Victoria Chamber of Commerce - Ambassador By-Laws

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Ambassador By-Laws

Thursday, 13 November 2008

Victoria Chamber of Commerce Chamber Ambassador By-Laws

The Chamber Ambassadors are the Official Welcoming & Host committee of the Victoria Chamber of Commerce.

The Ambassador Committee will be governed by a Board of Directors and an Executive Board. The Executive Board shall consist of a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Past Chair. Completing the Board will be a Contact Director, Publicity/Activities Director and Membership Director. These officers shall be elected by the Ambassadors at the November monthly meeting and are subject to approval by the President and Chairman of the Board of the Victoria Chamber of Commerce.

Meeting Date:

The Chamber Ambassadors regular monthly meeting will be held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 12:00 noon. Membership will be notified on the location prior to each meeting.

EXECUTIVE BOARD:

Consists of:

Chairman - Conducts Ribbon Cuttings, and other functions as required by the Chamber. Conducts Board Meetings and Executive Board Meetings of the Ambassadors. Selects ambassador member award winners. Must be a member of NACA, (The National Association of Chamber Ambassadors). The annual dues will be paid by Ambassador organization. The Chairman should try to attend the NACA National Convention. Term of office is one year.

Vice Chairman - Oversees Publicity/Activities Director, Membership Directors and Contact Director. Conducts duties of Chairman, if Chairman is unavailable. Attends Ambassador Executive Board and Regular Ambassador meetings, ribbon cuttings, etc. Term of office is one year.

Secretary - Takes minutes and reports at meetings. Maintain records of original minutes. Handles all correspondence for the committee. Maintains by-Laws. At the end of the one year term, the secretary will turn over original minutes and by-laws to the newly elected Secretary.

Treasurer - Responsible for making deposits, paying expenses and preparing financial reports for the committee, executive board and the Chamber President and Chamber Board of Directors. Term of office is one year.

Past Chair - Does not vote. Helps Chairman and Vice Chairman with their duties.

Completing Board of Directors:

Contact Director - Maintains ambassador contact database. Responsible for contacting members before functions. Responsible for scheduling monthly meetings. Responsible for scheduling visits to new Chamber members. Term of office is one year.

Publicity/Activities Director - Responsible for submitting information to the media, maintaining an archive book of photos and media clippings and posting events to community calendars. Term of office is one year.

Membership Director - Responsible for maintaining points checklists of Ambassadors who attend Ambassador meetings, ribbon cuttings, or any Chamber function or activity. Delivers name tags and welcome packets to new members. Assigns Ambassador Buddies to new members. Recruits new members. Term of office is one year.

There is no limit to the number of terms a director may serve.

Committees will be appointed as needed by the Chairman.

Election of Directors:

On or before October 1st of each year the Chairman shall appoint a nominating committee to be chaired by the immediate ambassador past chair. The committee shall be composed of not more than five (5) persons including the Chamber President and Chamber Board of Directors Chair. The Nominating Committee shall nominate one candidate for each open seat.

Additional names of candidates for directors can be nominated by petition bearing the genuine signatures of at least 25% of the qualified members of the Victoria Chamber Ambassadors. Such petition shall be filed with the nominating committee by November 1st. The determination of the nominating committee as to the legality of the petition(s) shall be final.

if no petition is filed within the designated period, the nominations shall be closed and the nominated slate of candidates shall be declared elected to the Board of Directors at the regular November Ambassador meeting.

If a legal petition shall present additional candidates, the names of all candidates shall be arranged on a ballot in alphabetical order. Instruction will be to vote for seven candidates. Voting will be conducted at the November general meeting of each year if there is more than one nomination for each position. Ballots will be emailed to members who did not attend the November general meeting and must be returned to the immediate past chairman within one week from the mailing.

Directors will hold a meeting immediately following the November meeting to elect officers.

All newly elected board members shall be seated at the first board meeting in January.

A member of the Board of Directors who shall be absent from three (3) consecutive regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall automatically be dropped from membership on the Board, unless confined by illness or other absence approved by a majority vote of those voting at any meeting thereof. Vacancies on the Board of Directors, or among the Officers, shall be filled by the Board of Directors by a majority vote.

The Board of Directors is responsible for establishing procedure and formulating policy of the organization. They are also responsible for adopting all policies of the organization.

