The mission of the Carolinas Chapter of the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) is to further advancement and application of knowledge and skills through the collection, development, and dissemination of information about instructional technology and human performance technologies.

Article II: Membership

Section 1: Eligibility for Membership

Membership in the Carolinas Chapter shall be open to any individual who is professionally interested in the purpose of the chapter, who visibly supports its mission, goals, and objectives, and who participates in chapter meetings, workshops, or conferences during the term of their membership. An individual is an active member of the Carolinas Chapter upon receipt of a fully completed membership application, full payment of annual membership dues, and when he or she actively participates in chapter activities.

Section 2: Membership Privileges

The Chapter Board of Directors shall determine the privileges associated with the types of membership classes and the duration of such privileges. All active chapter members shall be extended the privilege to participate in:

·     Chapter functions, events, and activities

·     Chapter Board of Directors meetings

·     Meetings of other ISPI chapters and sister organizations

·     Chapter publications, which may include a newsletter, Membership Directory or other publications as determined by the Board of Directors under advice of the chapter membership

·     Chapter-sponsored workshops at a significantly discounted rate

Chapter members are eligible to nominate themselves or other active chapter members for elected positions on the Chapter Board of Directors. Only active members can vote for a nominated candidate and/or hold an elected position on the Chapter Board of Directors. Members are extended the privilege of voting on issues placed on an election ballot by the Chapter Board of Directors. Members are entitled to access the online chapter newsletter and to use the services provided by any Job Bank as will be managed by the chapter for exclusive use by chapter members.

Section 3: Classes of Membership

Membership classes will be determined by the Chapter Board of Directors to obtain the objectives of the Carolinas Chapter. Membership classes include Individual, Student, Corporate, Small Business, and Honorary Life.  Members in each category will receive the privileges listed in Article II, Section 2 as long as they remain in good standing with the chapter. The Chapter Board of Directors can determine additional benefits.

Individual Members represent individuals who are eligible for membership in the Carolinas Chapter and pay their annual membership dues in a timely manner upon receipt of a fully completed membership application.

Student Members receive the same benefits as Individual Members, and are eligible for a reduced rate if they can produce evidence of full-time enrollment in a college or university program.

Small Business and Corporate Members receive the same benefits as Individual Members when their organization pays established sponsorship dues appropriate to their organization’s size (as established by the Board of Directors). To obtain this class of membership, a representative of the organization must act as a liaison to receive and disseminate information about the Carolinas Chapter to individuals within their organization. Organizational memberships will be assigned to specifically named individuals at the discretion of the organizational liaison. The organizational liaison must provide those member names to the chapter in order for membership privileges to be granted.

Honorary Life Members receive the same benefits as Individual Members. The Chapter Board of Directors awards this status to active chapter members in recognition of superior, long-standing, and consistent contributions made to the Carolinas Chapter and / or the field of Educational, Instructional, or Performance Technology. Honorary Life Members are not subject to annual membership dues.

Section 4: Delinquency / Expulsion

Any member who is delinquent in paying membership dues shall be notified in writing of the delinquency. If membership dues are not paid within thirty days, the Vice President of Membership for the appropriate region shall remove the member name from the roster of the Carolinas Chapter, and report all such removals at the next scheduled Board meeting.

The President may exclude any individual from membership when they deem such action is in the best interest of the Carolinas Chapter. Any Chapter Board of Directors officer may expel a member from a chapter meeting or function who is disruptive or abusive, who represents harm, or whose presence is perceived as harassment by another chapter member.

Article Ill: Organization

Section 1: Authority

The highest authority for deciding the policies and procedures by which chapter affairs are managed is the Voting Membership duly assembled or voting by mail or secure email. The voting membership approves changes to the Chapter Bylaws, elects the Chapter Board of Directors, resolves policy issues, and confirms, revises, or can repeal any action taken by the Chapter Board of Directors.

