ARTICLE: I ? NAME
The name of this organization shall be Nashville Nepalese Association (hereinafter called "NNA"). NNA is a non-profit organization formed by the Nepalese living in Nashville, Tennessee.
ARTICLE: II - PURPOSE
The purpose of the organization is to engage in the following:
1. GENERAL PURPOSE
a. To preserve and promote the culture and heritage of Nepalese community.
b. To build, foster and support a cohesive, active and supportive community of Nepalese, Nepali-Americans and Friends of Nepal living in the Nashville (the "Nashville Nepalese Community").
c. NNA shall not engage or participate in any political agenda or support any individuals? interest in the matter.
2. SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES
a. Nepalese Festival: The NNA to celebrate New Year, Dashain and Tihar
b. Summer Activity: Primarily in the form of a picnic for the purpose of social gathering and kids education.
c. Education: The community shall be educated about Nepali culture through various activities such as Movie, Documentary, and performers from Nepal.
d. Fund Generation: Fund to support various NNA sponsored program shall be generated through various sports and social activities.
e. Health Awareness: NNA shall sponsor various sports related activities to bring the health awareness to the community.
f. OTHER: Other activities, functions and works will be considered and implemented by the NNA executive body in accordance with the general purpose of NNA.
ARTICLE: III - MEMBERS AND MEMBERSHIP
1. Membership in NNA is open to all Nepalese, Americans, and other nationalities willing to join and support to achieve the goals and objectives of NNA. There will be no denial of membership based on age, gender, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, military status or any other unlawful reasons.
2. There is a membership fee to join the organization.
3. Board:
a. The Board shall consist of the Executive Council and 6 members elected by the general members.
b. The Executive Council shall consist of the President, Vice President, General Secretary, Joint Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Technical Officer. c. The Executive Board can invite up to 6 members to be included in the board. d. The election for the positions shall take place every two years. Every member of age 18 and/or older is eligible to cast his or her vote in the interest of the society. If the number of elected Executive Member is less than the maximum of 7, the current elected board reserves the right to grant eligibility to a person or a certain group of people to join the board. The majority rules stated under Article VII applies while taking this decision.
4. The Board shall appoint up to 6 advisors.
5. Specific Duties of Council Members:
a. The President shall be the chief executive officer of the council and shall have general supervision and control of its activities and programs. He/she will handle all formal correspondence between Members, the Council and members of NNA, and others, and call and run meetings.
b. The Vice President shall assist the President and assume his or her duties when the President is unable to serve or during his/her leave of absence.
c. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all funds of the NNA Council, shall maintain bank accounts, receipts and disbursement of funds and shall give complete reports to the Council. The Treasurer shall be the primary contact person for the issues related to the financials of NNA council.
d. The Assistant Treasurer shall assist the Treasurer and assume his or her duties when the Treasurer is unable to serve or during his/her leave of absence.
e. The General Secretary shall keep a records and minute of all meetings of NNA Council and of all activities and programs. The General Secretary will assume the duties of the President if and when the President and Vice President are unable to serve or during their leave of absence.
f. The Joint Secretary shall assist the General Secretary and assume his or her duties when the General Secretary is unable to serve or during his/her leave of absence.
g. The Technical Administrator shall create and maintain the organization?s website and other technical duties.
h. The Executive Council will assist in the various activities of NNA. They can also be assigned a specific task/tasks for the period of their membership in the Council or a shorter period.
i. The Executive Council is also responsible for selecting up to 6 Advisory Executive Council for the year.
j. The various tasks of maintaining the status of NNA with state, federal and other agencies will be appropriately assigned at the first meeting of the new council, among the council members.
6. Roles and Responsibilities of Advisors
a. Advise Executive Council on various society activities and issues
b. Attend at least one executive board member meeting in a year c. Volunteer in society activities
ARTICLE: IV - ELECTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS
a. The members of the NNA community shall elect officers to the Board once every two years.
b. Elections shall be held during the Tihar party or October 31, whichever is earlier every other year. The term of the office shall start on the day following the Tihar Party and/or November 1, as the case may be and terminate on the day of the election.
c. The NNA Board shall designate an election committee among the members to perform the election of NNA Board at least two months before the Election Day. The election committee shall seek nomination from members for all of the NNA Board positions. If the number of candidates nominated becomes equal to the number of available positions in the NNA Board, then the candidates shall be declared elected automatically. Otherwise, election shall be held to decide from two or more nominated candidates. Each eligible member, 18 years or older, shall cast one vote for one position. The election officer may formulate specific election rules and design ballots for the election. The election committee member(s) cannot be nominated for any position but shall have a voting right. The election officer designated by the committee shall flip a coin to decide for any position in case there is a tie between two candidates. The election committee shall be dismissed once the new executive committee of NNA Board is elected.
