Standing Rules

The Standing Rules of The Parke Society

As revised and adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Society
in accordance with the provisions of Article V, Section 6, of the By-Laws of the Society.

As revised and adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Society in accordance
with the provisions of ARTICLE VI, SECTION 5, of the BY-LAWS of the Society.
Unless otherwise noted, all provisions were adopted and in place as of the Edition of 1983,
with amendments as enacted by the XLVIth Annual Trustee's Meeting
of 25 September 2009, Frederick, MD.

 

Registered Agent and Place of Business SR 1 The Registered Agent and Principle Place of Business of the Society shall be:
W. Scott Park, Registered Agent,
% 106 PARKS RD, PRESTON, CT 06365-8121

Dues & Fees Schedule Effective for membership years 2002 and subsequent SR 2 The Dues and Fees Schedule of this Society is as follows, effective 1 November 2001 for Membership years 2002, et seq.:

a) Regular & Associate Life Membership: $250, one payment
b) Regular & Associate Annual Dues: $25 annually
c) Application Processing Fee: $15 w/application
d) Back issues of the NewsLetter and other periodicals & books, per price list issued by the Trustees.

APPROVED BY TRUSTEES, XXIX Annual Convocation.
SR 2) Amended by the XLVI Trustee's Meeting, 2009, Frederick, MD.

Reimbursement of Ordinary Expenses to Officials of The Society SR 3) The Treasurer shall make available to the Officers and Trustees funds for the reimbursement of ordinary and necessary reasonable business expenses incurred in the furtherance of Society affairs, including expenses incurred for postage, shipping, stationery and related items.

SR 3) Amended by the XLVI Trustee's Meeting, 2009, Frederick, MD.

General Organization Manual
(The GOM)
SR 4) General Organization Manual for the Society (hereinafter referred to as the GOM) which shall contain the basic operating documents, practices and policies of The Society. Editorial Content and composition oversight shall be vested in the Trustees. All Trustees and officers shall receive those sections of the Manual pertinent to their respective offices. Excerpts may be published in the form of Member's and/or Officers Guides.

SR 4) Amended by the XLVI Trustee's Meeting, 2009, Frederick, MD.

Gift Memberships SR 5 While there is no separate Gift Membership class, memberships may be given as gifts only as (a) fully paid up life memberships, and (b) the donor completes all necessary paperwork and submits it through the Registrar for regular processing.

SR 5) Replaced by the XLVI Trustee's Meeting, 2009, Frederick, MD.

Internal Controls & Financial Reviews SR 6) The Society shall maintain a system of Internal Controls such that no one individual has complete authority to make deposits as well as disbursements from the funds belonging to The Society. There will be a receiver of funds who will make the deposits directly to the financial institution. The Treasurer would ordinarily be the only one authorized to made disbursements. A third party would receive copies of transaction reports from the Treasurer and copies of the electronic financial files for his review.

The Treasurer, or his designee, shall be prepared to present at any Trustee's meeting the financial records for review by the Trustees and to explain all entries. All entries shall be fully documented and supported with appropriate vouchers, receipts, and such other financial documents as is good business practice.

SR 6) Replaced by the XLVI Trustee's Meeting, 2009, Frederick, MD.

SR 7 to 9 Repealed by the XLVI Trustee's Meeting, 2009, Frederick, MD.

Editor the Newsletter SR 10) The President shall appoint, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustee, an Editor of the Newsletter, who will have overall responsibility for the creation and publication of The Society's Newsletter in all its aspects and who shall serve at the will and discretion of The Board of Trustees. Furthermore, the annual dues of the Editor will be waived for the duration of his time in that appointed position.

SR10 Repealed and Recreated by the XLVI Trustees Meeting, Frederick, 2009, MD

SR 11 Repealed by the XLVI Trustee's Meeting, 2009, Frederick, MD.

