President.  If the office of President is vacant, the Chair of the Board of Directors will appoint a permanent replacement.

ARTICLE V – DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1. President
The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the organization. The President shall appoint all committee chairs except for the nominating committee and program committee. The President may appoint members to the following supportive positions: Education Committee Chair, Librarian, Historian, Newsletter Editor, Chief Judge, Cellarmaster, Hospitality Chair, and Competition Coordinator.

Section 2. Vice President
The Vice President shall act for the President in the President’s absence. The Vice President shall act as Chair of the Program Committee.

Section 3. Secretary
The Secretary shall act as both recording and corresponding Secretary, and shall maintain all minutes of Executive Board meetings.

Section 4. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall maintain custody of all funds belonging to the organization and associated financial records including previous years’ records. The Treasurer and one other officer shall have the authority to sign any checks drawn against funds of the organization. The Treasurer shall determine the official register of the membership based on dues collected.  The Treasurer is responsible for the timely filing of any local, state and/or federal tax-related forms.

Section 5. Membership Chair
The Membership Chair shall promote new memberships, sign up new members, provide new members with the current membership packet including the SHW Winemaking Manual, introduce them to the club at their first attendance at a meeting, acquaint them with the Mentor Program, coordinate with the Treasurer in collection of dues, and manage the membership records.

Section 6. Executive Board Member at Large
There shall be up to five Executive Board Members at Large to attend Board meetings, learn how the club works, and be expected to volunteer for tasks that need to be done for the benefit of the club.

ARTICLE VI – MEMBER MEETINGS
Section 1. Regular Meetings
Regular Meetings shall be held once monthly. Business requiring a vote of the membership shall be conducted at a scheduled and normally advertised regular meeting.  Field trips or parties may take the place of a regular meeting.

Section 2. Quorum
One third of the dues paid membership (one vote per household) shall constitute a quorum. A motion shall pass provided the number of “aye” votes is at least two-thirds of the minimum requirement for a quorum. A quorum is assumed to be present unless challenged by any member at which time a head-count must be performed to establish the presence of a quorum.  A quorum is not needed for the election of officers at the November annual meeting.

Section 3. Annual Meeting
The meeting in November of each year shall be known as the annual meeting. Floor nominations and election of officers and other business as required shall be conducted at the annual meeting. A quorum is not needed for the election of officers. Candidates who receive the most votes cast for their particular office shall be declared the officers elect.

Section 4. Special Meetings
Special meetings may be called by the President or at the request of twenty percent of the membership. Seven calendar days written notice (postal service or electronic mail) shall be given each member prior to each special meeting.

Section 5. Authority at Meetings
The President may conduct meetings informally. However, a simple majority of members present may vote to invoke Robert’s Rules of Order.

ARTICLE VII – BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. Members
The Board of Directors shall consist of six members of the Sacramento Home Winemakers, Inc. They shall be the current President, the immediate last four Presidents, and the Club Historian (ex-officio). Their term of office shall be coincident with the installation of officers each year. The Chair of the Board of Directors shall be the one who was first elected President. In the event that all five directorships are not filled, the Board of Directors shall appoint a member to serve until the normal expiration of that term.

Section 2. Duties
In addition to those duties specified in other sections of this document, the Board of Directors shall act as an advisory body to the President and Executive Board. They shall be concerned with the overall, long-range objectives of the club, and the continuity of projects and activities begun in one year and carried forward to succeeding years. The Executive Board shall refer changes to the Constitution and Bylaws to the Board of Directors before presenting them to the membership. Other matters may be presented to the Board of Directors at the discretion of the President.

Section 3. Meetings
Board of Directors meetings shall be held at the call of the Chair or by the request of any two Board of Directors members.

ARTICLE VII – EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1. Members
The Executive Board shall consist of all elected officers and the immediate past president of the organization as well as all members appointed by the President to supportive positions. The President shall act as Chair.

Section 2. Duties
The Executive Board shall conduct the routine business of the organization.

Section 3. Meetings
The Executive Board meetings shall be held at the call of the Chairman or at the request of any two board members.

Section 4. Voting Members
Voting members of the Executive Board shall be all elected officers and the immediate past president of the organization as well as all members appointed by the President to supportive positions.

ARTICLE IX. COMMITTEES
Section 1. Program Committee
The Vice President shall be the Chair of the Program Committee and may appoint members to the committee. This committee is responsible for the program of each regular and annual meeting including making arrangements for speakers, field trips, demonstrations and meeting places. This committee is also responsible for securing members who serve as mentors to provide guidance and assistance to members relative to winemaking.

Section 2. Hospitality Committee
The Hospitality Chair shall be responsible for the planning and execution of monthly regular and annual meeting hospitality and may appoint members to the Committee.

Section 3. Nominating Committee
The Board of Directors shall be the Nominating Committee. They shall provide at least one candidate for each office prior to the October meeting of the Executive Board. Additional nominations from the floor shall be accepted at the October regular and November annual meetings.

ARTICLE X – AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS
Officers of the organization or a committee appointed by the President or by petition of twenty percent of the membership may propose amendments to these bylaws. Upon such proposal being made, a copy thereof shall be submitted to each member. The proposed amendment shall be approved and adopted given a vote of “aye” by two-thirds of the members present at a meeting at which there is a quorum including proxy votes submitted to the Secretary prior to the time of the vote.

ARTICLE XI – DISSOLUTION
Section 1. Dissolution of Organization
Dissolution of the organization requires a vote of two-thirds of the members present at any member meeting at which there is a quorum.

Section 2. Disposition of Property
All property, equipment and material shall be sold by the terminal Executive Board and the proceeds and fund balances given to a nonprofit charitable organization.

Section 3. Disposition of Records
All accumulated records of the organization shall be retained by the terminal Secretary for a period of one year after which the appropriate documents shall be donated to a local historical library and documents not accepted may be destroyed.

Amended: April 21, 1982
Amended: April 15, 2009
Amended: November 16, 2011
Amended November 19, 2012
Amended October 7, 2015
Amended November 15, 2017
Amended November 20, 2019  Added student membership; other updates throughout the document.