Membership  
   
 

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By becoming a member you agree to accept to abide by the constitution of Telangana NRI Association.

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Telangana NRI Association.

4186, Vassar Dr.
Troy, Michigan - 48085, USA
ContactUs@TelanganaNRI.com

   
 

Constitution

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CONTENTS 1 Amendments 2 Constitution Article I: Name Article II: Objectives and Purposes Article III: Members Article IV: Advisory committee Article V: Officers Article VI: Committees Article VII: Amendments to the Constitution Article VIII: Indemnification Article IX: Contributions Article X: Roberts Rules of Order Article XI: Nomination Committee Article XII: Election Committee Article XIII: Audit Committee Article XIV: Regional Coordinators Article XV: Executive Director Article XVI: Office Coordinator Article XVII: Dissolution Amendments CONSTITUTION Article I: NAME The name and Title of this organization shall be the Telangana NRI Association, hereinafter called TENA. It shall be a not-for-profit organization registered under the laws of the State of Illinois and shall exist in perpetuity. The functioning of TENA shall be on a calendar year basis. Article II: OBJECTIVES AND PURPOSES Section 1: Preserve, maintain, and perpetuate the cultural heritage of the people of Telangana origin in North America and abroad Section 2: Assist and propagate cultural, educational, social, economic, and community affairs of the people of Telangana origin in North America and abroad Section 3: Promote establishment of Telangana organizations in regions of North America where there are no such organizations Section 4: Organize periodic Telangana literary, cultural, social and educational conferences throughout the North American continent to promote the objectives of TeNA Section 5: Collaborate with other organizations across the globe to promote the cultural, literacy, educational and charitable interests of Telangana people. Section 6: Foster friendship and understanding among Telangana people, and between people of Telangana origin and other people Section 7: Raise, solicit, collect, and disburse funds, charities, and donations for cultural, educational, and charitable purposes either directly or in cooperation with other not-for-profit organizations in the U. S. and abroad Article III: MEMBERS Section 1: The TENA shall have four (4) categories of members who constitute the general body. The designation of such category and the qualification of the members of such category shall be as follows: A. GRAND DONOR MEMBER: Any person who qualifies as per the section 2 of this article and pay the prescribed membership dues becomes a Grand Donor member. B. DONOR MEMBER: Any person who qualifies as per the section 2 of this article and pays the prescribed membership dues becomes a Donor Member. C. LIFE MEMBER: Any person who qualifies as per the section 2 of this article and pay the prescribed membership dues becomes a Life Member D. Associate Member: Any person who qualifies as per the section 2 of this article and pay the prescribed membership dues becomes a Life Member ( NOTE: Please change the nomenclature of the said membership categories. NOTE: Please include a STUDENT Category for free with no voting rights.) Section 2: MEMBERSHIP DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS AND TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP Definition: Grand Donors, Donors and life members are entitled to family membership. Any person becoming a member of TENA shall: A. Fill out the membership application form. B. Pay the appropriate membership dues. C. Abide by the objectives and purposes of TENA as defined in Article II D. Be at least 18 years of age. Types of Membership: 1. Life Member: Any person or family shall be eligible to become a Life Member of ATCA by submitting an application in the prescribed form with the appropriate dues. The life membership fee shall be $100. Life members shall have all basic privileges of ATCA membership including the right to contest and vote in ATCA elections. 2. Donor Life Member: Individuals donating $1,000 or more to TeNA Heritage Fund shall be considered as Donor Life Members. 3. Grand Donor Life Member: Individuals $5000 or more to TeNA Heritage Fund shall be considered as Grand Donor Life Members. 4. Associate Member : Individuals who are students with Zero dollar membership fee.