BY-LAWS ARTICLE
I – NAME This organization shall be known as the SAN
DIEGO CHAPTER of the NATIONAL ASSOCATION OF HISPANIC NURSES (SDNAHN), a non-profit organization.
ARTICLE II – PURPOSE AND FUNCTIONS
Section 1. PURPOSE:
The purpose of this organization shall be to serve the nursing and health care delivery needs of
the Hispanic community and the professional needs of Hispanic nurses. This will be accomplished through
the improvement of the quality of health and nursing care for Hispanic consumers by culturally sensitive nurses, and by providing
equal access to EDUCATIONAL, PROFESSIONAL, and ECONOMIC opportunities for Hispanic nurses.
Section 2.
FUNCTIONS:
The principle functions of the SDNAHN shall be to:
a. To identify Hispanic nurses
throughout San Diego County in order to monitor the size and growth of this group of health care professionals.
b.
To identify barriers to quality education for Hispanic nursing students and recommend appropriate solutions
to local, state, and federal agencies.
c. To work toward recruitment
and retention of Hispanic nursing students in local educational programs.
d. To
Ensure that Hispanic Nurses have equal access
to education, professional and economic opportunities
and encourage licensed nurses to pursue advanced degrees in nursing.
e. To provide an opportunity for
Hispanic nurses to share information about their professional concerns, experiences, and research.
f.
To provide a forum for Hispanic nurses to analyze and evaluate the health care needs of the Hispanic community.
g.
To assess the safety and quality of health care delivery services to the Hispanic community.
h.
To identify barriers to the delivery of health services to Hispanic consumers and recommend appropriate solutions
to local, state, and federal agencies.
i. To develop, test, and
promote culturally sensitive models of intervention that may provide effective nursing care for Hispanic consumers.
j.
To disseminate research findings and policy perspectives related to Hispanic health care needs at both the local,
and national level.
k. To collaborate with, and provide
assistance to other Hispanic health care professionals.
l. To establish a scholarship
fund to assist with the pursuit of educational advancement and professional opportunities for eligible persons.
ARTICLE
III – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1.
Voting Members:
Full Members
Membership in this Association is open to licensed nurses in the United States and its jurisdictions
who have paid the dues called for in the Bylaws.
Section 2.
Retired Member
Any licensed or formerly licensed nurse who is at least sixty-two years of age and who is not employed full-time in
the occupation of nursing and who has paid one half of the dues shall have the right to vote.
Section 3. Affiliate Members
Any non-nursing health care professional who is interested in helping to solve the problems and needs of the Hispanic
community.
Affiliate Members may vote at the Local level, but not at the National level.
Non-Voting Members:
Section 4.
International Associate Members
Any licensed nurse not residing in the US or its jurisdictions and has paid the dues called for in these Bylaws (Entitled
to all privileges, except those of making motions, of voting, and of holding office).
Section
5. Student Members
Any student enrolled in a program leading to nurse licensure is eligible
for membership. (Non-voting members).
ARTICLE IV –
MEMBERSHIP DUES
Section 1.
MEMBERSHIP DUES:
a.
The membership dues for SDNAHN: As set forth in Article IV Section 1 &2 of the NAHN Bylaws
– See membership application for exact dues.
b.
The national office of NAHN will send a reminder letter in the mail within two months of member expiration date.
Section
2. MEMBERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES:
a.
Members have the responsibility to attend meetings and participate in activities of the association.
b.
Members shall not carry out any profitable activities on behalf of SDNAHN, either individually or collectively
without prior authorization from the Executive Committee.
c.
Members shall not make any political or religious statement or declaration on behalf of SDNAHN.
d.
Members shall not collect dues or any other kind of contribution, unless duly authorized by the Executive Committee
of SDNAHN.
ARTICLE V – BOARD
Section 1.
