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Rotarian Action Group for Blindness Prevention
 By Laws as Revised
May 15, 2007

Mission Statement:

It shall be the mission of the Rotarian Action Group for Blindness Prevention to:

• Bring together, in fellowship and service, those Rotarians who have an active interest in the prevention of blindness and the promotion of eye health and vision worldwide.

• Provide both a platform and a forum to discuss ideas and develop appropriate cooperative programs to further our shared goals.

• Promote international understanding and peace through our common purpose and efforts.

Qualifications For Membership:

Members must be Rotarians in good standing.  In addition, spouses / partners of active Rotarians are eligible for membership as are members of Rotaracy.  They may be eye care professionals (ophthalmologists, optometrists, opticians) or other interested Rotarians.  Membership will require payment of either Lifetime Dues.  .(Effective with the ByLaw change enacted with the 2007 RAG election).

Board of Directors:

1. The Board of Directors of this RAG shall be members in good standing in the RAG
2. The Board shall consist of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate Past Chair (appointed, not elected), and  nine Directors.
3. The Executive Committee shall include the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and the Immediate Past Chair.
4. The Executive Committee shall fill all vacancies which may occur on the Board or among the RAG officers.
5. In addition to the above officers, Members at Large, representing the seven specific geographic regions as identified by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, may be appointed by the executive committee.  (ie:  Africa, North America, Europe, Western Pacific, Latin America, Eastern Mediterranean, and Asia.)  Those individuals selected as Members at Large shall, as much as possible, reside within the specific geographic region for which they will have responsibility. 
6. PRIP Frank J. Devlyn shall serve as the Permanent Honorary Chair of the RAG and shall serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Executive Committee.  (Effective with the ByLaw change enacted with the 2007 RAG election).

Meetings of the RAG

1. Because of the international nature of the Board, face to face meetings may not be possible.  The Board may conduct its business by correspondence via electronic communications (email) or mail, as needed.
2. The agenda for these meetings will be developed by the Chair and the Secretary.  At least 60 days  days prior to the Board meeting, the secretary shall request input on agenda items for the meeting from all board members.  Items for inclusion on the agenda must be received by the Chairman and the Secretary no later than 45 days prior to the board meeting.
3. Following said meetings, a report will be sent to the membership (electronically).
4. The general membership may freely send to the chair and/or the secretary any issues or concerns to then be discussed by The Board.
5. All decisions by the Board will be by majority vote.
6. The Board shall schedule a general meeting of the RAG  at the annual Rotary International Convention, whenever possible.  Receipt of agenda items by the Secretary or Chairman for this meeting shall coincide with the same time frame as for Board meeting.

Election of RAG Officers:

1. Election of Board members shall be held every year at least 60 days prior to the RI Convention and shall either be a ballot by mail or by electronic means (online) whichever is deemed most practical by the Board.  (Effect with the ByLaw change enacted with the 2007 RAG election.)
2. The secretary will organize the election and give adequate notification to the members.  Names of candidates should be submitted to the chair at least three months prior to the election, if possible.
3. Candidates for the position of chair should be former members of the executive committee.
4. Members of the executive committee and the board are eligible for re-election, with a maximum of four terms with the exception of the Secretary and Treasurer who are eligible to serve indefinitely, but must be re-elected every three years by the membership.
5. For the offices of Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, the candidate with the greatest number of votes shall be the declared the winner. 
6. As the position of “Immediate Past Chair” is automatically filled by the previous chair, this officer shall not be voted on but will assume office immediately upon stepping down or retiring as the chair.
7. In the event that there are more than hnine candidates for the office of director, the nine individuals receiving the greatest number of votes shall be declared the winning candidates.  (Note:  the number of board members was increased from four members to eight members at the June 2005 annual meeting.)  (Effective with the ByLaw change enacted with the 2007 election, the board was increased to NINE members).
8. In the event of a tie for any of the elective officers, there shall be additional ballots cast, as needed, in order to declare a winner.

Eligibility to Vote:

1. Those eligible to vote shall be members of the RAG in good standing at the time the ballots are mailed or the online election commences. 
2. If a member is unable to vote online, the Secretary will provide a proxy ballot to be submitted by FAX, mail or email to the Secretary.
3.  All proxy votes must be received by the RAG Secretary no later than the date specified as the "close of the election" in order to qualify to be cast. (Effective with the ByLaw changes enacted with the 2007 RAG election.)

Responsibilities of the Board:

1. To insure the continued existence of the RAG .

2. To make appropriate meeting announcements sufficiently in advance.

3. To keep the membership adequately informed of RAG activities.

4. To maintain an up to date membership file.

5. To continue active membership recruitment, with specific emphasis on recruiting during each International Convention.

6. To pursue a sound financial policy.

7. To maintain an active web site to keep the membership informed as well as to provide a forum for active discussion, exchange of ideas, and program development and implementation.

Finances:

The treasurer is in charge of finances. The Board has the right at all times to review the books of the treasurer. The treasurer will provide an annual balance sheet and financial report to the membership. Expenses for the operation of the RAG will be covered by dues and contributions received by the RAG .  These expenses shall include, but not be limited to the following:

1. Annual convention expenses including booth construction, booth space rental, printing of handout material and other miscellaneous expenses related to the convention booth
2. Annual meeting expense including printing of agenda and ballots, cost of room rental, and cost of in-room hospitality for all attendees
3. Web Hosting and domain name renewal expense and web maintenance
4. Annual non-profit corporation fees as required by the state of registry and the Internal Revenue Service
5. Annual renewal fee for Online Credit Card Processing and Registration services
6. Newsletter expenses
7. Membership Expenses including items deemed appropriate by the Board.
8. Annual submission of Federal Tax reports, as required.
9. Other expenses as approved by the officers and board

Membership List:

The RAG  membership list (with complete contact information) may be provided to any RAG  member in good standing and shall be posted on the RAG  Web Site (with limited contact information as allowed by Rotary International).

Amendments To By Laws:

Any member in good standing may present proposals to amend these By Laws. These should be submitted to the chair and secretary for consideration of the general membership no later than 60days prior to the convening of the annual Rotary International Convention. It will take a majority of the votes cast by the membership to change the By Laws.  (Effective with the ByLaw Changes enacted during the 2007 annual elections.)

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