By Laws
Newcomers Club of Nevada County dba: Nevada County Women's Social Club
A woman’s social and charitable organization
Bylaws
Adopted 4-28-2004, Revised 4-24-2026
Article I – NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Nevada County Women’s Social Club (hereinafter referred to as The Club
Article II – PURPOSE
The purpose of this organization shall be as stated in its Articles of Incorporation to welcome and to bring together women of similar interests who reside in Nevada County, foster kindness and respect, and stimulate their interest in social activities.
Article III – POLICIES
The Club Newcomers is a tax-exempt social club organized exclusively within the meaning of Section 501(c)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Article IV – MEMBERS
Membership is open to all women regardless of race, color, national origin, age, disability or as long as they comply with the responsibilities of membership.
In order to be a member in good standing, members must pay dues annually and abide by the values of the organization as stated in the Bylaws and Standing Rules.
Upon reaching the age of 90, a Lifetime Membership may be granted to a member in good standing who has had an ongoing membership in the Club for at least five years. Lifetime Membership waives payment of dues.
Article V – FINANCE
The Fiscal Year shall be January 1 to December 31.
Article VI – GOVERNING BODY
The Club Organization shall have a Board of Directors comprised of four elected officers and appointed chairs of Standing and Operational Committees.
A. The elected officers shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Elected officers shall serve for a term of one year and may not serve for more than two consecutive terms, except that the term may be extended until a successor is appointed or elected.
A. The Elected Officers will also serve as members of the Executive Committee and will act on items between board meetings if needed within the scope of their established authority. They will also assist the President in reviewing and proposing items for Board Approval.
B. Chairs of Operational Committees may serve until a successor is appointed.
C. Removal of any Board member requires a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Directors.
D. The President may appoint a replacement for any vacant elected officer position with a simple majority of Board approval. That person will serve until the next election of officers and may be elected to two full one-year terms.
Article VII – NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
The Board of Directors shall appoint a Nominating Committee of three, who shall interview and propose a slate of officers.
Additional nominations may be made at the board and general meetings before the election, provided that the nominee's prior consent has been obtained.
The members present at the October luncheon meeting shall constitute a quorum, and election to office shall be by majority vote. There shall be no vote by proxy. Should there be more than one nominee for an office, a written ballot shall be used. The Nominating Committee shall count the ballots. In the event there is only one nominee for each office, the election may be held by voice vote.
Article VIII – OFFICERS' DUTIES
A Duties
Section 1 – The President shall:
A. be the chief executive officer of the club
B. facilitate and support committee chairs to help ensure successful outcomes,
C. preside at all meetings
D. appoint Standing and Operational Committee Chairs.
E. serve as an ex officio member of all committees, except the Nominating Committee
F. be authorized to sign all necessary contracts and club checks
G. appoint any other committees necessary to carry out the functions of the club.
Section 2 –The Vice-President shall:
A. assume the duties of the President during her absence or inability to serve and assist her as needed
B. make all arrangements for Board Meetings
C. be authorized to sign club checks
D. review financial transactions monthly in coordination with the Treasurer.
E. perform such other tasks as requested.
Section 3 - The Secretary shall:
A. record and keep in custody the minutes of the executive and board meetings
B. manage all correspondence
C. maintain a file of all correspondence to be accessible to the club at all times.
D. take roll at Board meetings.
The Board may appoint an Assistant Secretary to provide minutes as needed.
Section 4 – The Treasurer shall:
A. be responsible for protecting the financial assets of the organization by installing and enforcing appropriate financial internal controls
B. maintain current and accurate financial documentation including, at a minimum, preparing and reporting monthly financial statements and a monthly bank reconciliation.
C. propose and present for approval annual budgets.
D. prepare and file accurate and timely reports to governmental entities as required.
E. cause to be opened and/or maintained, a checking account at a federally insured bank and serve as one of the three signers on that account (along with the President and Vice President).
E. prepare for and report to the Finance Committee at least annually as requested.
The Board may appoint an Assistant Treasurer who shall perform such duties as the Treasurer assigns.
IX COMMITTEES
A. Standing Committees:
Standing Committees shall be the Executive, Finance, Fundraising, Membership, and additional committees established by the board.
B. Operational Committees:
Operational committees shall be Activities, Christmas Families Project, Community Table, Decorations, Fashion Show, Hospitality, Information Table, Informed Women, Newsletter, Parliamentarian, Program, Publicity, Reservations, Restaurant and Events, Sunshine, Venue and Events, Website/Social Media.
C. Special Committees
Special committees shall be appointed by the President as needed.