COMPOSITION:
The Board shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Correspondence Secretary, Treasurer,
Immediate Past-President, Director of Social Media, Newsletter Editor, Parliamentarian, and four directors elected by the
voting membership. The Board shall manage the affairs of the association unless prohibited by the Bylaws.
The Board may delegate its authority as it deems appropriate and is not in conflict with these Bylaws.
Section
2. DUTIES
a. The Board shall manage all
affairs of SDNAHN. The Board may delegate its authority as it deems appropriate and is not in conflict
with these By-laws.
b. All officers shall deliver to successors
all books, papers, and records covering all transactions occurring during their respective term of office within thirty (30)
days of completion of term of office, or resignation.
c. The Board shall fill any vacancy
on the Board.
d. The Board shall meet at least quarterly, or at
the call of the President.
e. The Board may request the resignation
of any officer or chairperson who fails to perform the duties of the office after written notification to that officer or
chairperson. Additional causes include actions prejudicial to the goals and purposes of SDNAHN, misconduct
in office, and misappropriation of funds.
Section 3. QUORUM
The majority of the Board
shall constitute a quorum including at least two officers of which shall be the President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary,
Correspondence Secretary, or Treasurer.
ARTICLE VI – EXECUTIVE BOARD Section 1. COMPOSITION:
a. The Executive Board shall consist of the President, Vice-President,
Recording Secretary, Correspondence Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate Past-President, Director of Social Media, Newsletter Editor,
and Parliamentarian.
b. The President or Vice President shall
preside at all meetings of the Executive Board.
c. The Executive Board shall report
proceedings to the general members.
Section 2. QUORUM
Three (3) members shall constitute
a quorum at a meeting of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VII – OFFICERS
Section 1. ELECTED OFFICERS:
The elected officers of SDNAHN
shall be President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Correspondence Secretary, Treasurer, and four Directors
Section
2. QUALIFICATION OF OFFICERS:
Voting members of SDNAHN shall be eligible to hold elected
offices.
Only Full Members can be elected to the positions of President and Vice
President.
Section 3. TERM OF OFFICE:
The term of office shall
be two (2) years. Officers shall not be eligible to serve in the same office for more than two consecutive
terms. They shall be announced at the annual Scholarship Event and assume office at the close of the Board
meeting in December of the odd year.
Section 4. VACANCIES:
If a vacancy occurs in the
position of President, the Vice-President shall become President. If a vacancy occurs in any elected office,
the Executive Board by a majority vote shall elect a successor to hold office for the unexpired term.
Section 5.
PRESIDENT:
a. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board
or will notify the Vice-President if unable to attend.
b. The President shall be an ex-officio
member of all committees, except the Nominating Committee.
c.
The President shall perform all such duties as are incident to the Office or that may be assigned to the President
by the Board. One such duty is the creation of an annual Operating Budget.
d.
The President shall recommend appointment of the Director of Social Media, the Newsletter Editor, and the Parliamentarian,
subject to Board approval.
Section 6. VICE-PRESIDENT:
The Vice-President shall preside in the
absence of the President at
meetings of the Association, Executive Committee and shall perform
such duties as may be assigned by the By-laws and Executive Board.
Section 7. RECORDING SECRETARY:
The Recording
Secretary shall keep the minutes of Executive Board and General Meetings and
keep all papers, letters, and records of the association. The Recording Secretary shall perform all duties
as assigned by the Executive Board. Within thirty (30) days upon completion of term of office, the Recording Secretary shall
deliver to the new Recording Secretary all books, papers, and reports with a supplementary report covering all transactions
which have taken place during the secretary’s term of office.
Section 8
CORRESPONDENCE SECRETARY
The Correspondence Secretary shall issue all notices required by these By-laws or by resolution of the Executive
Board such as meeting reminders. The Correspondence Secretary will send welcome packets to new members,
maintain current contact information of members, and supporters and perform all duties as may be assigned by the Executive
Board.
