SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS

CHAPTERS ORGANIZING GUIDELINES

and

HANDBOOK

Revised July 2017

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SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS

Chapters Organizing Guidelines and Handbook

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section Title Page

Section 1 Organizing and Affiliating a Chapter 2

Section 2 Chapter Bylaws 21

Section 3 Chapter Finances 34

Section 4 Membership & Verification 41

Section 5 Chapter Elections 44

Section 6 Officers and Their Duties 51

Section 7 Promotion and Publicity 70

Section 8 Chapter Activities 79

Section 9 Chapters and Copyright 89

Section 10 Chapter Achievement & Yearly filings 92

Section 11 Knowing Your SDP 105

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SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS

Section 1

Organizing and Affiliating

CONTENTS PAGE

Organizing an SDP Chapter 3

Code of Ethics 4

Leadership 5

Meetings 6

Establishing Chapter Bylaws 7

Establishing Annual Dues 8

Selecting a Chapter Name 9

Privileges of Affiliated Chapters 10

Requirements of Affiliated Chapters 11

Loss of Affiliation 13

The Society as a Non-Profit Organization 14 (U.S. Chapters)

Attachments:

Letter from IRS with Society’s non-profit designation Letter from IRS with Society’s group number Sample of how to complete SS-4 form

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ORGANIZING AN SDP CHAPTER You have expressed a desire to organize a local painting group in your area. Congratulations on taking your first step to develop an SDP chapter! Receipt of the New Chapter Form allows the Society to list the group as an organizing chapter and to provide pertinent information and support from the Society’s Chapters Department.

Basic to organizing the chapter is the understanding that people who are interested in joining the chapter are required to be members of the Society of Decorative Painters. The organizing group has an obligation to provide Society membership information and to advise those interested that if they would like to join the local chapter, they must join the Society.

Membership application forms are available from the Society and can also be downloaded from the Society’s web page: www.decorativepainters.org. Your chapter must use the official SDP membership form for membership; chapter membership may develop a separate form.

SDP chapters do allow guests, potential chapter members and non-resident SDP members to visit chapter meetings and to participate in chapter activities, usually once or twice during the year. Please make your guests and potential members feel welcome. Invite them to attend a chapter meeting or two and, if they like the painting activities and enjoy the camaraderie with painting friends, invite them to join the Society and the chapter!

Remember to inform prospective members that Society membership is a prerequisite to the chapter membership. The Society will provide a zip code list of Society members in the area from which an organizing chapter would draw. Please submit the first three digits of the zip codes in your vicinity to the Society’s Chapter Department to receive the zip code list.

We’re glad you are interested in starting a new chapter! The Society’s Chapters Department is equipped with resources to assist you in this new endeavor, so if you have any questions or need additional information, please contact:

Society of Decorative Painters Chapters Department 1220 E. 1st Street

Wichita, KS 67214 Phone: (316) 269-9300

E-mail: chapters@decorativepainters.org

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Code of Ethics for Chapters of the Society of Decorative Painters

As members of a chapter of the Society of Decorative Painters our purpose, in common with that of the Society, is the promotion of decorative painting. To this end we pledge ourselves to support the goals and purposes of the chapter of the Society:

To keep the lines of communication open with fellow chapter and Society members,

respecting one another and following appropriate lines of communication.

To have a positive and open attitude, listening to fellow members’ opinions.

To remember the importance of an active membership, contributing our time and talents.

To maintain high standards of integrity and honesty.

To respect the rights of each member individually, and the right of the majority to

govern; therefore supporting the decision of the majority, regardless of how we personally voted.

To support and cooperate with leaders who serve the chapter, respecting the time

and dedicated service of past leaders, and when completing our terms as officers, relinquishing our responsibilities cheerfully to support new leaders.

To promote a friendly chapter environment where chapter members motivate and

inspire one another, and where differences of opinion are accepted without a need to continue to discuss past differences.

To accept and respect the varied reasons members have for chapter membership

and the varied skill levels they represent.

To remember Chapters are nonprofit organizations and their goal is to promote decorative painting for everyone.

To realize the conduct and activities of the chapter and its members reflect on the

entire Society of which the chapter is a part. As members of the chapter and of the Society, we acknowledge this code of ethics as an expression of our determination to maintain high professional standards. It is only the conscience of the individual who subscribes to this code that can guarantee its effectiveness.

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LEADERSHIP It is suggested that chapters start the organizational process with a steering committee. The committee must decide among themselves who will be responsible for various areas of responsibility, such as the duties of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Newsletter Editor and so forth.

An organizing group can choose to operate with a steering committee until the timing seems right to hold an election.

The timing of the first election can vary depending upon when the organizational meeting takes place and how many times a year the group chooses to meet. If the group chooses to hold an election in late spring or early summer, they might also include in their minutes a proviso that officers elected would continue to serve through the following year to add continuity in leadership. The following year they would elect officers in the fall as designated in the bylaws.

The chapter does not belong to any one member but to the group as a whole. It is important to involve as many members as possible in order to establish that there is room in the chapter for everyone. New members should be integrated in activities as soon as possible.

Bylaws state that officers will be elected in the fall or prior to the first of the year, and take office January 1. Chapters of the Society operate on the calendar year, January 1 through December 31, with officers and with financial records.

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MEETINGS Chapter meetings should be held at a neutral place during the organizational process rather than a local shop, if possible. It must be understood that the chapter is open to any Society member regardless of where they take classes. Once the chapter is established and it is agreeable to the membership, the chapter may choose to meet in a shop. If your chapter covers a large area, it is advisable to meet in a central location or rotate meeting places to avoid having the same members drive long distances each time.

A minimum of four (4) business meetings must be held each year. Organizing groups generally meet monthly or may choose to meet every other month. Once regular meeting times have been set, this information will be included in the standing rules of the chapter bylaws.

A steering committee may plan subsequent meetings after the initial interest meeting. Members should then be allowed to vote on how many times they want to meet, on which day of the week, and in what location. Your chapter may choose as many activities and projects as your members wish. Some chapters limit themselves to meetings and classes or workshops only. The more activities, the more opportunities your members have to get to know on another and share their talents. Invite a member from an existing chapter near you to demonstrate for one of your meetings.

Publicizing meetings: You will want to fully publicize your meetings to reach everyone in your community. Again, ask for volunteers to get things going. Some suggested methods of advertising are:

• Notify radio and television stations one week in advance of the next meeting and in writing.

• Display posters or fliers in shops or store windows. • Notify newspapers in your area at least two weeks in advance. If your newspaper has a

calendar section of community events, ask if your chapter meeting can be included in the calendar listing.

• Develop prospective members from: Those who have attended any previous meetings Area teachers and their students A zip code list of members in your area provided by the Society

Communication: The newsletter is the chief means of informing members of meeting dates and other events within the chapter. It is a key element for developing a chapter. It is important to select someone to do the job now, even on a temporary basis. Additional copies should be provided for use in distribution to interested individuals. The Society needs to be included on the chapter’s newsletter mailing list. Emailing newsletters to chapters@decorativepainters.org is the preferred method, but hard copies may also be mailed to the SDP office.

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ESTABLISHING CHAPTER BYLAWS

Organizing groups are required to adopt the chapter bylaws provided by the Society. Refer to Section 2 for a sample of Chapter Bylaws. Adopting the bylaws is helpful in the organizational process, as they are general rules by which the chapter will operate. Adopting the bylaws should be one of the first actions taken by the group. The head of the steering committee should call for motion to adopt, which is then recorded in the minutes for that meeting.

The organizing chapter members should make every effort to acquaint themselves with the bylaws. It is advantageous for every member to have a copy. Organizing groups are advised not to change bylaws until the chapter is affiliated. If you have questions, contact the Chapters Coordinator.

Once the Chapter is affiliated it is recommended that By-Laws and Standing Rules are reviewed and updated on a regular basis, maybe bi-yearly. This is necessary as your Chapter changes.

All changes need to be sent to SDP for review and approval and a final copy with date should be sent to the SDP Chapter Coordinator.

Standing Rules:

Whereas bylaws provide the general rules of the chapter, standing rules specify particular items such as the months the group will normally meet, the specified amount of the dues and when they are due.

Standing rules may be changed if necessary at any meeting with a quorum present.

Any changes made should be stated as voted on and noted on a separate page, showing the date of the minutes where the action was taken.

Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised is a parliamentary authority recognized for any item not covered in your bylaws. Please purchase a copy for your chapter.

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ESTABLISHING ANNUAL DUES Organizing chapters many times “pass the hat” at the first organizational meeting in order to provide operating funds until the amount of dues can be voted on. Records must be kept on any monies collected and receipts should be given on monies received.

Interested parties joining the chapter must be advised of the requirement of Society membership. The chapter can provide the prospective member with an original, approved Society membership application or direct her to apply online at SDP’s website. Upon receipt of their Society membership card, they must present the card to the chapter to verify current Society membership. If proof of SDP membership is needed before membership card is received, please contact the SDP Chapter Dept. for verification.

Chapters of the Society operate January 1 to December 31 with respect to both officers and finances. Most chapters choose to make chapter dues due in the fall of the year for the following calendar year; that gives some indication of the number of members and how they need to budget their funds.

In establishing the amount of dues, there are a number of costs to be considered, although not every chapter will incur each of these expenses:

• Postage • Telephone expenses • Rent – meeting space, workshops • Public relations – promotion, posters • Printing and supplies • Stationery • Newsletter • Website • Conference • Seminars

When the members have voted on the amount of dues, this information should be recorded in the standing rules.

The members of the steering committee who have taken the responsibility of President and treasurer should open a chapter account and deposit collected funds as soon as possible. Both names should be on the signature card at the bank with the name of the bank recorded in the minutes of the chapter.

If the bank selected is hesitant to open an account as an organizing chapter, you may contact the Society’ Chapter Department for a letter of verification.

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SELECTING A CHAPTER NAME Your chapter will want to be thinking about the selection of a chapter name. You may feel ready to choose the name at this time, or you may prefer to wait awhile before making this decision. The name the chapter members choose reflects on the chapter and the Society. Several things should be considered before choosing and voting on the chapter’s name.

How does it sound to the community, people unfamiliar with decorative painting?

What do the initials spell?

Does it give any indication of what your group is all about?

Does it sound professional?

Will your name give any indication of your location to the rest of the Society? The other chapters easily recognize a geographical name, such as Illinois Prairie Painters. The group should take time to come up with a variety of names that would reflect the general area your group is from. The suggestions should then be narrowed down to the three most popular names and the chapter members should vote on which name to use.

Make sure that all correspondence, including the newsletter, shows the name the way it was voted on by the chapter. If the membership decides to make a change in the name, it becomes a change in the bylaws and procedure must be followed as outlined in the chapter bylaws.

Once your name has been selected, you may want to sponsor an emblem contest. Your emblem does not require approval from the Society. The design should be simple enough to be used in a variety of sizes, such as stationary, nametags or chapter banner. One consideration should be that your logo or emblem be effective as a black & white drawing and be used on stationery. We encourage you to send a painted emblem representing your chapter to the Society office to be put on display. Please keep the size no larger than 8x10 inches.

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PRIVILEGES OF AFFILIATED CHAPTERS

1. The most important privilege available to all affiliated chapters is the privilege of joining a

network of groups who support the same purpose – promoting decorative painting. Collectively our purpose is strengthened.

2. A chapters committee appointed by the President of the Society serves in an advisory

capacity and recommends policy to the Board of directors through a Board liaison and SDP Member Services staff.

3. Affiliated chapters may submit news articles and photos to SDP for consideration for use

in social media, the eZine, on the SDP website, or in the Decorative Painter magazine. Due to the number of chapter events held each year and due to space constraints in the magazines, not all submissions can be published. Submitted material, including photos, become the property of the Society and may not be returned.

4. Chapters are provided a Chapter Handbook with requirements and guidelines,

which may also be downloaded from the website at any time. Additional materials as appropriate are provided for information and promotion.

5. Chapters may request a zip code list of members in their area to use for verification of

membership and to promote the chapter to fellow decorative painters. 6. The Society provides an annual forum for chapters at the Annual Meeting and

Conference, The Chapters/Members Gathering, to share ideas and gather information to assist you with your chapter.

7. Chapters are listed on the SDP website, www.decorativepainters.org

8. Chapters may take advantage of opportunities such as the Chapter Achievement Award by which they may gain recognition for their chapter at an international level.

9. Chapters may purchase chapter service pins with a variety of charms to use as

recognition for chapter involvement and service, available on the SDP website. 10. Chapters within the boundaries of the United States government have the privilege of

filing as a subordinate of the Society under its group exemption granted by the Internal Revenue Service as a non-profit organization.

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REQUIREMENTS OF AFFILIATED CHAPTERS

Acceptance of affiliated status brings with it the responsibilities to follow the requirements that have been developed for the chapter and the Society.

1. Chapters shall accept as members only those who hold membership in the

Society of Decorative Painters. It is the responsibility of the individual who seeks membership to provide verification of Society membership and it is the responsibility of the chapter to require verification of the Society membership of its members.

Prospective members must be advised of this requirement and given an application form to submit Society dues directly to the Society office. Individuals sending their dues directly to the Society may be given time to receive their membership cards to verify they have joined.

2. Membership in chapters must be open to all Society members. No chapter may restrict

membership either openly or tacitly (e.g., to students only, to teachers only, or those connected with a particular shop or teacher).

3. Chapters shall be governed by the bylaws and standing rules of the chapter.

4. Chapters shall communicate with the Society by means of a chapter newsletter and

should place the Society’s Chapters Department on the chapter newsletter mailing list or email mailing list.

5. Chapters shall operate on the calendar year from January 1 through December 31.

6. Chapters shall elect officers to take office January 1. Elections should take place in the

fall of the preceding year. The New Chapter Form should be sent by the yearly deadline so the chapter’s officer list can be updated in the Chapters Department. Chapters must notify the Society office of any change of officers at any time.

7. Activities of the chapter shall fulfill the purpose of the chapter and the Society by

promotion and education of decorative painting. The financial affairs of the chapter shall be conducted so proceeds of the chapter do not inure to the benefit of an individual member.

8. Chapter leaders should study the Chapter Handbook as to responsibilities of being a

subordinate of the Society in relationship to how the chapter may earn and how it may spend money.

9. Chapters are required to return the necessary information to complete the annual

Chapter form, which consists of the following: a. List of chapter officers for the coming year b. General information (where the chapter meets, when chapter elections are held) c. Total gross receipts (this may be recorded before an audit has been completed)

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10. Chapter liability insurance covers injuries or damages caused by a chapter or chapter members while conducting chapter activities. Payment of the liability insurance is a mandatory requirement for US chapters. Invoices will be mailed annually to the chapter President.

11. All chapters should audit financial records at the end of each year. Chapters within the

boundaries of the U.S. government must comply with regulations as set forth by the IRS and the Society pertaining to auditing of finances and reporting as required.

12. The Chapter Handbook belongs to the chapter and must be kept up to date with

material received from the Society’s Chapters Department. The Handbook should be kept by the President for his/her term of office, be available to all Board and chapter meetings for reference by Board or membership, and be given to the new President before the beginning of the new chapter year.

13. The records of chapter officers are property of the chapter and each officer is

responsible to see that all pertinent records are kept on file and transferred to new officers at the end of each year.

The organizing chapter, in applying for affiliation with the Society of Decorative Painters, should use the forms and information provided. Should extra forms be required, they can be secured from the Society, or may be mechanically reproduced from those provided here. Please do not use forms or information from chapters previously affiliated since information is subject to change. Please update SDP forms each year, as content frequently changes.

The affiliation process time can and does vary with the individual chapter. Additional time spent in the process can be advantageous. When chapters are organized in areas that are not well populated it is sometimes difficult to recruit members.

Only four members are needed to start a chapter. Growth in membership occurs as these four members tell others about decorative painting and how they can participate in painting activities. Many areas are not familiar with our art form, which provides an opportunity for promotion and education.

Each chapter member must be a Society member and be able to show proof of membership for the current year. When individuals join the Society they are sent a membership card with their individual number. If you are told they have submitted their dues to the Society, allow time for them to receive their membership card. This card should be shown to the chapter for membership verification. Please keep in mind that membership cannot be limited in a chapter. Anyone who is a member of the Society is eligible for membership in a chapter.

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LOSS OF AFFILIATION

Affiliation is granted by the Board of Directors of the Society, and is considered a privilege. With privilege comes responsibility.

The Society recognizes that there may be different situations in disaffiliation as listed below. In any situation the utmost care will be given to due process and the Society will make every effort to protect the rights of the chapter and its members as well as the rights of the Society.

1. Voluntary Disaffiliation – In the event of voluntary disaffiliation or dissolution the following

checklist is to be used by the chapter: a. Notification must be given in writing to chapter members and the

Society prior to the meeting at which voting will take place of the intention to vote on disaffiliation or dissolution.

b. At the meeting where the matter is considered, the vote must be by roll call vote of each person present and eligible to vote.

c. Use of the chapter name is prohibited by any group or persons following dissolution or disaffiliation.

d. Final minutes must be filed with the Society showing disposition of assets, including money, materials and any fixtures belonging to the chapter.

e. Closing bank statements and financial records must be forwarded to the Society offices. Any monies earned under the IRS not-for-profit exemption by U.S. based chapters must be given to another not-for-profit organization or as designated in the bylaws. Non-U.S. chapters must follow requirements of their government.

2. Involuntary Disaffiliation – the Board of Directors of the Society shall have the

authority to withdraw affiliated chapter status from chapters who fail to comply with the bylaws of the chapter or Society or the requirements as set forth for chapters. All affiliated chapters may be reviewed annually. The following could result in loss of affiliation.

a. Failure to enforce the requirement that all members of chapters must be current members in good standing of the Society.

b. Failure to comply with any of the requirements for affiliated chapters. c. Failure to pay any and all debts owed the Society. The Society is not liable for

any debts incurred by the chapter. d. Failure to comply with financial reporting as governed by IRS for U.S. based

chapters. Current information is sent each year with the annual report. e. Failure to provide the Society with a current copy of chapter bylaws and standing

rules.

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THE SOCIETY AS A NON-PROFIT ORGANZIATION (US CHAPTERS) In 1976, the Society of Decorative Painters applied for and was granted the status of a 501(c)(6) non-profit by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service. The EIN (Employer Identification Number) of the Society is shown as 73-1007684 with a second letter establishing the group exemption number as 2697.

This group number allows the Society to list chapters as subordinates of the central organization with privilege of extension for non-profit status. Copies of IRS letters are included for your information and should be retained in the chapter’s permanent file.

As each group organizes with the intention of being affiliated with the Society, application is made for an EIN. Application is made on an SS-4 form issued by the Internal Revenue Service. The group number 2697 is requested on the form to be submitted and identifies the Society’s exemption group.

All chapters need to apply for an EIN (Employer Identification Number) as soon as a chapter name has been selected. Chapters may apply for an EIN online and receive the EIN immediately upon completion of verification. An EIN may also be obtained via mail. A sample of how to complete the form is included on page 20. Current forms and instructions may be secured from the IRS website at www.irs.gov (type "SS-4" form in the search bar), from a certified public accountant or auditing firm, libraries or directly from your area IRS office.

In the IRS letter dated 2/09/76, you will note the Society must file a report each year on the organization’s subordinates list, noting any changes in their status, such as a name change for the chapter and the current contact person (President). Please note that if your chapter changes its name, do not notify the IRS directly. The Society, as the parent organization, must contact the IRS. The chapter will need to provide the Society with required information as noted Section 2 of this handbook.

Organizing chapters do not submit any paperwork directly to the IRS with the exception of the SS-4 form. When an EIN number is assigned to the chapter by letter notification, a copy must be sent to the Society. THE ORIGINAL COPY SHOULD REMAIN WITH PERMANENT FINANCIAL RECORDS.

If you have questions, please contact the Society office for information.

It is the responsibility of each chapter to operate within the boundaries as outlined by the Society in order to protect the non-profit exemption granted to the parent organization, the Society of Decorative Painters.

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Internal Revenue Service Departmentofthe Treasury

Washington, DC 20224

National Society of Tole and Decorative Painters, Inc. c/o Beverly White 1902West Cherokee Enid, Oklahoma 73701

Person to Contact: Phone Contact: Charles Gilfette Telephone Number:·Phone Number: 202-964-4757 Refer Reply to: E:EO :T:R:1:3-NW

Date: 2-9-76 FEB 9 1976

Key District: Internal Revenue Code:

Accounting Period Ending: Employer Identification Number:

Dear Applicant:

Dallas Section 501 (c)(6) December 31 23-7212985 see correction 73-1007684 letter 1/10/77

Based on information supplied, and assuming your operations will be as stated in your application for recognition of exemption, we have determined you and your subordinates are exempt from Federal income tax under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code section indicated above.

However, this ruling does not extend to any subordinate which has previously received a ruling or determination letter holding that it is not exempt. Its qualifications to be included in this group ruling must be separately established.

Unless specifically excepted, you and your subordinates are liable for taxes under the Federal Insurance Contribu- tions Act (social security taxes)on remuneration of $50 or more to each of your employees during a calendar quarter. And, unless excepted, you and your subordinates are also liable for tax under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act on remuneration of $50 or more to each of your employees during a calendar quarter if, during the current or preceding calendar year, you have one or more employees at any time in each of 20 calendar weeks or pay wages of $1,500 or more in any calendar quarter. If you have any questions about

· excise, employment, or other Federal taxes, please address them to your key District Director. _

If your purposes, character, or method of operation is changed, you should let your key District Director know so he can consider the effect of the change on your exempt status. Also, you must inform him of all changes in your name and address.

