BIDA Bylaws:

Article I: Name

The name of this organization is Boston Intergenerational Dance Advocates (BIDA).

Article II: Purpose

The purposes of BIDA are:
• Encouraging dance musicians and callers
• Providing opportunities and resources for dance organizing
• Providing educational and mentoring opportunities
• Providing financially and logistically accessible events
• Promoting intergenerational dancing
• Fostering growth in the traditional dance community
• Building community through social events

Article III: Membership

1. BIDA membership is open to anyone who attends a BIDA meeting. Anyone who attends a BIDA meeting will be considered a member for all purposes.
2. BIDA has no membership dues.
3. BIDA will not discriminate on the basis of race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, gender, gender identity, religion, disability, or economic status.

Article IV: Board of Directors

1. The BIDA Board of Directors will conduct the day-to-day business of BIDA.
2. The BIDA Board will consist of four officers plus three at-large members.
3. The BIDA Board may make any decision on behalf of BIDA by a vote of two-thirds except in cases where such a decision would conflict with these Bylaws.
4. A member of the Board may be removed from office after reasonable notice and opportunity to be heard, by a unanimous vote of all other board members.
5. At the board's discretion, if a board position (of the voting board members) becomes vacant mid-term, the board may fill that position by unanimous decision. The board may also choose to add up to 2 more at-large board members at any time at its discretion, by unanimous board decision.

Article V: Officers

1. BIDA will have a Treasurer, a Secretary, an Outreach Coordinator, and a Board Coordinator.
1. The Treasurer will prepare and maintain BIDA’s budget, submit annual tax returns, give annual budget reports, coordinate any fundraising activities, and will be responsible for all of BIDA’s finances.
2. The Secretary will schedule board meetings, take minutes at every meeting of the BIDA board, and will maintain and archive the Bylaws, meeting minutes, and other BIDA materials.
3. The Outreach Coordinator will coordinate publicity for BIDA events, will maintain the membership/publicity list, will coordinate electronic communications including website content, field inquiries, and will act as the BIDA spokesperson.
4. The Board Coordinator will be in charge of finalizing the agenda for each Board meeting, and will be responsible for checking in with each Board member to ensure that the Board's tasks are being performed. The Board Coordinator will also serve as a reference about the BIDA bylaws and processes, and will ensure that the Board abides by these processes.
2. The Board may create and fill additional officer positions by a two-thirds vote. These officers will be non-voting members of the Board of Directors.

Article VI: Operating Procedures

1. Meetings of the Membership
1. The annual meeting of the membership will be held in the month of April.
2. Additional membership meetings may be called at any time by a majority vote of the Board.
3. The Board will give at least one month’s notice of any meeting of the membership. Meetings will be publicized through announcements at local dances and electronic messages to all BIDA members.
4. The membership may decide at its meetings any business that the Board would have the power to decide. Additionally, the membership will elect officers and at-large Board members, and will approve any Bylaw changes.
5. Membership meetings will be run by Feminist Process, with one of the Board members facilitating. If a proposal fails to reach a consensus, any member may request to take a vote on the proposal, which will pass only if two thirds of the membership approves.
6. At the annual membership meeting, Officer and at-large Board member elections will be done by a silent, blind, vote. Members will be able to vote for up to seven people to join the Board, and the seven candidates with the most votes will become members of the Board. BIDA will use any method of vote-counting that its Board approves. Anyone may be nominated for any position at any time, subject to the nominee’s approval, up to one week before the annual membership meeting, at which point nominations will close. The Board will decide by consensus which members will take which officer positions. All officer and Board terms shall be for one year, starting on May 1.
7. BIDA's annual membership meeting requires 2/3 of the BIDA board to be present but there will be no membership quorum requirement for the transaction of its business.
2. Meetings of the Board
1. The Board of Directors will meet at least twice a year. Any additional meetings may be called by any board member, and must be seconded, with at least two weeks’ notice given.
2. The Board may make any decision by a vote of two-thirds of its members.
3. Board meetings will have a quorum of two thirds of at-large members and Officers.
4. All Board meetings will be run by Feminist Process.

Article VII: Fiscal Year

1. BIDA's fiscal year will be from January 1 to December 31.

Article VIII: Amendments to these Bylaws

1. Any changes or amendments to these Bylaws must pass a two-thirds vote of the BIDA membership at its annual meeting. Any proposed changes or amendments must be distributed electronically to membership at least one month prior to the vote.

Article IX: Special Notices re Tax Exemption

1. No part of BIDA's assets or net earnings may inure to the benefit of private individuals. This does not preclude the payment of any reasonable fees for goods or services provided to the organization.
2. In the event of dissolution of BIDA, the group's assets will be distributed to another nonprofit organization that is exempt under section 501(c)3 status of the Internal Revenue Code.
3. BIDA shall not as a substantial part of its activities attempt to influence, carry on propaganda or otherwise attempt to influence legislation except to the extent permitted by section 501(h) of the Internal Revenue Code.
4. It is intended that BIDA be entitled to exemption from Federal income tax under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code and shall not be a private foundation as described in section 501(a) of the Code.

Addendum: Feminist Process

Feminist Process is a way of running meetings that does not reinforce typical power structures the way Robert's Rules of Order does. It's intended to give everybody a voice. It's aimed at reaching consensus on all issues, rather than reaching a vote. Here's a link to a description: www.nonviolencetraining.org/Training/facilitation.htm

Revision History

• Ratified at Membership Meeting, April 5th, 2009
• Addition ratified at April 18th, 2010 Membership Meeting:
  Article IV, Section E: At the board's discretion, if a board position (of the voting board members) becomes vacant mid-term, the board may fill that position by unanimous decision. The board may also choose to add up to 2 more at-large board members at any time at its discretion, by unanimous board decision.