Bylaws

Please read below to view the full bylaws of Fathers Anonymous. For more information, contact us.

ARTICLE I. NAME, AFFILIATION, PURPOSE

SECTION 1. NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION

(A) The name of the organization shall be “Fathers Anonymous”. Herein after, FA.

SECTION 2. ORGANIZATION AFFILIATION

(A) All official FA organizations, to include but not limited to, State and International chapters, programs, and services SHALL be registered with FA.

SECTION 3. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

(A) To bring within the organization, all people, fathers, mothers, children and families alike, who are engaged in or connected to all walks of life, under the banner of Fathers Anonymous, to foster in their hearts the spirit of mutual helpfulness, and to impress them with the obligation to do the best for the welfare of each member and for the Organization as a whole.

(B) To adopt and put into active operation, an effective plan, to stabilize and provide full advocacy for all the members.

(C) To advocate for the health, safety, and wellbeing of our members while they journey through the family court system, and for any member so needing advocacy.

(D) To prevail upon all levels of government the necessity of fathers and their impacts on their children.

(E) To impress upon society the need for reforms with regards to how they view fathers and fatherhood.

(F) To abolish the prejudice against fathers within family court.

(G) To adopt and advocate a plan of cooperation with other organizations by concerted coordinated action making it possible for all to reap the full benefit of equality.

SECTION 4. CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, AND SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES AND POWERS

(A) The purposes of the Corporation, as set forth in the Articles of Incorporation, are exclusively charitable, educational, or religious, within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the corresponding provision of any future Federal tax law (“Section 501(c)(3)”). In furtherance of such purposes, the Corporation shall have the same powers as an individual to do all things necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes, as set forth in the Articles of Incorporation and these Bylaws.

SECTION 5. INCLUSION

(A) Despite the specificity of the organizations name, Fathers Anonymous is an organization that welcomes any member, both men and women, who desire to see equity in all matters related to the family.

(B) Fathers Anonymous does not and shall not discriminate based on race, color, creed, gender, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations; these activities include, but are not limited to, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services.

(C) Fathers Anonymous is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members, volunteers, contractors, vendors, and clients.

SECTION 6. APPLICATION OF BY-LAWS

(A) This document lists the by-laws of FA and define its governance and operations. The intent is to not elaborate on policies and procedures, keeping these by-laws brief. Anything not covered in these by-laws shall be adopted in policies approved by the Board of Directors and/or Executive Director.

ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1. ELIGIBILITY

(A) Any person having the same desire as the organization shall be eligible for membership.

(B) Membership shall not be denied based upon race, color, creed, gender, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status.

SECTION 2. TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP

(A) Regular Members

I. These individuals are members of the community by utilizing FA’s services and programs.

II. Fathers Anonymous is not responsible for any actions taken, messages communicated, or opinions expressed by these members.

(B) Volunteer Members

I. Volunteers who commit (10) ten hours per month to visiting the main page and/or state page sharing, emailing, messaging, and otherwise disseminating FA’s articles, videos, podcasts, posts, events, and other information in furtherance of FA’s mission, values, and message.

II. Volunteers must adhere to policies and procedures as prescribed when offered a position with FA.

I. These volunteers hold a position of supervision within Fathers Anonymous.

II. These positions may be created as needed in furtherance of FA’s goals and mission.

III. These positions may be filled by either recruitment or appointment in accordance with policy.

(D) Board of Directors

I. These members are detailed in Article III of this document.

SECTION 3. MEMBERSHIP DUES

(A) FA does not charge any fees or dues for membership currently.

(B) Any program or service offered by FA shall state any cost associated with said program/service in the policy, procedure, operating manual, and/or advertising.

SECTION 4. REVOCATION OF MEMBERSHIP

(A) FATHERS ANONYMOUS is a private organization and reserves the right to withhold or terminate membership of any level by means including, but not limited to, blocking accessibility and denial of products and services.

(B) Revocation of membership may be allowed for

I. Failure to comply with Policies and Procedures

II. Violation of terms of service

III. Any actions that violate state or federal law

IV. Harassment, discrimination, or any other standards of conduct violations

V. Just cause

ARTICLE III. ORGANIZATION

SECTION 1. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

(A) The Board of Directors shall be known herein after as the Board and shall be made up of Volunteers.

(B) The Board shall not receive any compensation for their services except for reimbursement for preapproved expenses as prescribed by the Board.

