GOOD SHEPHERD GUILD
BY-LAWS and STANDING RULES
ARTICLE I – NAME
This Organization shall be known as the GOOD SHEPHERD GUILD, a Guild to the SISTERS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD Gracenter of San Francisco, owned and operated by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.
ARTICLE II – OBJECT
The object of this Guild shall be to raise funds to support the needs of Gracenter and promote the work of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.
ARTICLE III – SPIRITUAL BENEFITS
A Mass will be offered monthly for all living and deceased members and benefactors. Prayers are said daily by the Sisters for the Guild members.
ARTICLE IV – PATRONAGE
The Guild has been placed under the Patronage of the Holy Family and the auspices of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
ARTICLE V – MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
Guild members, other than Life Members, shall be billed for annual dues as set by the Guild Board. Life membership was available to members prior to July 2009. Life membership dues are to be invested in an interest-bearing account until the death of the member, at which time, $100 is placed in the operating account of the Guild and presented to Gracenter with its next semi-annual gift. When the amount for the life members drops below what is required for an interest-bearing account, this money will be transferred to the Guild’s regular operating account, with approval of the Board.
ARTICLE VI – OFFICERS
The Guild Board of Directors shall consist of twelve Board Members and seven Executive Officers. One of the Board Members shall include the immediate Past President. Board members shall be elected to serve alternating two-year terms with six Board members being elected each year. There is no limit to members staying on the Board. The Executive Officers of the Guild shall be President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Chairperson and Financial Review Officer. The Executive officers shall serve for a term of two years. No officer shall serve in the same capacity for more than two consecutive terms.
The Executive Director of Gracenter shall be Honorary President and one of the Sisters, delegated by the Community, shall be Moderator of the Board. These two positions shall have no voting rights.
ARTICLE VII – ELECTION OF OFFICERS
The election of Officers and Board members shall take place annually at the spring meeting and the term of office shall commence July 1st of that year. Vacancies shall be filled by the President with the approval of the Board.
ARTICLE VIII – MEETINGS
There shall be two general meetings of the Guild each year as decided by the Board. Meetings of the Board shall be held monthly September through May or at such times as decided upon by the President with consent of the Board.
ARTICLE IX – PARLIAIMENTARIAN AND COMMITTEES
The President shall appoint a Parliamentarian and Committee Chairpersons as needed. Each Committee Event Chairperson shall present a plan of work and expenditures to the Board for approval. Each Committee Event Chairperson shall submit a written report after each event, including receipts and expenditures to be reimbursed if needed.
ARTICLE X – RULES OF ORDER
All matters not covered in these BY-LAWS and STANDING RULES shall be governed by Roberts Rules of Order.
The BY-LAWS may be amended at a regular general meeting of the Guild by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present to vote.
ARTICLE XI – AMMENDMENTS
The BY-LAWS may be amended at a regular general meeting of the Guild by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present to vote.
ARTICLE XII – DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section I – The President shall preside at all meetings of the Guild and of the Board. She shall represent the Guild whenever necessary at civic and social events. She shall appoint all standing special committees and shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, except the nominating committee that is subject to election.
Section II – The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President during her absence or inability to act, or when requested to do so by the President, and shall render assistance whenever possible.
Section III – The Recording Secretary shall attend all meetings of the Guild and of the Board and shall keep an accurate record of all meetings and attendance. She shall send the President a copy of the minutes as soon as possible. The Recording Secretary shall retain minutes for the duration of her tenure and then deliver them to Gracenter where they will be kept for five (5) years.
Section IV – The Corresponding Secretary shall prepare all general correspondence of the Guild and shall keep a record of the same and present it at each meeting of the Board.
Section V – The Membership Chairperson shall oversee membership records and shall turn over to the Treasurer all monies received from dues. She shall submit to the Board all new names and addresses in order that the membership roster is current. She shall keep an open record showing the names and addresses of the membership and shall give a copy of the same to all members of the Board. She shall be responsible for sending annual dues notices and shall see that delinquent members are notified of their arrears.
It is the duty of the Membership Chair to notify the Treasurer and Board, in writing, of the death of a Life Member. Twice a year, in April and October, the Treasurer will withdraw from the interest-bearing account, $100 for each Life Member who has died within that time period and deposit it into the Checking account.
Section VI – The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all monies belonging to the Guild and shall pay them out on approval of the President and/or the Board. The monies shall be kept in financial institutions. The Treasurer shall present at the September Board Meeting an annual report, which has been duly audited by the Financial Review Officer. She shall, at all times, keep an accurate account of all receipts and disbursements and shall report it at all Board meetings. The Treasurer also prepares an annual report reflecting monies obtained through raffle activities and any other financial reports requested by the Board or Executive Director.
The fiscal year shall run from July 1st to June 30th. Monies shall be withdrawn from the Guild bank account or accounts only by checks signed by two of the following officers: President, Vice President, Treasurer, or the Executive Director of Good Shepherd Gracenter.
SECTION VII – The Financial Review Officer shall examine the books and the accounts of the Treasurer at the end of each fiscal year (June 30th) and shall give a written report at the September Board meeting of the Guild. If the Financial Review Officer is unavailable, the President shall delegate the duties of the Financial Review Officer to a special committee consisting of two members.
SECTION VIII – The members of the Board shall attend all meetings of the Guild unless excused by the President. Any member who is absent from two meetings without excuse will be considered resigned and be replaced by the Board.
ARTICLE XIII – NOMINATING AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Section I – Nominations to elective offices shall be made by a committee of five: two will be elected by the Board from its own membership and three to be elected from the membership at large at the regular meeting in January or February. In addition, there shall be two alternate members elected by the membership at large. No person shall serve on the Nominating Committee for two consecutive years. An alternate member shall not be considered to have served unless she has participated in the deliberations of the Nominating Committee.
Section II – The Nominating Committee shall meet, select its own Chairperson, and prepare a list of names for Officers and Board members for the coming year. The consent of each nominee must be obtained. At the next general meeting/event, the Chairperson shall read the list of names. The President shall then call for any additional nominations from the floor. The consent of these nominees must be obtained. A vote shall be taken, and a majority shall elect.
ARTICLE XIV – QUORUM
Eleven members of the Board shall constitute a quorum of transaction of business.
REVISED: July 1993, July 2007, May 2019, February 2020, March 2024
STANDING RULES
1. AMMENDMENTS to these Standing Rules may be proposed at any meeting of the Board without prior notice. A majority vote of those present and voting shall adopt.
2. The Board shall set the amount of ANNUAL DUES by June 30th, for the upcoming year. New members who join in May will not be obliged to pay dues again in September. They will owe dues the following calendar year. Membership Chair will oversee this.
3. A DONATION from fundraising activities, lifetime membership funds, dues and contributions is presented to the Executive Director of Gracenter twice a year, in December and May. Special donations may be made to Gracenter at any time of the year at the discretion and approval of the Board of Directors.
4. The Guild Board must approve Guild FUND RAISER activities.
5. INSTALLATION of new Officers and/or Board Members is held in May of each year.
6. DUES NOTIFICATIONS shall be mailed by the Membership Chairperson in August of each year and are due upon receipt. In January, notices to delinquent members will be sent. Non-payment of dues for two or more consecutive years will be subject to being dropped from the membership rolls.
7. DONATIONS FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS for the residents of Gracenter shall be requested from the Officers and Board Members at the November Board Meeting each year. The Executive Director and staff of Gracenter shall select the gifts.
8. All Guild Board meetings are held at Gracenter on the second Wednesday of each month, September through May, unless otherwise decided by the Board.
Revised: February 2020, March 2024