BY-LAWS
The Coordination Council of Chinese-American Associations, Inc.
ARTICLE 1
NAME AND PURPOSES
Section 1.01 – Name
This organization shall be known as the Coordination Council of Chinese-American
Associations, Inc., hereafter called CCCAA or the Council.
Section 1.02 -Purposes
The CCCAA is registered as a non-profit organization in the state of Maryland. The
primary objective of the Council is to promote Chinese-American culture and heritage by organizing, sponsoring, and coordinating appropriate social and cultural events, to advance the integration of Chinese-Americans into the American main stream by participating in appropriate events and local community functions, to provide culture educations, social and culture assistance, and to drive charitable contributions in the American Chinese communities and to actively contribute to the American society.
On a continuous basis, the CCCAA will sponsor to promote charitable and educational activities, including but not limited to the following:
Educational Activities:
• Culture, history and arts education and performances
• Language educations ( Including English and Chinese)
• Adult Education of American Culture and Society
Charitable Activities:
• Fund raising and Chinese culture celebrations
• Fund raising and arts performances
The said corporation is organized exclusively for educational, social, culture, arts,
charitable contributions, and non-profit activities and will not engage in any political
activities. To achieve its goals, CCCAA will sponsor and participate culture and arts, and language education and charity contribution campaigns, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
ARTICLE II
MEMBERS
SECTION 2.01. Application for voting membership shall be open to any non-profit
organization that support the purpose statement in Article 1, Section 1.02, and continuing membership is contingent upon being up-to-date on membership dues.
SECTION 2.02. Membership shall be granted upon a majority vote of the Board. The Board of Directors shall have the right to deny, or terminate, the membership of any organization.
SECTION 2.03. Each voting member of the CCCAA shall appoint one voting
representative to attend the annual meeting.
SECTION 2.04. The Board shall have the authority to establish and define nonvoting categories of membership.
ARTICLE III.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
SECTION 3.01. Function of Directors. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed under the direction of its Board of Directors. All powers of the Corporation may be exercised by or under authority of the Board of Directors.
SECTION 3.02. Number of Directors. The Board of Directors shall consist of one voting representative from each voting member of the CCCAA.
SECTION 3.03. Annual and Regular Meetings. The Corporation shall hold an annual
meeting of its directors to elect directors and transact any other business within its powers in May in each year. Except as the Charter or statute provides otherwise, any business may be considered at an annual meeting without the purpose of the meeting having been specified in the notice. Failure to hold an annual meeting does not invalidate the Corporation’s existence or affect any otherwise valid corporate acts. Any other regular meeting of the Board of Directors shall be
held on such date and at any place as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors.
SECTION 3.04. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called at any time by the Chairman of the Board or by a majority of the Board of Directors by vote at a meeting, or in writing with or without a meeting. A special meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held on such date and at any place as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors. In the absence of such designation such meeting shall be held at such place as may be designated in the call.
SECTION 3.05. Notice of Meeting. The Secretary shall give notice to each director of
each annual, regular, and special meeting of the Board of Directors. The notice shall state the time and place of the meeting. Notice is given to a director when it is delivered personally to him, left at his residence or usual place of business, or sent by telegraph or telephone, at least 24 hours before the time of the meeting or, in the alternative by mail to his address as it shall appear on the records of the Corporation, at least 72 hours before the time of the meeting. Unless the By-Laws or a resolution of the Board of Directors provides otherwise, the notice need not state the business to be transacted at or the purposes of any annual, regular, or special meeting of the Board of Directors. No notice of any meeting of the Board of Directors need be given to any director who attends, or to any director who, in writing executed and filed with the records of the meeting either before or after the holding thereof, waives such notice. Any meeting of the Board of Directors, annual, regular, or special, may adjourn from time to time to reconvene at the same or some other place, and no notice need be given of any such adjourned meeting other than by announcement.
SECTION 3.06. Action by Directors. Unless statute or the Charter or By-Laws requires a greater proportion, the action of a majority of the directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is present is action of the Board of Directors. A majority of the entire Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. In the absence of a quorum, the directors present by majority vote and without notice other than by announcement may adjourn the meeting from time to time until a quorum shall attend. At any such adjourned meeting at which a quorum shall be present, any business may be transacted which might have been
transacted at the meeting as originally notified. Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the Board of Directors may be taken without a meeting, if an unanimous written consent which sets forth the action is signed by each member of the Board and filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Board.