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-2-

National Society of Tole and Decorative Painters, Inc. changed* $50,000

**Changed in 2008. ALL SDP chapters must file form 990, 990-EZ or 990-N.

You and your subordinates are required to file Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, only if your gross receipts each year are normally more than *$5,000. If your subordinates are not included in your group return then each must file its own return. If a return is required, it must be filed by the 15th day of the fifth month after the end of your annual accounting period. The law imposes a penalty of $10 a day, up to a maximum of $5,000, for failure to file the return on time.

**You and your subordinates are not required to file Federal income tax returns unless you are subject to the tax on unrelated business income under section 511 of the Code. If you or your subordinates are subject to this tax, Form 990-T must be filed. In this letter we are not determining whether any of your present or proposed activities are unrelated trade or business as defined in section 513 of the Code.

You should advise each of your subordinates of the provisions of this ruling, including the requirements for filing information and other returns.

Each year within 45 days after the close of your annual accounting period, please send the following to the Philadelphia Service Center, 11601 Roosevelt Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19155, Attention: EOR Branch:

1. A statement describing any changes during the year in the purposes, character, or method of operation of your subordinates.

2. A list of the names, mailing addresses including ZIP Codes, and employer identification numbers (if required for group exemption letter purposes)of subordinates on your group exemption roster that during the year:

a. changed names or addresses; b. were deleted from the roster; c. were added to the roster.

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National Society of Tole and Decorative Painters, Inc.

J. For subordinates added to the roster,

a letter signed by one of your principal officers containing or attaching:

a. a statement that the information upon which your present group exemption letter is based applies to the new subordinates;

b. a statement that each has given you written authorization to add its name to the roster; and

c. a list of those to which the Service previously issued rulings or determination letters relating to exemption .

4. If applicable, a statement that your group exemption roster did not change during the year.

You need an employer identification number even if you have no employees . If an employer identification number was not entered on your application, a number will be assigned to you and you will be advised of it. Please use that number on all returns you file and in all correspondence with the Internal Revenue Service.

We are informing your key District Director of this action. Please keep this ruling letter in your permanent records.

Sincerely yours,

Jeanne s. Gessay Chief, Rulings Section 1 Exempt Organizations Technical Branch

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Internal Revenue Service 3651 INTERREGION AL HIGHW AY A USTIN, TX 7874l

Depar tment of the Treasur y Date: In reply refer to: 182hO533

JA N. 10, 1977 Cl39- l402.

NATION AL SOCIETY OF TOLE & DECORATIV E PAINTERS 2lh0 NW 28TH OKLAHOMA CITY, OK73107

Correct Bmployer Identification Num ber: 73-1007684

Dear Sirs:

We are sorry but we have made an error and assigned you more than one employer identification num ber. The above num ber is your correct one; the num ber shown at the bottom of this letter is incorrect. We will consolidate und er your correct number any previous payments or returns you nave sent us under the erroneous number.

Please use the above number on business tax returns, payments, and related correspondence. Also, please use your full account name exactly as shown above.

Thank you for your cooperation. Incorrect Number: 23-7212985

Sincerely yours,

Jo Ross Manager, Taxpayer Contact Unit

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Internal Revenue Service Washington, D.C. 20224

Department of theTreasury

Date:

National Society of Tole and Decorative Painters, Inc. c/o Beverly White 1902West Cherokee Enid, OK 73701

Person to Contact:

Mr. Charles E.McLaughlin Telephone Number: ((202)964-6197

Refer Reply to: E:E0:0:R

Date:

February 17, 1976 Group Exemption Number:

2697

Dear Officer or Trustee:·

We are contacting all group central organizations because the 1975 Form 990 and instructions require each central organization and its subordinates to show their group exemption number (GEN)in Part I, item 18((b), of Form 990.

Your group exemption number is shown above. Please advise any of your subordi- nates that are required to file an annual information return, Form 990, to place your group exemption number on their return.

Church central organizations are not required to file an annual information

return. However, any of their subordinates that do not qualify as "integrated auxiliaries" of a church are required to file an information return, Form 990, and should include on that return the appropriate group exemption number.·· We are preparing a proposed ·amendment to the Income Tax Regulations which will define an integrated auxiliary of a church. When that amendment is published, we will send an information copy to holders of group exemption rulings uµder section 501(c)(3)of the Internal Revenue Code,(Organizations exempt under other provisions will not receive a copy.)

If you have any questions, please contact the person whose name and telephone number are shown above.

Thank you for your help in this matter.

Sincerely yours,

Tedesco.Director mpt Organizations Division

M-0088 (2-76)

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(signature of President making application)

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SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS

Section 2

CHAPTER BYLAWS

CONTENTS PAGE

Sample Chapter Bylaws 22

Sample Chapter Standing Rules 26

Amending and Revising Bylaws 27

Providing for a Vice President/President Elect 32

Chapter Name Change 33

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ORGANIZING Chapter Bylaws

ARTICLE I. NAME

The name of this non-profit organization shall be

of the National Society of Tole and Decorative Painters Inc., also known as the Society of Decorative Painters, and referred to herein as the SOCIETY.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSE

The purpose of this chapter shall be, in common with that of the Society, to stimulate interest in and appreciation for the art of decorative painting.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP 1. Membership in this chapter is open to persons who are members in good standing of the

Society, and who, in accepting membership, thereby agree to be bound in all things not contrary to law by these bylaws and those of the Society.

2. Non-resident members of the Society may visit this chapter as specified in the standing rules.

3. Non-member guests may visit as specified in the standing rules. ARTICLE IV. DUES

1. Membership dues shall be determined only by vote of the membership. 2. Membership dues shall be paid annually on a calendar year basis. Dues for the ensuing

calendar year are payable September 1 and delinquent December 1. New membership privileges are effective October 1, with the exception of voting or running for office which shall begin January 1.

3. Amount of dues shall be as stated in the standing rules. ARTICLE V. MEETINGS

1. Regular meetings of this chapter shall be held as stated in the standing rules. 2. The Board of directors shall have authority to change dates of meetings and to set

places and times for meetings, provided sufficient notice is given to members. 3. A quorum shall consist of not less than 1/5 of the membership. 4. The privilege of holding office, making motions, debating, and voting shall be limited to

members in good standing for the current calendar year. 5. Voting by mail or proxy voting is not permitted, with the exception of Article XII, Section 3.

ARTICLE VI. ELECTED OFFICERS

1. The elected officers of this chapter shall be President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-

President, Secretary and Treasurer.

2. The term of office shall be one year. No officer may hold the same office for more than two consecutive full terms.

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3. Duties of officers shall be as follows: a. The President shall preside at meetings of the chapter and meetings of the Board of

Directors; shall be a member ex-officio of all committees, with the exception of the Nominating Committee; shall sign checks in the absence of the Treasurer; and shall perform such other duties as usually pertain to the office. The President shall be responsible to see that all required reports and correspondence are sent to the Society offices.

b. The First Vice President shall preside in the absence of the President; shall assist the President; and serve with responsibilities as stated in the standing rules.

c. The Second Vice President shall serve with responsibilities as stated in the standing rules.

d. The Secretary shall record minutes of all meetings of the chapter and of the Board of directors. These minutes shall be kept in books, which are the property of the chapter, and shall be a complete and clear record of activities.

e. The Treasurer shall receive all monies of the chapter, shall keep an accurate record of receipts and expenditures, pay all bills upon approval of the Board of directors, present a statement of account at every meeting of the chapter and when requested by the Board of Directors, and shall prepare a complete report at the end of the calendar year. The Treasurer shall report the chapter's total gross receipts (or an estimate thereof) to the President to be sent to the Society office with the annual report.

ARTICLE VII. APPOINTED OFFICERS AND PARLIAMENTARIAN

1. Appointed officers of the chapter may be appointed for special duties as deemed necessary

by the President with the approval of the Board of Directors. a. The President may appoint, with the approval of the elected officers, the Newsletter

Editor and Ways and Means chair, all of whom shall serve on the Board of Directors with vote.

b. The term of office shall be one year. No appointed officer may hold the same office for more than two consecutive full terms.

c. The number of appointed officers with vote shall not exceed the number of elected officers.

2. The President may appoint a parliamentarian who shall attend both Board and chapter meetings, but shall not be a voting member of the Board.

ARTICLE VIII. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the elected officers, newsletter editor, and Ways and

Means chair. 2. The duties of the Board of Directors shall be:

a. To transact necessary business in the intervals between chapter meetings and other business referred to it by the chapter.

b. To submit an annual budget to the chapter for approval. c. To review all non-budgeted expenses and make recommendations to the chapter

regarding payment. 3. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall normally be held prior to the regular chapter

meetings. Majority shall constitute a quorum. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the President. Upon written request by two members, the President will call a special meeting of the Board.

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ARTICLE IX. FINANCES 1. The Board of Directors, upon recommendation of the Treasurer, shall designate all financial

institutions that shall be the depository of chapter funds. Signature cards shall be executed by the President and Treasurer.

2. To insure that accounting procedures are accurate, consistent and current, a year-end audit of the Treasurer’s records shall be performed by an audit committee designated by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall not serve on the audit committee.

ARTICLE X. COMMITTEES

1. Standing committees may be created as needed to promote the objectives and interests of

the chapter. The President, with the approval of the Board of Directors, shall appoint chairs and committee members. Each member shall serve for a term of one year and may serve no more than two consecutive full terms in the same position.

2. Special committees may be created at the discretion of the President, with the approval of the Board of Directors. The duties of any special committees shall be stated upon their appointment and such committees shall cease to exist when their final report is accepted or adopted.

3. No committee work or monies expended shall be undertaken without approval of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE XI. NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

1. Nominations shall be made in the fall for the coming year.

a. The nominating committee, composed of not less than three (3) nor more than five (5) members shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Board of Directors. The nominating committee shall be appointed at least two months before the meeting at which elections are held.

b. The nominating committee shall prepare a slate for the election of officers and shall submit the slate to the members at least two weeks prior to the meeting at which elections will be held.

c. There shall be provision for nominations from the floor for each office, at the meeting at which elections are held, provided that prior consent from the nominee has been obtained.

2. Elections shall take place before the close of the calendar year. a. Officers shall be elected prior to the first of the year, and shall take office January 1 and

shall hold office until a successor is duly named. b. A majority vote is required to elect. If there is more than one candidate for office, voting

shall be by written ballot. c. Vacancies in office shall be filled by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE XII. AMENDMENTS

1. Proposed amendments to these bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the President for

review by the Board of Directors. 2. These bylaws may be altered or changed by a 2/3 vote of the members present at a

meeting at which a quorum is present, provided that the proposed changes have been presented in writing to the members at least two weeks prior to the meeting at which voting take place.

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3. If at two successive meetings, a quorum has not been present, these bylaws can be changed upon written ballot of the members, provided that a majority of the members return the written ballot.

ARTICLE XIII. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall be the parliamentary authority for all matters not in conflict with these bylaws or the bylaws of the Society.

ARTICLE XIV. DISSOLUTION

In the event of dissolution of the chapter, all liabilities and obligations of the chapter shall be paid, satisfied, and discharged or adequate provision made therefor. Any remaining funds in the treasury at the time shall be given to the SDP, IMSDP or like organization as determined by a majority of the remaining members.

Chapter Bylaws - revised 20_ _ Bylaws accepted by chapter (date)

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ORGANIZING Chapter Standing Rules

STANDING RULES

for

of the SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS

1. Membership dues shall be per year and shall be payable to correspond with

payment of dues to the Society. 2. The financial records of this chapter shall be kept on a calendar year basis, from January 1

through December 31. 3. Business meetings of the chapter shall be held not less than four (4) times annually.

Normally the chapter meets the months of:

4. The First Vice President shall serve as

5. The Second Vice President shall serve as

6. A grant may be presented annually to the President for the purpose of attending the Chapters Gathering and the Annual Meeting at the Society's Annual Conference. If the President is unable to attend, the grant may be offered to another officer. The officer receiving this grant shall attend the Chapters Gathering, the Annual Meeting, and those functions that will benefit the chapter, and shall be expected to provide a report to the chapter.

7. These standing rules may be amended by a majority of the voters at any meeting wherein

there is a quorum. 8. Non-resident members of the Society may visit this chapter not more than times each

year without payment of dues to the chapter. 9. Non-member guests may visit this chapter not more than times each year without

payment of dues to both the Society and the chapter.

Standing Rules revised (date)

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AMENDING AND REVISING BYLAWS

As the chapter grows and changes, the bylaws need to be reviewed and amended or revised as necessary. This should be considered a routine matter because of chapter growth and not as a threatening change. The chapter must operate according to the bylaws. What your bylaws say and how you operate cannot be in conflict.

Reviewing chapter bylaws should be a part of officer orientation each year. If it is determined that minor changes are needed then the Board can propose the change to the chapter. If there are several changes or questions concerning what needs to be changed then a bylaws committee should be appointed for study and recommendation for revisions. The committee presents recommendations to the President for review by the Board before changes are presented to the membership.

If changes may be controversial, the changes may be explained to the membership and general agreement sought to send the proposed changes to SDP for review and feedback. It is helpful to state clearly in writing what changes are being made and why.

If SDP has questions or suggestions, they will contact the chair of the bylaw committee or the President of the chapter. After the Society office has reviewed the changes, the chapter may choose to vote on each change or may choose to accept the entire revision. All action concerning bylaws must be recorded in the chapter minutes.

The Society bylaws pertain to the individual member of the Society and do provide for affiliation of chapters and a Chapters Committee. The chapter bylaws pertain to the individual member as a member of a chapter and cannot be in conflict with the Society bylaws.

The following items are requirements for all chapter bylaws:

1. Name and purpose of the group – must identify the chapter and state the purpose of the chapter is in common with that of the Society.

2. Qualifications for membership – must require all members of the chapter be current

members of the Society. 3. Meetings – must state a quorum in terms of a fraction or percentage of voting members.

4. Officers and duties – must provide for officers to serve on the calendar year.

5. Elections, when and how – must elect in the fall.

6. What to do in case the group dissolves – must include an article on dissolution which

provides that funds and assets will not return to the benefit of the members and must be given to another non-profit organization such as the Society of Decorative Painters or the IMSDP (International Museum of the Society of Decorative Painters).

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7. How to amend bylaws – must state how and when proposed changes are presented to the membership.

8. Date the bylaws were adopted and amended – the Society office must have a current

copy of your bylaws and standing rules at all times.

Refer & Study: Chapter Bylaws

NAME & PURPOSE: Chapters should be consistent in the use of their approved name (changing the name is a bylaw change). Reference must be made to the affiliation with the parent organization as shown in the sample bylaws in Section 2, Article I.

Chapters who were affiliated before the shorter version of the Society’s name should include reference to “also known as the Society of Decorative Painters and wherein referred to as the Society.” The word “Society” will replace “National Society” or “National” throughout the bylaws. The purpose as stated in the chapter bylaws in Section 2 must be included along with whatever else the chapter chooses to include.

1. QUALIFICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP:

a. Membership is open only to those who hold membership in the Society. b. All classifications of membership such as individual, business or honorary. c. Define privileges and restrictions for each classification (prospective members must be

able to choose their category of membership if several are available). Honorary membership is bestowed by the chapter but requires Society membership.

d. How many times a visitor can attend before paying dues. e. Membership dues are determined by the membership and stated in the standing rules. f. When dues are due and what period of time payment of dues covers (all chapters

operate on the calendar year). Dues are prepaid for the following year. Members are current until December 31 and eligible to vote in fall elections even though they may not have paid dues for the following year.

2. MEETINGS:

a. Regular meetings are held as stated in the standing rules. The purpose of standing rules is to further define bylaws and give months and dates the chapter normally meets. Whereas bylaws take time to change, standing rules can be changed at any meeting where a quorum is present.

b. The Board has the authority to change the date, place and time if sufficient notice is given to the membership. This allows the Board to make this decision on a meeting if it becomes necessary. The membership would vote to change months and days if the change is to be permanent.

c. The quorum necessary at a meeting in order to conduct business. Quorum is based on the voting membership and should always be stated in a percentage to accommodate a change in the number of members. The Society will approve a percentage no lower than 20 percent or one-fifth of your members. Example: If you have 100 voting members, 20 would need to be in attendance in order to conduct business. If you have 60 voting members, 12 of these members would need to be present. Unless bylaws state otherwise, majority rule determines the outcome of the vote, which means one more than half of votes cast carries the vote. Remember that the number of votes cast

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does not always match the number in attendance eligible to vote. Voting is a privilege, but also a choice.

d. Who is eligible to hold office, debate and vote at meetings. e. Neither voting by mail nor proxy votes are permitted as both have proved detrimental to

chapters. In smaller groups such as chapters, those in attendance who hear the pros and cons also make the decision. Logically, not every member will always be able to participate. However, all members are assured of equal treatment according to the bylaws.

f. Voting can only take place at a called meeting giving everyone advanced notice. Parliamentary authority must be acknowledged. The Society uses Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised. In case chapter bylaws do not cover a situation, Robert’s Rules is the recognized authority.

3. OFFICERS AND DUTIES: The bylaws should clearly list the elected positions or officers,

appointed officers and who appoints them and the terms of office. When they take office is pre-determined by the chapter year which is designated as January 1 – December 31.

Please note in the chapter bylaws that the elected officers are under one article and the appointed officers under another. Elected officers always have a vote and the appointed officers or committee chairs can be given a vote, as long as it is made clear before the term begins who holds a vote. If this is customary in your chapter, include the following statement: “The number of appointed officers with vote shall not exceed the number of elected officers.” This is an important guideline to keep in mind and will keep a proper balance on your Board.

State the term of office, as in number of year(s), and whether an officer can serve a consecutive term.

Descriptions of duties of officers should be kept to a minimum. If details are important, they should refer to the standing rules as in “and shall serve with responsibilities as stated in the standing rules”. Follow through in the standing rules by defining the responsibilities of that particular office. Listing the officer duties in the standing rules will allow more flexibility in making changes.

The parliamentarian is there to serve the President and does not serve with vote. The parliamentarian may be asked to attend Board and chapter meetings, however, only gives counsel at the invitation or suggestion of the President.

Board of Directors: refer to page 52 in Section 6. Items to be defined are: who attends, when meetings will be held, what constitutes a quorum (for a Board it is generally one more than half of the members) and what are the responsibilities of the Board. Generally the Board sets the budget for the year, approves any non-budgeted items, determines if there is a need for membership approval and takes care of any business referred by the chapter. Agenda items should be agreed upon and discussed. Some chapters include in the officers and duties when and how the officers are elected. This is one of the most important functions of your chapter and is one area that can cause conflict within the group if attention to detail has not been given. We suggest that you include a separate article in your bylaws on nominations and elections.

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Board Meetings: Unless chapter bylaws allow members to attend Board meetings, the members cannot attend without permission of the Board. The Society encourages chapter Boards to adopt a policy that Chapter member may observe Board meetings, but cannot participate in discussion unless approved to do so by the Board. Boards may go into Executive Session and require observers to leave the meeting room if a sensitive topic is to be discussed.

Members who wish to address their chapter’s Board on a specific topic should ask the President to place the topic on the agenda in advance of a Board meeting.

If the Board rejects the request, the chapter member can ask to be placed on the agenda of a chapter meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, the President should ask the assembly to vote on the agenda addition before taking it up. The chapter can accept or reject the topic from the agenda.

4. NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS – Please study Section 5, Chapter Elections.

Your bylaws must state:

a. If you have a nominating committee, how many members? Are they appointed or elected? If appointed, by whom?

b. When and how does the committee report? Directly to the chapter at a meeting, in the chapter newsletter or both?

c. Provision for nominations from the floor. d. In what month are elections held? Policy says that elections may be held in the fall for

the succeeding year. e. How will you elect? If the slate consists of more than one nominee, a written ballot is

required. f. How will vacancies be handled (normally the Board of directors)? If bylaws call for Vice

President/President Elect, see Section 2 page 32. 5. DISSOLUTION: This article provides for distribution of chapter funds when the chapter

decides to discontinue meeting. Funds in the treasury cannot be returned to the remaining members. A final accounting must be made, expenses paid and remaining funds be given to another non-profit group by vote of the chapter, such as the Society or IMSDP (International Museum of SDP).

6. HOW TO AMEND BYLAWS:

a. An amendment to the bylaws is a proposal to change an item or items of the bylaws. If an individual determines the change is necessary, the request needs to go to the Board through the President of the chapter. The request should be made in writing or in person and not at a general meeting. The President should have the privilege of preparing an agenda and being aware of items of be discussed.

b. A revision means that each item of the bylaws is subject to change. This is when a committee should be appointed.

c. Whether submitted by Board or bylaws committee, when you have completed the draft of amendments or revisions of your bylaws, proceed as follows: Submit the amendment or revision in writing to the membership either by a mailing or

through the newsletter, allowing time for evaluation and study. After bylaws have been adopted by the members, note any changes made at that

meeting and date the bylaws, which are to be kept in the chapter’s permanent file.

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Send a copy of the revised or amended bylaws to the Society office. Preferred method is by e-mail to chapters@decorativepainters.org. If mailing, please address to the attention of the Chapters Dept.

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PROVIDING FOR VICE PRESIDENT/PRESIDENT-ELECT

Changing bylaws to accommodate a Vice President/President Elect can add continuity to chapter leadership.

In general, the Vice President fulfills the duties of President in the absence of the President, which is correct, but does not automatically make this person President. Many times chapters assume that the Vice President must automatically be considered for President.