Section 2: Chapter Board of Directors

The Chapter Board of Directors consists of elected and appointed officers.  Past Presidents may serve on the Chapter Board of Directors in an advisory (non-voting) capacity. The Chapter Board of Directors shall determine chapter policy and procedures and legislate the Society between meetings of the membership. The Chapter Board of Directors may propose changes to the Bylaws and establish guidelines for conducting chapter business.

a)      Meetings: At their discretion, the President may call or cancel a session of the Chapter Board of Directors. Meetings may be held via teleconference or videoconference at the discretion of the Board of Directors. The Chapter Board of Directors shall meet at least 4 times per year.

b)      Quorum of the Chapter Board of Directors: A majority of the Chapter Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting chapter business in a timely fashion. However, a quorum shall consist of at least three officers, of which two must be elected by the chapter membership.

c)      Voting: A simple majority vote from officers in attendance is necessary to approve actions and issues of the Chapter Board of Directors (i.e., a simple majority is defined as one vote more than 50% of the Chapter Board of Directors in attendance).

Section 3: Officers

Two categories of Chapter Board of Directors officers are elected and appointed officers. Both elected and appointed officers shall serve a term of one year on the Chapter Board of Directors.

The start dates of both Elected and Appointed Officers will take effect on January 1. Officers will continue to serve a term of one year.

a)      Elected Officers: Elected officers of the Society shall be the chapter-wide offices of President, President-Elect, and Vice President of Finance and Records. All elected officers must be Chapter members in good standing and also International members in good standing.  Terms of elected officers will start on January 1, or when duly elected by the membership, and finish when their newly-elected successors take office (with the exception of the President-Elect who automatically becomes the incumbent President).

b)      Appointed Officers: Appointed officers of the Society shall be the regional positions of Vice President of Membership, Vice President of Programs, Vice President of Communications.  These officers will be appointed by the President for each active region of the chapter (as identified by the Chapter Board of Directors). At the discretion of the President, two individuals may serve as Co-Vice Presidents and share responsibility for an appointed office, or a single person may hold any two of these offices in combination (e.g., Vice President of Membership and Communications). The President may also optionally appoint a regional At-Large director or a regional Student Liaison. All appointed officers must be Chapter members in good standing. While International membership is not required for appointed officers, it is strongly encouraged. The President shall appoint these officers for a one-year term that begins on January 1.

c)      Filling Vacancies:  In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the President-Elect shall immediately become President, and a special election shall be held to elect a new President-Elect. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President-Elect, a special election shall be held to elect a new President-Elect. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Vice President of Finance and Records, the President (with the approval of the majority of the Chapter Board of Directors) may appoint an active chapter member to complete the rest of the term. In the event of a vacancy in any appointed position, the President may either appoint a replacement, combine the vacant position with another position (as specified by the bylaws), or leave the position vacant for the remainder of the term, at his discretion.

Section 4: Corrective Action

When a Chapter Board of Directors officer does not fulfill his or her responsibilities, the Chapter Board of Directors may take the following corrective actions:

a)            Informal Intervention: Any elected or appointed officer may request the President or President-Elect to informally meet with another Chapter Board of Directors officer to attempt to resolve misunderstandings, clarify their role, expectations, and inherent responsibilities and obligations.

b)            Removal from Office: If informal intervention does not resolve the problem, a Chapter Board of Directors officer may request that a motion to dismiss this officer be placed on the agenda for a Chapter Board of Directors meeting. An appointed officer shall be removed from office if a simple majority (i.e., one vote more than 50% of the Chapter Board of Directors officers in attendance) of all Chapter Board of Directors officers vote in favor of this action. An elected officer shall be removed from office if two-thirds of the Chapter Board of Directors officers in attendance vote in favor of this action.

Section 5: Relationship with International Society

The Carolinas Chapter of the International Society for Performance Improvement has a Chartered Chapter relationship with the International Society.

A Chartered Chapter has the following relationship with the International Society:

a)      Has at least twenty (20%) International members, meets administrative structure requirements, and abides by current chapter bylaws

b)      Is eligible for Awards of Excellence and Chapter Recognition.

c)      Can use the ISPI logo and name per the specified contract.

d)      Receives specified Chapter development and marketing support services.  Can receive additional support services from the International Society at cost.  Receives discounts on ISPI products that the chapter can then use or resell.

e)      Does not pay dues to the International Society.

f)        Is re-qualified annually by filing a simplified chapter profile consistent with the awards criteria.