SECTION 3.07. Meeting by Conference Telephone. Members of the Board of Directors may participate in a meeting by means of a conference telephone or similar communications equipment if all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time.
Participation in a meeting by these means constitutes presence in person at a meeting.
SECTION 3.08. Compensation. By resolution of the Board of Directors a fixed sum and expenses, if any, for attendance at each annual, regular, or special meeting of the Board of Directors or of committees thereof, and other compensation for their services as such or on committees of the Board of Directors, may be paid to directors. A director who serves the Corporation in any other capacity also may receive compensation for such other services, pursuant to a resolution of the directors.
ARTICLE IV.
OFFICERS
SECTION 4.01. Executive and Other Officers. The Corporation shall have a President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer who shall be the executive officers of the Corporation. It may also have a Chairman of the Board; the Chairman of the Board shall be an executive officer if he is designated as the chief executive officer of the Corporation. The Board of Directors may designate who shall serve as chief executive officer, having general supervision of the business and affairs of the Corporation, or as chief operating officer, having supervision of the operations
of the Corporation; in the absence of designation the President shall serve as chief executive officer and chief operating officer. It may also have one or more Vice-Presidents, assistant officers, and subordinate officers as may be established by the Board of Directors. A person may hold more than one office in the Corporation but may not serve concurrently as both President and Vice-President of the Corporation. The Chairman of the Board shall be a director; the other officers may be directors.
SECTION 4.02. Chairman of the Board. The Chairman of the Board, if one be elected, shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors at which he shall be present; and, in general, he shall perform all such duties as are from time to time assigned to him by the Board of Directors.
SECTION 4.03. President. The President, in the absence of the Chairman of the Board, shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors at which he shall be present; he may sign and execute, in the name of the Corporation, all authorized deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts or other instruments, except ‘in cases in which the signing and execution thereof shall have been expressly delegated to some other officer or agent of the Corporation; and, in general, he shall perform all duties usually performed by a president of a corporation and such other duties as are from time to time assigned to him by the Board of Directors or the chief executive officer of the Corporation.
SECTION 4.04. Vice-Presidents. The Vice-President or Vice-Presidents, at the request of the chief executive officer or the President, or in the President’s absence or during his inability to act, shall perform the duties and exercise the functions of the President, and when so acting shall have the powers of the President. If there be more than one Vice-President, the Board of Directors may determine which one or more of the Vice-Presidents shall perform any of such
duties or exercise any of such functions, or if such determination is not made by the Board of Directors, the chief executive officer, or the President may make such determination; otherwise any of the Vice-Presidents may perform any of such duties or exercise any of such functions.
The Vice-President or Vice-Presidents shall have such other powers and perform such other duties, and have such additional descriptive designations in their titles (if any), as are from time to time assigned to them by the Board of Directors, the chief executive officer, or the President.
SECTION 4.05. Secretary. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors and of any committees, in books provided for the purpose; he shall see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of the By-Laws or as required by law; he shall be custodian of the records of the Corporation; he may witness any document on behalf of the Corporation, the execution of which is duly authorized, see that the corporate seal is affixed where such document is required or desired to be under its seal, and, when so affixed,
may attest the same; and, in general, he shall perform all duties incident to the office of a secretary of a corporation, and such other duties as are from time to time assigned to him by the Board of Directors, the chief executive officer, or the President.
SECTION 4.06. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have charge of and be responsible for all funds, securities, receipts and disbursements of the Corporation, and shall deposit, or cause to be deposited, in the name of the Corporation, all moneys or other valuable effects in such banks, trust companies or other depositories as shall, from time to time, be selected by the Board of Directors; he shall render to the President and to the Board of Directors, whenever requested, an account of the financial condition of the Corporation; and, in general, he shall perform all the
duties incident to the office of a treasurer of a corporation, and such other duties as are from time to time assigned to him by the Board of Directors, the chief executive officer, or the President.
SECTION 4.07. Assistant and Subordinate Officers. The assistant and subordinate
officers of the Corporation are all officers below the office of Vice-President, Secretary, or Treasurer. The assistant or subordinate officers shall have such duties as are from time to time assigned to them by the Board of Directors, the chief executive officer, or the President.