To change bylaws to President/Elect:

Everywhere Vice President or First Vice President is used needs to be replaced with Vice President/President Elect.

Under duties:

Under the description of Vice President/President Elect it needs to include the following statement: “and shall succeed to the office of President in the event of a vacancy in that office.”

Under vacancies:

1. A vacancy in the office of the President shall automatically be filled by the Vice President/President Elect for the unexpired term.

2. A vacancy in an office except that of the Presidency shall automatically be filled by

the Board of Directors for the unexpired term. A Vice President/President Elect so selected shall not succeed to the office of Presidency except by election at the next regular election.

Proviso: Would need to be included at the end of your bylaws when the amendment is made for the first year since the chapter will be electing both a President and Vice President/President Elect. Thereafter, only the President/Elect will be on the nominating slate. (Proviso – makes an exception to allow a change to take place and appears with the bylaws only until change is implemented and is not a permanent part of the bylaws.)

Example:

Proviso: That for the election year of both a President and Vice

President/President Elect will be elected. Thereafter, only the Vice President/President

Elect will be elected. By motion of the chapter date.

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CHANGE OF CHAPTER NAME

A chapter that has changed its name must notify the Society. Chapters do not report this change to the IRS directly. SDP, as the parent organization, will notify the IRS.

If your chapter has changed its name, notify the Society by reporting the following information:

• Full chapter name (both the prior name and the new name). • Employer Identification Number (EIN). • Chapter ID. • Authorized signature and title (Chapter President). • Supporting documentation from the chart below.

If your organization is:

The supporting documentation required is:

Incorporated

A copy of the amendment to the Articles of Incorporation, and proof of filing with the appropriate state authority.

A Trust

A copy of the amendment to the trust instrument, or a resolution to amend the trust instrument, showing the effective date of the change of name and signed by at least one trustee.

An Unincorporated Association

A copy of the amendment to the Articles of Association, Constitution, or other organizing document, showing the effective date of the change of name and signed by at least two officers or trustees.

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SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS

Section 3

CHAPTER FINANCES

CONTENTS PAGE

Safeguarding Chapter Funds 35

Raising Money 36

Obtaining Supplies for Seminars & Workshops 37

Purchasing Supplies for Members 38

Chapter Funds and the Individual Member 39

Sample Reimbursement Voucher 40

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SAFEGUARDING CHAPTER FUNDS For the protection of both the chapter and the person who serves as its Treasurer, careful consideration should be given to providing sufficient safeguards.

1. The Board of Directors, upon recommendation of the Treasurer, shall designate all financial

institutions that shall be the depository of chapter funds. The minutes, at the beginning of each year, should show in which bank or banks chapter funds are deposited. There should always be more than one authorized signature on the signature cards for all chapter bank accounts. It is unwise to have only one person authorized to make bank transactions.

2. In many chapters, there is a requirement that each check should require two signatures. In

some Chapters, due to distances, this presents great difficulty in dealing promptly with financial responsibilities. Under normal circumstances, both signatures should be executed at the same time the check is issued. One workable compromise is to require a second signature for checks over a given amount.

3. All checks should be written to the chapter and not to an individual member of the chapter.

4. It is recommended that chapters have the President, or someone designated by the

President, review all bank statements monthly and accounts quarterly. 5. Each chapter should provide for an annual audit of the chapter’s financial records.

6. It is recommended that chapter members who incur authorized expenses be reimbursed

from vouchers signed by the President before the Treasurer is authorized to pay. See page 40 in this section for a sample voucher that may be copied for your chapter use.

7. It is recommended that, for chapters with a significant amount of treasury funds, the chapter

Board of Directors be bonded. The bonding of officers ensures against unforeseen financial loss, specifically if an officer is accused of misusing or stealing chapter funds. Because of the cost involved in bonding, chapters should discuss this with their local insurance companies.

Whatever safeguards the chapter chooses, it should be remembered that frequently chapters with inexperienced Treasurers would welcome the support of careful review to ensure that financial records are in order.

Can the chapter keep some reserves? It is permissible for the chapter to keep some reserves to carry over from year to year and for possible unforeseen expenses. It is not wise to build large undesignated reserves without goals for use.

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RAISING MONEY

There are guidelines concerning how chapters may raise money as well as how they spend it. Fundraising activities, with monies going to the chapter that promote the purpose of the Society and chapters, are generally accepted. Such activities would be the publication of a newsletter, holding demonstrations or special activities for Decorative Painting Month. The limitation with such activities is that proceeds may not be used to benefit any specific individual member or business. For example, there clearly is not a problem if your chapter holds a sale with members donating items to sell, and all proceeds go to the chapter treasury. The purpose of the fundraiser must be to benefit the goals of the chapter and not an individual member of the organization. Members benefit indirectly by activities supported by the chapter.

When sales are conducted where an individual member of a not-for-profit organization will receive the profit, care must be taken. If the intent of a show and sale is to benefit an individual using the chapter name for advertising the event, there is a problem. Since the Society is granted an exemption from income tax payment and because our purpose is to promote decorative painting and not to receive income from decorative painting, certain rules apply to the Society and its chapters.

Holding a decorative painting sale can be construed to be an activity that promotes decorative painting. If the sale is sponsored or arranged by a chapter, then the chapter may charge either a “space fee” or “participation fee” to the individual. The difference is that with a participation fee, each participant pays the same fee no matter how much is sold. With a space fee, a specified amount of space is sold for a specified fee. The individuals must then be responsible to collect their own money and they are responsible for reporting their income individually. The only income to the non-profit group is the fee charge. This can be compared to what takes place at the Society’s Conference where “space” is sold. The price of a booth on the trade show floor is a set price. The exhibitors are for-profit groups. They set the fees for their wares, collect the money and report their earnings to the government. The Society is responsible only for reporting the fees paid to the Society. It is not possible to state absolutely what is permissible since interpretations can vary from area to area.

It is also possible to have a fundraising activity that does not promote decorative painting if the activity is not regularly carried out. For example, you could not hold a monthly bingo party or raffle to raise money. An occasional activity to raise money still requires the money to go to the chapter and not to an individual and must not be prohibited by the laws of the state where chapter is located or where the event is held.

Careful consideration must be given to each activity that generates funds for the chapter. Negative actions by a chapter do not only reflect on that chapter but all chapters in the Society, and, in turn, jeopardize the Society as an organization.

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OBTAINING SUPPLIES for SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS

The Society is composed of individual members, teachers, shop owners, distributors, manufacturers, publishers and variations thereof.

Shops cannot thrive without teachers, who cannot teach without students, who appreciate the chapter for the social opportunities to know and share with one another. Shops offer new products with the help of the distributors and manufacturers. The chapter often depends on the shop for door prizes and as a source of supplies for projects as well as perhaps supplying a nucleus of members when beginning a chapter. Each is a special link to the other in the chain of the membership of the Society.

In some places, shops and chapters exist on the local level, as well as distributors. All can have a mutually satisfying relationship if common sense and courtesy are used and neither side takes advantage of the other.

Some chapters hold their meetings in shops with project materials coming from the host shop. If more than one shop is in the area, all shops should be contacted to determine if they want to work with the chapter. Chapters who have members who are shop owners provide times when the shop can present what they have to offer. Some allow shop owners to advertise in their newsletters. Other chapters do not allow either. Shops should not be put in a position of competing with one another, nor should the shop be expected or asked to give discounts as part of being a member of the chapter. If a shop owner offers discounts, that is their privilege and at their discretion. Be sensitive that if your chapter is requesting free product from manufacturers and has businesses in your area offering these products, this may not be viewed favorably.

There are many issues that come to mind when considering the business-chapter relationship. It is possible to forget, because of our love for painting, that the purpose of a business is to make money. No business can survive without funds for rent, utilities, insurance, salaries, etc., which must come from profits. Many craft shops work with a smaller mark-up than other businesses.

The chapter must be careful not to replace the shop in any area by going into the business of selling books or supplies normally carried at the local shop, and certainly not at a discount. Neither should the chapter work to benefit any single shop or business. The chapter must be careful not to let a shop owner or individual member dictate policy and control.

The purpose of the Society and its chapters is to promote decorative painting. In doing so, the chapter must strive to cooperate as much as possible with other segments of the Society. Working together strengthens everyone!

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PURCHASING SUPPLIES for MEMBERS

If there is one area that has caused concern to all segments of the Society, it is chapters purchasing supplies and acting as a business. Since our organization operates under Section 501(c)(6) as a tax-free entity, the chapter that operates a business jeopardizes our exempt status. Every effort should be made to secure supplies through those in business, in or outside your area. If they are unwilling to cooperate, there are other options.

Contact the teacher to inquire as to whether she/he is willing to provide the surface and supplies. The chapter should never ask or expect a teacher to sell at discount because it is a chapter. The teacher is also an independent businessperson and has the right to make profit on supplies. If a distributor or manufacturer is to be contacted, the teacher should do so. If the teacher asks the chapter to take care of it, remember you are asking on behalf of the teacher.

It is illegal for any chapter to buy wholesale (tax-free) unless it plans to resell the merchandise. To resell or use, a chapter must apply for a sales tax number in its respective state, file a business name report and pay sales tax. As stated previously, our organization operates under Section 501(c)(6) as a tax-free entity, the chapter that operates a business jeopardizes our exempt status.

If your chapter has a sales tax number, be guided by the following:

1. Any chapter engaging in sales of any kind to members, or the public, must obtain a sales tax

permit in those states, provinces or countries where there is a sales tax. Sales include the sale of wood or supplies for paint-ins, sales at boutiques or bazaars, sales at mini- conventions or any other type of monetary transaction for product or service.

2. Sales tax should be collected and reported on all sales according to the laws governing the

state, province or country. 3. Suppliers of merchandise for use or sale by the chapter shall be determined by a majority

vote of the chapter Board. It is suggested that, when feasible, competitive bids are desirable.

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CHAPTER FUNDS and the INDIVIDUAL MEMBER

There has been considerable confusion on what constitutes profit in regard to individuals in the chapter.

Teachers: Is it permissible for the chapter to pay an individual member of the chapter to teach?

You are reimbursing the teacher for a service rendered and as long as the price is not in excess of what is normally being paid to teachers, it should not be a problem.

Some chapters pay members an established token fee for teaching the chapter. The chapter, upon recommendation of the Board or an appointed committee, should establish the fee and guidelines. Considerations may be given as to whether the member/teacher is demonstrating or actually teaching a class for a prescribed number of hours normally considered a class period. A sharing of ideas among members is always encouraged and generally a fee is not involved. Each chapter must sort through how this is handled, what constitutes teaching (keeping fairness in mind) and consistency in how it applies to members. Payment structure might need to be negotiated for seminars when an established teacher is also a member of the chapter.

Teachers, from outside the chapter, negotiate with the contact person for their fee.

Business Members: Sometimes when the chapter has business members involved, there is a question about the relationship with the chapter. Each chapter needs to take into account the circumstances in their area and agree on what is acceptable. Is the business member able to advertise in the newsletter? Does the business have to be a member to do so? Are non- business members charged more? Some chapters provide space for rent at the chapter meeting to teachers and businesses to advertise their classes. Use caution not to let this activity interfere in the business meeting and program. All transactions such as sign-ups, must take place before or after the planned meeting of the chapter. Strictly adhere to guidelines.

Chapter members in need: It is best to hold a special event when wanting to benefit an individual member in need. Donations go directly to the individual or into a special account and funds are never deposited into the chapter treasury.

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(SAMPLE)

REIMBURSEMENT VOUCHER

Name:

Address:

Purpose of Expense:

ITEMIZE (Note: Receipts must be attached for all reimbursement requests)

$

$

$

$

$

$

Total: $

Signature:

Approved by: (President)

Date:

Check # issued: Amount of Check: $ Date:

Treasurer:

Chapter:

41

SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS

Section 4

MEMBERSHIP & VERIFICATION

CONTENTS PAGE

Chapter Membership 42

Zip Code Lists 43

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CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP

1. Membership in chapters is a privilege open only to those holding a membership in the

Society of Decorative Painters. Most chapters choose to have their membership years run from January to December. Chapters generally focus on recruiting new members with special activities in the fall of the year.

2. Each chapter has important responsibilities in regard to the collection of dues:

a. Inform potential new members of the necessity of Society membership and provide them with a current Society membership application (published by the Society).

b. Receive chapter dues only from those who are members of the Society or in the process of joining the Society. If they are submitting dues to the Society, advise them of their responsibility of showing proof of membership to the chapter within a designated period of time. Record their membership number.

c. Both new and renewing members must complete membership forms. Chapters should not collect Society dues from their members. Society dues must be sent directly to the Society by the individual member. Chapters should print copies of membership forms from www.decorativepainters.org to make sure it is current information. Chapters will have the responsibility of providing this form to their members for payment of Society dues. Keep accurate records.

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ZIP CODE LISTS After the first of the year, the chapter may request a printout by sending the office a list of zip codes. This list will reflect the current members of the Society, and any new members who may be in your area.

Making sure all chapter members are Society members can be a difficult task. It is the individual member’s responsibility to provide proof of Society membership to the chapter. The best method of providing proof of membership is to show the membership card at a chapter meeting. To assist chapters with this task, the Society will send zip code lists after January 1, upon request. These lists will show the names and addresses of current Society members in the area. This is also a good tool for recruiting new members and for inviting past members to a chapter meeting.

In order to receive a zip code list, chapters must send the first three digits of the zip codes in their vicinity to the office. Zip code ranges can be found in most telephone directories or ask for the National Zip Code Directory from your local library. These requests can be sent by mail, fax or e-mail. (Please do not phone in your request as running the zip code list takes computer time.) Please allow seven to ten business days to process the zip code list.

With list in hand, chapters will have proof of Society membership and can ask those who, according to the list, have not renewed their dues to do so in order to participate in chapter activities. Likewise, they can request that the individual provide proof (the current Society membership card) that they have renewed their Society membership. Please keep in mind that from October to January, over 8,000 membership renewals will be received at the office, and there may be a slight delay in processing the dues.

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SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS

Section 5

CHAPTER ELECTIONS

CONTENTS

PAGE

The Nominating Committee

45

Nominations from the Floor 46

The Election Process 47

Sample Installation Ceremonies 48

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THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Nominations and elections are two of the most important functions of the chapter to be held each year in the fall prior to December 31. The process must be according to the bylaws of each chapter and conducted as fairly as possible. When an answer is not in your bylaws, go to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised. When a situation arises that is not covered in either, common sense and kindness must prevail.

Whether your Nominating Committee is appointed or elected, the committee needs to be impartial and consider the strengths and weaknesses of the total membership. The President is not a member of the Nominating Committee.

It is imperative that the committee meets to determine who would best serve the chapter in each particular office. Once the committee agrees on who to contact, the chair or committee member should contact the individual to tell him/her that the committee has met and agreed that he/she would be the best person to fill this position in the chapter. It is best to verify the nominee is a current Society member in good standing.

Serving on the Nominating Committee does not exclude a member from becoming a nominee. However, as a courtesy, the potential nominee should ask to be excused when the committee discusses the selection for that office.

It is not a good idea for the committee to call each member and inquire if he/she wants to serve. This invitation can come from the President, at the time the Nominating Committee is announced, by stating that if anyone has particular interests in a certain area to let the Nominating Committee know. The final selection of a nominee, however, is up to the committee.

Once the committee has made every effort to secure nominees, a report is prepared for publication in the newsletter, reported directly to the membership at a general meeting or both as determined by the chapter bylaws. If reported at a general meeting, the Nominating Committee Chair is called on and says to the assembly, “Mr./Madam President, the Nominating Committee presents the following nominations: for President, (name); for Vice President, (name)” etc. The report of the committee is not accepted by motion or vote, which would be tantamount to endorsing the candidates before the election is held.

If the committee is unable to secure a nominee for one or more of the positions, after every effort has been made, the slate of nominees secured is submitted, leaving the vacancies to be filled by nominations from the floor.

The Nominating Committee ceases to exist once the members have made their report.

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NOMINATIONS FROM THE FLOOR

It is important a chapter retain the privilege of nomination from the floor, giving individual members full voice to participate in the selection of candidates for office. Nominations from the floor are subsequent to the report of the nominating committee.

After the report of the committee is read, the President calls for nominations from the floor, office by office, with adequate time for members to present names.

When the President announces (name) has been nominated for the office of President and opens the floor for further nominations, the member stands and says, “I nominate (name) for the office of President.” As each name is presented, the Secretary should record the name.

After everyone wishing to place a name in nomination has spoken, the President announces that “the nominations for President are closed”. Before a person in nominated, he/she must give permission. It is inappropriate to call for nominations to be closed while a name is being presented.

After sufficient time has passed for additional nominations for each office, the President announces that nominations are closed. The President should reread through the list of nominees for each office and ask the individual to stand as their name is read. Closing of nominations is simply announced by the President and does not require a motion. If for some reason, someone wants to reopen the nominations, this requires a motion and needs to be approved by a majority vote of those in attendance.

A written ballot gives each member the privilege of privacy in vote without outside influence and should be prepared in advance with the list of nominees and additional lines for nominees presented from the floor. If ballots have not been prepared, plain paper of the same size and color may be used. In this case, all names nominated, including those nominated from the floor, should be on display to be visible to all of those voting.

What if the committee did not secure a nomination and none are offered from the floor? Chapter bylaws should state that officers serve until a successor is named, which means that whoever is serving in office will remain until someone is found.

If the party currently serving is not willing to continue, they wait until the new chapter year begins and resign, forcing the new Board to appoint someone to fill the vacancy.

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THE ELECTION PROCESS

The election process must be conducted so each member is assured that special privileges have not been extended to any one individual and the election process is fair.

1. The President should announce when it is time to mark the ballot, including names

nominated from the floor, and instruct members on how to fold the ballot so individual ballots cannot be identified. When the President calls for the ballots to be collected, members may take their ballot to a ballot box or the tellers can collect the ballots in a box.

2. It is the responsibility of the tellers to see that no one votes more than once.

3. The President should appoint tellers to collect and tally the votes. The first named teller is

the chair of the group. With a small group, three tellers are needed; one to read the ballot, one to tally what is read on a blank ballot and a third to watch. With larger groups, more tellers are needed.

4. If the group is large, the tellers may go to another room to tally the votes with the chair of the

tellers assisting them. 5. If there is a division in the chapter, it is wise to include tellers from both sides of an issue.

With a small group, the tellers may count and record the votes in a corner of the room where the membership is assembled and tellers visible.

6. Tellers make out a teller’s report by indicating the total number of votes cast for each office,

the number of votes necessary for election and the number of votes received by each candidate. Election is by a majority rule unless otherwise stated in the bylaws. Example: if 30 ballots were cast then 16, or one more than half, are needed to carry the vote. A form with information can be recorded as follows:

Office of President Number of votes cast = Number of votes necessary = X candidate received Y candidate received Z candidate received

This tabulation needs to be done for each office. The tellers do not report the results of the election. That is the responsibility of the presiding officer or the President. If more than one nominee receives votes over what is needed for a majority, the one with the most votes wins. If there is not a majority, the chapter continues to vote with all candidates remaining on the ballot until someone receives the majority.

Once the results have been announced and the meeting adjourned, the election is final. It is helpful to have the membership number of all nominees ready so when the election results are reported, the Annual Chapter Form can be sent to the SDP office.

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SAMPLE INSTALLATION CEREMONIES Ceremony Number 1

Supplies need for ceremony: White votive candles; one to represent each of the following: the Society, Society members,

affiliated chapters, each elected office of the chapter and chapter membership. Candle snuffer Matches

SAMPLE CHAPTER OFFICER INSTALLATION CEREMONY

Will the newly elected officers please come to the platform? It was indeed an honor to be asked to present the installation ceremony today.

As an active member of the (name of chapter) , I feel a responsibility to serve the chapter. I ask each of you to take a few minutes and think of our membership responsibilities. We elect officers annually, expecting them to assume their duties as stated in the bylaws of the chapter, but do you know that those same bylaws do not define our responsibilities as chapter members? Why do we exist? How did we get where we are today?

In 1972, the Society of Decorative Painters was founded and at that time, seeds began to grow. (Light the first candle)

Over the years, the membership has grown to over , a group of students, teachers and shop owners. It is a camaraderie with one interest… decorative painting. We light the second candle representing all Society members. (Light the second candle)

As we grew, chapters developed. We now have affiliated chapters, of which (name of chapter) , has the honor of being included, in the family of the Society. The third candle represents the affiliated chapters. (Light the third candle)

When we have chapters, there is a need for leadership. The fourth candle represents the leadership of the President of the chapter to which (name) as been elected. (First name) , you are the link between the Society and the chapter. The link to guide and direct the chapter. (Light candle)

(Name) , the fifth candle represents the 1st Vice President, who serves during the absence of the President and is responsible for so we may share our talents with one another. (Light candle)

(Name) , the sixth candle represents the 2nd Vice President, who serves as the membership chair. This is an important function. It is important to keep in touch with the chapter members letting them know we care. (Light candle)

(Name) , the seventh candle represents the Secretary who is responsible for recording the events and history of the chapter and informing the Society of chapter activities. (Light candle)

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(Name) , the eighth candle represents the Treasurer who is responsible for maintaining the financial records of the chapter and reporting the financial state of the chapter to the membership. (Light candle)

The last candle is symbolic of chapter membership, for without this membership the flames of the other candles would not exist. (Light candle)

You, as officers, must be aware of this membership and serve them to the best of your ability. The members, in turn, must be aware of the need to support your newly elected officers. For without your support, the lights of the candles will soon go out. (Extinguish the candle representing chapter membership)

Without the chapter membership support, the officers cannot fulfill their responsibilities and each light will gradually diminish. (Extinguish the candle representing the chapter officers)

Without the support of the chapter officers, there cannot be a chapter President. Without the chapter President, there cannot be an affiliated chapter. (Extinguish the candle representing affiliated chapters)

As the chapters diminish, so will our Society membership begin to diminish. (Extinguish the candle representing Society membership)

The light that never fails is that of the Society; that light is always there. (Let the first candle remain lit)

Don’t let any of the flames flicker… each of us should be aware of our membership responsibilities, care about our chapter and most of all, share our talents.