Section 9. TREASURER:
The Treasurer shall receive,
have custody, and be responsible for all bookkeeping and accounting of all funds of SDNAHN, shall see that only such bills
as have been approved by the President or the Executive Board are paid and shall make a financial statement to the Executive
Board at regular meetings and to the membership at the annual meeting. The Treasurer shall deposit the
funds of the organization in such banks as determined by the Executive Board. Within thirty (30) days upon
completion of term of office, the Treasurer shall deliver to the new Treasurer all papers, books, records, and money of the
organization with a supplemental report covering all transactions which may have taken place since the last report of the
Treasurer to the membership. Two signatures will be required (Treasurer and President or designee) on a
check or credit transaction issued by SDNAHN if amount of transaction is over $500.00. Receipts for reimbursement
by membership must be presented to Treasurer no later than thirty days of expenditure.
Section 9.
IMMEDIATE PAST-PRESIDENT:
The Immediate Past-President shall be entitled to attend, make motions and vote at Board meetings.
Section
10. DIRECTORS:
The Directors assume responsibilities
as delegated by the Executive Board.
They will be responsible for recruitment and retention of members.
Section 11.
NAHN ANNUAL MEETING:
The President or designee shall be the representative of SDNAHN to the Annual Meeting of the NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF HISPANIC NURSES. The conference fees of the President or designee and the chairperson of
the Annual Scholarship Event will be paid for from SDNAHN funds.
Section 12.
It is the responsibility of each member of the Board to notify the President in writing when such duties as set above
cannot be carried out.
ARTICLE VIII – COMMITTEES
Section
1. There shall be standing and special committees.
Section 2.
STANDING COMMITTEES:
The Standing Committees shall be: Articles and Bylaws, Community Outreach, Scholarship,
Annual Scholarship Event, Education/Meetings, Newsletter, and Fundraising Committees.
a.
Community Outreach: Shall consist of at least three (3) members who shall be appointed by the Executive
Board. This committee shall devise ways and means of promoting good will between the organization and the
public. Responsibilities include organizing events related to the health of the community to allow SDNAHN
members to get involved, and keep copies of volunteer sign up sheets, forwarding all sign up sheets to Scholarship Committee
chair.
b.
Scholarship Committee: Shall consist of at least five (5) active members. One (1)
member shall be appointed Chair person by the Board. Responsibilities include: reviewing application criteria
annually, sending scholarship information packages to area nursing programs at a minimum of sixty days before the deadline,
reviewing all scholarship applications, selecting recipients for SDNAHN scholarship awards, and notifying all applicants via
letter and/or email of their acceptance or rejection no later than seven (7 days) from the date of selection.
c.
Annual Scholarship Event: Shall consist of all Board members and any interested active members. One
(1) committee member shall be appointed Chairperson by the Board. Responsibilities include organizing SDNAHN
annual scholarship event, ensuring all potential scholarship sponsor contact information is up to date, and notifying sponsors
of the event.
d.
Education/Meetings and Retention: Shall consist of at least 3 (three) active members, one of whom is
the Correspondence Secretary. Responsibilities include ensuring there is an educational speaker at SDNAHN
general meetings, ensuring CEUs are provided for members who qualify and keeping records as required by the Board of Registered
Nurses (BRN) in order to maintain CEU certification, recruiting sponsors for membership breakfasts, ensuring room set up,
and greeting attendees at general meetings. Responsibilities also include greeting guests at general meetings,
assisting with membership sign-up, and reminding members to renew.
e.
Newsletter Committee: Shall consist of at least 3 (three) active members.
The committee will be chaired by the Newsletter Editor. Responsibilities include: gathering association
news, soliciting advertisers, laying out the newsletter copy, and publishing the newsletter three times yearly
f.
Fundraising Committee: Shall consist of at least three (3) active members.
Responsibilities include: developing sources for raising funds, developing relationships with community businesses
and organizations.
Section 3. AD HOC COMMITTEES:
The
Executive Board may establish such special committees, as they deem appropriate. Such committees shall
have such members, duties, and terms of office as shall be determined by the body appointing them
.
a.