D. Leaders of Activity Groups
Each leader of an Activity Group shall, at group meetings, appoint or elect the officers necessary to run the group efficiently. Groups shall be self-governing, independent, and welcoming to new members. Participation in activity groups is limited to dues-paying Club members in good standing
Article X – MEETINGS
Section 1. General Meetings
General membership meetings shall be open to all members, guests, and prospective members.
Section 2. Board Meetings
A. Board of Directors meetings shall be held monthly at least 9 times a year.
B. In the event a properly called meeting of the Board of Directors must be canceled due to circumstances beyond the control of the Club, it shall be acceptable to hold meetings by approved electronic means with forty-eight (48) hours’ notice given to all members. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. If a vote or action is taken, it shall be ratified at the next regular board meeting.
C. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President, or five (5) board members, provided they have presented a written request to the President stating the required action to be taken. Except in emergencies, at least three (3) days' advance notice (by electronic means, telephone, or mail) must be given.
D. Electronic meetings. Should an urgent matter occur requiring action between regularly scheduled board meetings, a vote by electronic means may be taken and tallied by the President to be ratified at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
Article XI – AMENDMENTS
The Bylaws may be amended by a simple majority vote of the members present at a general meeting, provided the Board has sanctioned the proposed amendments, and the proposed amendments have been presented at the previous general luncheon meeting. Amendments to the Standing Rules require only one presentation but must be approved by 2/3 of the voting members present.
Article XII – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The current edition of “Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised” shall be the authority on all questions of parliamentary law, unless in conflict with these bylaws or with the laws of the State of California.
Amended 4/28/2004, Revised 6/28/2023, Amended 6/26/2024, Revised 10/25/2024, Revised 4/24/2026.
Standing Rules
Newcomers Club of Nevada County dba: Nevada County Women's Social Club
A woman’s social and charitable organization
Standing Rules
Adopted 4-28-2004, Amended 5-28-2025, Revised 4-24-2026
PRESIDENT EX-OFFICIO
The President is an ex/officio member of all committees with the exception of the Nominating Committee. She is to be invited to all committee meetings.
All digital communications shall be presented to the President for editing, review, and approval.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The Vice-President and Treasurer shall be invited to meetings when their input will be beneficial.
MEETINGS
Luncheon meetings will be held on the fourth Wednesday of the month (unless other arrangements are necessary) based on an approved calendar presented by the President at the November Board Meeting. Advance notice will be given to the membership for changes to the calendar based on Board approval. Meetings will begin at 11:30 with programs to follow lunch.
The Informed Women Series may be held in the months of January, March, and November when no luncheon is scheduled.
Guest speakers may sell merchandise at the event when they are the guest speaker.
Members may not sell their merchandise for personal gain at any club event.
To protect our non-profit status and maintain our reputation in our community, neither The Club nor any of its Activity Groups will forward advertisements or information that will promote or drive Club membership specifically to a specific for-profit business. Personal communication between members is, of course, exempt from this rule.
BOARD MEETINGS
Regular monthly Board meetings will be held on the first Monday unless a national holiday falls on it; then the board meeting will be rescheduled to the second Monday of the month. Meetings will be held from January through June and September through November. The November meeting shall include new and outgoing board members. Such a meeting is to be coordinated by the Vice President. It will include an end-of-the-year/beginning-of-the-year celebration.
The Executive Board Meeting, including four officers and other invited guests, shall be held one hour prior to the Board Meeting.
Moved from Standing Rules to Bylaws: URGENT MATTERS
Should an urgent matter occur requiring action between regularly scheduled board meetings, a vote by electronic means may be taken and tallied by the President to be ratified at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting.
LUNCHEON RESERVATIONS
The Reservations Committee handles luncheon reservations. The policy is below:
All reservations are secured by payment. If a guest is included, the guest’s name is required.
All payments must be made out to Newcomers Club, Newcomers or NCNC.to NCWSC.
A box will be available at each luncheon to collect checks for the following luncheon.
Payments should be sent to the reservation person as stated in the newsletter or may be Zelled to the Treasurer.
After the published deadline, a wait list will be constructed and those waiting may attend if there are corresponding cancellations.
Reservation cancellations are accepted only until the date as stated in the Newsletter. The payment will be returned for cancellations if received on time. Otherwise, the payment is not refundable.
Complimentary lunches are limited to the guest speaker and one guest. All others must be approved by the Executive Board.
Payments may not be transferred from one member to another member nor can they be used to cover a future event.
Guests may only attend two times a year, then they must become members.
Members and guests may be asked to sign a waiver regarding insurance.
RAFFLESFUNDRAISING
The Fundraising Raffle Chair and helpers sell raffle tickets at luncheons. Proceeds go to the club’s general fund for operations.