Ceremony Number 2

Supplies needed for ceremony: 4 votive candles and holders Candle snuffer Matches 5 flowers of various colors

SAMPLE CHAPTER INSTALLATION CEREMONY

It is an honor to be asked to present the installation ceremony today. As an active member of the (name of chapter) , I feel a responsibility to serve the chapter. I ask all of you to take a few minutes now and give some thought to our membership responsibilities. We elect officers annually, expecting them to assume their duties as stated in the bylaws of the chapter, but do you know that those same bylaws do not define our responsibilities as chapter members? Why do we exist? How did we get where we are today? In 1972, the Society of Decorative Painters was founded and at that time, seeds began to grow. (Light first candle)

Over the years, the membership has grown to more than , a group of students, teachers and shop owners. It is camaraderie with one interest – that of decorative painting. We light the second candle representing the national members. (Light second candle)

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As we grew, chapters developed. We now have over 200 affiliated chapters of which (name of chapter) has the honor of being included in the family of the Society. The third candle represents the affiliated chapters. (Light third candle)

The fourth candle represents the leadership of the President of the chapter. (Name), as President, you are the link between the Society and our members, seeking to guide our chapter. May you serve with reverence and zeal as you accept this flower.

(Name) , as 1st Vice President, you will serve in the absence of the President and as membership and publicity chair. May you share ideas for interesting new artists as well as letting our chapter members know we care. May you serve with understanding as you accept this flower.

(Name) , as 2nd Vice President, programs of educational interest are your duties as you utilize talents of many individuals at our meetings. May you serve with enthusiasm as you accept this flower.

As secretary, (Name) , you record the history of the chapter. Of equal importance is reporting chapter activities to the Society. May you serve with reliance as you accept this flower.

Maintaining the financial records and reporting the chapter’s financial status to the members are the treasurer’s responsibilities. You, (Name) , are elected to this office. May you serve with dedication as you accept this flower.

One last candle remains to be lit – a symbol of chapter membership. Without this membership, the flames of the other candles would not be necessary. (Light the fourth candle)

As officers elected by these members, may you serve to the best of your ability. In turn, the members must support their officers, for without one supporting the other, the flame ceases to burn and we have no seeds of ideas to sow. (Extinguish two candles)

Without support of officers, the President cannot function. And without a President’s leadership, there can be no chapter. (Extinguish one candle)

Our light in the window that continues to show our way is that of the Society. With ever-growing wisdom, that light is always there, with new seeds to plant and nourish.

Keep all of the lights burning! As we share with other artists who care about the same interests, may we become aware of our responsibilities as members.

NOTE: A suggestion would be to follow a color family and present each incoming officer with a flower, decorating the table with candles and flowers in the same color.

SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS

Section 6

OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES

CONTENTS PAGE

Responsibility as a Member of the Board 52

President 53

Sample Agenda 55

Vice Presidents 57

Secretary 58

Sample of Minutes Outline 60

Treasurer 61

Sample of Treasurer’s Year End Report 63

Newsletter Editor 64

Appointed Officers 66

Parliamentarian 67

Committees 68

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RESPONSIBILITY as a MEMBER of the BOARD

A Board of Directors is an administrative body of elected and appointed officers. Collectively, you will be initiating policy and plans that will affect the members long after your service on the Board. In some chapters the Board makes many of the decisions for the chapter, while in others they offer recommendations to the chapter for decision by vote of the membership. The Board is charged with making sure the chapter is fulfilling the purpose and requirements of affiliated chapters of the Society. You are elected to represent the chapter and must stay sensitive and receptive to the needs of the chapter. Attendance at all Board meetings cannot be stressed too strongly.

Chapter bylaws state who serves on the Board in addition to those elected by the membership. Those elected by the membership always serve with vote. If appointed officers serve on the Board, bylaws should state whether they have a vote. Appointed officers with vote should not outnumber elected officers. Appointed officers also may be invited to attend Board meeting with voice, but without vote. The position of parliamentarian serves without vote.

Since chapter Boards are generally of a smaller size, business may be taken care of in a more informal manner. Confidentiality is important in order to have complete and uninhibited participation. Members must feel free to bring pertinent information to a discussion without fear of disclosure. Copies of Board minutes in your possession belong to the Board and only the Board can give permission to share the minutes with someone else. Once an action is taken by majority vote or consensus, it becomes the action of the Board and deserves the support of the entire Board. Board members have an obligation to protect their good names and the integrity of the chapter and the Society.

Larger Boards who live great distances from one another can benefit from an executive committee which is a smaller group authorized to act on behalf of the Board, just as the Board acts on behalf of the general membership between meetings. If the chapter has an executive committee, generally composed of the elected officers, the bylaws need to define their duties and powers. As a rule, chapters are not large enough to warrant this separate group within the Board. When a chapter meets monthly, the general membership can attend to its business with recommendations from the Board. No action by the Board can conflict with bylaws or action taken by the general membership of the chapter.

Board meetings are for those elected or appointed to evaluate goals and address items before the chapter. Members requesting to meet with the Board should contact the President for an appropriate time and, as a courtesy, notify the President of the subject matter. The request also may be made in writing. The designated time given to the member to meet with the Board should be after other Board items have been addressed.

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PRESIDENT

In accepting the office of President, you have obligated yourself to devote the necessary time and effort to fulfill the duties of your office promptly, systematically and efficiently. You are the point of communication that can block or advance the progress of your chapter and its members. If communication is received that changes policy or revises information in the Handbook for Chapters, notify those who are affected by the change and file information with your materials for future reference.

Store all items belonging to or pertaining to the chapter in one place. Review files received from your predecessor that should include:

a. Current bylaws and standing rules b. Current roster of chapter members with addresses and phone numbers c. Handbook for Chapters d. Current list of SDP Board members – refer to The Decorative Painter e. Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised f. Copy of Society’s bylaws g. Copy of minutes from the previous year h. Copy of Employer Identification Number (EIN) as granted (if US based chapter)

Confer with your predecessor on problems revealed in your study of the files. An early joint meeting of the retiring Board and the new Board provides a time to discuss policies and procedures. Outline the duties of the officers and the cooperative efforts you hope to accomplish for the term. Enthusiasm, sincerity, consideration and an invitation for all to share ideas can set the stage for a strong team support.

Chief duties as President are to preside at all chapter and Board meetings and expedite the business of the meetings. This requires basic knowledge of parliamentary procedure. The President facilitates the meeting by preparation of an agenda of items that need to be addressed. Personal opinions by the President are not appropriate. Review minutes for unfinished or continuing business items. The chapter can only conduct business when a meeting has been called and the membership notified. Example: members at a paint-in cannot informally make decisions. The same is true of the Board unless all Board members have been notified and a meeting called.

Determine that officers have the necessary information to fulfill their responsibility. Each officer should have a copy of the chapter bylaws and information pertaining to their responsibility from the Handbook for Chapters. We suggest the chapter invest in notebooks for each office and the information be kept on file and passed to each succeeding officer. If new information for the handbook is sent, the President should see that copies are given to each officer and their notebooks updated.

In general, the chapter President is the contact person for the chapter both locally and with the Society. Chapter Presidents should designate an email contact for their chapter so its email address can be included on the Society web page. Forms and reports required by the Society are the responsibility of the President to ensure they have been completed. You may choose to have another officer complete some of these reports but it is your responsibility to see that it is done.

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Communication materials from the Society office, such as the Happenings newsletter, will be sent to all Society members with a current email address on file. The President should share information from these materials with chapter members and alert them of any important changes or articles.

One of the first responsibilities of the President is to review the chapter bylaws with the officers to clarify questions that may arise.

Appoint standing and special committees as outlined by chapter bylaws, usually with the concurrence of the Board. Coordinate work of committees and the chapter. The President serves as ex-officio of the committees as determined in the bylaws, which excludes participation in the Nominating Committee. Keep informed on committee progress but do not dictate committee action. Make sure each committee observes the bounds of its designated responsibility. Until the Board approves committee work, no work should begin or monies spent.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER

Powers: Limited to those listed in the bylaws, the parliamentary authority and directors of the chapter.

Special Qualifications: Knowledge of parliamentary law and procedure Familiarity with bylaws and other rules of the organization Common sense, tact, sense of humor and kindness

Duties: Open the meeting on time (making sure a quorum is present) Announce the business in order Recognize members entitled to the floor State and put to a vote all motions properly coming before the assembly Announce the result of each vote Rule improper motions out of order Enforce rules of debate and decorum Expedite business (making certain the rights of members are respected)

“Presiding is an art form that cannot be learned entirely from a book. However, a good working knowledge of parliamentary procedure is the first step in being able to preside with quiet authority.” – Elaine Fulton, Registered Parliamentarian

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SAMPLE AGENDA

In preparation of each meeting, the President should plan an agenda following the prescribed order of business. This agenda or outline will fill in details within the order of business that must be covered in that particular meeting. An agenda will prove invaluable to both the presiding officer and the members in directing the progress of a meeting in a fair, democratic and business-like manner.

The agenda must follow an accepted order of business, which provides for: Call to order Reading and approving of minutes Statement of Treasurer Reading of communications Reports from Board and committees Unfinished business New business Announcements Program Adjournment

Detailed Agenda: Agenda for (date, time and location)

1. Call to order, quorum established. The meeting will come to order. (If guests are present they should be introduced and welcomed.)

2. Reading of minutes

The Secretary will please read the minutes of the previous meeting.

Are there any corrections to the minutes? If none, the minutes are approved as read.

If there are corrections and there are no objections to them, the Secretary will please make the corrections. Are there other corrections? The minutes are approved as corrected.

If the chapter publishes their minutes in their entirety in the newsletter, the President asks for a motion to accept the minutes as published and proceeds as above with corrections.

3. Treasurer’s financial report

The Treasurer presents the financial report. Are there any questions? The Treasurer’s report will be filed.

4. Reading of communications

The Secretary will report on correspondence not requiring action at this time (thank you notes, etc). Other business is saved for New Business.

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5. Reports and their disposal a. Board – the next business in order is the report of the Board b. Committees – may we have a report from standing committees? c. Special committees – may we have a report from special committees? (Example:

Christmas party, state fair, etc.) 6. Unfinished business

The next business of order is unfinished business and general orders. (Example: A motion relating to sponsoring a mall show was postponed from the last meeting. Restate the motion and ask for discussion.)

7. New business

The next item on the agenda is new business. Call for items you have been advised on then ask if there is any other new business. (If additional information is needed before a decision can be made, you can entertain a motion to postpone or appoint a committee to gather information.)

8. Announcements

Have a list prepared and ask if anyone else has any announcements. 9. Program

The program chair will announce the program. 10. Adjournment

If there is no further business, the meeting is adjourned.

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VICE PRESIDENTS First Vice President

As First Vice President, you are the stand-in for the President and should be aware of the President’s responsibilities as stated in the chapter bylaws and outlined in the Handbook for Chapters. Duties in the bylaws may be as specified in the standing rules; this allows for flexibility. However, the main responsibility of the First Vice President is to assist the President. Offer help in any way you can.

Vice Presidents should have a copy of the following: Files of your predecessor should contain chapter bylaws and standing rules Chapter roster should have names, addresses and telephone numbers

As an assistant to the President: Arrive well ahead of the meeting time. Open the meeting and proceed with the regular order of business if the President is late.

Relinquish the chair at completion of pending business. Preside in the President’s absence or at his/her request. Make motions that will assist the President and expedite business. Pay careful attention to minutes to assure accuracy. Keep well informed on material received from the Society office to assist in its integration

into programs. Serve with duties as agreed upon by the Board, remembering the first responsibility of the

Vice President is to assist the President. Clear and organize files to deliver to your successor at the end of the term, including a

written report of your term activity to assist him/her in taking over office at the first of the next calendar year.

Second Vice President

This officer, if elected in your chapter, will stand in for the President in the absence of the President and the First Vice President. The chapter bylaws designate the responsibilities of this office, as stated in the standing rules, and give each chapter flexibility in what duties are assigned to this officer. The value of electing a Second Vice President is an easy way to enlarge the Board with an elected office. Many times this officer is Membership Chair, which is a vital responsibility in the chapter.

Membership Chair with duties as follows: Maintain a membership roll with current addresses and telephone numbers. Maintain a record of attendance, if required. Advise the President if a quorum of voting members is present. Collect chapter dues. Work with the Treasurer in establishing a method of recording receipt of chapter dues. A

triplicate book is suggested with the original going to the member, the second copy to the Treasurer and the third copy for reference by the Membership Chair.

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SECRETARY

As Secretary, you perform an important service for your chapter in maintaining an accurate record of transactions. Minutes may serve as evidence in case of legal action. They must be complete but concise.

Special qualifications needed by the Secretary include: Neatness and accuracy Typing proficiency Ability to read in a clear voice with enunciation

In preparation for office you should obtain the file and minutes book from your predecessor. The file should contain: Chapter bylaws and standing rules Current roster of SDP officers as printed in The Decorative Painter Complete chapter roster including officers, chairmen and committees Member list with addresses and telephone numbers Correspondence for the past year

Review and organize the file, supplying any missing items.

Examine the minutes book from the previous year. Minutes of all meetings from the previous year should be in the file. The minutes should be secured in a notebook labeled “Minutes Book of (name of chapter)” in order of meeting held. The minutes should be signed by the Secretary and should become a part of the permanent record of the chapter. The minutes book or file should be forwarded to each new Secretary. If minutes have not been kept as indicated, they must be changed to this style.

As Secretary you will:

1. Keep the minutes of chapter and Board committee meetings. These minutes should be

completed in the final form and given to the Board within one week of the meeting. Minutes should always state clearly at the beginning, the full name of the chapter as well as the date and location of the meeting. Minutes should be as brief as possible and should be reported in the order in which the business was presented at the meeting. They should record all action taken by the group, including: a. The exact wording of motions (motions may be requested in writing). b. The name of the member who introduced a motion (not who seconded). c. The action taken on the motion.

2. Personal opinions and details of discussion are not included. What is done by the chapter,

not what is said by the members, should be recorded. 3. Maintain custody of the official/signed copy of the minutes of the chapter meetings, as well

as official minutes of Board meetings. Access to chapter minutes is limited to chapter members. Access to Board minutes is limited to Board members as designated or by permission of the Board.

4. Permit no changes in minutes other that those authorized by official action.

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5. Keep all lists of chapter officers and chairmen current. Include phone numbers of all officers.

6. Furnish President, within a week after each meeting (chapter and Board), a copy of

the minutes of the previous meeting with lists of: a. Unfinished business as shown in the minutes b. Motions or actions postponed from previous meeting c. Committees instructed to report

7. Be prepared to call the meeting to order promptly as scheduled in the event of the absence

of the President, First and Second Vice President. Conduct election of a temporary chairman for the meeting.

8. Notify Treasurer of expenditures authorized by chapter action.

9. Complete and return to the Society office, any and all forms for which your President asks

you to be responsible. If you are Corresponding Secretary, you will:

1. Read correspondence to the chapter (summarize long letters) first giving the name of writer

and the organization. Be familiar with correct pronunciation of names. 2. Reply to correspondence promptly as directed, with copies for the President’s and chapter’s

files. 3. All letters, reports and memoranda should be dated. Letters should show the address of the

writer and the name of the chapter. 4. Files at the end of the term of office should be cleared of all but material of use to the next

term. No social correspondence should be retained.

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SAMPLE OF MINUTES OUTLINE

Sample Outline of Minutes

In writing minutes, the following outline is generally used:

1. Kind of meeting. (regular, special, Board, chapter) 2. Name of the chapter. 3. Date, place and time of the meeting. 4. The presence and names of President and Secretary, or in their absence, the names of their

substitutes. 5. Whether the minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved or whether dispensed

with for later approval. 6. Action taken

a. Hearing of Treasurer’s report and filing for audit. b. Hearing of other reports and action taken. c. All main motions, except those which are withdrawn. Name of the member who

introduced the motion. d. Points of order and appeals, whether sustained or lost. e. All other motions not lost or withdrawn.

Sample Minutes

Minutes written within this outline could take the form illustrated here. Numbers in parentheses ( ) refer to sections of the outline above.

(1, 2, 3) A regular meeting of the ABC chapter was held September 18, 2014 in the Commons

Building at Fort Wright College. The meeting was called to order at 10:00 a.m. (4) by President, (President’s name) . The Secretary, (Secretary’s name) , being

present. (5) Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved.

(6) The Treasurer reported receipts from dues of $35, current disbursements of $17.50 and

a balance-on-hand dated September 17, of $4627.83. The report was filed for audit. (Name) , Project Committee Chairman, reported an upcoming workshop with Priscilla Hauser. The budget for 20__ was presented by the Budget Committee. The Special Committee appointed to investigate the suggestion of a membership event during Decorative Painting Month submitted a recommendation, which after discussion and amendment, was adopted as follows: This chapter shall sponsor a membership event on October 22, 20__ with (Name) serving as Chairman.

Barbara Baker moved that $150 be contributed to the IMSDP (International Museum of SDP). The motion was referred to the Budget Committee. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:35 a.m.

Secretary’s Signature

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TREASURER

You will keep a record of the financial transactions of the chapter with the responsibility for receipt and disbursement of funds as provided in the chapter bylaws. Qualities of alertness, honesty, dependability, financial and record-keeping accuracy, promptness and trustworthiness are fundamental to the discharge of this office.

Preparation for the office includes: Study of bylaw and standing rule provisions relating to the Treasurer. Study the sections of the Handbook for Chapters referring to collection of dues, membership

verification and chapter finances. Detailed examination of the budget. Accompanying the President to the bank for identification and signing of signature cards if

not already on file. It is essential that more than one signature be on the signature card, a minimum being the President and Treasurer.

Files should contain: A current copy of the chapter’s bylaws and standing rules. Note especially any sections

specifying how dues are collected and any restrictions on authorized disbursements. Current copy of the chapter budget. Receipt book to acknowledge money received. Checkbook to disburse funds as authorized Book in which to keep financial records. These are kept best in a binder with four separate

sections (listed below) permitting assembly of all records in one book. Sections should be allocated as follows; 1. Member Record – to show name, address, amount and date of dues paid by each member.

Work with Membership Chair if applicable. 2. Cash Record – to show all receipts and disbursements with a balance after each entry. 3. Budget Accounts – to show budget allowance for each allocation (teachers’ fees, postage,

etc.) with current expenditures against each. 4. Accounts Receivable – to show any monies received such as dues, overage on meals,

receipts from ways and means, etc., with copies of all expense vouchers with supporting information.

You should begin office with the knowledge that you know and understand your duties. Books turned over to you should have been audited, either by an audit committee or as authorized by the chapter bylaws.

As Treasurer, your duties are to:

1. Be the custodian of all chapter funds. 2. Collect all monies for the chapter, issuing receipts for them.

a. If the Second Vice President or Membership Chair is responsible for collecting dues, a summary of amount and date of dues paid by each member should be given to the Treasurer as soon as possible after receipt.

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b. A triplicate receipt book is suggested with: the original going to the paying member the second copy to the Treasurer the third copy staying intact for reference by the Membership Chair.

3. Deposit monies promptly in an account in the chapter name. Never deposit into a personal account.

4. Disburse chapter funds as ordered. 5. Keep accurate records of all receipts and disbursements; file all bills as support for money

paid, preferably using a voucher system. 6. Make a financial report at each meeting. Sample reports are found following this portion of

the Handbook. Provide the monthly bank statement to whoever on the Board has been designated to review it.

7. Complete and return to the Society any and all forms for which your President asks you to be responsible.

8. Pay all bills promptly as authorized. 9. Pay the chapter’s liability insurance premium and the chapter service fee. An invoice for the

insurance premium will be mailed in the fall. The Annual Chapter Form can be found on the SDP website for payment of the chapter service fee.

The chapter will not collect Society dues. Those must be paid for by the individual member and sent directly to the Society.

If a member is already a member of the Society, you must require proof of payment of Society dues either by showing a membership card, email verification of payment, or cancelled check. Notify the President if there are any discrepancies. See section 4, Membership & Verification.

Preparation for relinquishing your office:

1. Balance the books and notify the President when the books are ready for audit. (Outstanding checks plus cash on hand should agree with the bank balance.)

2. Arrange for transfer of funds to the new treasurer. Obtain signature cards from the bank so the new Treasurer and any other person authorized to sign may return it to the bank so the funds may be withdrawn without delay.

3. Minutes of the chapter should relay where monies are deposited. 4. Deliver completed files and records promptly to the newly elected Treasurer.