( Membership Fee 0$). Application form must be filed and submitted to TeNA Section 3: MEMBERSHIP DUES A. The Advisory committee may revise the membership dues from time to time with the approval of 2/3rd majority of the full board. Any revision in the membership dues shall be made only once in a calendar year and shall be implemented from the beginning of next calendar year. B. Funds received from Corporations, Charitable Trust Funds, Associations or any entities shall not be considered towards membership dues. Funds received from any individuals on behalf of the third party, shall not be considered towards membership dues. Third party is the one who is not a member (husband or wife or children) of family. C. Donations received for any other causes other than for specific membership dues shall not be considered towards membership dues. D. Any member can upgrade his/her membership status to higher level of his/her choice by paying the difference in membership dues with in the same calendar year. Membership status shall be effective from the date of the receipt of the payment. Section 4: WITHDRAWALS Any member may request withdrawal in writing at any time to the Advisory committee. Upon approval of such request by the Advisory committee the Secretary shall strike his or her name from the rolls. Any member requesting withdrawal will not have claim to any dues contributed to the organization. Section 5: DISQUALIFICATION OF MEMBERSHIP RIGHTS Documented activities against the purposes of the organization as defined in Article II shall constitute grounds for disqualification from membership. These allegations shall be communicated to the member by the Advisory committee through registered mail. The alleged member shall then be entitled to a hearing before the Advisory committee on such charges and shall be entitled to a full opportunity to be heard. In order to be eligible for the aforementioned, the alleged member should request in writing by certified mail such hearing within sixty (60) days from the receipt of the above notification. Any member may be disqualified on the grounds of anti-organization activity, defamation of the office bearers of the organization, incompetence, corruption, favoritism, extortion, or oppression in office, or gross misconduct in a board meeting called for such purpose. Approval of two-third of the full board shall be required for such disqualification of membership rights after the due process. Section 6: VOTING RIGHTS OF MEMBERS Except as hereinafter provided in Article IV for the election of the Advisory committee, each family member (single- 1 member; married- 2 members) shall be entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to voting in respective categories of memberships, provided he or she has been a member as of last day of the month, 3 months prior to the date of voting, and has completed, signed, and filed with the Secretary a membership form. Any changes in martial status and change of address shall be notified in writing to the Secretary by the member by the above date Section 7: NOTICE OF MEETINGS Written or printed notice stating the place, day, and time of any General Body meeting of members and, in the case of a special meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called, shall be delivered either personally, by electronic media or by mail, to each member entitled to vote at such meeting, not less than twenty-one (21) and not more than forty (40) days prior to the date of such meeting, by the Secretary. If mailed such notice shall be deemed to be delivered when deposited in the United States Mail, addressed to the member at his or her address as it appears, as of last day of the month, 3 months prior to the date of voting , on the records of the organization. Section 8: QUORUM The quorum for any meeting shall be 10% of each category of the members entitled to vote at any meeting, present in person, shall constitute a quorum. All proposals, except amendments to constitution, are considered approved if voted by simple majority in each category of the members present at the meeting. No proxies shall be permitted for purpose of quorum. Section 9: NO PRIVATE INTERESTS: The organization shall be operated exclusively for the purposes set forth in Article II and none of its net earnings shall inure, in whole or in part, in the benefit of any person or organization having a personal or private interest in the activities of the TENA. Article IV: ADVISORY COMMITTEE Section 1: GENERAL POWERS The affairs of the TENA shall be managed by its Advisory committee. Section 2: NUMBER, TENURE, AND QUALIFICATION A. The total number of Advisory committee shall be twenty-seven (21) plus one (1) all of whom shall be members in good standing with voting rights of the organization. All the donors, except the Honorary Donor, shall be elected by the members of General Body by mail ballot B. To qualify for election to the Advisory committee, a member shall be member in good standing for 90 days prior to the next election in the Category he/she is seeking the nomination, member for two full calendar years in any Membership Category. C. The grand Donor members, as defined in Article III, shall have the right to elect three (3) of the Advisory committee. The Donor members as defined in Article III shall have the right to elect six (6) of the Advisory committee. The life members as defined in Article III shall have the right to elect twelve (12) of the Advisory committee. The voting rights are not transferable. Every two(2) years, either fourteen(14) or thirteen(13) new donors shall be elected alternatively for a term of four(4) years by respective category of membership