I. The Board, at a minimum, shall have three (3) members consisting of the President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

II. The Board may add members by majority vote .

III. The Board shall not consist of an even number of members.

(a) Should the board composition be an even number, greater than three (3), the President of the Board shall not vote on any action unless there is a tie, and then the President shall cast the tie-breaker vote.

(D) Optional Members of the Board

I. Vice President

II. At Large positions

(E) Elected positions may be filled, as needed, in a temporary capacity until the Board initiates the election process as prescribed in section 3.

(F) The Board has the discretion to appoint an Executive Director, who is authorized to manage the day-to-day operations of Fathers Anonymous.

(G) The Board has the discretion to appoint an Executive Committee with the authority to issue temporary, emergency decisions, which may consist of Board Members and Staff Volunteer Members. Any temporary decision shall be recorded and immediately reported to the Board, and that decision will be subject to ratification or rejection at the next board meeting.

SECTION 2. ELECTIONS AND VOTING

(A) Elections shall occur during the Month of March, with the officers taking office in April/May of the same year.

(B) A nominating committee will be appointed by the President and Vice-President to offer recommendations for open offices, no later than February.

(C) A Board member, whose position is not up for vote, will chair the nominating committee, as directed by the President and Vice-President.

(D) The Board member responsible for the nomination committee will ensure the vote is carried out with as much transparency.

I. The committee will gather nominations of interested volunteers.

II. At Large positions shall be open to all Staff and non-staff volunteer members, unless the Board has implemented Membership Dues, in which case, any member in good standings with their dues will also be allowed to be nominated.

III. President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary shall be open to all Staff Volunteer Members.

IV. The Committee Chair shall transmit the nominations to the President, or Vice-President if the President is up for nomination, so that it can be put up for vote with an approved method as directed.

V. The President will confer with the Chair that the ballot is correct and then submit the ballot to the membership.

VI. The ballot shall be open for vote for 7 days.

VII. Only volunteers, staff volunteers, and Board members shall be authorized to vote, unless the Board has implemented membership Dues, in which case, any member in good standings with their dues will also be allowed to vote.

VIII. The Committee chair, President, and the Secretary shall validate the outcome of the vote and record it so that it may be presented to the Board at the April/May meeting for ratification.

IX. Once Ratified, the Board will swear in the new members, and the outgoing member, should it be a different person, shall work with their replacement for a smooth transition.

(E) To ensure continuity of the Board, terms for the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer, shall last for three (3) years. The Vice-President and Secretary shall be voted on in the same year. Neither the President, nor the Treasurer may be voted on in the same year of any other non-At Large position.

(F) The At Large Positions shall be every two (2) years, alternating (1) one of the at large positions, so that there can be continuity of the Board.

(G) There is no limit to the number of terms one can hold office.

SECTION 3. REMOVAL OF BOARD MEMBERS

(A) Members of the Board may be removed from a current term by

I. Written letter of Resignation, addressed to the President of the Board and copied to the Secretary; or

II. By vote of the board in which 67% of all voting Members of the Board vote in favor. Such vote shall be conducted by ballot as prescribed by the election process, or by roll call vote if all members agree to a roll call.

(B) The Board requests that any resignation be with 30 days’ notice, or if practicable to wait until the vote of that year.

(C) Any vote to remove a Board member, SHALL be the first order of business in the meeting, and shall be conducted with fairness and due process to all involved.

(D) Nothing precludes the Board from deciding to move in a different direction with the members of the board, and that all vacated seats, must be filled by the voting requirements of these bylaws, as soon as applicable.

SECTION 4. MEETINGS

(A) Fathers Anonymous shall hold two (2) types of meetings:

I. Open Board meetings: These meetings are open to the volunteers, staff volunteers, and any dues paying members in good standing.

II. Executive Board meetings: These meetings are for the officers of the Board (i.e., President, treasurer, secretary, vice-president, and at-large positions) and are not open to the general membership.

(B) OPEN Meetings shall be held quarterly congruently unless otherwise specified in a time period no less than seven (7) days prior to the meeting date..

(C) EXECUTIVE Board meetings shall be held, as needed, on any day of the month and predetermined by the majority of the Board no less than fourteen (14) calendar days prior, excluding the Open Meeting date. Any business handled during these meetings will be reported on during the Open Meeting.

(D) It is strongly preferred that OPEN meetings be held monthly, but not less than four (4) times a year by video conference. It is MANDATORY that all Board members attend all board meetings. The meetings shall be publicly posted with an agenda at least three (3) days in advance.