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Treasurer’s Year End Report Name of Chapter _ Chapter #

Balance forward as of January 1, (year) Receipts (Income): Chapter membership dues $ Seminars or workshops $ Ways and Means $ Advertising, Newsletter $ Interest $ Donations $ Miscellaneous $ Other $

$ $

$ Subtotal on receipts $

Total receipts + balance forward ………………………………… $

Disbursements (Expenses) Newsletter $ Ways and Means $ Seminars $ Rent $ Programs $ Postage and Printing $ Bank Charges $ Miscellaneous $ Other $

$ $

Total disbursements………………………………………………………..$

Ending Balance as of December 31, (year) $

Summary: Funds Checking Account $ Funds Savings Account $ Funds – Other $

Bank: Bank: Bank:

Submitted by Treasurer: (date)

Certified by Audit Chair: (date)

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NEWSLETTER EDITOR

The newsletter is your chapter’s voice, its main tool of communication with your members, other chapters, the Society and prospective members. Use it to say who you are. The newsletter represents the chapter.

Consult your chapter Board to help determine what is appropriate for the voice of your chapter. Using chapter newsletters to express personal opinions, yours or other individuals can undermine the chapter and every member of the Society. As a tool of communication, a negative voice can disappoint a new member and lose a prospective one.

Duties and responsibilities as Newsletter Editor:

1. Ask for help or a co-editor if you feel one is needed. 2. Utilize other chapter members by assigning people to prepare articles, get ads,

design, type, and work on layout, addressing and mailing. 3. Send a copy to all chapter members in good standing. 4. Put the Society on the chapter mailing list. E-mail to

chapters@decorativepainters.org or mail to: SDP Chapters Department, 1220 E. 1st Street, Wichita, KS 67214.

5. Keep accurate records of expenditures and receipts. 6. Mail any items of interest, along with pictures, to the Society for publication

consideration in social media, the SDP website or The Decorative Painter magazine. Photos should be 4” x 6” glossy prints of good quality and cannot be returned unless SASE is included. Digital photos should be in jpeg format.

7. At the end of term, turn over files, notebooks and supplies to new officers in good form and order.

8. Serve on the Board of Directors, with or without vote, depending on what the chapter bylaws dictate, in order to effectively relay the wishes of the chapter.

9. Be sure your newsletter contains the necessary items and is also informative. The front page of the chapter newsletter must include the chapter name; location is applicable to the chapter (i.e. city/state/province/country), name of newsletter and the month/date.

Following are some suggestions to keep in mind:

• List all the officers, including the newsletter editor with mailing addresses, e-mail addresses and phone numbers.

• Officers’ articles as appropriate • Secretary’s minutes of the meeting • Treasurer’s report • Meeting times and places • Welcome new Membership and updates to the directory • Deadline information on material for newsletter • Information on workshops and Seminars • Ads (according to criteria established by the chapter) • Special Interest stories • Book reviews • Committee reports as needed • “Fill ins” – Thoughts for the day or helpful painting hints • Humor • Chapters emblem and return address on mailing label page

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• Save postage and send via e-mail • Use seasonal symbols or other interesting and simple artwork • Post on chapter website

Newsletter editors are encouraged to use their own creativity when designing the chapter newsletter. If you would like to see samples of other newsletters, please contact the Society’s Chapters Department.

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APPOINTED OFFICERS

Officers of a chapter may consist of both elected and appointed officers. Elected officers are those designated in the bylaws as elected by the general membership, who will be the governing body of a chapter, commonly referred to as the Board of Directors. Normally this is the President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.

Appointed officers of the chapter may be appointed for special duties as deemed necessary by the President with the approval of the Board. An appointed officer may perform his/her duties alone or might also be designated as chair of a standing or special committee.

• In the sample chapter bylaws, the Newsletter Editor and Ways and Means chair are both

appointed to serve on the Board of Directors with vote. Both of these responsibilities are ongoing and vital to the success of the chapter.

• The Newsletter Editor may function with help, but he/she attends all meetings for a clear understanding of issues discussed and acted upon, either by election or appointment with vote. If this position is appointed, bylaws might alternatively designate he/she serve as an officer to attend all meetings but without a vote.

• The Ways and Means Chair is designated as an officer and serves on the Board of Directors with vote. He/she has committee input and in turn, by attending regular Board meetings can convey the needs of Ways and Means to a committee.

It is important that the bylaws specify if appointed officers serve with or without vote.

Appointed officers with vote should not outnumber elected officers since elected officers are chosen by the general membership and appointed officers are chosen by the President.

A wise President seeks approval of his/her appointments from the Board to avoid creating a situation that might occur with the President and appointees ruling against the remaining elected officers on the Board.

Appointments are for one term or calendar year. Even though a President is re-elected for a second term, he/she should have the option of appointing someone else if they so choose.

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PARLIAMENTARIAN

The President may or may not choose to appoint a Parliamentarian to attend Board and chapter meetings.

The Parliamentarian should be knowledgeable in parliamentary procedure and be someone in whom the President has confidence. He/she should be seated close to the President at meetings where the President might need to confer with the Parliamentarian. Council should be held as discreetly as possible.

The Parliamentarian does not normally speak to the chapter but advises the President with the President determining what direction he/she will take. Only in rare instances should the Parliamentarian be asked to speak directly to the chapter.

The Parliamentarian is not considered an appointed officer of the Board and serves as an advisor without vote. If the Parliamentarian is also a member of the chapter, he/she does not forfeit the privilege of voting at chapter meetings.

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COMMITTEES

The committee is the primary training ground for leadership.

A network of committees is an important factor in the success of the chapter. Diversified committee membership is invaluable. It is a training ground for higher service with wider activity. Committee work is a direct path to well-informed, interested leadership. It is also a source of potential Board membership. Many officers have received inspiration and preparation as a member of a chapter committee.

The same leadership qualities required in officers are needed in the chair of a committee. This is essential to the total strength of the chapter. Committee members need to work in cooperation with the chair to complete the task of the committee.

Standing committees are working units of the chapter charged with specific areas of responsibility as spelled out in bylaws provisions. The period of service generally coincides with the term of the administration under which it is appointed. Committees are under the supervision of an officer designated in the bylaws (generally the President.)

Special committees are formed on motion and appointed by the President, charged with specific tasks on which the committee reports. The committee is discharged when the task is completed. Appointment of a special committee is temporary and its work is generally performed within the time limits set by the nature of the specific task.

No committee work should be undertaken or monies spent without the approval of the Board or executive committee.

Purpose and Principles of Committees The work of a committee is as follows:

• To expedite business, thus saving time for the larger group. • To investigate thoroughly all aspects of a specific matter. • To report. • If necessary, recommend action.

Committee Chair The work of a committee chair is as follows:

• Consult the President for information or instruction. • Discuss the work of the committee with the members of the committee immediately on

the acceptance of appointment, delegating duties to various members. • Encourage each committee member to express ideas and opinions and try to coordinate

all of them. • Cooperate with people and delegate duties to others. • Keep an open mind.

The duties of a chairperson include:

• Participation, and if unable or unwilling to do so, the chair should resign. • Advise the President when committee members do not function so the President

may appoint a replacement. • If necessary, conclude unfinished business of the previous committee. • Clear chapter mailings and material for publication with the President.

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• Maintain an orderly up-to-date committee file. • Make a final report on work completed at the end of the year and give to President or

next chair. • Inform President of meeting plans including time and place. • Report in writing to the Board on work of the committee with recommendation for

action in numerical order. • He/She is not a committee of one and cannot work effectively alone.

Questions all committees should consider before proceeding with plans:

• Is this project feasible? • Will it benefit the majority of the membership? • Can the results be measured? • Will the effort stimulate interest in and appreciation for decorative painting?

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SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS

Section 7

Promotion and Publicity

CONTENTS PAGE

Promotion 71

Communication 72

Publicity – News Release 75

Press Release Samples 77

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PROMOTION

Contributed by Pat Castillo Hughes of California Society member and 1998-1999 Membership/Marketing Committee Chair

Promotion and PR are key ingredients to the success of any endeavor, whether it is a major retailer, a tiny boutique or an organization such as a chapter.

Promotion is what gets participation going, creates energy, interest and generates fun.

Publicity is what gets the word out about the fun and memorable functions your organization puts on and gets involved in. All of these elements result in creating awareness of your group and its efforts and result in drawing the interest of potential members.

New membership will keep a group fresh, full of new ideas and fights the “but we’ve always done it this way” syndrome. A membership with energy never becomes stale and easily resists the cliques that can sometimes develop in a chapter, inevitably causing a group to falter.

How can chapters succeed in promoting their events to their membership and thereby create an opportunity to generate publicity? Start by creating energy and fun within the chapter.

Communication Perhaps the key is communication. By keeping everyone informed about upcoming events, workshops and seminars, the membership will have the opportunity to participate and make each event a success.

Fun Another ingredient for success is creating fun. If your members have fun at each function, they will spread the word, drawing new interest and greater participation. The greater the numbers turning out for your events, the greater the speaker, visiting artist/teacher or painting retreat your chapter can afford.

Publicity Creating awareness in your community and in the decorative painting industry for your group’s effort is the reward for the work done by the members. A sense of tremendous pride can be generated by seeing your chapter’s event publicized in your local newspaper, The Decorative Painter or in similar industry publications.

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COMMUNICATION

The Newsletter There are several means of communication your chapter can produce to keep the membership informed and involved. The chapter newsletter is the most logical communication tool. Most effective when mailed to membership on an established schedule. Some ideas you may want to incorporate for your newsletter include the concept of regular columns.

Chapter leadership is best exemplified by the group’s President. Having a regular column by the President with a clever heading and positioned in the same spot in the newsletter each time creates a continuity on which members will come to depend. This column will provide the perfect outlet for announcing new events, thanking the special efforts of individuals, recognizing accomplishments and wishing those in ill health well.

For the member or members in charge of programs and educational workshops, the newsletter is the most meaningful tool because it allows the events to be advertised. It provides membership with a place to find the when, where and how much of every event. It spells out the sign-up deadlines, the special brushes or supplies they’ll need to bring and any other events scheduled such as special raffles or guest speakers.

Other items to consider for your newsletter is a column for the month’s birthdays, “Closer Look” column can focus on a specific member each time so that everyone will get a chance to get acquainted with one another, a “Classified” section for thank-yous, craft fair announcements and members’ sales. Publishing the minutes from the past month’s general meeting, as well as the chapter’s budget report, is always a good idea.

Newsletters offer local shops and other area businesses a chance to reach a targeted audience. Advertising will round out the news value of your publication and help offset the cost of publishing and mailing.

It is highly recommended that each newsletter have a membership application for your chapter and the SDP. After all, the newsletter is the natural handout to give to prospective members. Current copies of the Society membership form can be found on the SDP website or can be obtained by request by e-mailing chapters@decorativepainters.org.

The newsletter should:

• inform • educate • excite • be professional in appearance and content • be published on schedule

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Annual Calendar of Events and Workshops Creating a one-time calendar of everything scheduled for the coming year allows members the chance to arrange their schedules so that they may participate. Often a seminar or workshop is scheduled but not enough time is given to allow the members to react to the opportunity and sign up. The calendar can serve as another promotional piece that is mailed to each member and can be handed to anyone inquiring about membership.

The calendar can consist of an introductory page of information about the chapter, when it meets, what it is about and what type of community works it performs. A detailed listing of each upcoming seminar or workshop can follow. Ideally, this list would give the date, time, place, teacher, project, sign-up deadline, cost and special supplies list for every workshop scheduled. If you can include photos that have been scanned in, or have halftones done of each photo to paste into the layout, the response will astound you.

Some chapters hold a vote at a specified meeting where area teachers are invited to submit projects. Once the vote is decided and the year’s projects selected, the calendar can be mailed to announce the schedule and signal the start of enrollment. Refer to STAGING A VOTE FOR THE YEAR’S PROJECTS section within this chapter.

The Workshop Flier Having a one-page information bulletin at each workshop or seminar provides another opportunity to keep the members informed of any last-minute changes or additions. It spells out the day’s schedule, lunch breaks, teacher’s name and assistants or monitors, and other contests, announcements, elections or discussion items for that day. Take advantage of the incredible grapevine effect found in any chapter by feeding information to the members at every opportunity and let them spread the word for you.

Postcards If you need to get a “newsflash” out to the membership, consider sending a quick post card. These are less expensive to mail. Many paper outlets or paper catalogs sell post cards in 2-up or 4-up formats, meaning each 8 ½ x 11 sheet is perforated with either 2 or 4 postcards per sheet. Draft a general bulletin: drop into each area on the page and stick on a mailing label. You might be surprised how sending out a notice in this unusual manner will effectively catch their attention.

E-mail E- mail is a great way of communication with little expense. This is a great tool for reminders and can increase chapter participation. Ask your members to provide their e-mail addresses with their renewal or new memberships.

Facebook Facebook as increasingly become the way we keep in touch with friends and family, share photos, and play. For SDP chapters, Facebook offers a simple way to get online without learning how to build a web site or have a dedicated webmaster. Whether you want to share your art and ideas with a private group, chat, recruit new members, promote your events online, or simply have a landing page for your chapter information, Facebook offers a solution.

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Chapter Fun Makes for Good Promotion Think in terms of what makes a party fun. After all, if you can make each workshop or painting retreat feel like a party, you’ve got a winner.

• Themes Try selecting a theme for each workshop. Look to the project being painted that day for ideas. Is it an old-fashioned or antique-looking design? How about incorporating an “Antique Little Girls” contest where members bring baby pictures of themselves and everyone gets to guess which picture matches which member. Add a voting process whereby members can vote for their choice of “Cutest Baby” and the “Chubbiest Cheeks”. Award little prizes for those selected and add a prize for the one matching the most names and pictures. If you’re serving coffee and rolls that morning, set the mood with a nice table decorated with vintage table cloths and serving dishes. Try themes such as “Las Vegas”, “Strokes of Genius”, “Magic”, “Circus”, “Tea Party”, “Country Fair”, and “Christmas in July”. Don’t just put on a seminar- plan a party!

• Involve the Members Try having members “brown bag” lunch one day, but have them set all those lunches out so that everyone picks someone else’s lunch. Everyone can vote for the best lunch, the fanciest or most creative.

Try a potluck lunch break where members cook up their favorite family recipe and set out recipe cards the interested members can pick up for their collection. Throw one of each recipe card into a big box as a “participation door prize”. All those recipes can be printed throughout the year in your newsletter for all to try and enjoy.

Set aside one hour of a workshop and provide all the materials to “Paint-A-Pin”. Each member gets a small wooden heart or star shape and paints a design of their choice. Quick roses, hearts, bees or dots and dashes quickly adorn the shapes; members are then given a pin back. The pins can be donated to new moms on Mother’s Day at the nearest maternity ward, or to mothers in shelters to lift their spirits.

• Staging a Vote for the Year’s Projects One of the most special functions you can stage is a meeting where members can see what area teachers have submitted for possible painting projects. Send letters to all the teachers in your area and send announcements to other chapters requesting submissions. Have all projects on display at one time for members to vote on and take the opportunity to make the voting process fun. Make it look like a real election, complete with official ballots and polling areas. Try reaching that original spark of creativity by appealing to the inner child. Hand out crayons and child-like ballots to remind that we all started out rather primitive and look at what they are considering painting now!

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PUBLICITY

After going through all of those creative juices and extracting all the volunteer labor humanly possible from your chapter, write a news release about all those special events. Pat yourselves on the back. This type of thing is newsworthy to your community papers and maybe even the radio and television stations. As it is, decorative painting makes for a great “visual” for the news media and when you add a flower-judging or baby picture contest, the media might jump at the chance to cover your event. An annual vote of all submissions will seem like an entire art exhibit to the media. Share your ideas with other chapters through “The Decorative Painter Chapter Spotlight”, or through SDP Happenings e-zines.

• News Releases The first step in getting out the word on your group’s activities is to prepare a contact list consisting of editors in your area’s media. Find out who at your local newspapers you might direct news releases to about your type of group. Find out if local magazines would be interested in, for example, that your group has been invited to participate in a showcase home, or if the magazine has a “Community Calendar” that lists area workshops and exhibits. Radio stations, TV and local cable programs are excellent sources of publicity. Why not invite your local TV personality to the next chapter meeting for a free painting lesson? Remember they all need to fill their newspaper pages and hours of programming with something that will relate to their market and in that regard, the chapter and its activities can be of assistance.

• News Release Format Once you have a contact list, preparing one news release to send out to all media will typically do the job. The main difference is that you need to identify each one’s deadline for information. Typically, you’ll find that most newspapers need anywhere from 2-3 weeks’ notice of an event. Magazines work easily 3-4 months in advance of publication and the electronic media can respond on a much shorter notice.

The news release must be prepared in a manner that is professional to the news media and one that will make their job of reviewing it easier. Don’t expect much response from flowery personal notes or calls but do make a follow-up phone call and find out the name of the reporter or editor who should receive the information and make sure his/her name is included at the top of the document. News releases are more effective when they are sent directly to a person as opposed to the general news organization.

Type your news release on clean, white paper. At the top of the page first identify the name of your chapter and address. Follow this with an all-capital heading of FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE and a contact for your group with that person’s phone number, fax and e-mail. About a third of the way down you’ll provide a headline for your piece. Double space and state the city and state in which the event will or has taken place, followed by the date the release is prepared. Immediately following this data, start right into your article. Remember the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How principle and try to cram as much of that into the first paragraph. Most editing occurs from the end of the article back to the start. Keeping your most basic facts at the top will quickly establish your story and hopefully will survive the editing cuts.

Avoid wordy descriptions and adopt a factual tone. Imagine a news anchor reading this information to an audience and write it in that manner.

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Format the page to allow at least one full inch all the way around the body of the copy and double space each line. This will provide editors with the necessary room to mark up the editing. At the bottom of each page of the article, number them as 1 of 2, or 2 of 3 etc. Close the last page with --30-- to indicate there is no further copy.

When you mail your press release, consider preparing an entire “Press Kit” in a folder which includes a copy of the most recent newsletter and the annual calendar of events and workshops. Whenever possible, include a glossy photo of events and workshops, including the people involved. To the back side of the photo affix a typed label repeating your chapter’s name and contact, title of the press release and a description of what is pictured. Identify people from left to right and indicate with (L-R). By sending a well-rounded press kit you never know what might catch the eye of the editor and prompt them to contact you about yet another angle. (To make a lasting impression, deliver your news release in person along with a “media gift,” a small painted token that can be placed on a desk. Editors and reporters will pay more attention to a painted object they can hold or touch as opposed to only a news release on white paper.)

Don’t lose heart when you barely recognize the article you sent in compared to what appears in the paper. Remember, editors wouldn’t be doing their jobs if they didn’t edit. Keep in mind that without that professional presentation on your part, your chapter would most likely not have any coverage at all.

• Speakers Program Another great method for spreading the word about your chapter’s work is to simply talk it up. Make yourselves available to speak to women’s groups and business groups in your community. They are looking for speakers and want to be exposed to new things in the area, which provide you with an ideal audience. Explain what decorative painting is; demonstrate quick decorative painting techniques and show some of the members’ works. Along the way, tell the audience when your next workshop or seminar is scheduled. It’s an excellent way of getting the word out.

Promote your group from within, watch it blossom and catch the eye of the news media. Promotion, public relations and publicity is a full cycle that starts from within your chapter and rewards you with a fun organization that’s interesting, exciting and newsworthy.

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(SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE)

Copy on chapter letterhead or put your chapter’s name here

News Release Month, date, year Contact: Contact person Contact person’s phone number Contact person’s e-mail address For Immediate Release

Headline for press release (Chapter’s city, state abbreviation) – Open by briefly summing up the news your press release is sharing.

Continue by giving more details about your event or news. If your press release is about an event, don’t forget to give the name of the event, who is sponsoring it, when it is, where it is, admission fee (if there is one) and – if the event is a fundraiser – who will receive the funds collected.

Describe your organization and SDP.

Close by suggesting that for additional information, the reader can contact (contact’s name) by calling (contact’s phone number) or e-mail (contact’s e-mail address).

(The following indicates the end of your press release to the reader:) --30--

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(SAMPLE) News Release July 8, 2005 Contact Matthew Clagg (316) 269-9300, Ext. 115 matthew@decorativepainters.org For Immediate Release

The Decorative Painter receives prestigious design award WICHITA, Kan. – The Decorative Painter, the decorative painting industry’s leading project magazine, has been recognized for design excellence with a 2005 Apex Award. The publication is produced four times a year by the Society of Decorative Painters.

The Apex Awards, celebrating their Annual Awards for Publication Excellence, are sponsored by Communications Concepts, a trade organization for professional communicators. The Decorative Painter has received awards for all-around publication excellence in the category of “Magazine and Journal Design and Layout” for three consecutive years.

SDP is a membership organization with approximately 8,000 members throughout the United States, Canada and 47 other countries. It has more than 220 affiliated chapters that actively promote the art form through community service projects and other painting-related activities. SDP publishes the industry’s leading decorative painting magazine, The Decorative Painter; houses the IMSDP, an extensive collection of decorative painting; and hosts the largest annual decorative painting show, conference and expo. For general SDP information, visit www.decorativepainters.org.

--30--

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SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS

Section 8

CHAPTER ACTIVITIES

CONTENTS PAGE

Chapter Activities 80

Workshops and Seminar 81

Teacher Questionnaire & Invitation 83

Teaching Agreement Samples 85

Decorative Painting Month 87

Chapter Library 88

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CHAPTER ACTIVITIES

Chapters participate in many activities that vary from chapter to chapter. Each activity the chapter considers must be evaluated by the goals of the Society: education and promotion. Does the planned activity educate and promote decorative painting?