Honorary Life Membership SR 12) The Board of Trustees may, at its discretion, designate some person(s) or class of persons as Honorary Life Members, based upon their service to or contributions toward the work of the Society. Nomination for this membership class may be made by any member of the Board, and a unanimous vote of the Board members present shall elect the nominee to Honorary Life Membership. An appropriate certificate shall be given in recognition of this designation; Honorary Life Members shall be discharged from paying any further annual dues; and their names shall be caused to be enrolled in the Corporate Minutes Book by the Secretary.

Past Presidents as Honorary Trustees SR 13) All Past Presidents of the Society shall be Honorary Members of the Board of Trustees, and shall be notified in advance of all Board Meetings, in which they shall be welcome to participate, having voice but no vote. An Honorary Life Membership shall be extended to each of them.

If such Past Presidents cannot readily attend Board Meetings, they are invited to write their views on any issue scheduled for presentation, or which they feel should be considered. Their written views shall be given the same full consideration as if they had presented them personally and the Record shall show that such comments were received.

The President shall feel free to consult any Past President on any matter concerning the Society and to ask for the benefit of their experience.

The Secretary shall cause the names of the Past Presidents to be enrolled in the Corporate Minutes Book.

Order of Business at Meetings SR 14) The Order of Business of any Meeting of the Society or the Trustees shall be governed by the Protocols set forth in the General Organization Manual, Section 6B.

Standing Rules, SR 1 through SR 14 were originally Approved by The Trustees at
the XIX Annual Convocation, 1982 & except as noted above remain the original text.

Dedicated Service Award SR 15) There shall be established a Dedicated Service Award to be awarded by the Board of Trustees at their discretion for long and faithful service to The Society. Names of suggested nominees shall be circulated amongst the Trustees and a majority vote of the Trustees shall be necessary to grant the honor. A certificate with appropriate wording can be awarded at any convenient time following the election. An Honorary Life Membership in The Society shall go along with the award which will relieve the recipient of any further payment of annual dues.

SR 15 Replaced by the XLVI Trustee's Meeting, 2009, Frederick, MD.

Directives for the Treasurer's Office SR 16) It was directed by the Trustees that the following Accounting Standards be put into effect in regard to future operations of the Treasurer's Office:

a) The Treasurer will see that there is established a regular or interest bearing checking account in the name of the Society, as allowable or applicable, and that all current expenses be paid from that established account by check or draft.
b) The present Certificates of Deposit should be placed into an Investment Account,
c) The Treasurer's Office shall shift excess funds into and out of interest bearing instruments as is feasible to earn additional income for the Society.
d) A set of Books of Account shall be established, and Generally Accepted Accounting Standards will be maintained by the Treasurer's Office.
e) The President, and the Secretary of the Society in addition to the Treasurer (or whomever acts in his/her stead) shall have signatory authority over all accounts of the Society.

APPROVED BY TRUSTEES, XX Annual Convocation
SR 16 Amended by the XLVI Trustee's Meeting, 2009, Frederick, MD.

SR 17 to 21 Repealed by the XLVI Trustee's Meeting, 2009, Frederick, MD.

Waiver of Dues of Sitting Officers SR 22) All officers, as elected by The Board of Trustees pursuant to the provisions of Section 1, of Article VI, of the By-Laws of The Society shall be exempted from the payment of annual dues during their term of Office.

APPROVED BY TRUSTEES, XXV Annual Convocation.

Appointment of Executive Director SR 23) The President of the Society shall appoint an Executive Director, who will continue in that office until his/her successor is appointed or until the office is abolished The Executive Director shall perform the following duties and others as assigned by proper authority:
a) Monitor the day-to-day on-going operations of the Society in general,
b) Monitor and coordinate Convocation arrangements,
c) Monitor and coordinate activities relating to the production of the Society's newsletter,
d) To help coordinate communications among the core leadership of the Society.

APPROVED BY TRUSTEES, XXXIV Annual Convocation, as Coordinator,
changed to Executive Director by Trustees, XXVI

SR 23) Amended by the XLVI Trustee's Meeting, 2009, Frederick, MD.

