RIVERSIDE COUNTY NOW, AKA,
RIVERSIDE COUNTY NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN

Adopted: July 18, 2021

ARTICLE I.

Section 1. Name: The name of this organization is RIVERSIDE COUNTY NOW, AKA, RIVERSIDE COUNTY NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN (hereafter referred to in these bylaws as “RC NOW”).

Section 2. Chapter Meetings:  Chapter meetings, held for the transaction of chapter business, shall be located in Riverside County, California. The President, along with the Board, shall set the location of the meetings to best serve the community.

Section 3. Purpose: RC NOW is a non-profit 503(c)1 whose purpose is to take action through intersectional, grassroots activism, to bring women into full participation in mainstream American society. This participation includes, but is not limited to the following: preventing discrimination because of race, ethnic origin, religion, age, marital status, sexual preference/orientation, gender identity/expression, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, body size, or parenthood; preserving a woman’s right to choose; and protecting equal rights for women and girls in all aspects of social, economic, and political life.  We are committed to providing a welcoming, respectful, friendly, safe, supportive and harassment free environment to our members. 

Section 4. Limitations: RC NOW shall be bound by its policies and may take no action which is contrary thereto. RC NOW policy/bylaws may be established by its board members on any subject directly related to the purposes of RC NOW.

ARTICLE ll.

MEMBERS

Section 1. Voting Members: Any person who supports the platforms of the National Organization for Women is eligible to become a member of RC NOW. No member shall be excluded from membership, segregated, or otherwise discriminated against within the organization.

Membership in RC NOW shall be verified by any of the following: a current National NOW membership card; inclusion on the National membership printout; submission of a cancelled check or bank statement representing payment for membership; a confirmation email or printout from online membership payment or credit card statement or by the CA NOW financial records.

Section 2. Policy-Making Authority: RC NOW Board shall constitute the policy-making body of the chapter.

Section 3. Dues: Each member must pay annual dues in a timely manner.

Section 4. Good Standing: Members who have paid their required dues and have not been suspended or expelled via the chapter’s Ad Hoc Conflict Resolution Committee are deemed to be in good standing.

Section 5. Termination of Membership: Termination of membership shall occur in one of the three instances: (a) Resignation of a member upon official notice by letter/email to chapter president and secretary, (b) Suspension of membership or expulsion by the Ad Hoc Conflict Resolution Committee, or (c) Failure to pay dues.

Section 6.RC NOW Membership Reinstatement: A suspended member may be reinstated after a minimum of six months’ suspension with review and approval of the Ad Hoc Conflict Resolution Committee and agreement to comply with all RC NOW Bylaws set forth.

Section 7. Ad Hoc Conflict Resolution Committee:  The Ad Hoc Conflict Resolution Committee shall be comprised of two Executive Board Members and three Members in good standing, who have been approved by a majority vote of the Board, to hear complaints and come to a resolution. The members of the Ad Hoc Conflict Resolution Committee cannot be involved in the matter that is being investigated.

The purpose of the Ad Hoc Conflict Resolution Committee is to support all parties involved and resolve issues.  All complaints must be in written form emailed to the Board. The complaint must list the specific bylaw that is in question or has been violated.The RC NOW Ad Hoc Conflict Resolution Committee has the final determination for resolution of matters that come before the committee, and all decisions made by said committee are final and are not subject to further grievance.

Section 8. Limitations: No person shall hold more than one board office at a time. In the event of an unforeseen resignation, emergency, or extenuating circumstance, the chapter President, along with the Board’s approval, may appoint another member to temporarily fill the position. If the Treasurer resigns or has an emergency, the President will inform all board members, and the President shall assume the Treasurer’s duties with full transparency until a permanent replacement is found and elected.

Section 9. Meeting of Members: (a) There shall be a minimum of 8 meetings per year in Riverside County, CA. (b) In the event a meeting must be cancelled, the President will email or call, whichever is the fastest, and the Communication Chair will cancel on social media and the RC NOW website.

Section 10. Executive Board & Committee Chair Meetings: Under no circumstance shall any board members call a meeting without the entire Board being informed. The chapter President reserves the right to call for a Board meeting when necessary.

Section11. Eligibility to Vote: Members must be present, in good standing, and current dues paid.

ARTICLE lll.