Article IV: Duties of Chapter Officers

All elected members if the Chapter Board of Directors shall be members in good standing of both the Carolinas Chapter and the International Society for Performance Improvement. All appointed members if the Chapter Board of Directors shall be members in good standing of the Carolinas Chapter. While appointed members of the Chapter Board of Directors are not required to be members in the International Society for Performance Improvement, such membership should be strongly encouraged by the President.

Section 1.  President

The President-Elect shall automatically become the President on January 1 of each year.  The President will be the Chief Executive Officer of the chapter, and preside over all chapter and Chapter Board of Directors meetings.  The President shall represent the chapter in all of its functions and activities, and shall be ultimately responsible for the chapter’s direction and attaining its mission. In the year following his or her term in office, the President may serve in an advisory capacity on the Chapter Board of Directors, and, if willing and available, has the prerogative to serve as chairperson of the Nominations Committee.

Section 2: President-Elect

The President-Elect is an elected officer of the chapter, is a member of the Chapter Board of Directors, and will act in the capacity of the President in his or her absence. The duties of the President-Elect include future chapter directions, chapter policies, and procedures. In this capacity, the President-Elect is responsible for establishing a Bylaws Committee on a bi-annual basis to review / revise the Chapter Bylaws, and an Awards Committee on an annual basis to determine eligibility and apply for International Society awards. In addition, the President-Elect is the liaison to the International Society, and is responsible for compiling and submitting the Chapter Profile to the International Society, as well as submitting Chapter Awards of Distinction documentation previously approved by the Chapter Board of Directors. The President-Elect shall automatically become President of the chapter January 1, in the year succeeding his or her election. .

Section 3: Vice President of Finance and Records

The Vice President of Finance and Records is an elected officer of the chapter, is a member of the Chapter Board of Directors, and is responsible for the sound financial operation of the chapter and for maintaining the legal and other official documents of the chapter. The Vice President of Finance and Records shall:

·     Be responsible for collecting dues and other monies due to the chapter, depositing chapter funds into the chapter's bank account, making disbursements, maintaining complete and up-to-date financial records, and providing financial reports to the Chapter Board of Directors and the International Society.

·     Prepare and submit an annual chapter budget to the Chapter Board of Directors in advance of the final Board meeting of the year for approval and to the International Society.

·     Conduct an annual break-even analysis (to ensure the chapter remains financially viable) and an audit of all accounts at the end of each year, providing both to the Chapter Board of Directors at the final Board meeting of the year.

·     Provide an annual determination to the Chapter Board of Directors at the final Board meeting of the year as to whether all conditions for retaining the chapter’s non-profit status have been met during the preceding year, along with recommendations for correcting any deficiencies.

·     Record minutes of all Chapter Board of Director meetings, or appoint an individual to record the minutes of these meetings.

·     Maintain all legal and other official documents of the chapter, or coordinate the maintenance of such documents with an administrative manager (or management company) designated by the Chapter Board of Directors.

Section 4: Regional Vice President of Membership

Each regional Vice President of Membership is an appointed officer of the chapter, is a member of the Chapter Board of Directors, and is responsible for promoting membership in the chapter and for identifying qualified persons for inclusion in the chapter’s contact database. Within the assigned region, the Vice President of Membership shall:

·     Respond to inquiries from prospective members.

·     Process membership registrations and renewals.

·     Provide updates of the chapter’s contact database to the chapter’s administrative manager (or management company) or other person designated in accordance with the provisions of this section.

·     Provide the following support for chapter meetings held within the assigned region:

·     Maintain and provide at the meeting all materials necessary for attendee registration (per any standard procedures for meeting administration adopted by the Chapter Board of Directors).

·     Arrange for volunteers to run meeting registration.

·     Forward the registration and membership fees collected at the meeting to the Vice President of Finance and Records or a designated proxy.

·     Execute any other duties specified in any standard procedures for meeting administration adopted by the Chapter Board of Directors.