Education activities are seminars, workshops, retreats and special events that teach and advance the participants in their individual skills and knowledge of painting. What is the difference between seminars, workshops, paint-ins, retreats and special events such as mini- conventions? Different chapters use the above terms with a variety of meanings. Seminars, workshops and paint-ins have similar meanings. Retreats are generally a combination of getting away to share and paint, sometimes with exhibits by members, but generally the objective is to paint and have fun. Most educational events involve teachers.

How are teachers selected for educational events? Many chapters have an Education Committee or chair. It is important that one person such as the chair be designated to make the initial contacts with the teacher. He/She should keep complete notes and records, since it is possible that contact made for a seminar may transpire in another year, and someone else may be carrying through the event.

Enrollment for an educational event may be limited. Activities hosted by the chapter must be advertised to all chapter members. Some chapters have reservations on a first come-first served basis.

Chapter Appreciation days are very important and can be carried out in a variety of creative ways. Showing appreciation for the support of your members is very important to the health and emotional state of your chapter. Having a giveaway at each meeting is a nice gesture. Hosting a member appreciation lunch along with a Saturday meeting is a great idea. There are numerous ways to make your members feel very special. These ideas and more can be found by attending the Chapters Gathering at the yearly SDP conference.

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WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS

Almost every chapter at some point invites teachers to visit and share their abilities. The best way to sponsor a trouble-free workshop is to keep open the lines of communication between your group and the teacher. If everyone knows what is expected from the beginning, there is less opportunity for misunderstanding.

• Choosing a Guest Teacher: How do you decide whom to invite? Many chapters look at The Decorative Painter, Conference class offerings and available publications by various teachers to determine the styles and types of painting in which they are especially interested. After discussion among the members, the teachers’ names are often nominated then voted upon. Be sure to choose at least five teachers you feel the chapter would enjoy having because many travel teachers have busy schedules and may have to defer a seminar with your chapter until sometime in the future. Think about allowing at least 4-6 months lead time to get organized.

• Seminar Chair: Many chapters have found the best and most effective way to deal with seminars and all the details inherent in sponsoring them is to elect a Seminar Chair. Some groups have a different person in charge who takes care of all seminars and the decisions concerning them for the year. That will depend largely on how many seminars your group plans to host in a year. It is helpful for the teacher to deal with a single person, to get to know them and to know that person will have the answers to his/her questions. It can be a source of conflict if the teacher does not know whether to ask the President, Secretary, or Newsletter Editor about ongoing plans and preparations. It is helpful for the chair to keep notes on questions and answers given for reference.

• Sending a questionnaire: Sending out a form that includes essential questions is a convenient way to begin. You can ask the teacher his/her preferences and indicate yours in matters ranging from accommodations to subject matter for class. When you receive the information requested from the teacher; you will be in a position to know if the chapter can afford to invite that teacher, if you have the necessary students to fill the classes and if it appears that a mutual date for the seminar can be agreed upon. No questionnaire can ask or answer every question, but one that is tailored to the needs of your group can save a lot of time and get you on the road to good communication with your chosen teacher. See attachments- SAMPLE TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE.

• Preparing and planning: Great seminars do not come easily. Preparation and planning is necessary. Once a questionnaire has been sent and replies received, the chapter can determine with whom they would like to paint.

Commitments contracted in a given year are often completed in subsequent years under a new chair or committee. The person delegated to make contact with the teacher should keep records of the agreement between the chapter and the teacher. If the agreement was in a past year, it would be good to review the agreement to see if any circumstances have changed. This can be accomplished if the agreement was in writing, which every chapter should require. It might be helpful if a copy of the original agreement is kept with the Treasurer’s records. All agreements are the property of the chapter and should be forwarded from one year to the next. See sample agreements.

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Note: Most teachers have their own contracts which should be carefully reviewed by the Board of Directors to ensure that all parties are under the same agreement as to expenses which will be covered by the chapter, etc.

Teachers generally act as an independent business and should let the seminar chair know what the chapter is responsible for providing and when. It is preferable that the teacher provides the surfaces; however, there are times when a teacher asks the chapter to do so. If so, refer to Section 3, Chapter finances.

Chapters of the Society were organized and affiliated with the goal of communicating and sharing similar interests in the pursuit of decorative painting skills. To keep the organization vital and growing, it is important to respect the different segments of the Society, to keep the lines of communication open, and to operate in honesty and fairness. Do not expect or ask the teacher to offer any publications or supplies at a discount. If teachers choose to do so, they will make the offer. If a business in the area sells the teacher’s publications, not only would this be poor public relations on the part of the chapter but also could jeopardize the teacher/business relationship. Supplies and publications sold at retail are considered fair competition. Chapter members need to be prepared to pay the cost of seminars and workshops and remember that as a group they can bring in teachers with whom they otherwise might not have the opportunity to paint.

Remember that it is unethical to book more seminars than the chapter can support in a given year. It is unfair to teachers to reserve time on their calendars to teach a seminar for a chapter, only to have that seminar cancelled due to lack of interest.

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(SAMPLE) Teacher Questionnaire & Invitation Form

Chapter name:

Dear Teacher: We are interested in learning your decorative art techniques and skills and would like to sponsor a seminar for you. If you are willing to teach for us, please fill out the information requested below. This will help us formulate plans for an exciting and rewarding experience.

Sincerely,

Seminar Chair

YES □ I would be interested in teaching a seminar for you.

NO □ I would not be interested in teaching a seminar at this time.

I could teach for you during the following months:

1. If we can work out satisfactory dates from those listed above, my fees will include the

following: Daily fee for teaching from am to pm

2. I also charge expenses consisting of airfare lodging meals and (Please check those for which you will bill us.)

3. How many days do you wish to teach?

4. Do you wish to combine this seminar with another nearby?

5. Do you require a minimum or maximum number of students per class?

6. Do you require a deposit? Is it refundable upon reasonable cancellation?

Subject Matter: We will need to have color photographs of each project in order to help fill the seminar. We request that we have a supply list of required paints and brushes, as well as surfaces and instructions, for their preparation 60 days prior to the seminar dates. That will help us to host the most organized seminar. Please let us know if you cannot provide any of the above.

7. What would you plan to teach?

8. Could you provide a few pictures of projects to choose from?

9. What medium do you use?

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10. Will you teach all-day or ½ day projects?

11. Can the students expect to finish the project in class?

12. What level of instruction? Beginner Intermediate Advanced

13. Accommodations: Would you prefer to stay in a hotel? private home?

14. Do you prefer smoking? or non-smoking? We appreciate your time to answer our questions and look forward to hearing from you.

Name: Address

City State Zip

Phone ( ) E-mail address

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Teaching Agreement (Sample 1) The following agreement is made between the chapter and

, hereafter designated as “teacher”. 1. That the teacher shall be paid $ per day for a day seminar in

decorative painting for a maximum of students.

2. That should the number of registrants exceed the above maximum, the chapter

agrees to pay the teacher $ per student per day.

3. That the chapter shall pay for all related and reasonable travel expenses: round trip

airfare, lodging, meals, and travel expenses to and from the airport. Should the

travel be by automobile, the rate of reimbursement will be cents per mile.

The chapter shall pay whichever rate of travel is the lesser of the two. All copies of

receipts must be given to chapter for reimbursement.

4. The teacher agrees to consult with the chapter prior to accepting another seminar in

the immediate area. Should the chapter approve and agree that another seminar

would be beneficial to both parties, all travel expenses would be shared on a daily

prorated basis.

5. The teacher agrees to furnish patterns, instructions and photographs for each

student. Samples or photographs of the projects will be furnished by the teacher and

sent to the chapter weeks prior to the seminar.

6. The chapter agrees to notify the teacher of possibility of cancellation at least

weeks prior to the seminar date. The same courtesy is expected of the

teacher.

7. The teacher shall have the option of being housed in a private home or in a hotel

and should indicate this choice here: private home hotel.

8. The dates we have agreed upon are

For the Chapter.

President Teacher

Date Date

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Teaching Agreement (Sample 2)

Chapter name and contact person/phone, e-mail:

.

I (we) agree to pay $ (amount) per day for students and an additional $ per day per student above 20, to teach a (number of days) seminar in decorative painting. Payment will be made on the final day of the seminar.

Agreement is made for all reasonable travel expenses: round trip air fare, lodging, meals, travel expense to and from airport. Should travel by automobile be feasible, the rate of reimbursement would be (cents) per mile, round trip. Reimbursement would also be made for any related expenses such as shipping of samples, excess freight charges, etc.

(Teacher) agrees that he/she will not accept another seminar in your immediate area without consulting with you, and the travel expenses would be prorated on a daily basis, should you approve and agree that a second seminar would not be competitive.

Agreement is made to notify the Teacher of cancellation at least 30 days prior to the seminar. Agreement is made to house the teacher in a hotel rather than a private home.

Arrangements for airline tickets will not be made by the chapter.

The teaching dates we have agreed upon are: .

Teacher’s name

Street Address

City, State, Zip

Business Phone

Home Phone

Cell Phone

E-mail address President Date Teacher Date

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DECORATIVE PAINTING MONTH

The Society of Decorative painters has traditionally designated the month of October as Decorative Painting Month because the Society was founded on October 22, 1972. There are several goals to accomplish in celebrating Decorative Painting Month each year:

• We encourage you to take every opportunity to share with the general public the wide

variety of techniques and styles our art form consists of, as well as the different segments of the organization and how important each is to the other.

• We have a responsibility to support and respect the skills and interest of each member

to unify and promote our common goals and strengthen the foundation of our Society.

• Celebrating our beginnings provides an opportunity to promote our art form and celebrate the scope of diversity in our organization.

• We need to involve teachers, shop owners and individual members in our areas to

strengthen our foundation by focusing on membership recruitment. We suggest listing chapters, teachers and business members when distributing promotional materials.

Ideas on promoting and celebrating Decorative Painting Month:

1) Plan an annual event such as a tea and art show. Invite all members past and present

and the general public to view and take part and learn about your chapter and the Society. Make sure you have membership applications available and members on hand to answer any questions.

2) Plan a decorative painting cruise for the month of October. 3) Plan a Chapter gift show and advertise along with some make-it, take-it projects. 4) Plan a Learn-to-Paint weekend at your local library. 5) Plan a charity auction along with a charitable community service project to promote

decorative painting. Make your celebration special!

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CHAPTER LIBRARY

Some chapters have found educational benefits in setting up a chapter library.

Special consideration could be given to obtaining research books that individual members might find too costly for personal purchase. The Society Research Articles and books such as those on health hazards of craftspeople or drawing might also be wise additions.

Care must be taken to prevent copyright abuse by members of chapters that include design and pattern books in their library. It is certainly advantageous to members to be able to check out pattern books and review them in order to decide which ones to purchase, but is not appropriate for members to check out pattern books and photocopy patterns.

Each chapter sets its own goals and criteria for library use, as well as appointing a librarian.

Following are examples of chapter libraries, their contents and rules:

One chapter voted to charge a $2 fee when borrowing books from the library. ($1 was non- refundable and $1 was for damage deposit that would be refundable.) The refundable deposit will be returned if the book is brought back to the next meeting undamaged. If the book is kept longer than a month, the deposit is not returned. All fees would go towards new book purchases.

Several chapter libraries contain all material donated to the chapter by visiting teachers, lecturers, members and visitors. All materials and painted surfaces left by visiting teachers are mounted and placed in library files.

Library material may by checked out for a period determined by the membership.

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SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS

SECTION 9

CHAPTERS AND COPYRIGHT

CONTENTS PAGE

Copyright Information 90

Copyright Myths 91

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COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

SDP chapters are part of a community consisting of many talented artists who create original designs, pattern packets, books, etc. These authors, designers, publishers and photographers depend on their creative works to earn a living. Using someone’s original work without permission is tantamount to theft. Chapters wishing to use someone’s original work must always seek permission of the artist before teaching, copying, publishing, etc. Publication includes, but is not limited to, the chapter newsletter, website and/or Facebook page.

According to the U.S. Copyright website, an artist’s work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. This original art is protected whether it is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office or not.

While many works indicate their copyright status with the © copyright symbol, the absence of the © does not mean a work is not copyrighted. Regardless of the appearance of the © symbol, the owner of the work must be contacted for permission to use the work. Permission to use the work should be in writing to avoid any confusion or argument that the work was used without the creator’s permission. If no permission is granted, the work should not be used.

It cannot be stressed enough that if there is any doubt, contact the owner of the work and get their permission in writing. If the owner of the work cannot be located, the work should not be used.

Additional copyright information can be found on the U.S. Copyright Office website at http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/

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COPYRIGHT MYTHS Below are some common myths in regard to copyrights.

If an original work doesn’t contain a copyright symbol, I am free to use the art however I wish. FALSE – You need to obtain permission from the owner to use the work in any way, whether a copyright symbol is present or not.

I want to teach someone else’s pattern to my chapter for free. It’s not a violation since I’m not charging for it. FALSE – If the owner does not give permission to teach their work, you are violating their copyright even if there is no charge for the class.

Our chapter is going to copy a bunch of patterns to paint on suitcases for a charity. It is not a copyright violation when painting for a good cause. FALSE – If you are copying someone’s pattern without permission, it is a violation of their copyright, regardless of the good-natured intentions.

My friend took an amazing photo of a bird at the park. There is no problem if I want to create a design based on that photograph and teach it to my chapter. FALSE – If your friend took the photo, he/she owns the copyright and you must obtain

permission before creating a design based on their photograph. The owner of a particular design gave me permission to teach her project to a small group of students. This means I can just make copies of her pattern and instructions for the students. FALSE – Just because you received permission to teach the project, it doesn’t mean you have permission to copy the pattern or instructions. Some teachers may allow you to photocopy their design and/or instructions. Others may require you to purchase a copy for each student. Be sure to get permissions clarified in writing from the person who owns the rights to the work.

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SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS

SECTION 10

CHAPTER ACHIEVEMENT & YEARLY FILINGS

CONTENTS PAGE

Chapter Achievement Award 93

Sample Chapter Achievement Award Form 94

Annual Chapter Form 97

Sample Annual Chapter Form 98

Record Retention Policy for Chapters 100

Filing Your Tax Return 102

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CHAPTER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The Chapter Achievement Award is presented to Chapters each year that have completed certain

requirements as outlined on the awards form. The form is to be completed by the Chapter

Officers of the year requested, and sent to the SDP office in Wichita, KS by January 15 of the

current year. See sample of award form on following pages. The current year’s form is online

under Chapter Forms at www.decorativepainters.org.

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CHAPTER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Chapter Name Chapter ID # _ The Chapter Achievement Award recognizes chapters for their efforts in activities that promote decorative painting. The participation of chapters and scope of activities in which they are involved is a source of pride for every member of the Society.

The Chapter Officers should complete and mail the award form to SDP no later than January 15. Send to: SDP CHAPTERS, 1220 E 1st St; Wichita, KS 67214 or scan and email to: chapters@decorativepainters.org Questions? Please call (316) 269-9300.

EIGHT MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS for all affiliated chapters – Please check as achieved and enclose necessary documentation and fees. 1. The chapter verifies that all Chapter members are members of the Society of Decorative Painters. ____ 2. Chapter /has filed IRS Form 990-N as required and has mailed/emailed the IRS receipt to SDP. (This is due after January 1 so you can file all paperwork together with SDP.) ___ 3. The chapter sent the Annual Chapter Form, which lists chapter officers and chairpersons

with their addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses, and the total gross receipts anticipated for the year. This report is due upon chapter election and must be postmarked by January 15. The Annual Chapter Form must be sent even if the officers remain the same.

4. Chapter liability insurance premium (US chapters only) and chapter service fee has

been paid by the due date of January 15. 5. Chapter sent a member roster to SDP with the Annual Chapter form OR a current

roster is enclosed with this form. 6. If there was a Chapter Bylaw or Standing Rule revision, a copy was sent to SDP.

7. The chapter conducted a minimum of the required four (4) business meetings last year.

8. The Chapter President’s email address is on file with SDP as required.

If you have completed the eight (8) mandatory requirements above, and have fulfilled a minimum of ten (10) items on the following pages, you are eligible to apply for the Chapter Achievement Award; applying for the award is optional. Is the Chapter applying for the Chapter Achievement award?

Chapter does not qualify for the award, but is sending the information to advise the

Society of their activities and for publication consideration in The Decorative Painter magazine.

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Achievements must have been completed between January 1 and December 31. If additional space is needed, refer to item number and attach additional pages. Please include photographs, newspaper articles, etc., if available.

1. The board or chapter reviews ideas for local use included in the SDP eZine newsletter. 2. Chapter has a newsletter and sends an electronic copy to chapters@decorativepainters.org or mails one to CHAPTERS at the Society of Decorative Painters.

3. Chapter has a current scrapbook. 4. Chapter had members who attended last year’s Chapters and Members Gathering at the Annual Conference & Expo.

5. Chapter has a program, speaker or demonstration at each meeting.

6. Chapter has a traveling display or art exhibition to promote decorative painting as described below:

7. Chapter has developed a banner provided by the Society to promote the Chapter and the Society.

_ 8. Chapter has participated in state, county or local fair/festivals. Indicate date and details of participation: 9. Chapter promotes and encourages Society and chapter membership through the following activities:

_ _10. Chapter has planned activities to celebrate SDP Decorative Painting Month. Describe

how your chapter promoted this annual event in October: _11. Chapter is involved in at least one community service project during the year such as Memory Boxes or Habitat for Humanity, etc. Describe involvement:

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Total hours spent as a Chapter on the community service project(s) Approximate monetary value of donation(s) to community service project(s) ___12. In addition to regular meetings, the Chapter has sponsored a special painting event such as a seminar, workshop, retreat or mini-convention. Indicate the date(s) and describe the event(s): 13. Chapter sponsored an art show or educational trip. Describe the activity:

___14. Chapter chose to support the SDP Foundation General Fund (which supports scholar- ships and the International Museum of the Society of Decorative Painters; permits the Society to compete for federal grants and other funding; and promotes worldwide interest in decorative painting) by making a monetary donation to the fund last year. ____15. Chapter chose to support the SDP Member Scholarship Fund (which awards scholar-ship money to SDP members to further their education in decorative painting) by making a monetary donation to the fund last year.

_16. Chapter sponsored a fundraising activity. Describe activity and amount of money raised:

______17. Chapter sponsored children’s program(s). List children’s group and describe activity: __18. Chapter has a current SDP Ambassador who actively promotes decorative painting in the community.

__19. Additional activities of the chapter which promote decorative painting not covered above:

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This is to certify that all mandatory requirements were met and those indicated as optional achievements were completed. _________________________________________________ Date ___________________ Signature of President or Officer submitting this report Print Name _______________________________________ Email __________________________________________ Phone Number of Members in Chapter Chapter Name ______________________________ Chapter ID# __________________ City and State where Chapter meets ___________________________________________________________________ Please list Cities, State(s), and General Membership Areas

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ANNUAL CHAPTER FORM The Annual Chapter Form is due every January 15, once elections have been held. This form must be sent to SDP with the requested information for the newly elected/appointed chapter officers/positions, along with the annual chapter service fee, insurance payment, proof of IRS 990 filing, and a chapter membership roster. Receipt of these forms and fees is also a requirement for the Chapter Achievement Award. This form can be found under Chapter Forms at www.decorativepainters.org. Filing for the Achievement Award is separate from filing the required forms and fees for annual chapter membership (above).

SOCIETY OFDECORATIVE PAINTERS 20XX ANNUAL CHAPTER FORM

THIS FORM MUST BE POSTMARKED BY JANUARY 15

Chapter Name Chapter ID # (NOT TAX #) Total number of members Location (city/state) Web address

20XX President SDP Membership # Address City/State/Zip Phone Email

20XX 1st Vice-President SDP Membership # Address City/State/Zip Phone Email

20XX 2nd Vice-President SDP Membership # Address City/State/Zip Phone Email

20XX Secretary SDP Membership # Address City/State/Zip Phone Email

20XX Treasurer SDP Membership # Address City/State/Zip Phone Email

Annual Chapter Service Fee: $35 + 10 cents per member (US dollars only) (10 cents per member fee is based on total chapter membership at the end of the year)

Visa, MasterCard or Discover # Exp.

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20XX Newsletter Editor SDP Membership # Address City/State/Zip Phone Email

20XX Membership chair SDP Membership # Address City/State/Zip Phone Email

20XX SDP Communications Liaison SDP Membership # Address City/State/Zip Phone Email

20XX Historian SDP Membership # Address City/State/Zip Phone Email

CHAPTER CHECKLIST (please check answers) 1. We have included a complete chapter roster as of 12/31/20XX with this report.

Yes No 2. All persons listed here and on the roster are current members of SDP.

Yes No 3. SDP is on the chapter’s newsletter mailing list.

Yes No 4. Our 20XX gross annual receipts (total income) will be:

Less than $50,000 More than $50,000 5. Chapter elections are normally held during the month of

20XX President’s Signature SDP Membership Number Date

THIS FORM MUST BE POSTMARKED BY JANUARY 15

Please send this form and all required forms and fees to: SDP Chapters Dept., 1220 E. 1st Street, Wichita, KS 67214

If you have questions or would like more information,

please call (316) 269-9300 or email chapters@decorativepainters.org

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SDP RECORD RETENTION POLICY FOR CHAPTERS

Introduction

Record retention and document destruction are distinct but complementary issues. Record retention balances the need for an organization, in this case chapters, to maintain accurate and appropriate files with the challenge of limited physical and electronic space for archives. All chapters need to keep documents that preserve their history for strategic planning, SDP compliance, and legal purposes.