Membership:

	Victoria Chamber Ambassadors must be employed by a member firm or be an individual member of the Victoria Chamber of Commerce. If employment is terminated for any reason, or if a member firm drops its membership, the Chamber Ambassador shall have 30 days to conform to guidelines. Otherwise, the Ambassador must tender their resignation.
	New member applications along with dues, should be submitted to the Ambassador Treasurer at an Ambassador function, meeting, or may be mailed to the Treasurer. All applicants shall be presented with an orientation packet to review what shall be expected of them. This review shall be conducted by the Membership Director. After completion of membership application and payment of dues, the applicant becomes a Victoria Chamber Ambassador.
	Membership dues are established annually and are not refundable. Due must be paid by January 31^st of each year. Persons joining in November or December of the prior year will have their dues applied to the following year.
	All active members shall have equal voting power, shall be eligible to the directorate, may attend all meetings of the members or directors, and shall have the privilege of proposing and discussing any project or matter pertinent to the objectives of their organization. The records of the Victoria Chamber Ambassadors shall be open and available to all members.

To be an Ambassador:

To remain an active ambassador, each member must maintain an annual points

quota. The Board of Directors of the Ambassadors will establish the minimum number of points at the beginning of each calendar year.

Recruit New Chamber Member	25
Recruit New Ambassador Member	15
Attend Monthly Meeting	5
Attend Ribbon Cutting	5
Attend Ribbon Cutting in Uniform	10
Attend KVB* Award	5
Attend KVB* Award in Uniform	10
Attend Chamber lunch / breakfast	5
Attend Chamber Banquet	5
Set up and Attend Chamber Banquet	10
Serve as a Committee Chairman	10
Serve on a Committee	5
Attend Executive Board Meeting	5
Work Special Events (ex Banquet)	10
Attend Special Events	5
Dues paid by January 31	10
Set up and work BAH* hosted by Amb.	10
Attend BAH*	5
Work Chamber Membership Drive	10
Other duties at discretion of board	5-10

*KVB = Keep Victoria Beautiful

*BAH = Business After Hours

a.	Points will be pro-rated for persons joining during the calendar year.
b.	Points will be reviewed at the June monthly meeting.
c.	Applications for members who have not reached their points goal by December 31 of each year and wish to renew their membership will be subject to review and approval by the Board of Directors.
d.	If a member needs to file for a leave of absence anytime during the year, the request will be submitted in writing to the Chairman of the Ambassadors.

Members should wear a red shirt or jacket along with their Chamber Ambassador name tag (the uniform) to ribbon cuttings, beatification awards, ground breakings, etc.

A Name Badge will be furnished to each new member by the Ambassador committee. Replacement name badges are the financial responsibility of the member.

Ambassadors who are unable to attend Ambassador or Chamber functions may remain an in-active ambassador, receiving all correspondence regarding Ambassador or Chamber functions for one year. If at the end of a year, the Ambassador can reapply for membership as referenced in 1c above. If they do not reapply, they will be dropped from the Ambassador list.

Any member may resign from the Chamber Ambassadors at any time. Dues are not refundable. Any member who does not fulfill their annual point quota will be moved to the inactive member roster. Any member may be expelled for cause by resolution passed by two-thirds of the entire Board of Directors, provided that such member shall have been duly notified and given the opportunity of a hearing before the Board.

Awards:

Rookie of the Year Award: This award honors Linda Hawes, a former winner of the Ambassador of the Year award and a special friend to the Victoria Ambassadors whom we lost to cancer in 2003. This award will be given to an ambassador who performs outstanding service during their first year of membership in the Chamber Ambassadors. It shall be awarded at the December Chamber of Commerce luncheon every year and will be listed in the Victoria Chamber of Commerce quarterly newsletter.

Ambassador of the Quarter: This shall be awarded to an Ambassador who has outstanding service and contributions above and beyond Ambassador requirements during the quarter. The Chamber President and current Ambassador Chairman will select the Ambassador of the Quarter.

Ambassador of the Year: This award shall be presented to one of the four (4) Ambassadors of the Quarter. The winner of this award will be determined by the Chamber President and Chamber Chairman. The award will be presented at the annual Chamber Membership Luncheon in December.

Life-Time Member: Must have been a member of the Chamber Ambassadors for a minimum of five (5) consecutive years. This award is given for service above and beyond the required duties of an Ambassador. A current or past member may receive the award. No more than one (1) life time member may be awarded per year. The Life-Time Ambassador Member does not pay dues.

Quorum:

General Meetings

For the purpose of voting or conducting any business for the Victoria Chamber Ambassadors, a quorum is needed. A quorum consists of at least 9 dues paid members being present. For voting purposes, a two thirds vote of those dues paid members present shall be required.

Board Meetings

For the purpose of voting or conducting any business for the Victoria Chamber Ambassador Board of Directors, 4 of the board members must be present. Majority rules; in case of a tie, discussion will be tabled to the next board meeting.

Amendment:

These by-laws may be amended upon (2/3) two thirds vote of the Chamber Ambassadors at any regularly scheduled meeting after approval of the Chamber Ambassador Executive Board and the Chamber President.