Article I. Name
1) The name of the organization shall be Military Pagan Network Inc.
Article II. Offices
1) The principle offices of the Military Pagan Network Inc shall be
located in Columbia in the state of Maryland.
Article III. Purposes
1) Provide documentation, contacts, and regulations as support
for Neopagans, Mesopagans and occultist active duty, reserve,
and National Guard, who feel that they are being discriminated
against.
2) Act as an advocate for Neopagans in the military involved in religious
harassment or discrimination situations. MPN is not a legal service will
not provide legal aid.
3) Provide local contacts for Neopagans moving to a new duty station.
4) Provide military and government agencies information
pertaining to the religious practices of Neopagans.
5) Provide networking services to all Neopagan military members to assist them
in staying in touch with loved ones while deployed or over-seas.
Article IV. Membership
1) Members shall be active duty, or Veterans of the United
States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and
Public Health Service, reserve units or National Guard
who are Neopagan.
2) Veterans of the uniformed services must have a General
Discharge or better and must provide proof of military
service in the form of a Department of Defense form 214,
Department of Health, Department of Transportation or
Department of Homeland Security equivalent.
3) Members can also be the dependent of people who fit the
above criteria. Dependents of deceased Veterans also qualify
to be a member, provided that the deceased meets the criteria
in section three of this article.
4) Those discharged for sexual preference will not be denied
membership into the MPN unless they were discharged for
reasons other than sexual preference.
5) Individuals held in a criminal rehabilitation facility shall not
be given membership to the MPN.
6) Minors are permitted to join the MPN so long as they meet other
membership criteria and the parents are members of MPN.
7) Any person who meets the requirements for membership and pays the
annual dues as set by the Board of Directors, shall be called a Sponsor,
here in and elsewhere known as a "member" of the Network
Article V. Voting Rights
1) "Voting" members are those members who have met the
criteria given in Article IV and been a member for six
months prior to the time of the vote.
Article VI. Board of Directors
1) The Board of Directors consists of seven member(s).
2) The Board of Directors may add officers to the Board or
create special positions for Points of Contact as the need
arises as per these by laws.
3) The normal term of an elected Director shall be two years.
4) Members can call for the election of a new
Director with the agreement of 3/4 of the Membership
with the exceptions given in these by laws.
5) In case of the death, removal, expulsion, retirement permanent
incapacitation of a Board member, a new member shall be appointed by a
majority vote of the Board
6) Elections of directors are off-set. Four directors be elected each even-numbers
with the three remaining directors being elected each odd-numbered year.
Article VII. The Officers of the Board
1) The Officers of the Board are to be chosen by the full Board on an
annual basis. The required positions on the Board are, Chairman,
Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.
2) The Chairman of the Board shall oversee board and executive
committee meetings.
Serve as ex-officio member of all committees.
Work in partnership with the chief executive to make sure board
resolutions are carried out.
Call special meetings if necessary.
Appoint all committee chairs and with the chief executive,
recommend who will serve on committees.
Assist chief executive in preparing agenda for board meetings.
Assist chief executive in conducting new board member orientation.
Oversee searches for a new chief executive.
Coordinate chief executive's annual performance evaluation.
Work with the nominating committee to recruit new board members.
Act as an alternate spokesperson for the organization.
Periodically consult with board members on their roles and
help them assess their performance.
3) The Vice-Chairman of the Board shall attend all board meetings.
Serve on the executive committee.
Carry out special assignments as requested by the board chair.
Understand the responsibilities of the board chair and be able
to perform these duties in the chair's absence.
Participate as a vital part of the board leadership.
4) The Secretary of the Board shall attend all board meetings.
Serve on the executive committee.
Maintain all board records and ensure their accuracy and safety.
Review board minutes.
Assume responsibilities of the chair in the absence of the board
chair, chair-elect, and vice chair.
Provide notice of meetings of the board and/or of a committee
when such notice is required.
5) The Treasurer of the Board shall attend all board meetings.
Maintain knowledge of the organization and personal commitment
to its goals and objectives.
Manage, with the finance committee, the board's review of and
action related to the board's financial responsibilities.
Work with the chief executive and the chief financial officer to
ensure that appropriate financial reports are made available to
the board on a timely basis.