SECTION 4.08. Election, Tenure and Removal of Officers. The Board of Directors shall elect the officers. The Board of Directors may from time to time authorize any committee or officer to appoint assistant and subordinate officers. The President serves for a term of two years and may be re-elected for a second term. The president should not serve for more than two consecutive terms. All other officers shall be appointed to hold their offices, respectively, during the pleasure of the Board. The Board of Directors (or, as to any assistant or subordinate officer,
any committee or officer authorized by the Board) may remove an officer at any time. The removal of an officer does not prejudice any of his contract rights. The Board of Directors (or, as to any assistant or subordinate officer, any committee or officer authorized by the Board) may fill a vacancy which occurs in any office for the unexpired portion of the term.
SECTION 4.09. Compensation. The Board of Directors shall have power to fix the
salaries and other compensation and remuneration, of whatever kind, of all officers of the Corporation. It may authorize any committee or officer, upon whom the power of appointing assistant and subordinate officers may have been conferred, to fix the salaries, compensation and remuneration of such assistant and subordinate officers.
ARTICLE V.
FINANCE
SECTION 5.01. Cheeks, Drafts, Etc. All checks, drafts and orders for the payment of money, notes and other evidences of indebtedness, issued in the name of the Corporation, shall, unless otherwise provided by resolution of the Board of Directors, be signed by the President, a VicePresident or an Assistant Vice-President and countersigned by the Treasurer, an Assistant
Treasurer, the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary.
SECTION 5.02. Annual Statement of Affairs. The President shall prepare or cause to be prepared annually a full and correct statement of the affairs of the Corporation, to include a balance sheet and a financial statement of operations for the preceding fiscal year. The statement of affairs shall be submitted at the annual meeting of the Board of Directors and, within 20 days after the meeting, placed on file at the Corporation’s principal office.
SECTION 5.03. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be the twelve
calendar months period ending December 31 in each year, unless otherwise provided by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE VI.
SUNDRY PROVISIONS
SECTION 6.01. Maintenance of Tax Exempt Status. The Corporation shall not carry on any activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by a corporation exempt from federal income tax under Section 501©)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue Law) or (b) by a corporation, contributions to which are deductible under Sections 170©)(2), 2055(a)(2) and 2522(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).
SECTION 6.02. Books and Records. The Corporation shall keep correct and complete books and records of its accounts and transactions and minutes of the proceedings of its Board of Directors and of any executive or other committee when exercising any of the powers of the Board of Directors. The books and records of a Corporation may be in written form or in any other form which can be converted within a reasonable time into written form for visual inspection. Minutes shall be recorded in written form but may be maintained in the form of a reproduction. The original or a certified copy of the By-Laws shall be kept at the principal office of the Corporation.
SECTION 6.03. Corporate Seal. The Board of Directors shall provide a suitable seal, bearing the name of the Corporation, which shall be in the charge of the Secretary. The Board of Directors may authorize one or more duplicate seals and provide for the custody thereof. If the Corporation is required to place its corporate seal to a document, it is sufficient to meet the requirement of any law, rule or regulation relating to a corporate seal to place the word “Seal” adjacent to the signature of the person authorized to sign the document on behalf of the Corporation.
SECTION 6.04. Bonds. The Board of Directors may require any officer, agent or
employee of the Corporation to give a bond to the Corporation, conditioned upon the faithful discharge of his duties, with one or more sureties and in such amount as may be satisfactory to the Board of Directors.
SECTION 6.05. Voting Upon Shares in Other Corporations. Stock of other corporations or associations, registered in the name of the Corporation, may be voted by the President, a Vice-President, or a proxy appointed by either of them. The Board of Directors, however, may by resolution appoint some other person to vote such shares, in which case such person shall be entitled to vote such shares upon the production of a certified copy of such resolution.
SECTION 6.06. Mail. Any notice or other document which is required by these By-Laws to be mailed shall be deposited in the United States mails, postage prepaid.
SECTION 6.07. Execution of Documents. A person who holds more than one office in the Corporation may not act in more than one capacity to execute, acknowledge, or verify an instrument required by law to be executed, acknowledged, or verified by more than one officer.
SECTION 6.08. Amendments. Any adoption, amendment, alteration, or repeal of the By-Laws of the Corporation must be approved by a two thirds majority of the Board of Directors.
All such changes shall be consistent with the CCCAA Article of Incorporation which is the highest constitution of the organization.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF: The Board of Directors of Coordination Council of Chinese-
American Associations, Inc. has caused these presents to be signed in its name and on its behalf by its chairman of the board and the Secretary on
____________ day of _________________ , 2007.
WITNESS: Coordination Council of Chinese-American Associations, Inc.
_____________ _________________________
SECRETARY OF THE CORPORATION