(E) Should a Board member miss a meeting, the member must provide an adequate excuse. Any reports that are the charge of the board member must be submitted to the President and Secretary three (3) days in advance. If a Board member has two (2) unexcused absences in a row, or three (3) per year, then the Board member may be dismissed from the Board by consensus of the Board, in accordance with the removal procedure outlined in Section 3.

(F) Meetings will be Governed by Roberts Rules of Order.

(G) The Meeting shall be held in the manner listed

I. Call to Order

II. Roll Call of Officers

III. Introduction of visitors/guests if applicable

IV. Reading of Minutes

V. New Members

VI. Nomination of Officers (if applicable)

VII. Election of Officers (if applicable)

VIII. Swearing of Officers (if applicable)

IX. Treasurers Report and Payment of Bills

X. Reports on Committees

(a) Executive

(b) Fundraising

(d) Admin (policy/HR)

(e) Public Advocacy (Social Media/Marketing)

(f) Operations (programs/services)

XI. Unfinished Business

XII. Communications

XIII. New Business

XIV. Sick and Disabled members

XV. Good of the Order

XVI. Adjournment

(H) Each member of the Board shall be entitled to one (1) vote on each motion.

(I) Quorum requires 50% +1 (one) of the membership of the Board.

(J) Unless specifically stated elsewhere, a simple majority of quorum is all that is required to pass a seconded motion.

(K) In the event of a pressing matter, the voting members of the Board may present a motion to be proxied through an official channel (e.g. organizational internal email). The motion must be sent to ALL voting members of the Board, it must be seconded, any conversation must be in direct response to the motion in a transparent manner to all voting members, and must have unanimous “Aye”s for the vote to pass. The duration for the motion to remain valid shall be no more than seven (7) calendar days.

SECTION 5. DUTIES OF ELECTED OFFICERS

(A) President: Presides over and calls all meetings of the Board; leads votes of all Board elections and decisions; Ensures Board members are aware of and fulfill their responsibilities in compliance with by-laws, policies, and guidelines; ensures accountability for members’ performance. Has voting rights in the event of a tie.

(B) Vice-President: Reports directly to the President; in the short-term absence of the President, fills the role of Acting President; Assumes the office of President if he or she is no longer able to fulfill the role; ensures direct reports are aware of and fulfill their responsibilities in compliance with by-laws, policies, and guidelines; ensures accountability for direct reports’ performance. Has Voting privileges.

(C) Secretary: Reports directly to the President; responsible for taking, distributing, and maintaining official minutes of all Board meetings; Responsible for maintaining official records and correspondences in compliance with by-laws, policies, and federal and local laws; responsible for preparing and distributing agendas for all board meetings; files any necessary reports and forms and ensures non-profit compliance throughout the organization, chapters, programs, and services. Has voting Privileges.

(D) Treasurer: Reports directly to the President; manage finances of FA in accordance with the policies; responsible for financial analysis, taxes, auditing, fundraising, and property; shall collect all dues, fines, assessments and all monies from any source for the benefit of FA; keep a systematic account of all disbursements in such a way to show the balance of cash on hand at the close of each month; file all receipted bills; keep a correct account of the books and submit the books to the auditing committee semiannually. Has voting Privileges.

(E) At-Large: shall have oversight of all property belonging to FA; shall see that all the books are properly kept, and at the time of the semiannual audit shall examine all books and accounts to verify the reports by attaching their signatures thereto; shall be accountable to the membership for the funds and other property under the control of FA; shall assist the other board members as requested by the President of the Board. Has voting Privileges.

ARTICLE IV. MODIFICATIONS TO THE BY-LAWS

SECTION 1

(A) Additions or deletions to the By-laws may be presented in writing to the Secretary of the board at any regularly scheduled or executive board meeting prior to January 1st.

(B) Proposed modifications will be announced and disseminated from review no later than the February Board Meeting.

(C) Discussion and review will be had until March 31. A formal announcement on the final revision will be made on April 1st.

(D) Notice will be disseminated to the membership of the proposed Language and will be submitted to the elections chair. The Election Chair will ensure the proposed change is included on the ballot for membership review.

(E) Changes to the By-Laws may be approved by a 67% majority of all Voting Members of Fathers Anonymous. Voting on any By-Law change will take place on the yearly election ballot of officers.

(F) After the vote, the Secretary, President, and the Election Chair will review the results of the election and announce the decision. If passed, the Secretary and President will ensure the by-laws are updated, not later than June 1.

FA-BYLAWS-REV-3 03/4/24