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This draft copy of Version 2.1 of the constitution was last updated 11/30/2005.

Chippewa Valley
Chinese Friendship and Scholarship Association(CFSA)
DRAFT CONSTITUTION
1. Name of Association:
This non-profit association shall be known as the Chippewa Valley Chinese Friendship and Scholarship Association which shall be abbreviated as CFSA (pronounced caf-sa).
2. Association Aims, Objectives, and Mission Statement:
2.1 Aims
The aims of the association shall be:
• To facilitate communication, friendship and fellowship among association members.
• To assist new members in our community during their settle-in periods in this region of Wisconsin.
• To promote the understanding and appreciation of Chinese history and culture to people in this region of Wisconsin.
2.2 Mission Statement
The mission of the association is to engender good will and understanding among people of diverse ethnic origin by facilitating social interaction among association members and to promote the appreciation of Chinese cultural heritage in the local community.
2.3 Association Objectives
The development of more detailed objective statements and the Constitution (of which this is an initial step) shall be left to association officials, who will draft those statements and will present them at an Annual General Meeting (AGM) for approval by membership at large.
3. Association Structure and Association Officers
The association shall have five (5) officers with the following titles and terms of office:
President 2 years
Vice-president of Social Affairs 1 year
Vice-President of Cultural Affairs 1 year
Secretary 2 years
Treasurer 2 years
These officers shall constitute the Executive Committee of the association and shall run the day-to-day affairs of the association in accordance with the constitution.

Officers shall be elected by democratic votes in an AGM. All voting members have the right to nominate a member to fill any vacant office. Such nomination must be seconded by another member to be considered for voting. Only voting members are eligible for office.
4. Development of the Constitution and Subsequent Changes
The first task of these officers is to draft a constitution for the association, which will need to be submitted to the AGM for adoption by the association. The constitution shall be binding to all association members including the office holders.
5. Frequency of Meetings
There shall be two types of meetings:
(a) Full Association Meetings in which all association members may participate and vote. The association constitution, all official rules, and bylaws must be voted upon in a full Association Meeting by the attending members before they can be formally adopted.
(b) Executive Committee Meetings. These are meetings for the association officers in which association members may attend but only the officers may vote. These meetings may interpret association rules and bylaws to help officers make decisions to run the day-to-day affairs of the organization, but may not change the rules and bylaws themselves. However, Executive committee meetings may propose changes to association rules and bylaws. However, such change proposals must be ratified by a full Association Meeting before they are formally adopted.
Formal minutes of these meetings will be kept by the Association Secretary, who will distribute them to their respective membership within one week of the meeting where possible.
5.1 Association Meetings
There shall be at least one formal Association meeting per year, called the Annual General Meeting (AGM) that is open to all members. In an AGM, association officers shall give reports, and association business may be discussed and voted upon by all members. It is suggested that the AGM be scheduled in May where possible. Additional Association meetings, if needed, may be called by the President provided due notice is issued to Association members. An Association meeting shall be considered to have attained a quorum if the number in attendance is either not less than 9 (This number may be revised as the association grows) or 60% of the voting members.
5.2 Executive Committee Meetings
There shall be at least nine (9) Executive Committee meetings per years. This means the association officers are expected to meet approximately once per month for 9 months of the year. While any association members may attend these committee meetings, only the current office holders may vote on motions relating to association business in these meetings.
6. Membership
Membership of the association is open to all those interested in Chinese culture and subscribe to the aims and objectives of the organization. To be an official member, an individual must pay the current year membership due. The normal membership cycle is from September to August of each year. Only official members have the right to vote during association meetings. All official members will be issued with a membership card or membership certificate.

In addition to the membership list, the association also maintains a mailing list of individuals who may be interested in participating in various association social or cultural functions. These participants are most welcome. However, as they are not official members, they may not vote on any association businesses.
7. Membership Fee
The annual membership fee for 2005-2006 shall be twenty dollars ($20.00) per adult per year. Membership fees are due in the first week of October each year. The level of membership fee can only be changed if it is voted and approved by a majority in an AGM.
On November 13, a new membership fee structured was proposed by the Executive Committee. This is currently being considered for adoption by association members.
First individual adult membership $20.00
Membership for additional adult from same household $10.00
Membership for up to 3(?) children from same household $ 5.00
8. Bylaws Governing Meeting and Voting Procedure
Below are bylaws governing any association formal meeting and voting procedures.
8.1 Quorum: Unless otherwise stated otherwise, any formal meetings that have at least 9 (This number may be revised as the association grows) members present or have 60% of all eligible voting members shall be considered having reached an acceptable quorum.
8.2 Initiate a Motion: Motions may be called by any voting member, during a formal association meeting. All motions must have a mover, and a seconder (both of which must be voting members), before it may be brought before the meeting for voting.
8.3 Passing a Motion: A motion is passed if a majority of the attending voting members cast an affirmative vote. This motion then becomes binding to all association members unless it is otherwise rescinded.
8.4 Rescinding a Motion: To rescind a previously passed motion, a rescission motion must be formally put to a full association meeting and be passed by a majority vote among the members attending that meeting, as stated in Article 8.3.
8.5 Resolutions: Resolutions formally passed by a previous official motion in an Association meeting shall remain valid and can only be revoked during another Association meeting by an official motion of rescission.
8.6 Calling a formal Association Meeting: With the exception of the Annual General Meeting (AGM), a formal association meeting can only be called by the Association President or by a majority of the Executive Committee if the president is at odd with the other association officers.
8.7 Inclusion in the Agenda for an Association Meeting: In addition to initiating a motion in accordance to Article 8.2, any voting member may put forward a request to the Association President to include an item in the agenda of a forthcoming association meeting. The President, unless overruled by a majority of the Executive Committee, has the discretion on whether to include such an item in the formal agenda.
9. Bylaws Governing Office Holding
Below are bylaws governing the terms of association officers:
9.1 Length of Office: A given person may not hold the same office for more than two consecutive terms.
9.2 Nomination: Normally only a person who is nominated by another voting member, and seconded by a third person may be considered for office. Self nomination is allowed, but a second person other than the nominator must support that nomination.
9.3 Commencement of Office: Officers begin their duty on October 1 of each year in accordance with the 1-yearly or 2-yearly cycles as defined in Article 3.
9.4 Termination of Office: Normally an association office shall terminate on September 30th in accordance with the yearly cycles in Article 3. However, the incumbent of an office may be terminated earlier by a majority vote in a formal Association Meeting.
10. Bylaws Governing Financial Matters
10.1 Account: The association shall establish a check/saving account(s) with a financial institution in the name of the association
10.2 Signatures: There shall be two authorized signatures to the check/saving account. Normally the two authorized signatories shall be the President and the Treasurer. All expenditure from the account may be authorized by either one of the signatures.
10.3 Budget and Report: The treasurer shall prepare budget statements at the beginning of the year (September/October) for each area of activities. The treasurer shall also present written monthly (9 times) budget status statements, outlining the income and expenditures during that period of time, to the Executive Committee meetings. At the Annual General Meeting (AGM), the treasurer shall present an annual income and expenditure report to the membership at large in AGM.
10.4 Banking: All income received must be banked within 10 days of receipt.
10.5 Audit: All association finance may be subject to audit by qualified auditors.
10.6 Questions on Budget Issues: Any official members of the association have the right to raise questions to or seek clarification from the Treasurer, during an Association Meeting, or in an Executive Committee Meeting through one of the officers.