1. GENERAL
1.1. Name The name of the organization is the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild, also known as VMQG or Vancouver MQG (or “the Guild” for purposes of this document).
1.2. Purpose The Guild exists to provide a place where modern quilters can meet, share and create. We are the Vancouver, B.C. Canada chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild (MQG), which oversees 200+ modern quilt guilds around the world.
1.3. Contact Information Our mailing address is: Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild PO Box 78037 RPO Grandview Vancouver, BC V5N 5W1 Canada
We can be found online at: http://vancouvermodernquiltguild.ca Instagram: VancouverMQG Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vmqggroup Email the Executive at: executive@vancouvermodernquiltguild.ca
1.4. Fiscal Year and Annual General Meeting The fiscal year of the Guild is November 1st to October 31st. The annual meeting is the October meeting of every year. Elections are held for the Guild executive positions at the annual meeting.
1.5. Privacy Member information is collected for the purpose of Guild business only. Every ef- fort is made to protect the privacy of individual members. Personal information is not offered, for sale or otherwise, to third parties.
1.6. Non-Discrimination No person may be denied membership to the Guild or be denied participation in any guild events or activities based on age, marital status, family status, gender, gender identity or expression, race, national or ethnic origin, genetic characteris- tics, colour, religion, sexual orientation and/or disability.
1.7. Meeting Schedule Guild meetings are held on the 3rd Monday of each month, at the location indi- cated on the Guild website, from 7 pm to 9 pm.
Executive meetings are held in the first week of each month (exact day/date and location determined at the prior executive meeting).
2. MEMBERSHIP
2.1. Membership Membership is granted upon completion of a membership application and pay- ment of dues.
2.2. Dues Dues are set by the Executive and approved through a vote by the Membership.
Those members between the ages of 8 and 18 (junior members) will receive a 50% discount on annual dues.
Membership dues are non-refundable in full or in part.
The Treasurer must receive dues by the October meeting for a membership to re- main in good standing. Membership is valid from November 1st through October 31st.
In May, membership dues for the remainder of the year are pro-rated to half the annual fee (expiring October 31st).
The Executive has the discretion to permit alternate payment arrangements for membership dues on a case-by-case basis.
2.3. Voting Each member in good standing receives one vote towards the election of the Guild executive, as well as any other guild related matters that require voting by membership. Notification of matters requiring a special vote by members shall be announced via email in advance of the guild meeting and decided by a majority of votes cast by members in attendance. In the event of a tie, the President shall cast the deciding vote.
2.4. Participation Members are encouraged to serve on committees and to participate in guild activi- ties.
2.5. Benefits of VMQG membership include:
• Membership in the MQG and associated benefits such as priority registration and discounts for MQG events (see section 3);
• Discounts from local vendors as noted on the VMQG website;
• Priority registration for guild activities;
• Participation in challenges;
• Participation in inter and intra guild swaps; and,
• Participation in the VMQG Facebook (Discussion) Group.
3. MQG MEMBERSHIP
3.1. MQG Membership The Guild is a member of the Modern Quilt Guild – www.themodernquiltguild.com As such, all members of the Guild are also members of the larger MQG.
3.2. MQG Dues The Guild pays dues to the MQG, based on the number of registered VMQG members.
3.3. MQG Membership Cards & Pins The Guild provides a membership list to the MQG in December of each year. Members in good standing by the December meeting receive official MQG mem- bership cards and pins.
4. EXECUTIVE
4.1. Officers The Guild Executive shall consist of:
• President
• Vice President (or, on occasion, the Vice President may serve as Co-presi- dent)
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Membership Coordinator
• Social Media Coordinator
• Education Committee Coordinator
• Other roles, such as Past President, as needed and determined by the offic- ers.
These officers are responsible for overseeing monthly guild meetings and coordi- nating the Guild’s social media, challenges, swaps, workshops, sew-ins, speak- ers, promotional activities, craft fairs, and any other activities and special events.
4.2. Election Officers are elected to a one-year term by a majority of members present at the annual meeting. If only one person is standing for each role, then the officers are acclaimed to their position by a member in good standing.
Each person on the Executive may only hold one position. No person shall serve more than 2 consecutive years in any one executive position and no person shall serve more than 4 consecutive years on the Executive.
4.3. Resignations and Vacancies An officer may resign at any time. Any officer position, with the exception of Presi- dent (or Co-President), can be appointed by the Guild Executive for the remainder of the term. The Vice-President may stand in for the President until elections are held.
4.4. Annual Planning Meeting The officers participate in a one-day planning meeting annually, usually in the first half of the year. The officers may invite other guild members to participate at this event.
5. FINANCIAL
5.1. Bank Account or Banking The President, Vice-President and Treasurer have signing authority for the VMQG’s bank account(s).
The Treasurer deposits all funds delivered to the Guild in the guild bank account. The Treasurer oversees the bank account and delivers any cheques or other money on behalf of the Guild.
The Guild maintains a Paypal account which is also administered by the Treas- urer.
Cheques to the Guild are to be made payable to either VMQG or the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild.
Members and guests are responsible for any and all charges for returned (NSF) cheques.