Section 1. Officers: By majority vote, RC NOW shall elect a President, Vice President, Treasurer and a Secretary which will be known as the Executive Board. Officers must have been members in good standing of the RC NOW for the preceding six months. The President shall appoint a Communication Chair and a Legislative Chair, who will be included as part of the overall Leadership Team.  A Parliamentarian position may also be added by the President.

Section 2. Nominations of Officers: Nominations shall be taken on the floor at the time of the election and voted on. In the event no one is nominated the chapter President may ask the membership for volunteers.  Nominations shall be made in November prior to elections in December.  New officers shall begin January 1 of the following year.

Section 3. Terms of Office/Term Limits: Each officer is elected to a two-year term for no more than one consecutive term.  The Board has the right to override the term limit requirement in extenuating circumstances.

     Section 3A. The immediate past President shall be known as President Emeritus and will have a vote only in the event of a tie breaker.

     Section 3B. In even years, the President and Secretary shall be elected.  In odd years, the Vice President and Treasurer shall be elected.

Section 4. Resignation of an Officer: Officer resignations must be in writing via email addressed to the President and the Secretary at least thirty days in advance of the resignation date. Vacancies will be filled during the next RC NOW meeting.

Section 5. Duties of Officers: The duties of the officers shall be as follows:

a) The RC NOW President shall be the principal spokesperson and administrator of the chapter. The President manages the day-to-day affairs of the chapter between the board and chapter meetings.

b) The Vice President shall support, assist, facilitate members into signing in to general meetings as well as chair meetings in the absence of the president and assume all duties.

c) The secretary shall take and keep the minutes of the Board and chapter meetings and may be asked to help in other tasks with the Communications Chair.

d) The Treasurer will be the primary financial administrator of the chapter with bookkeeping and accounting procedures. Treasurer will also give financial reports/updates to membership during regular meetings. Disbursements of checks more than $500 will require approval by the President and the Treasurer.

Article IV.

COMMITTEES

Section 1. RC NOW Committees: Communications Chair shall be responsible for creating/maintaining RC NOW’s social media, such as a Facebook page and the website; emailing members of meetings and cancellations of meetings, as well as other updates when needed. Legislative Committee Chair is responsible for updating the membership of legislation affecting women and women’s issues the membership on any new CA NOW platform concerns/findings.  Endorsement Committee Chair is responsible for providing appropriate forms to a candidate seeking our endorsement and assisting candidates through the endorsement process. 

Article V

DISSOLUTION

Section 1. Voluntary Dissolution: The following rules apply in order to dissolve a chapter. If the Board recognizes that there are no volunteers/members to resume the chapter’s duties after current officers’ term limits are up, or they want to resign, the membership will be advised via email. During the next general meeting, the Board and members can approve the dissolution of the chapter.

Section 2. Remaining assets: Upon the dissolution of the chapter, all its debts shall be paid and its affairs settled. All remaining assets shall be distributed to CA NOW as determined at the time of dissolution by the RC NOW Board in its sole discretion.

Article VI

POLICY FOR ENDORSEMENTS

Section 1.

RC NOW supports local, county, and state candidates for office and platforms that represent the values of the National Organization for Women.  RC NOW Board nominates candidates and all members in good standing vote to endorse candidates.  No proxy votes shall be honored.

Section 1A.

While we welcome candidates for federal office as guests, any support for endorsements of federal offices shall be forwarded to CA NOW and if CA NOW unable to endorse then National NOW.

Article Vll

SOCIAL MEDIA

Section 1. The following rules apply to officers, committee chairs (known as RC Leaders), and members: A) All messages specifically labeled “private” or “confidential” shall not be disclosed or shared with others. B) Bad faith or abusive messages or messages that are harmful to the organization will not be tolerated. C) Any behavior on social media that does not adhere to CA NOW’s social media policy (found elsewhere on RC NOW’s website) will not be tolerated and will be referred to the Ad Hoc Conflict Resolution Committee for review.

Article VllI

FREE SPEECH

Section 1. While all members have the right to free speech, all members and guests are expected to act professionally, respecting the personal rights and dignities of all individuals to create a productive and inclusive environment. There will be zero tolerance for bullying, yelling, rudeness, harassment, or retaliation. Any member who participates in the restriction of a person’s free speech – or in any of the zero tolerance behaviors detailed above – will be in violation of these Bylaws and will be referred to the Ad Hoc Conflict Resolution Committee. 

Inappropriate interruptions during in-person or virtual meetings will not be tolerated, and any of the Board members has the authority to mute/remove the harasser, so the remainder of the meeting can resume as scheduled.