The name of this organization shall be The Villages Genealogical Society, (hereinafter referred to as The Society). The principal office of The Society shall be at the residence of the Society’s President.

Article 2 – Purpose

1. The purpose of The Society is to promote and stimulate knowledge and interest in the study of genealogy, to provide an opportunity for exchange of information among members, to provide educational programs and workshops, and to assist members in genealogical research.

2. The Society is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, “Tax Exempt Organizations,” or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

Article 3 - Membership and Dues

1. Membership shall be open to, and restricted to, residents of The Villages, Florida (hereinafter referred to as The Villages).

2. Dues for a new member is $10.00 and will be payable at the time of joining The Society. Thereafter, annual dues of $10.00 will be required to keep the membership current. The membership year shall run from January 1st, through December 31st. Any changes in dues shall be proposed by the Board and voted upon by the members. On March 31st of each year the membership roster will be culled to delete those members who have not renewed their membership in The Society. Subsequent to such termination of membership, a new membership application along with their $10.00 annual dues payment shall be required of anyone wishing to rejoin The Society.

3. Each member in good standing shall be entitled to participate in all Society functions and vote on all matters that come before the membership, including election of officers and amendments to the By-Laws. A member is in good standing if he or she has paid the current year’s dues.

4. Non-member residents of The Villages wishing to attend a General Membership Meeting shall pay a $5.00 Guest Fee at the door. The guest fee shall be for that meeting only, and is not applicable toward Membership dues.

Article 4 – Meetings

1. Meetings of the Society shall be held at 10 o’clock in the morning on the fourth Wednesday of the month in a recreation center of The Villages or at other times and places designated by the Board of Directors. General membership meetings shall not be held in the months of June, July, August and December, unless deemed necessary by the Board of Directors.

2. At general membership meetings, members present shall constitute a quorum and a majority vote will rule on all matters. A quorum for conducting business at any Board of Directors meeting shall be a simple majority of the Board Members. A simple majority vote will approve motions before the Board.

3. Board of Directors meetings shall be held as required and shall be called at a time and place designated by the President. The Board shall meet at least four times per year.

4. All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with these By-Laws and Robert’s Rules of Order.

Article 5 - Officers and Directors

Officers of the Society shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. Their elected terms shall be for two years. The President shall appoint Directors for functional areas/committees, whose terms shall be for two years. The Board of Directors shall consist of four officers and those directors appointed by the President.

Officers

President - presides over the Board of Directors and general membership meetings; appoints committee Directors; acts as central point of contact for The Society.

Vice-President - assumes duties of President during his/her absence.

Secretary - keeps minutes of Board and general membership meetings.

Treasurer – deposits collected funds and fees; maintains financial records; disburses funds as needed.

Directors

Historian – selects and archives documents generated by the Society; maintains The Society scrapbook

Librarian – handles distribution of donated genealogical materials to area local libraries.

Membership Director - registers new members; maintains/updates membership roster.

Programs Director - arranges for programs and speakers.

Publicity Director - places articles with the media.

SIG Director - Promotes the formation of Special Interest Groups and coordinates information sharing between SIG Leaders, the membership, and the Board of Directors.

Webmaster – maintains The Society’s web site; informs members of The Society’s activities and provides any other genealogical information beneficial to the membership.

Newsletter Editor – edits, organizes and distributes The VGS Newsletter during the year.

With the approval of the Board, The President may Create and appoint committee Directors as he/she may from time to time deem beneficial to the Society.

Vacancies

In case of a vacancy in the office of President, the Vice President shall become President. In the event this should occur, the new President shall appoint a successor Vice President within thirty days of assuming the Presidency. If at any time the offices of President and Vice President become vacant at the same time, the Board of Directors shall meet at the earliest possible time and appoint members to fill the positions and who will serve out the remainder of the terms. Vacancies in other offices shall be appointed by the President to serve until the next regular election.

Article 6 – Finances

1. Funds received by the Society shall be used by the Board of Directors to pay for expenses incurred by the Society during its regular operations. Expenditures in excess of $300.00 shall be approved by the Board of Directors.

2. The Society funds shall be kept at the Citizens First Bank of The Villages or at a financial institution designated by the Board of Directors. The President and/or the Treasurer will be able to sign checks for The Society expenditures that have been approved by the Board of Directors.

3. The Treasurer shall submit a financial statement to the Board of Directors at each Board meeting and maintain financial records in accordance with accepted accounting principles. A yearly financial recap will be provided to the members.

4. The Treasurer’s records will be reviewed every two years at the end of the Treasurer’s term. The President will appoint a person from the membership to conduct this review.

Article 7 – Elections

1. Elections for the President and Vice President shall be held in even numbered years.

2. Elections for all other elected positions shall be held in odd numbered years.

3. Annually, in August the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee to seek qualified candidates for positions that will become vacant the following year. Whenever possible, the Nominating Committee will nominate at least two candidates for each vacancy. Candidates for office must have been members in good standing for the six months immediately prior to the elections.

4. In October, nominations will be presented to the general membership. At this time, nominations will also be accepted from the floor.

5. In November, the election of officers will be conducted electronically. All nominees presented at the October meeting will be placed on the ballot and voted upon.

6. The Nominating Committee in conjunction with the VGS Webmaster will be responsible for identifying and implementing an electronic voting application which will provide for member privacy and one vote per member tracking. Candidates receiving the most votes will be declared the winner. Run-off elections will not be held unless the top two candidates for a position are tied. If required, run-off elections will also be held at the November meeting and conducted via a show of hands.

7. Elected officers will begin their 2-year term on the first day of January of the calendar year immediately following the year of their election. Officers may be re-elected to additional terms.

Article 8 - Revisions of By-Laws

These By-Laws may be revised or amended by a vote, of the membership under the rules stated previously in Article 4 (Meetings) Section 2. All requests for revision or amendment must be presented to the membership at least one month in advance of the vote.

Article 9 - Indemnification and Liability

No individual member or officer of the Society shall be held liable for debts, liabilities or obligations of the Society.

Article -10 – Dissolution

In the event of the dissolution of the organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities. Assets will be transferred evenly, among the three surrounding county library systems, Lake, Sumter and Marion Counties. The transfer of assets must begin within ninety (90) days and be completed within one year.

Article -11 – Record of Adoption and Revisions

These By-Laws were adopted by the general membership on May 26, 1999.

The revised By-Laws were adopted by the general membership on May 22, 2002, May 28, 2003, October 24, 2007, October 28, 2009, May 26, 2010, October 27, 2010, January 26, 2011, November 20, 2013, April 22, 2015, November 18, 2020 and August 27, 2024.