The VMQG’s bank statements are reviewed once per year by a member of the Guild not currently serving on the Executive.
5.2. Expenses VMQG expenses exceeding $50.00 must have prior approval of the Executive.
To be reimbursed for guild expenses, the individual incurring the expense must submit the Guild expense reimbursement form to the Treasurer along with all rele- vant receipts.
6. GENERAL MEETINGS
6.1. General Meeting Activities The guild meetings consist of guild business, show and tell, door prizes, and may also include challenges, speakers, demonstrations, trunk shows, pop-up shops and other activities as planned by the Executive.
6.2. Duration Meetings start at the scheduled time and last approximately two hours.
6.3. Name Tags Members are encouraged to make and wear name tags to the meeting. Members must be wearing a name tag to be eligible for door prizes.
6.4. Guests (non-members) Guests are welcome to attend guild meetings. The first meeting is free of charge. All subsequent meetings require payment of a $10.00 guest fee.
Members have priority registration for classes, workshops, sew-ins and other ac- tivities. Guests may attend as space permits. Guests will pay non-member rates.
6.5. Sales No sales of goods or services are permitted during the guild meeting, unless oth- erwise approved by the Executive prior to the meeting.
6.6. Photography Members and guests are welcome to take photos during the guild meeting. A member or guest who would like to photograph a minor member or guest must attain permission from the minor’s parent or guardian before taking the photo- graph and/or sharing the photo online or in any promotional materials. The name of the minor is not to be used online or in print.
Photographers for the VMQG take photos during its meetings, workshops and events of members and their quilts for posting on its social media channels and potentially for promotional materials. Credit for the maker’s work will be included where possible.
6.7. Announcements Members must submit announcement requests to the Executive prior to the meet- ing to be added to the business portion of the agenda.
7. COMMITTEES
7.1. Committee Formation Committees are created to assist the Executive in carrying out activities and re- sponsibilities of the Guild.
Committees can be proposed by any member and the Executive may create and/or dissolve any committee as needed.
7.2. Committee Membership Any guild member in good standing may belong to one or more committees.
7.3. Chairperson The Chairperson for each committee is the lead responsible for the general coor- dination of the committee and its membership. The Chairperson reports monthly to the Executive on committee activities.
7.4. Committee Meetings Each committee meets as needed.
7.5. Term The Executive determines the term for the Committee, its members, and Chairper- son.
7.6. Resignation of Chairperson The Executive may remove a committee chairperson who is no longer a guild member in good standing. In the event of a removal or resignation, the Executive may appoint a replacement chairperson.
7.7. Committees
• Retreat Committee
• Quilt Show Committee
• Education Committee (this includes, but not limited to: program, workshops, sew-in, block lotto, round robin)
7.8 Committee initiative documentation Committees will document and share with the VMQG Executive and committee members, any processes, policies, procedures and materials produced as part of committee initiatives. This documentation may include, for example, minutes of meetings, communications (digital documents or copies of written notes), plans or schematics, spreadsheets, forms, supplier information, and graphic files.
8. WORKSHOP/SEW-IN/RETREAT/ACTIVITY POLICIES
8.1. Registration Workshops, sew-ins, retreats and other guild activities will be announced at meet- ings, via email notifications, and through VMQG social media channels. Registra- tion takes place online and at guild meetings. In most cases, registration is on a first come, first serve basis.
For certain popular or high-demand activities, a lottery may be held for registra- tion.
Once registered, fees are non-refundable.
8.2. Coordination & Communication One member of the Executive is in attendance at all guild activities to assist with coordination. If an Executive member is not available, an alternate will be desig- nated from among the Membership. The Executive or guild member in charge is responsible for arriving early to meet the presenter or instructor and assist with set-up, staying late to clean up, and being available to troubleshoot and resolve any issues that may arise.
The Executive member or guild member in charge of the coordination of the activ- ity should be the only point of contact for outside speakers or leaders in order to avoid confusion.
The Executive member or guild member in charge may also be responsible for ac- counting, registration, fees and payments and providing documentation to the Treasurer and Executive post-activity.
If there is a registration fee attached to the activity, the Executive or other member receives a 50% discount on this fee. In the case of a retreat, the designated Re- treat Coordinator will receive a discount on their fees. The amount of this discount will be determined by the Executive following a review of the total projected costs of the event.
8.3. Activity Cancellation and Non-Attendance Refunds will only be provided in the event that the entire activity is cancelled.
The Executive reserves the right to cancel an activity due to low registration.
If a guild member needs to cancel, they must first contact the coordinator to see if there is a wait list. If there is no waitlist, it is the responsibility of the guild member to find a replacement.
Registrations may be transferred between guild members for the same activity and payment for same must be handled by the parties involved.
No refunds are given for non-attendance at any activity.
9. INSURANCE The Guild purchases insurance to cover the Guild in case of bodily injury and/or property damage at a guild event. This insurance is purchased through the Cana- dian Quilters Association (CQA).
10. DISSOLUTION In the event that the Guild is dissolved, any funds remaining in the Guild’s bank accounts will be donated to the BC Children’s Hospital.
Version 2.0 Approved at VMQG General Meeting 2019 08 19