SDP’s chapters are as diverse as its members, ranging from chapters that meet in private homes to chapters that own real estate. This following, therefore, is offered only as a guide to assist chapters in adopting their own record retention policies. It includes a list of documents and time periods.

RECORD RETENTION POLICY

(Chapter Name) takes seriously its responsibility to preserve information relating to chapter activities, especially with regard to financial information. The records of chapter officers are property of the chapter and each officer is responsible to see that all pertinent records are kept on file and transferred to new officers at the end of each year. The information listed in the retention schedule below is intended as a guideline and may not contain all the records the chapter may be required or desire to keep in the future. Questions regarding the retention of documents not listed in this chart may be directed to the SDP Chapters Coordinator at chapters@decorativepainters.org

File Category Item Retention Period

Chapter Affiliation Records

Bylaws and Standing Rules Permanent

Chapter resolutions Permanent Board (Executive Committee) and regular chapter

meeting minutes, including resolutions Permanent

Chapter Affiliation Certificate Permanent Chapters Handbook (latest version) Permanent Chapter Membership Roster with addresses and

phone numbers 3 Years

Copy of Employer Identification Number (EIN) as granted (if U.S.-based chapter)

Permanent

Conflict of interest disclosure forms 4 years Finance and Administration

Financial statements (audited) Permanent

Auditor management letters Permanent Journal entries Permanent Check register and checks 7 yrs/permanent Bank deposits and statements/reconciliation 7 years Electronic Fund Transfer documents 7 years Charitable organizations registration statements 7 years

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(filed with {State} Attorney General) Chart of accounts 7 years Expense reports 7 years General ledgers and journals (includes bank

statements and reconciliations) 7 years

Accounts payable ledger 7 years Equipment files and maintenance records 7 years after disposition Invoices 7 years Sales records, Petty cash vouchers, Cash

receipts, Credit card receipts 3 years

Correspondence – general 3 years Legal and Insurance Records

Policies/Certificate of Insurance – occurrence type Permanent

Policies – claims-made type Permanent Accident reports 7 years Claims (after settlement) 7 years Copyright Registrations Permanent Contracts and agreements (including

seminar/teacher, etc.) 7 years after all obligations end

Real Estate Deeds Permanent Leases (expired) 7 years after all obligations

end Mortgages, security agreements 7 years after all obligations

end Purchase agreements 7 years after disposition

requirements Tax IRS exemption determination and related

correspondence Permanent

IRS Form 990 Tax Returns Permanent IRS Form 1099 7 years Withholding tax statements 7 years Correspondence with legal counsel or

accountants, not otherwise listed 7 years after return is filed

Communications Historian records (photos, scrapbooks, newsletters, press releases, press clippings)

7 years or Permanent

Other publications 7 years Community Philanthropy

Scholarship grant records, including applications if chapter participates in selection decisions

7 years

Declined/withdrawn scholarship/grant applications 3 years Technology Software licenses and support agreements 7 years after all obligations

end Library Books, tapes, and periodicals 2 years General Administration

Correspondence – Chapter President and general 7 years

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FILING YOUR TAX RETURNS

TAXES Disclaimer: The following information relates to Society chapters in U.S. and its territories and the income tax structure. Chapters in other countries must abide by the tax rules in those locations.

Chapters are organized under the same tax code as the Society of Decorative Painters as noted in Section 3. They are recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as non-profit organizations exempt from income tax under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(6).

Current rules as established by Congress require all non-profit organizations in this category to file an annual income tax return. The annual return provides information about the chapter, its officers and its financial status.

Chapters whose gross annual receipts (all income including dues, interest income and fundraising receipts) are normally GREATER than $50,000 must file the IRS Form 990 or 990- EZ.

Chapters whose gross annual receipts are normally LESS than $50,000 need to file the Form 990-N electronic notice. This will need to be completed between January 1 and May 15 for the prior calendar year. Form 990-N must be filed by the 15th day of the fifth month following the close of the accounting year. Proof of filing MUST be sent to the SDP office every year.

When filing out the form please remember to write down your full chapter name, no abbreviations allowed. In many cases, the chapter is listed as “National Society of Tole and Decorative Painters”. If you are uncertain about the federal tax identification number (EIN), check your permanent records or in the absence of the former, you can look at the website www.guidestar.org to check for the name as recognized by the IRS and the EIN using a state and city search. You must use your chapters IRS Federal Tax Identification Number on the IRS form (not to be confused with a state-assigned number or SDP's EIN). Additional information required to complete the Form 990-N for those chapters that qualify to file this form include:

1. Employer identification number (EIN), also known as the Taxpayer Identification Number 2. Tax year 3. Legal name and mailing address. 4. Any other names the organization uses 5. Name and address of the President or principal officer 6. Web site address if the organization has one 7. Confirmation that the organization’s annual gross receipts are $50,000 or less 8. If applicable, a statement that the organization has terminated or is going out of business

An individual should be appointed the responsibility for filing any tax forms required. The login ID and password(s) should be safeguarded and provided only to the individual who has been tasked with this responsibility. In many cases, this is a responsibility that is assigned to the President, secretary or treasurer of the organization.

Remember to mail or email SDP a copy of the IRS form you submitted along with a copy of the IRS acknowledgement receipt.

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How to File

You may go to the IRS website and look for the link under the section for Charities and Non- Profits or search for form 990-N. Alternatively, you may be able to access the filing site directly by typing or pasting the following address into your Internet browser: http://epostcard.form990.org. When you access the system, you will leave the IRS site and file the e-Postcard with the IRS through a trusted partner. The form must be completed and filed electronically. There is no paper form.

Why Keep Records?

In general, a tax-exempt organization must maintain books and records to show that it complies with tax rules. If an organization does not keep required records, it may not be able to show that it qualifies for tax-exempt status. In addition it may not be able to complete the required tax returns accurately and may be subject to certain penalties.

The organization can use this information to evaluate the success of its programs. It can monitor income and expenses to ensure that the organization is operating within its budget. Records are used to prepare accurate and timely financial statements. There are some states that require tax-exempt organizations to make audited financial statements publicly available.

What Records Should Be Kept?

The law does not specify a special type of record. A tax-exempt organization can choose any recordkeeping system, suited to its activities, that clearly shows the organization’s income and expenses. The books must show gross receipts, purchases, expenses, and employment taxes, if applicable. The checkbook might be the main source for entries in the books while larger organizations may need a more sophisticated set of records. Transaction receipts showing the sources of income and expenses will generate supporting documents. Documents that show gross receipts include cash register tapes, bank deposit slips, receipt books, invoices and Forms 1099-MISC. Documents for expenses include canceled checks, cash register tapes, contracts, account statements, and invoices. It is important to retain the supporting documentation.

How Long Should Records Be Kept?

Tax-exempt organizations must keep records for federal tax purposes for as long as they may be needed to document evidence of compliance with provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. This means that the organization must keep records until the statute of limitations runs for a tax return that has been filed. Generally the status of limitations runs three years after the date the tax return is due or filed, whichever is later. An organization may be required to retain records longer for other legal purposes including state or local tax purposes.

Record Retention Periods

Record retention periods vary depending on the type of records and returns:

Permanent Records – include the application for recognition of tax-exempt status, the determination letter recognizing tax-exempt status, and organizing documents such as articles of incorporation and by-laws, with amendments, as well as Board minutes.

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Employment Tax Records – if an organization has employees, it must keep employment tax records for at least four years after the date the tax becomes due or is paid, whichever is later.

Records for Non-Tax Purposes – when records are no longer needed for tax purposes,

an organization should keep them until they are no longer needed for non-tax purposes. Revocation of Tax-Exempt Status

If the proper annual tax return form is not filed by its due date, the IRS may assess penalties. NOTE: Failure to file the Form 990-N for three successive years will result in the automatic revocation of tax-exempt status. An organization whose exemption is revoked under must apply for reinstatement by filing a Form 1024 and paying a user fee.

For more information, please visit www.irs.gov/eo or request assistance from a tax advisor.

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SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS

Section 11

KNOWING YOUR SDP

CONTENTS PAGE

Early Days: The History of the Society 106

Code of Ethics for Chapters 109

SDP Bylaws 110

SDP Standing Rules 125

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EARLY DAYS – THE HOPE AND THE DREAM (JANUARY 1972 – MAY 1974)

The National Society of Tole and Decorative Painters

by Jane Rickman In January 1972, Priscilla Hauser began talking to students attending her seminars about the possibility of a tole organization. Priscilla had discussed this with other well-known tole and decorative painting teachers in Kansas City and St. Louis. All of them had felt a need for communication between those interested in tole and decorative painting. Taking the opportunity of talking to students attending her National Tole Teachers Seminars, Priscilla presented a hope and a dream – communication between widely separated groups, information for teachers and students, a sharing among those who loved painting. She asked for and got contributions of $5 each from those who were interested in forming such a group. Johnnye Echols of San Antonio, Texas, was the first to contribute.

Noreen Banes of Tulsa, Oklahoma collected the money and opened a bank account, acting as the first treasurer at the request of Priscilla. Several others of Priscilla’s staff in Tulsa also helped out by working a little extra to get the organization on the move. In February at a seminar, Priscilla made contact with Jane Rickman and asked her to work with the organizing of the Society. The collection of funds continued until October; those who contributed were put on a “Charter Member” list.

In July of 1972, Priscilla Hauser, Jane Rickman and Noreen Banes met in a planning session at Priscilla’s home in Tulsa. The date of October 22 was set for the first meeting. With the names and contacts Priscilla had given her, Jane went back to Killeen, Texas to start groundwork. She had been appointed organizing secretary – so she could “sound official” at least!

The next months were very busy ones – Noreen collecting money from hopeful painters; Priscilla talking to students and teachers alike at every opportunity; and Jan, starting the first “home office” of our organization. To begin… that was perhaps the biggest and hardest task of all – putting the hopes and dreams of years into written words. “I had listened hard to Priscilla at that July meeting. I tried to absorb all that this organization could be, all that it ought to be! My job was communicating Priscilla’s enthusiasm through the written word, passing it along to all those painters across the United States.”

Mailings were sent out first to the few names that we knew. Then we asked them for more names to add to the list of contributors and the first meeting was announced. The response was wonderful; our list of names grew. Jean Worthan put new about the organization in the Turpen Times magazine. Every day brought more inquiries. By the October meeting date, we had over eight paid “charter members”. Over twenty of those were able to attend the October 22 meeting at the Camelot Inn in Tulsa.

Jane Rickman presided at the meeting. She presented the agenda – passage of the by-laws (a basic set had been written), election of officers, selection of Master Judges, setting of the first convention place and date. Attendees from Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas waded into the enormous task at hand.

It was a long hard meeting, but a great deal was accomplished. Each of the newly elected Board members went from the meeting to begin building our Society, to set precedents for her job. Priscilla Hauser was elected President; Anita Gish was elected First Vice President

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(Convention Chairman); Noreen Banes served as Second Vice President (National Publicity); Jane Rickman (Corresponding Secretary and Editor of the Newsletter); Dorothy Linihan (Recording Secretary); and Kathy Oldham (Treasurer). Every person who had attended the meeting was filled with excitement and purpose. Word spread quickly and the membership grew.

The first Convention was held in late April 1973 at the Howard Johnson Motor Inn in Lenexa, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City. Our attendance at the business meeting was 120. Two hundred members were registered for the Convention. Our total membership had reached 613 members. Over 1,000 visitors viewed the 20 booths in the show hall and the last day, seven classes were taught. The Board was re-elected with the exception of the First Vice President (Convention Chairman). Mary Jo Leisure was selected to plan and supervise the 1974 Convention in Arlington, Texas at the Inn of the Six Flags.

The first Convention was an overwhelming surprise to everyone involved. We all knew that there was a need for an organization such as ours. We all had personally felt the need. What we didn’t know was how widespread was this need with its attendant love of painting. Many wonderful things were accomplished at the convention and the activities preceding it.

The first full Board meeting was held. At this meeting a definition of tole and decorative painting was decided upon. The first judging of pieces for certification was undertaken by the three original judges: Joan Johnson, Priscilla Hauser and Marian Houghton. It was a difficult task – made easier by the amount of work that had been done beforehand by the development of the judging sheet. Twenty-five teachers entered… five were passed completely and several passed on one or two pieces. The first Master Teachers to successfully enter their work were Jan Burnett, Pat Clarke, Nadine Farquhar, Pat Peniston and Helen Roberts.

Our emblem was selected from among several entries. Joan Johnson of Kansas City was the designer of the now familiar stroke emblem of NSTDP. Secretarial help was made available to the Treasurer and the Executive Secretary, as the job Jane Rickman held was now called. A salary was allowed for the Executive Secretary and the Treasurer. The Kansas City group chose and named honorary members from among the pioneers in tole and decorative painting in their area. And, of course, there were the usual additions and changes in the by-laws.

So, you can see, it was a very busy Convention. The membership kept growing to over 1,000 members. The first mid-year Executive Committee meeting was held in conjunction with the mid-year judging for Master Teachers. Four additional Master Teachers were certified and a lot of business accomplished at the meeting. Selection of a pin and decals was made and offered for sale to the membership. The Board was guided by the legal counsel of Bob Poynter. We were moving toward our second convention and had a lot of work to take care of.

Several local groups were forming. There was one in California, Tole Painting and Decorative Arts Association of California with 198 members. Oklahoma City had organized soon after the October 1972 meeting. Kansas City had organized loosely for the Convention, but the first officially recognized chapter was the Bluebonnet Chapter of Central Texas. They were hard at work under the direction of Meg Kier, their President, and Mary Jo Leisure, the Convention Chairman. With 116 members, Bluebonnet worked hard at the “Watermelon Patch” they built for us in Arlington. Peggy Hobbs was in charge of classes. She was bombarded with reservations. Classes were overflowing. Twenty classes were offered in the first newsletter, the next issue offered ten more. They were all full. Six hundred were registered for the convention, elections were held and a new slate of officers took over from the original Board. The treasurer

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announced a total membership of 1,162. And, of course, the by-laws were mulled over during a large part of the meeting. Anita Gish took over as President and named the first standing committee and chairmen in education, Chapter service, membership service, constitution and by-laws, public relations and nominations. New Chapters were announced and three new Master Teachers were added. This fast moving organization was on its way. The pioneers stepped down and handed on the organization to the second generation of office holders. The early days were over and to echo a phrase which we have often heart – NSTDP, you’ve come a long way baby! The hopes and dreams of so many were at last coming into being.

At this writing, we have more than 70 Chapters across the United States and Canada, with a membership over 10,000 and still growing. The increasing membership, the many things made possible by and enlarged treasury, and the growing expertise of the Board members – all together have made for the smooth running of an organization that has had overwhelming growth and acceptance. Remember – back then, we had no experience, no money, no framework. The original 22 people who were at that October meeting dealt with raw material. We have, through the years, structured, restructured, added and grown – all in answer to the need. We now have a full time staff supervised by an Executive Director. We have a very beautiful quarterly publication with a marvelous editor – a very capable Board that after elections will be replaced by another capable group of leaders, and we are still growing, expanding, finding and filling needs. The most important need is for an active organization of tole and decorative painters.

And finally, in a personal note… It was my privilege to serve on the first Board and to have my hand in so many firsts. It is my hope that these notes of the early days of the NSTDP will help you to fully appreciate what has gone before – and what you now have. The original Board joins me in sending best wishes.

Jane Rickman Priscilla Hauser Noreen Banes Dorothy Linihan Mary Jo Leisure Kathy Oldham Anita Gish

This article published circa 1978.

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Code of Ethics for Chapters of the Society of Decorative Painters

As members of a chapter of the Society of Decorative Painters our purpose, in common with that of the Society, is the promotion of decorative painting. To this end we pledge ourselves to support the goals and purposes of the chapter of the Society:

To keep the lines of communication open with fellow chapter and Society members,

respecting one another and following appropriate lines of communication.

To have a positive and open attitude, listening to fellow members’ opinions.

To remember the importance of an active membership, contributing our time and talents.

To maintain high standards of integrity and honesty.

To respect the rights of each member individually, and the right of the majority to

govern; therefore supporting the decision of the majority, regardless of how we personally voted.

To support and cooperate with leaders who serve the chapter, respecting the time

and dedicated service of past leaders, and when completing our terms as officers, relinquishing our responsibilities cheerfully to support new leaders.

To promote a friendly chapter environment where chapter members motivate and

inspire one another, and where differences of opinion are accepted without a need to continue to discuss past differences.

To accept and respect the varied reasons members have for chapter membership

and the varied skill levels they represent.

To remember Chapters are nonprofit organizations and their goal is to promote decorative painting for everyone.

To realize the conduct and activities of the chapter and its members reflect on the

entire Society of which the chapter is a part. As members of the chapter and of the Society, we acknowledge this code of ethics as an expression of our determination to maintain high professional standards. It is only the conscience of the individual who subscribes to this code that can guarantee its effectiveness.

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ARTICLE I – NAME

Society of Decorative Painters

BYLAWS

The name of this non-profit organization shall be the National Society of Tole and Decorative Painters, Inc., doing business as the SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS and referred to herein as the SOCIETY.

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE The purpose of the Society shall be to stimulate interest in and appreciation for decorative painting; to raise the quality of the art form; and to serve as a central dissemination point for information concerning decorative painting.

ARTICLE III – STRUCTURE The structure of this organization shall be built of the relationships of Members, Chapters, Executive Committee, Board of Directors, with duties and powers as hereafter set forth.

ARTICLE IV – POWERS The powers of this organization shall be to advance its objectives by issuance of charters to chapters; to incorporate as an association for benevolent, educational, fraternal or beneficial non-profit purposes if deemed advisable by the Board of Directors; to adopt emblem, seals and ritual; to publish newsletters or other publications; to employ legal counsel; to change the name if necessary; to establish dues and fees; and to do all things necessary to further the purposes and objectives of the National Society of Tole and Decorative Painters, Inc., in an efficient economical manner as decided upon by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE V – MEMBERSHIP Section 1. Classification

A. Individual – An individual member shall be eligible to vote, to attend the Annual Meeting, to hold office, to apply for Certification and to receive the Society’s official publication(s).

B. Individual/Business – An individual/business member shall have all the rights of individual members as well as those additional Business related privileges as determined by the Board of Directors. Only one person per business membership, as listed on the membership application, has voting rights.

C. Lifetime (no longer available as of May 1977) - A lifetime member shall have all the rights and privileges of individual members.

D. Household – A household member, whose eligibility is defined in the standing rules, shall have all the rights of individual members, with the exception of receiving the Society’s official publication(s).

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E. Honorary – An Honorary member shall be awarded at the discretion of the Board of Directors and shall not pay dues, vote, hold office, or be eligible to apply for Certification.

F. Affiliated – An affiliated member shall include any non-profit organization whose goals, aims or product interests are compatible with those of the Society. Such membership may be conferred only by the Board of Directors and will not provide voting or office-holding privileges.

G. Student – A student member shall include any full-time student of an educational institution. A student member, whose eligibility is defined in the standing rules, shall have all the rights of individual members with the exception of receiving the Society's official publication(s) in print form, and will not be provided voting of office-holding privileges.

H. Trial – A Trial member, whose eligibility is defined in the Standing Rules, shall have all the rights of individual members with the exception of receiving the Society's official publication(s) in printed form.

Section 2. Application and Obligations of Membership

A. Membership shall be obtained by application and payment of dues as set forth in the Standing Rules.

B. Members, in accepting membership in the Society, ratify, accept and agree to be bound in all things not contrary to law, by these bylaws, by the Society’s Standing Rules, and by the Code of Ethics and to observe the provisions thereof.

C. Failure to maintain financial obligations or meet the requirements of membership shall result in the loss of Society privileges.

Section 3. Resignation A member may resign by filing a written resignation with the President. The resignation shall not relieve the member from the obligation of outstanding accounts due to the Society.

Section 4. Censure and/or Expulsion Members of any classification may be censured or expelled from membership by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the total Board of Directors for non-payment of financial obligations, or failure to abide by the Bylaws, Standing Rules, and Code of Ethics of the Society. For any cause other than non-payment of financial obligations, removal shall occur only after the member complained against has been advised of the complaint against him/her and is given reasonable opportunity for defense. If a member is expelled such member may appeal the decision of the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting of the Society, providing that notice of intent to appeal is filed in writing with the President no less than ten days in advance of the meeting.

Section 5. Reinstatement A former member in good financial standing with the Society who has been expelled for Bylaws, rules or ethics violations may be reinstated with the approval

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of the Board of Directors. If such a member is in default on payments due to the Society, such payments, as well as current membership costs, must be met before he or she is reinstated. Former members expelled solely for non-payment of dues may be reinstated at any future date with the payment of current dues and all past due accounts.

ARTICLE VI – DUES Section 1. Dues Membership dues as outlined in the Standing Rules of the Society are payable annually.

ARTICLE VII – MEETINGS Section 1.

A. Membership Meetings—There shall be an annual meeting of the members upon such date, time and place as the Board shall determine. During the annual meeting, voting members shall have the right to vote on the following matters: election of Board of Directors and officers; and approval of any amendments to Bylaws and Standing Rules that may have been proposed by the Board.

B. Special Meetings—Special meetings of the members may be called by the President of the Board of directors or upon the request of 10 percent of the voting members or a majority of the Board of Directors.

C. Members shall receive not less than sixty (60) days prior written notice of meetings. The notice shall state the purpose of any special meeting.

D. Agenda—The agenda shall include elections of officers, Board Members-at- Large and members of the Nominating Committee in addition to regular business brought before the membership.