as aforementioned (Grand Donors:1 or 2, Donors:3, and Life Membership: 6 alternatively,) with their term lasting for four (4) years. D. Any sitting board of donor shall have the right to seek the nomination for the new term of donor election and, if elected, he/she shall resign from the un-expired term prior to accepting the new term. E. The sitting Advisory committee shall continue till the new Advisory committee assumes the responsibility. The sitting Advisory committee shall meet either at the first scheduled meeting of the new Advisory committee meeting or sooner to receive and accept the election of the new Advisory committee. The outgoing Chairperson shall convene the first regular meeting of the new Advisory committee. The first order of the business shall be the official recognition of the outgoing Chairperson to become past Chairperson and the outgoing Chairperson -Elect to become Chairperson. Section 3: REGULAR MEETINGS The Advisory committee shall meet periodically, but not less than twice a year. A simple majority of the full Advisory committee present in person shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of the business at any meeting of the Advisory committee. All regular meetings shall require minimum of fourteen (14) days of written notice by either US mail or by electronic media. No advisory committee member or working committee member shall discuss or communicate pertaining to the issues on the agenda with other Advisory committee except other than the floor of meeting or during the actual meeting of a teleconference or any other such meeting arrangement. Discussing or lobbying about the issues on agenda beforehand with one or more Advisory Committee member, without knowledge of rest of the committee members shall be considered as collusion and thereby the members who discuss the issues or items in agenda other than the floor or actual meting conference will be subjected to the termination of the donorship and disciplinary measures will follow. Section 4: SPECIAL MEETINGS The Chairperson may call for a special meeting of Advisory committee for specific agenda with a minimum of three (3) days notice through teleconferencing. Any fourteen (14) donors may also request in writing for a special meeting of Advisory committee along with specific agenda to the Chairperson and the Chairperson shall call for special meeting with a minimum of three (3) days of notice through teleconferencing. Section 5: IMPEACHMENT/ REMOVAL Any donor, chairperson or member of the Executive Committee may be removed or impeached on the grounds of anti-organization activity, defamation of the office bearer of the organization, incompetence, corruption, favoritism, extortion, or oppression in office or gross misconduct in a board meeting called for such purpose. These allegations shall be communicated to the member by the Advisory committee through registered mail. The alleged member shall then be entitled to a hearing before the Advisory committee on such charges and shall be entitled to a full opportunity for hearing. In order to be eligible for the aforementioned, the alleged member should request in writing by certified mail such hearing within sixty (60) days from the receipt of the above notification. Approval of two-third of the full board shall be required for such disqualification of membership rights after the due process. Section 6: VACANCIES Any vacancy of a Donor shall be filled by the majority of the Advisory committee from respective category of membership. If the Advisory committee fails to fill up the vacancies by the election time, such vacancies for the Advisory committee shall also be filled up by the respective category members through member electorate process. A Donor elected to fill a vacancy shall be elected for the un-expired term of such person's predecessor in office. Article V: OFFICERS Section 1: OFFICERS: The officers of the TENA shall be Chairperson, Chairperson-Elect, Secretary, Joint Secretary, Treasurer, and Joint Treasurer. The officers shall be members of the Advisory committee. The sitting executive officers shall continue till the new executive officers are elected by the Advisory committee. The immediate Past Chairperson shall be an ex-officio member of the Advisory committee, with the privilege of attending any or all meetings, but with no voting rights. Section 2: ELECTION, QUALIFICATION AND TERM OF OFFICE A. Chairperson-Elect, Secretary, Joint Secretary, Treasurer, and Joint Treasurer shall be elected by the New Advisory committee every two (2) years for a term of two years, at the first regular meeting of the new Advisory committee. Chairperson of the previous year become past Chairperson and Chairperson - Elect of previous year becomes Chairperson. B. Vacancies shall be notified to all the Advisory committee and a meeting will be convened for that purpose. A simple majority of the Advisory committee in attendance shall elect the replacement. The meeting shall be held within 90 days from the time of vacancy. Each officer shall hold office for a term of two (2) years