The Fashion Show Committee conducts the Fashion Show Drawing, Raffle, and proceeds go towards fashion show expenses with the balance for club operations.
MEMBERSHIP
The Club’s Newcomers fiscal year is January 1 to December 31. Annual dues are $50 payable November 1st and delinquent after December 31st. Membership Renewal Forms will be included in the Newsletter. The amount of dues shall be reviewed annually and may be changed by a vote of the Board of Directors and approved by the members.
The Membership Chair shall manage all member payments and request reimbursement for overpayment (i.e. double payment) when appropriate. New Member dues may be paid by check or Zelle.
The Membership chair shall provide membership applications at every meeting and designate an assistant to receive applications when she is not in attendance.
New member gatherings will be held as necessary.
ROSTERS
Rosters are confidential and not to be used for solicitation. Requests will be made to the Membership Chair for an electronic copy. Electronic rosters shall be distributed to the Board monthly or as requested by members.
WEBSITE – www.NewcomersNC.org NCWSC.com
The Newsletter Team is responsible for forwarding the stripped-down version of the newsletter to the Website Master.
The website will be updated monthly by the Website Master with information from newsletters. Appropriate changes and additions may be forwarded to the Website Master by the President. The membership application will be available on the website, and prospective members will be encouraged to use it to join.
FACEBOOK – www.facebook.com/NewcomersNC
The Facebook page will provide information from the current newsletter and photos, articles and luncheon information; members will be encouraged to Like, Share, and Follow.
FINANCIAL MATTERS
The Treasurer will oversee financial matters for the Club, including:
A financial update will be given at each Club luncheon, and a copy of the Treasurer’s Report will be available on the Information Table.
An annual budget will be prepared and presented for approval to the Board at the November meeting.
A financial review of the previous year will be performed by the Review Committee no later than March.
Member reimbursement requests should be made using the Check Reimbursement Form (available on the website or from the Treasurer), accompanied by appropriate documentation. Those requests can be given to or sent via email to the Treasurer for reimbursement within three days.
A “Friendship fund” will be included in the budget to help members with financial difficulties in paying their dues. Any member can request assistance from either the President or the Treasurer.
RECORDS RETENTION
The Club will retain financial, legal, and other records and documents for a period as required by law. If there is no specific or stated period of retention by a governmental or other agency, records shall be retained for seven years. These documents shall be stored in a safe and secure area as determined by the Executive Committee.
After seven years, records and documents may be destroyed in a manner that will protect the confidentiality of the Club (preferred method – shredding).
Each Activity Group may retain photo albums and memory books they have created as they desire. Each group will be responsible for maintaining and storing such documents.
INFORMATION TABLE
The Reservation Team shall receive information for the Information Table and confirm appropriateness with the President when needed. Items to be included are:
Reservation Box
Activity Group Information
Member business cards or flyers
Other information approved by the President
Minutes and Treasurer’s Report
ACTIVITIES
Each member of an Activity Group must be a member in good standing with club dues current to be verified by the Group Leader.
For any event or activity, if there is a lack of participants who have signed up from the group, available openings may be offered to other Newcomers members.
Activity groups may limit the number of participants in the group.
Only Club Newcomers dues, as established by the Board and members, are to be charged to Club Newcomers members. No dues shall be charged by Activity Groups.
No separate checking accounts are allowed.
NEWSLETTER
Members receive ten monthly newsletters. There are no newsletters sent in July and December. Newsletters are sent by email. If members prefer to receive a mailed copy, they will be expected to pay an additional fee of $25.00 with their dues for the privilege. Lifetime Members must pay for the mailed newsletters. All information is to be sent to the Newsletter Team per their requested date.
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
All electronic communications shall be reviewed and approved by the President. The Newsletter Team may send an E-Blast as a last-minute reminder prior to the appointed deadline.
SPECIAL EVENT AND CHRISTMAS FAMILIES CHAIRS
The President shall appoint Special Event Chairs for the Auction, the Fashion Show, and Christmas Families Project. She may also appoint other Special Event Chairs as necessary. Special Event Chairs are members of the board and will attend Board meetings as needed. Proposed changes to a Special Event require Board approval.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE LIMITED AUTHORITY
The Executive Committee may act on matters of urgency between Board meetings and is limited to expenditures up to $500. These actions must be reported at the next Board Meeting.
BOARD JOB DESCRIPTIONS
Each Board member, appointed Committee Chair, and Special Events Chair will provide a concise and current job description, either printed or electronic. The President and Board Secretary will keep binders with all job descriptions. Job descriptions shall be reviewed annually and updated as needed.
Each outgoing Board member is responsible for informing her replacement of job requirements.