1. Business requiring action by the membership shall be presented in writing in the form of a main motion to the President not less than ten (10) days prior to the first day of the meeting.

2. Business not requiring action by the membership shall be submitted to the President in writing for inclusion on the agenda not less than forty-eight (48) hours prior to the eeting.

E. Quorum—Each voting member in good standing shall have one vote at any meeting of the members. A quorum shall consist of all such members present in person at the meeting. A majority of the votes cast at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall constitute the action of the members.

ARTICLE VIII – OFFICERS, BOARD MEMBERS-AT-LARGE, APPOINTIVE OFFICERS Section 1. Elected Officers—The elected officers of the Society shall be a President, Vice President/President-Elect, Recording Secretary and Treasurer.

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A. Qualifications for Office 1. Officers shall have been members in good standing for not less

than three (3) years immediately preceding the time of election. 2. The nominee for Vice President/President Elect shall have had

previous service as an elected member of the Board of Directors. B. Terms of Office

1. The term of office for the President and Vice President/President Elect shall be one (1) year or until seven days after the Annual Meeting at which a successor is elected. The President and Vice President/President-Elect shall serve no more than one (1) consecutive term unless the Vice President/ President Elect assumes the Presidency under Section 1, C.2. Once elected, the Vice President/President–Elect shall not be eligible to run for any other Board position until he or she has served for one (1) year as Vice President, followed by one (1) year as President, and one (1) year as Past President.

2. The terms of office of the Secretary and the Treasurer shall be two (2) years. The Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected in alternate years.

3. The terms of office for all officers shall begin seven (7) days after the annual Meeting at which they were elected.

4. A secretary or treasurer elected or appointed to a two-year (2) term shall be eligible for election to that office for two (2) full terms.

5. A secretary or treasurer who has served less than one (1) term shall be eligible for election to that office for one (1) additional term.

6. Elected officers shall serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same office, except as noted in Section 1, C.1.

C. Vacancy 1. A vacancy in the office of President shall automatically be filled by the

Vice President/President- Elect for the unexpired term. 2. A vacancy in an office, except that of the President, shall be filled by

the Board of Directors for the unexpired term. A Vice President/President- Elect so selected shall not succeed to the office of Presidency except by election at the next Annual Meeting.

D. Removal—Any officer or Board member may be removed from such office with or without cause by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Directors

E. Duties of Officers 1. President—The President shall preside at all meetings of the members,

Board of Directors and Executive Committee; shall coordinate activities of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee; shall be an ex- officio member of all committees except the Nominating and Awards Committees; and shall perform such other duties as the Board of Directors may assign or which generally pertain to this office.

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2. Vice President/President Elect—The Vice President/President Elect shall act in the absence of the President; shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Board of Directors; and shall succeed to the office of President at the conclusion of the President’s term of office or in the event of a vacancy in that office.

3. Recording Secretary—The Recording Secretary shall record minutes of business meetings of the general membership, Executive Committee, and the Board of Directors. These minutes shall be kept in books which are the property of the Society and shall be a complete and clear record of the Society’s activities.

4. Treasurer—The Treasurer shall review all financial reports of the Society monthly; shall report to the Board of Directors at regular meetings; shall review financial records annually; and shall submit a written report to the membership at the Annual Meeting.

Section 2. Board Members-at-Large

A. Number—There shall be six (6) Board Members-at-Large nominated and elected as provided in these bylaws.

B. Qualifications for Office—Board Members-at-Large shall have been members in good standing of the Society for not less than three (3) years immediately preceding the time of election and shall normally be selected from geographically diverse areas of the membership.

C. Terms of Office 1. The term of office shall be two (2) years. Board Members-at-Large

shall not serve more than two (2) consecutive terms. 2. The terms of office for Board Members-at-Large shall begin seven (7)

days after the Annual Meeting at which they are elected. D. Vacancy—A vacancy in the office of Board Member-at-Large shall be filled by

the Board of Directors until seven (7) days after the next Annual Meeting at which a successor is elected.

Section 3. Appointive Officers

A. Authority—The appointive officers of the Society shall be those appointed for special duties of the Board of Directors as they deem necessary and may include a parliamentarian, historian and others.

B. Limitations—Appointive officers shall not be members of the Board of Directors but may be invited to attend Board meeting in an advisory capacity.

ARTICLE IX – NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS Section 1. Nominating Committee There shall be a Nominating Committee composed of five (5) members who shall hold individual membership in the Society at the time of election or appointment; three (3) of whom shall be elected by the members at the Annual Meeting for a

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term of one (1) year; one (1) who is selected by and from the immediately preceding Nominating Committee; and one (1) who is appointed as Chairperson of the Committee by the President and approved by the Board of Directors.

A. Qualifications and Terms of Office 1. All members shall have been members in good standing of the

Society for not less than the three (3) years immediately preceding the time of election or appointment.

2. The elected members shall serve a term of one (1) year. No members shall be eligible for re-election to the Nominating Committee until two (2) years shall have elapsed. The Chairperson shall be limited to a one- year term in that capacity.

B. Duties of the Nominating Committee 1. The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for submitting to the

membership of the Society, nominees for the office of Vice- President/President Elect, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, and for Board Members-at-Large and the Nominating Committee. Both the Board Members-at-Large and those for the Nominating Committee shall normally be selected from geographically diverse areas of the membership makeup. The Nominating Committee shall obtain the consent of the nominees prior to the nomination.

2. The committee shall select one (1) of the three elected members of the committee to serve on the succeeding Nominating Committee.

3. The committee shall be accountable to the members of the Society, and have the responsibility to report to the Board of Directors.

C. Report of Nominating Committee 1. The Nominating Committee shall submit its slate of nominees to the

Society office by November 1. 2. The slate of nominees shall be printed in The Decorative Painter or

mailed to the address on record for each current member no later than 90 days prior to the Annual Meeting.

D. Vacancy—A vacancy on the Nominating Committee shall be filled by appointment of the President with the approval of the Board of Directors.

Section 2. Election of Officers, Board Members-at-Large and elected members of the Nominating Committee

A. The election shall be by ballot. The ballot for Board Members-at-Large and the Nominating Committee shall normally represent a general geographic area of the membership make up, and shall include the name, city and state of each incumbent and nominee.

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B. The three (3) Board Members-at-Large candidates and the three (3) Nominating Committee candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected.

C. In the event a write-in candidate receives the highest number of votes, the candidate shall meet all necessary qualifications for the office prior to being elected.

D. Absentee Voting 1. A ballot listing the slate of nominees submitted by the Nominating

committee, with a space for eligible write-in candidates, shall be mailed to current members with The Decorative Painter or other written notice containing the slate of officers.

2. The absentee ballot shall be received in the Society office on or before the deadline date established by the Board of Directors.

3. Absentee ballots shall be held unopened until the Annual Meeting when a Tellers Committee designated for absentee ballots shall be

responsible for tallying the votes.

E. Tellers Committee 1. A Tellers Committee appointed by the President shall tally votes. 2. Absentee ballots shall be counted separately from, but

simultaneously with, in-person votes 3. The Head Tellers shall prepare the final tally for both the absentee and

in-person votes, prepare and sign a report and deliver to the Chair for announcement of results.

ARTICLE X – BOARD OF DIRECTORS Section 1. Composition The Board of Directors shall be composed of the President, Vice- President/President Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate Past President, and the six (6) Board Members-at-Large. The Board of Directors shall meet on dates fixed by it or on call of the President.

Section 2. Authority and Responsibility The governing body of this Society shall be the Board of Directors which shall have supervision, control and direction of the affairs of the Society, its committees and publications, shall determine its policies or changes therein; shall consider ethical matters referred to it by the Executive Committee; shall have the authority to establish all fees except dues, shall actively promote its objectives; shall adopt the budget; shall supervise disbursements of its funds and shall review all employment contracts.

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Section 3. Committee Liaison One (1) member of the Board of Directors shall be assigned by the President to chair, co-chair, or be a liaison member of each Standing Committee, except the Nominating Committee.

Section 4. Conference Telephone Meeting Members of the Board of Directors may participate in a meeting of the Board by means of a conference telephone call, and participation in such a meeting shall constitute presence in person at such a meeting.

Section 5. Voting by Electronic Means The Board of Directors may vote by FAX, telephone conference, or other electronic means.

Section 6. Indemnification The Society shall indemnify any person who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party, to any threatened, pending or complete action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, other than an action by or in the right of the Society, by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Society, against expenses, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action suit or proceeding, including attorney fees, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Society.

Section 7. Quorum At any meeting of the Board of Directors, a majority shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE XI – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Section 1. Composition The Executive Committee shall be composed of the President, Vice- President/President Elect, Recording Secretary and Treasurer.

Section 2. Responsibility The Executive Committee responsibilities shall include but not limited to:

A. Review and consider reports of possible breach of ethics by Society members prior to presentation to the Board.

B. Conduct the annual performance review of the Executive Director. C. Provide assistance to the Board in fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities

relating to accounting, reporting reimbursement practices. D. Make recommendation for appointment of independent certified public

accountants and maintain a direct line of communication with these accountants.

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Section 3. Authority The Executive Committee shall have the authority to act between Board meetings in place of the Board of Directors only in cases of such emergency that it is not possible to arrange a meeting of the Board of Directors by conference telephone call.

Section 4. Voting by Electronic Means. The Executive Committee may vote by FAX, telephone conference, or other electronic means.

Section 5. Quorum Two-thirds (2/3) of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum at any duly called meeting.

ARTICLE XII – COMMITTEES Section 1. Standing Committees Standing Committees shall include the Nominating, Awards, Business, Certification, Chapters, Education and Teachers Committees.

A. Standing Committees may be created by the Board of Directors as may be deemed necessary and shall be accountable to the Board of Directors.

B. Committees shall normally have a membership of five (5), one of whom shall be a member of the Board of Directors. The chairmen and committee members shall be selected by the Vice- President/President Elect (for service during that officer’s term of office as President) and shall be approved by the Board of Directors.

C. Committee chairmen shall normally have served on the same committee before appointment to the chairmanship and shall have been a member in good standing of the Society for not less than three (3) years. Members of the committee shall be members in good standing of the Society.

D. Committee members may serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms on the same committee, except a member may be eligible to serve a third consecutive term if named chairman of that committee.

E. Composition, duties, and responsibilities of Standing Committees shall be: 1. Awards Committee

a. The Awards Committee shall review and recommend policy specific to the Awards Program for approval by the Board of Directors. Responsibilities shall include but not limited to: (1) Selecting a person or persons for awards whose

endeavors have furthered the purposes of the Society and/or have contributed substantially to the Society itself.

b. There shall be not less than three (3) members of the committee who shall:

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(1) Be members of the Society in good standing for not less than three (3) years.

(2) Be ineligible for re-appointment to the committee for five years with the exception of the committee member who is selected to serve on the succeeding Awards Committee.

c. The committee shall select one (1) of the members of the committee to serve on the succeeding Awards Committee.

2. Business Committee a. The Business Committee shall review and recommend policy

specific to Individual/Business Associate Members for approval by the Board of Directors. Responsibilities shall include but not be limited to: (1) Reviewing policies regarding the Annual Conference

Exposition and make recommendations for changes and implementation.

(2) Planning educational events and providing information for Individual/Business Associate Members.

(3) Advising Individual/Business Associate Members of current trends, reforms and policies via business publications.

b. Members of this committee shall be selected from a cross section of the business community within the Society and shall be members in good standing for no less than three (3) years.

3. Certification Committee a. The Certification Committee shall review and recommend

policy specific to the Certification Program for approval by the Board of Directors. Responsibilities shall include but not be limited to: (1) Content of the Certification portfolio (2) Planning of educational events and provide information

for Certification applicants b. A majority of the committee members shall be Certified. c. Members of the committee shall be members in good

standing for no less than three (3) years. d. The Certification Chairman shall:

(1) Have a Master Certification. (2) Have served as a recent judge. (3) Be responsible for selecting judges all of whom must be

Master Certified and approved by the Board of Directors. (4) Supervise the judging process.

4. Chapters Committee a. The Chapters Committee shall review and recommend policy

specific to the Chapters Program for approval by the Board of Directors. Responsibilities shall include but are not limited t o:

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(1) Planning for service, information and training for chapters and their leaders.

(2) Studying and recommending policies for the regulation of chapters.

b. Members of this committee shall be an active member of an affiliated chapter and be members of the Society in good standing for no less than three (3) years.

5. Education Committee a. The Education Committee shall review and recommend

policy specific to educational programs and activities for the membership for approval by the Board of Directors. Responsibilities shall include but not be limited to: (1) Planning educational programs for presentation at the Annual Conference. (2) Making recommendations for educational articles to be

published. (3) Studying other appropriate methods for the education of the members.

b. Members of this committee shall normally be selected from the diversity of membership categories and shall be members of the Society in good standing for no less than three (3) years.

6. Teachers Committee a. The Teachers Committee shall review and recommend policy

specific to teacher concerns for approval by the Board of Directors. Responsibilities shall include but not be limited to: (1) Selecting class projects for the Annual Conference that

best represent the excellence of the varied styles of painting.

b. Members of this committee shall be members of the Society in good standing for no less than (3) years.

Section 2. Special Committees The Board of Directors may, from time to time, create such other committees or sub-committees as are necessary and which are not in conflict with other provisions of these bylaws. The composition and duties of any such committees shall be defined by the Board of Directors when created. The members shall be appointed by the President in accordance with the Board resolution.

Section 3. Approval of Committee Plans Each Standing and Special Committee may present plans and budget requests for approval by the Board of Directors. No project shall be undertaken without such approval.

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ARTICLE XIII – EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Section 1. Structural Responsibility The Executive Director shall serve as a non-voting, ex-officio member of all standing committees of the Society with the exception of the Nominating and Awards Committees, and shall normally attend meetings of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

Section 2. Leadership Responsibility Overall direction, coordination and implementation of the policies of the Society shall be provided by the Executive Director who shall seek opportunities to represent the membership in the interest of promoting the purpose of the Society. Section 3. Policy Responsibility The Executive Director shall provide information to the Board of Directors in order to assist it in keeping alert to changing needs and modifying its policies accordingly.

Section 4. Administrative Responsibility The Executive Director shall be responsible for employing an administrative staff to adequately fulfill the duties of the Society office and shall be the authorized representative of the Society to sign contracts within the limits set by the Board of Directors.

Section 5. Financial Responsibility The Executive Director shall be responsible for the collection of monies due the Society; for establishing proper accounting procedures for the handling of the Society’s funds; and for the safekeeping and investing of the funds as instructed by the Board of Directors.

Section 6. Limits of Responsibilities The Executive Director shall act within the policies and guidelines of the Board of Directors, as well as the limitations of the Bylaws and Standing Rules of the Society and within the terms of the employment contract which shall be reviewed annually by the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE XIV – FINANCES Section 1. Audit The accounts of the Society shall be audited not less than annually by a certified public accountant who shall be recommended by the Executive Committee and appointed by the Board of Directors.

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Section 2. Society Funds The Board of Directors shall designate one financial institution which shall be the primary depository of Society funds and may establish limited purpose accounts as they deem necessary. Signature cards shall be executed by the President, Vice- President/President-Elect, Treasurer, Executive Director, and a designated employee. The Board of Directors shall designate the amount over which two signatures are required for disbursements.

Section 3. Investments The Board of Directors shall have full authority and responsibility to adopt an investment policy in keeping with the purpose of the Society.

Section 4. Budget The Executive Director and the Executive Committee shall annually prepare the financial budget for adoption by the Board of Directors and for presentation to the membership in the official publication and at the Annual Meeting.

Section 5. Bond All persons whose responsibility involves the handling of money shall be bonded in an amount determined by the Board of Directors.

Section 6. Reimbursement of Expenses Members of the Board of Directors and others may be reimbursed for Society related expenses in accordance with the reimbursement policy adopted by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE XV – CHAPTERS Section 1. Affiliation The Society may grant affiliation to chapters that comply with all requirements as set forth in Procedures for Chapter Affiliation.

Section 2. Membership Requirements Chapters of the Society shall be composed only of members of the Society.

Section 3. Limitation Chapters shall be governed by the bylaws of the Society, the bylaws of the chapter and policies and procedures of the Board of Directors of the Society.

Section 4. Chapter Authority Chapters shall have authority to elect officers and set forth chapter dues and fees.

Section 5. Withdrawal of Affiliation The Board of Directors of the Society shall have the authority to withdraw affiliated chapter status from chapters which fail to comply with Section 3 of this Article.

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ARTICLE XVI – TITLE AND EMBLEM Title and emblem authorized by the Board of Directors may be used by all members in good standing. The emblem may be used at the discretion of the members to promote or stimulate interest in the art of decorative painting. The title and emblem shall not be used for pecuniary gain of the members of the Society.

ARTICLE XVII – POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Policies and procedures not inconsistent with these bylaws, embodying additional provisions for the governance of the Society, may be adopted by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE XVIII – PUBLICATIONS Section 1. Official Publication The official publication of the Society shall be The Decorative Painter and shall be the primary method of disseminating information concerning the activities of the Society.

Section 2. Other Publications The Society may publish such other materials as authorized by the Board of Directors.

Section 3. Advertising The Society maintains the right to refuse advertising in any of its publications.

ARTICLE XIX – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Society in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the bylaws or standing rules of the Society.

ARTICLE XX – AMENDMENTS These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present and eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting of the Society, subject to the following conditions:

Section 1. Proposed by Board of Directors All proposed amendments shall have been printed in the official publication last distributed before the Annual Meeting or have been made available by email notification to the membership at least 90 days prior to the Annual Meeting.

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Section 2. Proposed by Others Proposed amendments which originate outside the Board of Directors shall have been submitted by August 1 to the Board of Directors for clarification, for consistency of wording and to communicate to the framer of the bylaw change any conflict with existing bylaws. The Board of Directors shall have no power to make substantive changes in proposed amendments without approval of the one proposing the amendment.

ARTICLE XXI – DISSOLUTION Upon any dissolution of the Society, its property and assets shall be distributed as follows:

Section 1. Society Obligations All liabilities and obligations of the organization shall be paid, satisfied and discharged, or adequate provisions shall be made therefore.

Section 2. Society Assets Assets held by the organization upon condition requiring return, transfer or conveyance, which condition occurs by reason of the dissolution, shall be returned, transferred or conveyed in accordance with such requirements.

Section 3. Remaining Assets Any remaining assets shall be distributed to the Society of Decorative Painters Foundation or any other 501(c)(3) organization that shares the same or similar mission as the Society, as designated by the Board of Directors. All dues collected and other income of the Society must be used for the purpose of the Society and shall not inure to the benefit of any individual member.

With Approved Amendments 05/2014

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Society of Decorative Painters

STANDING RULES

Standing Rule 1 – Name: The legal name of this organization shall be National Society of Tole and Decorative Painters, Inc., doing business as the Society of Decorative Painters. Standing Rule 2 – Fiscal Year: The financial records of the Society will be kept on a calendar year basis.

Standing Rule 3 – Dues Date and Delinquency: Membership dues for the following year shall be payable on the first day of the anniversary month and delinquent on the first day of the following month. Standing Rule 4 – Membership Categories and Dues: Membership dues shall be as follows:

A. Voting Members 1. Annual Individual Membership:

a. United States $60 b. Canada $80; Canada – Online only, no printed publications will be

mailed $50 c. International (addresses outside the United States and Canada) $80;

International – Online only, no printed publications will be mailed $50

2. Annual Business Membership: a. United States $90 b. Canada $110; Canada – Online only, no printed publications will be mailed $80 c. International (addresses outside the United States and Canada) $120; International – Online only, no printed publications will be mailed $80

3. Lifetime Members: Lifetime memberships are no longer available as of May 1977.

4. Annual Household Membership: $40. Household membership is defined as

membership for a single immediate family member sharing the same address as an Individual Member. Application must accompany the membership or renewal application of the sponsoring Individual Member. If an immediate family member elects to join the Society after the sponsoring Individual Member has paid his/her current dues, a written request must be made to the Society and must include the sponsoring Individual Member’s full name, current membership number and the joint address of the Individual and prospective Household member.

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5. Trial Membership: $40. Trial membership is defined as a member who has not been a member of the Society for the previous three years. Trial memberships shall not be renewed.

B. Non-Voting Members • Honorary Members: No fee. • Affiliate Members: No fee.

Standing Rule 5 – Certification: There shall be two (3) levels of Certification.

A. Accredited Decorative Painter: a. An applicant shall be a voting member of the Society. b. An applicant shall submit for judging and pass one (1) piece of

work. The design for the entry must come from the current Certification Portfolio.

B. Certified Decorative Artists: a. An applicant shall be a voting member of the Society. b. An applicant shall submit for judging and pass one (1) piece of

work. The design for the entry must come from the current Certification Portfolio.

C. Master Decorative Artist: a. An applicant shall be a voting member of the Society. b. An applicant shall be a Certified Decorative Artist. c. An applicant shall submit for judging and pass three (3) pieces of

work. Standing Rule 6 – Awards: The Silver Palette Award may be presented in recognition of noteworthy service of an exceptional nature in the furthering of the purpose of the National Society of Tole and Decorative Painters, Inc. Standing Rule 7 – Use of Position and/or Certification: The National Society of Tole and Decorative Painters, Inc. encourages use of certification and/or position within the Society for advertising purposes so long as such certification and/or position is current and accurate. Standing Rule 8 – Amendment: The standing rules may be adopted, amended, suspended or rescinded by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present and eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting and Convention.

With Approved Amendments 05/13, 5/17