Articles and Bylaws: Shall consist of three (3) active members appointed by the Executive Board, at least
one of whom is a current Board member. This committee shall receive and study any proposals for amendment
to the Bylaws and may initiate proposals for amendments to the same. This Committee will review the by-laws
every two years.
b.
Nominating Committee: Shall be appointed in January of the odd-numbered years and shall consist of five
(5) voting members, all of whom shall be appointed by the Executive Board. The Nominating Committee shall
prepare and present a report to the Executive Board no later than ninety (90) days prior to the annual Scholarship event.
The report shall set forth a slate of candidates for each office. The committee must obtain from
candidates a statement of qualifications and consent to serve. Ballots shall be mailed to all voting members
along with candidate's statement no later than sixty (60) days prior to the annual scholarship event. In
order to be counted, the ballots must be received at least thirty (30) days before the annual scholarship event.
ARTICLE IX – MEETINGS OF MEMBERS AND ELECTIONS
Section
1. MEETINGS:
There shall be at least four (4) general
meetings a year.
Section 2. ELECTIONS:
The elections of officers
shall be held by mail ballot. A ballot may be reissued if the chair of the Nominating Committee or a designee
deems it appropriate. The elections shall be decided by plurality of the votes cast. A
tie vote shall be decided by lot within the Nominating Committee. Votes will be counted by non-voting members.
Section
3. QUORUM:
At least five (5) voting members shall constitute a quorum at all general meetings.
ARTICLE X – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY AND PARLIAMENTARIAN
Section 1. The rules contained in Robert’s
Rules of Order Revised, shall govern the meeting of the organization unless contrary to these By-laws.
Section 2. A parliamentarian appointed by
the President shall be present at all meetings.
ARTICLE XI – AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Proposed amendments shall be referred
to the Committee on Articles and Bylaws.
Section 2.
The Correspondence Secretary of the organization shall cause notice of each proposed amendment, with the recommendations
thereon, if any, of the Bylaws Committee of Articles and Bylaws to be sent not less than five (5) days and no more than sixty
(60) days prior to the general meeting at which the amendment is to be considered.
Section 3. These By-laws may be amended with notice
by a majority vote at any meeting at which a quorum is present.
Section 4.
These By-laws may be amended without previous notice by seventy-five percent (75%) of the votes cast at any general
meeting at which a quorum is present.
Section 5.
70% of all funds raised during the calendar year will be transferred to the scholarship fund. A
majority of the scholarship fund at the board’s discretion will be used toward the scholarships the following year.
A smaller portion of this fund, not to exceed 10%, will be used to assist active members to participate
in professional development activities. The amounts will be calculated by the president and treasurer at the end of the calendar
year and will be announced at the January meeting. The rule, criteria and deadlines for the scholarship and professional development
awards will be approved by the board and listed on the respective applications.
ARTICLE XII – COMPENSATION
Officers shall not receive any compensation for their services as such, but may be reimbursed for their expenses.
ARTICLE XIII – ENDORSEMENT
Section 1. GUIDELINES
a.
SDNAHN Board shall determine the appropriateness of funding sources in concern with the association’s
purpose, existing policies, and the ANA Code for Nurses.
b.
A written agreement shall describe the nature and purpose of the funding.
c.
Funding of any activity that would result in personal financial benefit for an association official or staff
member shall be prohibited to avoid any conflict of interest.
d.
Acceptance of external funding shall not imply endorsement of any particular product or service.
e.
The source of external funding shall be acknowledged publicly through appropriate means.
Section 2. PROCEDURES
a.
The proposed agreement shall be reviewed by the President or designee.
b.
The form of the association’s acknowledgement of the funding source shall be appropriate to the activity
being funded.
c.
The president shall report annually to the Board on externally funded activities.
Revised February 28, 2006
Revised December 4, 2007
Revised
June 2, 2009
Revised
February 4, 2013