DR. WILLIAM R. NEWMAN AKC DELEGATE MASTIFF CLUB OF AMERICA

ARTICLE OF INCORPORATION Most Parent Clubs are incorporated so they may function as such and not act as individuals with the personal liability that is resultant without the corporate shield. With that however comes the requirement of reporting to and following the mandates of the particular state in which the club is incorporated. 1. The articles of incorporation must be maintained and rules, regulations and requirements fulfilled to maintain that status. Since each state varies. you must be familiar with the regulations and follow them. 2. It would be best if they were kept in the hands of an officer and passed on with the necessary instructions. 3. These have nothing to do with a tax free status (or not-for-profit ) ruling, which is done separately.

BY LAWS AND CONSTITUTION This is perhaps the most frequent cause of dissension amongst individuals in Parent Club, and that is because they are not followed as they should be. A well-scripted and devised set of by laws should stand the test of time and need to be modified occasionally when circumstances dictate. For this purpose, a by-law committee is essential as an ongoing group, not necessarily acting frequently but prudently when necessary. The staff of AKC has great expertise in these matters and is there to assist whenever changes are contemplated. It is best to approach them with the proposed changes and get a conditional approval before proceeding with the balloting process. In my experience, the by-laws themselves are not the problem, but the failure to follow them, especially as they involve meetings, elections and membership.

TREASURY “SHOW ME THE MONEY, JERRY” – was a line from a movie about professional athletes, but it is an area where more problems exist because there is not enough attention to detail. The treasurer is often just another member elected because they are willing to do a very important responsible position that no one else wants, therefore, it is very important for the club to have in place certain rules and methods of operation that must be followed to the letter. With the organization the size of the Mastiff Club, our current treasurer is a CPA and suggests that is what a large organization needs to be run correctly, especially since your federal, state and foundation reports to file. Some of the obvious and not so obvious hints from Heloise (actually her name is Cindy) are as follows: continued

TREASURY 1. Bond The treasurer 2. All bills paid weekly, unless there is urgency. 3. All checks $500.00 or over require the accompanying signature of the Pres. Or V/Pres. 4. Bank statements balanced monthly and copies sent to the Pres. and Chairman of the Audit Committee for review 5. Audit Committee can review whatever, whenever, and consists of a board member, financial person and one other. Preferably with an accounting background. 6. Outside audit when the treasurer changes or a least 3 to 5 years. 7. Quarterly reports are published for the membership and the annual report is given at the annual meeting. 8. Cash activity is provided to the Audit Committee on a monthly basis for review. Most important is to know when to file a tax return and to whom….

MEMBERSHIP TYPES AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR OFFICE This subject can vary although the Club Relations of AKC likes to keep things uniform and uncomplicated. (Check with Mike) But there can be various categories of membership which must be spelled clearly in the by-laws which have been approved by the membership in written in ballot and the AKC. We currently have four categories of membership, having added the juniors recently. 1. Juniors 10 to 18 if a member for 3 consecutive years. 2. Associate – people requesting membership who must be endorsed, wait one year and accepted to full status is there are no negative reports. 3. Active – have been associate for one year and can participate, but not hold for three years. continued

MEMBERSHIP TYPES AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR OFFICE 4. Life for those who have been active members for 30 consecutive years. They do not pay dues, but can hold office. Note No one can hold office who has not been an associate for one year and active for three years. This gives you the opportunity of evaluating people before putting them in important, if not essential, positions in the organization. Yes you may have great people you cannot use, but you work around that and it is a hurdle easier then getting rid of a bad performer.

CODE OF ETHICS, DISCIPLINE AND GRIEVANCE A Code of Ethics is always a hard item to enforce, and no matter of wording or regulation can dictate morality, honesty or good practices. But that does not mean that we should not try, not only to enforce but to lead by example. So we make every applicant for membership acknowledge that they have read and will comply with the organization. I personally do not subscribe to the logic of taking all comers and then overseeing their actions and performance. Again, I believe it is better to have people strive and work to belong i.e. make membership a desires statue, rather than take all comers and police their behavior. A Discipline, Grievance or Ethics Committee is necessary and must be a well-oiled and functioning group. Its makeup, function, and duties should be clearly spelled out in the by-laws and followed to the letter. Continued

CODE OF ETHICS, DISCIPLINE AND GRIEVANCE I hope this has given you food for thought, and although many are doing everything correctly, we can always pick up pointers and share information by networking with others. That to me is a prime reason for these conferences, and that is meeting new friends and networking.