ARTICLE: V - ACCOUNT AND AUDITING
1. The NNA Board shall open bank account that shall be operated by the President and the Treasurer. Signatures of both the President and the Treasurer will be required for any withdrawal. Executive Board shall form a subcommittee to audit the financial records of NNA annually. The subcommittee shall submit the results of audit to the Executive Board.
ARTICLE: VI - MANNER OF OPERATION
1. OPERATIONAL RULES AND PROCEDURES:
a. Meetings: Except as otherwise provided by law, a written or verbal notice of each meeting of the NNA Council stating the place, day and hour thereof and, in the case of a special meeting, the purposes for which the meeting is called, shall be given not less than three days or 36 hours to each member of NNA Council. The General Secretary with the president?s consent will give by the President or such notice of meeting. The President will conduct the Meeting and the General Secretary shall take the minutes.
b. All Board meetings shall be conducted in open public session, at such hours and in such locations, so as to facilitate attendance by interested members. c. Quorum: At any meeting of the NNA Board a Quorum as to any matter shall consist of the majority of NNA Board Members except where a larger quorum is required by law, or these By-laws. Board members present at the meetings will be eligible to vote on any matter in case there is a vote on decision process. The Presiding person of the meeting will cast the tie-breaking vote. d. Action without meetings: The President will have the right to act upon issues that arise and cannot wait for the next Board meeting. At the minimum the President will have to consult with the Vice President, the Treasurer and the Secretary. The entire Board will be notified of the issue, and action taken, within the next two days or forty-eight hours. The Board may endorse or reject such actions. e. Attendance: Board Members cannot miss more than three meetings of the Board unless the President prior to the meetings excuses their absence. More than three unexcused absences will result in an automatic dismissal without vote of the Board.
ARTICLE: VII - RESIGNATIONS, VACANCIES AND REMOVALS
1. Any member of the NNA Board may resign from their post, with a two-week prior notice, in writing to the President. The Board will fill the resigned post from within the Board. If more than one Board Member seeks the vacant post, there will be a vote of the NNA Board. If the vacant post cannot be filled from within Board, the Board shall seek to fill the post from the General Membership. Any Advisor may resign from their post with a 2 week prior notice.
2. If any NNA Board Member, Advisor or general member is not fulfilling his/her responsibilities and/or is engaging in illegal activities or acting against the interest of the society, the Board can vote to suspend or remove him/her from the post. Any NNA Board Member can bring forth a motion of suspension or removal to a NNA Board meeting if he/she can back up the motion with supportive evidence. The NNA Board cannot vote for a dismissal without first voting for a suspension, followed by a one-month probationary period. After the one month probationary period, the Board can vote to fully re-instate or dismiss the NNA Board Member or the Advisor. Votes to suspend, re-instate or dismiss require a three-fourth majority, and three-fourth of the Board Members to be present.
ARTICLE: VIII - AMENDMENTS
1. These By-laws may be adopted by the majority of the General Members during the first meeting.
2. These By-laws may be amended or repealed by the two-third vote of the attending NNA General Members. Any proposed by-law amendments shall be circulated to the NNA members no fewer than thirty days prior to a meeting of the NNA Board. 3. General members can petition to amend the By-laws through signature of 20% of the existing General Members.
ARTICLE: IX - COMPENSATION
No NNA Board Members shall be entitled to receive any salary or other compensation for serving in NNA Board. The NNA Board shall have the authority to hire and fix the compensation of any and all employees that they in their discretion may determine to be necessary or appropriate in the conduct of the business of the NNA, and may delegate such authority to the officers and/or the President of the NNA Board.
ARTICLE: X - FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year of NNA Board shall be June 1st of each year. Membership Rules:
1. Eligibility:
a. Membership in NNA is open to all Nepalese, Americans, and other nationalities willing to join and support to achieve the goals and objectives of NNA. There will be no denial of membership based on age, sex, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, marital status, and military status. b. If need be, election for a position shall take place during Tihar Party and/or October 31, as the case may be. Every member 18 and older is eligible to cast his or her vote in the interest of the association.
2. Benefits:
a. The members shall have voting rights to choose the Executive Board of NNA.
b. The members will be able to participate in different events organized by NNA.
3. Fee: a. There shall be a yearly membership fee of $20 or an individual lifetime membership of $200 or family lifetime membership of $300.
b. Annual contribution from the members will be accepted by NNA to fund various activities.