·     As directed by the Chapter Board of Directors, conduct an annual membership survey to determine the professional needs of the membership. The Board will designate one regional Vice President of Membership to coordinate the annual survey, with the other regional Vice Presidents of Membership assisting.

In the event that the Chapter Board of Directors does not currently retain an administrative manager (or management company), the Chapter Board of Directors shall designate one of the regional Vice Presidents of Membership to retain and maintain the chapter’s contact database and to distribute copies of database listings to other board members as needed..

Section 5: Regional Vice President of Programs

Each regional Vice President of Programs is an appointed officer of the chapter, is a member of the Chapter Board of Directors, and is responsible for chapter meeting coordination within the assigned region. Within the assigned region, the Vice President of Programs shall:

·     Identify and schedule speakers and topics of interest to present to the membership in accordance with the meeting schedule guidelines established for the region by the Chapter Board of Directors.

·     Identify a host organization and make arrangements for appropriate meeting facilities (including audio-visual equipment, as needed).

·     Maintain communication with the speaker(s) prior to the meeting to ensure that chapter meeting presentation standards are upheld (e.g., on topic, within time limits, no marketing of services or products, etc.).

·     Provide the speaker(s) with all necessary chapter and / or meeting information.

·     Provide the meeting date, time, presenter information, program description, meeting site address, and driving directions to the region’s Vice President of Communication (for inclusion in the meeting announcement).

·     Emcee the meeting, unless another chapter officer is present and agrees to do so.

·     Obtain feedback on the program from attendees, and reporting on that feedback to the Chapter Board of Directors.

·     Coordinate meeting facility clean up.

·     Send appreciation letters to the speaker(s) and the host.

·     Execute any other duties specified in any standard procedures for meeting administration adopted by the Chapter Board of Directors.

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Section 6: Regional Vice President of Communications

Each regional Vice President of Communications is an appointed officer of the chapter, is a member of the Chapter Board of Directors, and is responsible for communicating chapter events, chapter news, and other information of general interest to chapter members and others in the chapter’s contact database, in coordination with all other regional Vice Presidents of Communication. Each Vice President of Communication shall:

·     If designated as the chapter newsletter editor under the provisions of this section, ensure the timely publication of the chapter newsletter each month on the chapter web site, in coordination with the chapter web site manager.

·     If designated as the chapter web site manager under the provisions of this section:

·     Exercise oversight of all aspects of designing and maintaining the chapter web site, including content, resource links, and services provided through on-line transactions.

·     Coordinate maintenance of all sections of the chapter web site with the chapter’s administrative manager (or management company) or other person designated in accordance with the provisions of this section.

·     Provide the following support for chapter meetings held within the assigned region:

·     Produce the meeting announcement (and, if needed, meeting flyer), based on input from the region’s Vice President of Programs.

·     Distribute the meeting announcement; if the Chapter Board of Directors currently retains an administrative manager (or management company), coordinate distribution of the meeting announcement with the administrative manager (or management company).

·     Email copies of the meeting flyer to chapter members for further distribution, if requested.

·     Send press releases announcing the meeting to regional media outlets, as appropriate.

·     Execute any other duties specified in any standard procedures for meeting administration adopted by the Chapter Board of Directors.

·     Contribute appropriate professional articles to the chapter newsletter, under the guidance and direction of the newsletter editor.

·     Contribute appropriate content to the chapter web site, under the guidance and direction of the web site manager.

·     Provide guidance and assistance to other chapter officers and to chapter committees in developing all regional communications and in developing chapter communications when requested by the Chapter Board of Directors.

The Chapter Board of Directors shall designate one of the regional Vice Presidents of Communication to be the editor of the chapter’s newsletter and one to be the web site manager. These designations may be given to the same person, at the Board’s discretion. In the event that the Chapter Board of Directors does not currently retain an administrative manager (or management company) with a contract provision for web site maintenance, the web site manager shall make the necessary arrangements for technical assistance to fulfill this function. Such arrangements are subject to the approval of a majority of the Chapter Board of Directors prior to implementation.

