Table of Contents

• Article I: Name and Affiliation
• Article II: Principles and Purpose
• Article III: Membership
• Article IV: Dues
• Article V: Corporation Meetings
• Article VI: Nominations and Elections
• Article VII: Officers and Duties
• Article VIII: Board of Directors (The "Board")
• Article IX: Committees, Subcommittees and Working Groups
• Article X: Parliamentary Authority
• Article XI: Amendment of Bylaws
• Article XII: Dissolution of the Corporation

Article I

Name and Affiliation

• Section 1. The name of the corporation shall be The "Humanists of Minnesota" (the "Corporation"). The Corporation shall be a chapter of the American Humanist Association according to the Chapter Charter granted to the Humanists of Minnesota dated December 27, 2000, shall be an affiliate of the Council for Secular Humanism and shall operate as a nonprofit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Minnesota.

Article II

Principles and Purpose

• Section 1. We accept the basic principles of Humanism as expressed in "What is Humanism?" from the American Humanist Association and "The Affirmations of Humanism" from the Council for Secular Humanism.

• Section 2. Our Purposes

• • Educate the public on humanist and naturalist worldviews

• • Promote the use of the democratic process, scientific inquiry, critical thinking and moral reasoning to support a secular society

• • Advocate for the separation of church and state

• • Champion human rights, global ethics and planetary sustainability

• • Cultivate personal growth, humanist values and ethical decision-making

• • Create and sustain a caring humanist community

Article III

Membership

• Section 1. Membership shall be limited to those who identify with the Principles and Purpose of the Corporation and who satisfy the dues requirements.

• Section 2. Those interested in membership shall be supplied with a copy of "What is Humanism?" and "The Affirmations of Humanism" and supplied with a copy of the Corporation bylaws and Articles of Incorporation on request.

• Section 3. An applicant, having indicated agreement with the Principles and Purpose of the Corporation, shall become a member upon payment of dues.

• Section 4. Any member may resign by filing a written resignation with the president. A member can have their membership terminated by a majority vote of the members. A member whose membership is being considered for termination must be notified in writing at least two weeks before a vote is to be taken, and must be given an opportunity to respond either orally or in writing to the members before a vote is taken. Resignation or termination of membership shall not relieve a member of unpaid dues, or other charges previously accrued.

• Section 5. Except as provided in these Bylaws, no person shall speak or act for the Corporation unless authorized to do so by the Board.

• Section 6. Membership lists of the corporation are to be held in confidence and used only as directed by the Board.

Article IV

Dues

• Section 1. Membership dues shall be determined by the Board. Dues include a subscription to the Corporation newsletter. The Treasurer shall notify members when their dues are two months in arrears. If dues are not paid within 30 days thereafter, the Membership Committee chair shall notify the President for action.

Article V

Corporation Meetings

• Section 1. Program meetings shall be held monthly from September to May inclusive unless otherwise ordered by the Board. Program meetings shall be open to the public. Official business will not be conducted at these meetings.

• Section 2. There shall be a meeting in April known as the Annual Meeting. It shall be for the purpose of electing officers and Board members, for the purpose of receiving reports from the officers and committees and to consider any other matters which may be raised.

• Section 3. Special Membership Meetings

• • A special membership meeting may be called by the President, and must be called by the President upon receipt of a written request signed by at least five members. The request shall specify the subject(s) to be discussed at the special meeting.

• • Notice of the special meeting, including the subject(s) to be discussed, the date, time and place of the meeting shall be printed in the next issue of the Corporation newsletter. Only the subject(s) specified in the newsletter notice can be discussed or acted upon at the special meeting. The special meeting may be held separately or in conjunction with a program meeting at the discretion of the President but must be held sometime during the month for which the newsletter is published and in no case less than seven days after the expected date of delivery of the newsletter.

• Section 4. A current list of members and their addresses will be available at the Corporation's office and at membership meetings to directors and members in good standing for the purpose of communicating with other members concerning upcoming meetings of the Corporation. Information contained in such lists may not be used for any other purpose or shared with nonmembers or other organizations without Board permission.

• Section 5. Notice of upcoming membership meetings shall be prominently displayed in the Corporation
  newsletter.

• Section 6. A quorum for conducting business shall consist of twelve members of the Corporation.

• Section 7. All issues to be voted on except adoption, amendment, or repeal of the Corporation bylaws or Articles of Incorporation shall be decided by a simple majority of the members present at the meeting in which the vote takes place.

Article VI

Nominations and Elections

• Section 1. At a special meeting of the membership held in February a Nominating Committee of
  from three to five persons shall be elected by the majority of members present. The President may not be a member of this Committee. It shall be the duty of this Committee to organize elections and to nominate candidates for the offices and the Board to be elected at the Annual Meeting in April. All nominees must have been members in good standing of the Corporation for at least one year. The Nominating Committee may nominate more than one candidate for any office, and they shall report their nominations at a special meeting in March. Additional nominations from the floor shall be permitted at the special meeting in March at the end of which nominations will be closed. The names of all nominees to all offices and a brief background of each candidate shall be published in the April 1 edition of the Corporation newsletter.

• Section 2.

• • The officers shall be elected to serve for one year or until their successors are elected. Their term of office shall begin at the close of the annual meeting at which they are elected.

• • At-large Directors shall be elected to serve for two years or until their successors are elected. Their term of office shall begin at the close of the annual meeting at which they are elected. Three
    Directors shall be elected in odd years and four Directors in even years.

• • Absentee ballots shall be permitted.

• Section 3. Vacant offices may be filled by appointment by the President with the approval of the Board and the appointee shall serve until the expiration of the term being filled. The offices of president and treasurer can not be left unfilled.

• Section 4. Resignation or removal from office.

• • A member may not serve as an officer and/or at-large Board member for more than ten consecutive years.

• • Resignation by an officer or at-large director must be in writing and received by the president.

• • An officer or at-large director, whether elected or appointed, may be removed, with or without cause, by vote of a simple majority of the members present at an annual meeting or at a special meeting called for that purpose.

Article VII

Officers and Duties

• Section 1. The officers of the Corporation shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.

• Section 2. These officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these bylaws. Duties of the officers include serving as Directors. Officers shall keep accurate records of Corporation business conducted by them to be transferred to their successors.

• Section 3. Officers shall receive no compensation other than reasonable expenses.

• Section 4. The President shall be the principal officer and shall:

• • Preside over all membership and Board meetings of the Corporation.

• • Be the official spokesperson for the Corporation.

• • Insure that complete and accurate copies of the Corporation's Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, financial records and minutes of all meetings for the last six years are available at the Corporation's registered office.

• • Be the contact person for the conduct of official Corporation business with the American Humanist Association and all other outside organizations.

• • Appoint committee chairs and leaders of working groups created by the Board.

• • Be an exofficio member of all committees, subcommittees and working groups except the nominating committee.

• • Call special meetings of the Corporation or the Board as provided by these bylaws.

• • Have discretion to take any action necessary and proper to carry out the Principles and Purpose of this Corporation such actions not being inconsistent with these Bylaws or the actions and directives of the Board or the members.

• Section 5. The Vice President shall:

• • Perform the duties of the President in the absence of that officer.

• • Serve in such other capacities as may be assigned by the President. <">