Missing in Action Letters Required SR 24) For the well being of The Society, all Trustees, Officers, and Appointees, who have responsibilities to and for The Society, as defined elsewhere, SHALL write up and deliver to the Executive Director Missing in Action Letters as follows containing:
a) Information concerning who we may contact, should you be Missing in Action,
b) A summary paragraph of vital functions you perform, and to whom you interface, and
c) A list of equipment, assets, and files/documents that belong to The Society in your possession, where that material is kept and how those materials may be returned to The Society in a facilitated manner.

These letters can be very simple. The sole purpose is to have a way to find out about Functional Leadership when they are not otherwise responding to other communications. The Initial Letters are required to be filed on or before 31 December 2000, and to be reviewed annually thereafter for currency at The Annual Meeting of The Society. The Executive Director will distribute a copy of these letters to the President and the Treasurer of The Society.

(Note: The purpose of these letters is to make sure that the operation of The Society is not jeopardized by the sudden disappearance of one of the key functional players in The Society's operation. The need for this letter escalates with the functionality of the position and as the assets under the position's control increases. The information contained in these letters will be deemed CONFIDENTIAL.) A mock up sample is presented below.

Task Lists & Documented Job Descriptions SR 25) It is hereby Directed by the Board Of Trustees, that each and every functional Officer or Appointee, shall put together Job Descriptions for their functional areas, which shall consist of a TASK LIST (The 'WHAT' that they do) and individual PROCEDURES for each of those TASKS that they perform. These procedures need only to go into enough detail so that someone else could reasonably step in and perform the same tasks with minimal outside assistance, and without losing functionality to The Society. It is realized that in some cases, the TASKS are essentially self-explanatory, and that no further procedures are required to be written up. Copies of these TASK LISTS, and PROCEDURES are be sent to The Executive Director for review and filing into the Master General Organization Manual. Both the initial LISTS and the PROCEDURES are required to be filed on or before 31 December 2000, and will be reviewed annually at the Annual Meeting of The Society.

Note: A mock up sample suggested TASK LIST & a sample PROCEDURE is seen below.

APPROVED BY TRUSTEES, XXXVII Annual Convocation. (2000)
SR 25) Amended by the XLVI Trustee's Meeting, 2009, Frederick, MD.


SR 24: EXAMPLE Missing in Action Letter

FOR: Name OF Office
DATE: day month year
RE: Missing in Action Letter

a) Contact information:
      Should I seemingly disappear from the face of the earth, try the following contacts:
  1. My primary contact
    address
    city, state, ZIP
    phone number
  2. My second contact (e.g., next door neighbors)
    address
    city, state, ZIP
    phone number
  3. My third contact (e.g., a colleague)
    address
    city, state, ZIP
    phone number
b) Vital Functions Performed
  1. My main activity for the Society
  2. My secondary activities (e.g., information I maintain)
  3. My ad hoc functions
  4. Other tasks as listed on the Task List
c) Assets & documents held (examples follow)
      I have the following items at my residence at (my street address)
  1. 1 - n drawer file cabinet;
  2. x heavy duty 3-ring binders
  3. some books
  4. PS (named) files, and documentation
  5. Other (named) materials belonging to The Society
  6. On line databases for a PS lineage
  7. x materials belong to me peersonally.
TO FACILITATE return of these items, please make arrangements with:
  1. Contact for return of these materials
    address
    city, state, ZIP
    phone number

NOTA BENNE: I have given that person named above a copy of this letter, with instructions to aid and assist in returning Parke Society at their earliest convenience.

____________________________________, ____________________
      Signed                                Dated

SR 25: EXAMPLE Task Listing Description

FOR: Executive Director Position
DATE: day month year
RE: Task List for My Position (examples follow)

  1. Maintain/Update PS Databases (Member/Library).
  2. Do necessary backups of databases on and off site.
  3. Distribute Society files.
  4. Post changes to main database.
  5. Post changes to a second database.
  6. Post changes to Historian and Advise Webmaster of changes.
  7. Write and distribute particular Newsletter content.
  8. Prepare the Page 4 of the CCTM and send to CCTM Editor.
  9. Provide required material for the annual convocation/Corporate meeting.
  10. Miscelaneous activities as would benefit PS.
By-Laws updated 10 May 2009 per text from Fr. M.P.