Article V: Additional Officers and Standing Committees

Section 1: Additional Officers

At his or her discretion, the President may appoint a regional At-Large director (to advise and assist the other regional officers) or a regional Student Liaison (to coordinate and promote participation by college and university students in the region). These appointments carry no tenure, however, and may be revoked at any time by the President.

Section 2: Standing Committees

The chapter may have such Standing Committees as are deemed necessary by the Chapter Board of Directors, including (at a minimum) Nominations, Bylaws (biannually), Awards, and Audit. The immediate Past President has the prerogative to chair the Nominations Committee, if he or she is available and willing. Otherwise, the incumbent President shall chair that committee. The President-Elect shall chair the Bylaws and Awards committees. The Vice President of Finance and Records shall chair the Audit Committee. The Chairpersons of all other Standing Committees shall be appointed by the President and shall report to the President or a Vice President designated by the President. The Chairpersons will select active chapter members to serve on their respective committees.

Article VI: Nominations and Elections

Section 1: Nominations Committee

By September 1, either the immediate Past President or the incumbent President (as appropriate under the provisions of Article V, Section 2 of these Bylaws) shall form a Nominations Committee of not less than three members, and will serve as its chairperson. The Committee shall canvas the membership for suggested nominations for the elected positions on the Chapter Board of Directors, and submit these nominations to the membership for voting by November 1.

Section 2: Voting

The elected officers of the Chapter Board of Directors will be selected by printed or email ballot submitted by the active chapter members to the Chapter Board of Directors under procedures provided by the incumbent Chapter Board of Directors. If email balloting is used, those members of the Chapter Board of Directors who are assigned the task of tallying the votes may not disclose to any other chapter member or non-member how any individual member voted. The nominee receiving the highest number of votes for each office shall be elected to that position on the Chapter Board of Directors. In the event that a candidate is unopposed, the nominations committee will send a confirmation ballot to the general membership to approve or reject the election of this person to the  position for which he or she has been nominated.

Article VII: Expenditures From Chapter Funds

Chapter Board of Directors officers have authority to receive reimbursement for chapter business if the expenditure does not exceed a predetermined amount specified by the Vice President of Finance and Records. To incur an expense that exceeds a predetermined amount, the Chapter Board of Directors officer must propose a spending request at a Chapter Board of Directors meeting to be approved. If a majority of officers vote in favor of the proposed request, the request is approved. All Chapter Board of Directors officers must present an original receipt to the VP of Finance within 30 days of purchase to receive reimbursement.

Article VIII: Dues

The Chapter Board of Directors shall determine the basic dues of the Society. The dues shall be based on membership class. Monthly meeting and any workshop fees will be lower for members than non-members. Any outstanding debts to the chapter must be paid in full before a chapter member's application for renewal can be processed by the Society.  Membership dues shall be waived for Honorary Life Members. Dues may also be waived in recognition of exceptional volunteer services recognized by a Chapter Board of Directors officer, and approved by a majority of the Board.

Article IX: General Membership Meetings

Section 1: General Meetings

Regular meetings will be held no less than ten times a year at locations convenient to the membership, evenly divided among the active regions, insofar as is possible. Special effort will be made to consistently schedule meetings within a given region on the same day (i.e., third Thursday of the month) and time. In the event of a change of meeting time or location, members must be notified in writing or via email at least seven days in advance of the change by the Vice President of Programs in the host region.

Section 2: Special Meetings

With the approval of the Chapter Board of Directors, the President may call special meetings of the membership. The date, time, location, and agenda of any special meetings will be published at least thirty days in advance.

Section 3: Quorum

Three members of the Chapter Board of Directors (including at least two elected officers) and a simple majority of active chapter members shall jointly constitute a quorum at a general or special meeting. All actions shall be approved after a majority vote from those present, except for removal of officers (per Article III, Section 4 of these Bylaws) and amendments to these Bylaws (per Article X of these Bylaws).

Article X: Amending the Bylaws

Any amendments to these bylaws shall require a majority vote of a quorum of the Chapter Board of Directors (per Article III, Section 2 of these Bylaws).