Bylaws

Article I: Name
The name of this organization shall be the Fordham Prep Mothers’ Club.

Article II: Purpose
The objective and purpose of this organization is to promote and advance the best interests of Fordham Prep in its religious, educational, and charitable functions, to promote friendship, sociability, and good will among its members, and to foster mutual cooperation among the administrators, teachers, students, and parents of the prep.

Article III: Membership
The membership shall be open to all mothers and legal guardians of students who are currently attending or who have graduated from Fordham Prep.

Article IV: Appointed Moderator
The President of Fordham Prep shall appoint the Moderator who shall be the liaison between the officers of the Prep and the officers of this organization. He/she is encouraged to attend all meetings and will be consulted on all plans and decisions.

Article V: Officers
Section 1. Officers
The officers shall include: two (2) Co-Presidents, Vice President, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary, Membership Secretary, Recording Secretary, Communications Coordinator, and Outreach Coordinator.

Section 2. Term of Office
These officers shall serve in their position for one two-year term with the exception of the Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer, who hold office for two consecutive years, first as Assistant Treasurer then as Treasurer.

Section 3. Removal of Officers
Any office shall become vacant upon the happening of any of the following events: the death of the incumbent; unexcused absence from three consecutive monthly meetings; resignation, or removal by two-thirds vote of members present at such meetings. All appointed officers shall hold office at the discretion of the Co-Presidents and Moderator. If an officer resigns, the Co-Presidents will appoint a replacement after consulting the Moderator.

Section 4. Vacancy
Any vacancy in any office may be filled for the unexpired portion of the term by appointment by the Executive Board.

Article VI: Executive Board
The Executive Board shall consist of each of the officers. The property, business and affairs of the organization shall be managed and controlled by the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall supervise the programs of the organization, formulate its policies and devise such programs as it shall deem necessary in order to achieve its objectives and purpose.

Article VII: Duties of Officers

The Co-Presidents shall jointly serve as the chief executive officers of the organization and shall be responsible for the administration of its affairs, subject to the approval of the Executive Board. They shall preside at all meetings of the organization and of the Executive Board, and shall represent the organization at appropriate occasions. They shall perform such additional duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Executive Board. They shall have authority to delegate specific responsibilities to any member of the organization and shall confer with and obtain the assistance and advice of the other officers of the organization. They shall be ex-officio members of all standing committees.
The Vice President shall perform duties as delegated to her by the Co-Presidents. She shall be an ex-officio member of the committees delegated to her by the co-presidents.
The Treasurer shall be the fiscal officer of the organization, shall create the annual budget for the Mothers’ Club with the co-presidents, receive and disburse all of the funds of the organization, pay all bills and reimbursements, keep accurate books of account, and render a financial report at each meeting of the Executive Board and at regular meetings of the organization. The operating funds shall be deposited in a regular checking account in a commercial bank. The Co-Presidents and Treasurer shall control the funds with any one signature being necessary. The Treasurer shall also act as the point of contact and manage security and access for the bank account and all other financial services.
The Assistant Treasurer shall reconcile the bank accounts monthly, complete credit card reconciliations monthly, and receive and disburse funds for the organization. She shall also assist the Treasurer as needed.
The Corresponding Secretary shall coordinate with all committee chairs to maintain reports for each committee. She shall also ensure that proper documentation is maintained and properly archived.
The Recording Secretary shall keep the minutes of each monthly business meeting of the organization and of the Executive Board, and render reports in the following month.
The Communications Coordinator shall be responsible for keeping the Fordham Prep community informed about the organization’s events and special projects. She shall send email correspondence and coordinate with the website coordinator and social media coordinator to ensure timely dissemination of information.
The Outreach Coordinator is responsible for overseeing the Mothers' Club Outreach Program which assists Fordham Prep families in times of crisis or transition. She will work with School Administrators to determine when and in what capacity help is needed, as well as coordinate with those families who reach out directly to the Mothers’ Club. The coordinator will also be responsible for overseeing grade level ambassadors.

The immediate Past President shall act as mentor to the Co-Presidents as needed.

Article VIII: Meetings

Meetings will generally be held monthly except during June, July and August. Additional special meetings of the organization may be scheduled throughout the year as the Executive Board deems necessary.
The Executive Board shall generally meet once a month at a time and place designated by the Co-Presidents.
A majority of its members at any monthly business meeting shall constitute a quorum of the Executive Board. The decision of the majority of the Executive Board present at any monthly business meeting shall control and be finally binding.
Any action requiring a vote of the Executive Board may be taken without face-to-face meeting and without an in person vote if written consent is given by the number of board members necessary to take action if the meeting had been held. Written consent may be granted through email.

Article IX: Annual Donation
All members shall be asked to make an annual donation. The suggested amount shall be determined by the Executive Board.

Article X: Nominations for Executive Board
Nominations for the following year shall be made by a Nominating Committee of three (3) members, including a current member of the board. The Chair shall be appointed by the Co-Presidents, and the other members shall be appointed by the Chair with the approval of the Co-Presidents. In addition thereto, the outgoing Co-President shall be an ex-officio member.

A letter seeking nominations shall be e-mailed to all Mothers or Guardians. Nominations shall be submitted to the Chair of the Nominating Committee by a date determined by her but no later than the end of April. If an inadequate number of nominations are received, the Nominating Committee will actively recruit volunteers to fill vacant positions on the Executive Board. The slate of nominated officers shall be presented by the monthly business meeting in May. The installation of the new officers shall take place in June.

Any vacancy in any office may be filled for the unexpired portion of the term by appointment of the Mothers’ Club Executive Board.

Article XI: Committees
The Executive Board may create and dissolve committees as necessary to carry out the particular objectives of the Mothers’ Club. Committee chairs shall be determined by the co-presidents who are responsible for seeking nominations for all open positions. All committee chair positions are subject to Executive Board approval. The procedure and timeline shall mirror nominations for executive board member positions.

Committee chair positions are generally a two-year term unless otherwise specified at time of appointment. Committee chairs shall submit plans of work to the Executive Board for review prior to the implementation of the committee’s work. Committee chairs may be removed by the Executive Board whenever, in its judgment, the best interests of the organization would be served thereby. Such removal shall be by majority vote of the Executive Board.

Article XII: Order of Business
The order of business at all regular meetings of the organization shall be as follows:

Call to order
Prayer
Minutes of previous meeting
Co-Presidents’ report
Vice President’s report
Treasurer’s report
Communication Coordinator’s report
Outreach Coordinator’s report
Reports of Committee Chairs
Unfinished business
New business
Prayer
Adjournment

Article XIV: Student Scholarship
Annually, the organization awards three scholarships to senior students based on an essay submission. Recipients of the scholarships are selected by the Administration of Fordham Prep in early May and announced before the end of the school year.

Article XV: Amendments
Upon prior approval of the Bylaws Committee and the Executive Board, the Constitution and Bylaws may be amended at any monthly business meeting of this organization on two-weeks notice to all Mothers/Guardians. The amendment shall become effective upon ratification by a two-thirds majority vote of those present. If the organization should be dissolved, all funds and assets shall automatically become the property of Fordham Prep.

Article XVI: Enablement
This Constitution shall be in full force and effect upon a majority vote of the Executive Board members present at a monthly business meeting.

Effective date, as amended: 4/13/23