or until a successor shall have been duly elected. Any of the officers shall be eligible for reelection, but shall not hold the same office for more than one (1) term. Each officer shall transfer all his/her original and other relevant records, assets, of the organization to the respective successor no later than fifteen (15) days from the time of the election of the executive officers. C. In the case of the donor?s term for Vice-Chairperson Advisory committee expires before he/she assumes the office of the presidency, then he/she shall become as Honorary donor with no voting rights except to break the tie vote in the board meetings. The honorary donor shall be eligible to serve as the Chairperson for term he/ she elected. D. To qualify for election to the officer, a sitting donor must have served as a four year-full-term of TENA Donor, or as a member of prior executive committee or as a conference convener, or as a regional coordinator, or as a standing committee chairperson, or as an executive director. Section 3: Chaiperson The Chairperson shall be the principal executive officer of the organization, shall preside at all meetings of the Advisory committee, and subject to supervision and direction of the Advisory committee, shall have general responsibility for the policies, business, and affairs of the organization. The Chairperson shall make appropriate decisions for the maintenance and day-to-day administration of the organization within the policies prescribed by the Advisory committee. The Chairperson may appoint individuals to render part or full-time paid services to the organization as may be required from time to time within the powers vested on the Chairperson by the Advisory committee. The Chairperson shall perform all duties incident to the office of the principal executive officer, and such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Advisory committee. Section 4: In the absence of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson Advisory committeeshall perform all the duties and shall exercise all of the powers of the Chairperson specified under Section 3 above. In the absence of the Chairperson and the Chairperson-Elect, Secretary, or one of the other officers designated by the Advisory committee shall perform the duties and exercise the powers of the Chairperson. Section 5: SECRETARY The Secretary shall be the custodian of the TENA seal, all current year?s official records, and shall keep accurate minutes of all meetings. The Secretary shall maintain a list of active members and send notices of the meetings to the members. The Secretary shall communicate with the membership in writing to keep the members informed of all of the activities of the organization. The Secretary shall perform such additional duties as may be required from time to time by the Advisory committee. Section 6: JOINT SECRETARY The Joint Secretary shall assist the Secretary in performing all of the duties incidental to the office of the Secretary and such other duties required from time to time by the Advisory committee. In the absence of the Secretary the Joint-Secretary shall function as the Secretary. Section 7: TREASURER The Treasurer shall hold all the funds of TENA in appropriate accounts of the FDIC financial institutions, as approved by the BOT, which are located within 50 miles radius of TENA official address, disperse the funds according to the decisions made by the executive committee and the Advisory committee. The Treasurer shall keep accurate accounts of all the receipts and expenses, submit a report at each meeting of the Advisory committee and executive committee to keep informed of the financial status of the TENA and prepare an annual budget. The Treasurer shall prepare annual financial statement for an audit by an independent certified public accountant and perform all the duties incidental to the office of the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall sign all of the checks issued from all accounts, except conference account of TENA. The Chairperson/ Conference Convener/ Conference Treasurer shall be the only other authorized individuals besides TENA Treasurer to sign the checks issued from conference account. In addition one other officer shall counter sign the checks from all accounts, except conference account, for amounts exceeding $2,500.00. Section 8: JOINT TREASURER The Joint Treasurer shall assist the treasurer in performing all the duties incidental to the office of the Treasurer. In the absence of the Treasurer, the Joint Treasurer shall function as the Treasurer. Article VI: COMMITTEES Section 1: The Chairperson with the approval of the Advisory committee shall nominate the Chairpersons for all standing committees, for the term to coincide with the term of the officers of the organization. The Chairperson with the approval of the Advisory committee may form appropriate additional committees to facilitate functioning of the TENA. All members of such committees shall implement the proposals approved by the Advisory committee. The Chairman of each committee