Assist the chief executive or the chief financial officer in
preparing the annual budget and presenting the budget to the
board for approval.
Review the annual audit and answers board members' questions
about the audit.
Article VIII. The Executive Staff
1) The Executive Staff are volunteers working in the National Office
running the day to day business of the corporation. These positions
are appointed by the Board of Directors every two years or when a
position is vacant. All positions must be filled by persons that
can work at the National Office when required.
2) The Executive Director shall be the chief executive officer of
the organization and shall have the general powers and
duties of supervision and management usually vested in
the office of the president of a corporation. He or she
shall preside at all meetings of the members if present
thereat, and shall have general supervision, direction
and control of the affairs of the organization and is a
voting member of the Board of Directors. The National
Office shall be located near or at the home of CEO.
3) Director of Operations shall be the direct supervisor of all
other directors and shall report to the Executive Director. The
Director of Operations shall function as Executive Director in the
absence thier of. Other duties of the Director of Operations shall
be outlined by the Board of Directors. This position is appointed by
the Board of Directors.
4) The Director of Finance shall have custody of the
organizational funds and securities and shall keep full and
accurate account of receipts and disbursements in books
belonging to the corporation. He shall deposit all moneys and
other valuable in the name and to the credit of the organization
in such depositories as may be designated by the Board of Directors.
5) The Director of Membership shall give, or cause to be given,
notice of all meetings of members and directors, and all other notices
requires by law or by these Bylaws. He shall record, or cause
to be recorded, all the proceedings of the meetings of the
corporation and of the directors in a book to be kept for that
purpose, and shall affix the seal to all instruments requiring it.
He shall maintain all membership records and send out renewals
as needed per the policy of the corporation.
6) Members Advocate: The Members' Advocate shall represent
individual members of MPN. at large, She or he shall function
as an ombudsperson, and shall be a member (whether active
or inactive) of every committee organized by the Board. No
person may serve as Member's Advocate more than four
years in a row. Candidates for the office of Members' Advocate
shall have a publishable phone number and access to E-mail.
7) Any person may serve any one or more of these staff positions.
Article IX. Elections
1) Any voting member may run for any open position on the Board of Directors.
Nominations will be sent to the Nomination Committee 90 days prior to the
election.
2) Brief statements, ballots will be sent to all voting members 60 days
prior to the election.
3) The Nomination Committee will count the ballots and
announce the name of the Board Members elect by mails
or e-mails. The Board Members elect will take office the
21st of June unless otherwise ruled by the Board of Directors.
Article X. Calendar
1) The calendar year shall be from January 1 to December 31.
Article XI. Meetings
1) Annual meetings of members for the election of officers and
for such other business as may be stated in the notice of
the meeting, shall be held on the Summer Solstice.
2) There shall be mailed to each voting member at her or his
last known mailing address, by first class or overseas
airmail, at least 60 days prior to the annual meeting, a
notice setting out the time, date and place of the annual
meeting, and including a proxy statement and ballot to be
signed by those voting members so desiring.
3) If a quorum is not present in body or proxy at the annual
meeting, those present may adjourn to such a day and time
as the majority shall agree upon. Notice of the
adjournment will be mailed to each voting member at least
21 days before said date and time.
4) A special meeting or referendum of the voting members may
be called by the request of a majority of the Board, or by
a petition representing 1/3 of the membership votes. Such
a special meeting shall be held sixty to ninety days after
the Board meeting at which such a request or petition is
received, at a location selected by the Board. Notice of
such a meeting shall be mailed to all voting members as
with the annual meeting, including the provision of proxy
statements.
5) The Board may decide to hold a referendum through the
mails at any time, and such referendum may be instead of a
special meeting, should the topics under consideration
lend themselves to such treatment. Voting shall be closed
sixty days after the issue has been mailed. Should a
referendum be held via electronic mail, voting shall be closed
15 days after the issue is mailed.
Article XII. Dues and donations.
1) Dues shall be set by the Board of Directors with approval
of a majority of the membership.
Article XIII. Amendment and replacement of by laws
1) Amendments to these by laws may be made at any meeting by
2/3 agreement of the Board of Directors.
Article XIV. Effective Date
1) These by laws shall become effective upon adoption by the Board
of Directors.
2) Adopted November 15, 1997
3) Amended March 28, 2003
Corporate Seal