shall report to the board through the Chairperson of the organization. Section 2: STANDING COMMITTEES 1. Membership Committee 4. Planning Committee 2. Bylaws Committee 5. Nominating Committee 3. Finance Committee 6. Community Service Committee 7. Language and Cultural Committee 12. Youth Activities Committee 8. Trust Fund Committee 13 Continuing Education Committee 9. TENA Foundation Committee 14. Archives and Records Committee 15. Election Committee 11. Public Relations Committee 16. Audit Committee Article VII: AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION This constitution may be altered, amended or repealed by the general body pursuant to the procedure stated below. Section 1: 10% from each category of the membership with voting rights as of the previous election date and/or by two-thirds the majority of the Advisory committee can propose an amendment to the constitution. The proposed amendment shall be discussed at the next scheduled meeting of the Advisory committee. A mail ballot highlighting the proposed change to the constitution shall be mailed to all the voting members within sixty (60) days from the above Advisory committee meeting. Section 2: A proposed amendment, alternating a repeal of the constitution shall deemed approved if accepted in writing by two-thirds of the Grand Donor, two-thirds of Donor membership and two-thirds of the life membership from the ballots received in each category. The decision shall be notified to all the members either by publishing in America Bharathi or by mail. The amendment, alteration, or repeal of the constitution shall be implemented from the next calendar year. Article VIII: INDEMNIFICATION The organization shall indemnify any and all of its, donors or officers, or former, donors or officers, or any person may have served at its request, against the expenses (including attorney's fees) actually or necessarily incurred by them in connection with the defense or settlement of any action, suit or proceeding in which they or any of them, are made parties or a party, by reason of being or having been a donor, or officer, a former donor or officer or person shall be adjudged in such action, suit, or proceeding to be liable for willful misconduct in the performance of duty, and to such matters as shall be settled by agreement. Article IX: CONTRIBUTIONS The Advisory committee may accept, on behalf of the organization, any contributions given for the general purposes or for any special purpose of the organization. Article X: ROBERTS RULES OF ORDER Except as otherwise herein expressly provided, all matters of procedure shall be governed by Roberts Rules of Order, revised, as the same shall, from time to time, be revised and amended. Page 11 of 14 Article XI: NOMINATION COMMITTEE The Chairperson, with the approval of the Advisory committee, shall appoint a Nominating Committee Members. The Nominating Committee shall consist of five (5) members in good standing out of which two (2) from the Advisory committee and two (2) from general membership and the immediate Past-Chairperson will chair the committee. The Nominating Committee shall have the following responsibilities. 1 Receive nominations for Donors as submitted by a voting member of the organization. 2 Prepare a slate of candidates for Donors to succeed those whose term expires. 3 Present the slate and other candidates to the board through the Chairperson. If election is required, the Chairperson shall promptly forward the slate and other candidates to Election Committee for conducting the election. 4 When the Nomination Committee fails to obtain enough number of nominations to fill the number of donors on the board in any category of grand Donors, Donors, and life members, the Nomination Committee shall seek the nominations from categories of grand Donors, Donors, and life members in ascending or descending order as the case may be. Article XII: ELECTION COMMITTEE The Chairperson with the approval of the Advisory committee shall appoint five (5) members, Chairperson from executive committee , 2 from Advisory committee, and 2 from general members, to the Election Committee, at least 90 days prior to the election of donors. The primary function of this committee shall be to conduct the election for Advisory committee. The committee shall be responsible for preparing, mailing, receiving, and counting the ballots. The committee shall promptly send the certified copy of the results to the Chairperson. Article XIII: AUDIT COMMITTEE The Auditing Committee shall consist of two board members and one independent member with accounting background. The function of this committee is to audit the financial transactions and treasurer?s reports periodically and not less than two times in a fiscal year and also submit the annual report for the end of the calendar year to the Advisory committee. Article XIV: COORDINATORS Section 1: Regional Coordinators The Chairperson with the approval of the Advisory committee may form regions to facilitate functioning of the TENA. The Chairperson with the approval of the Advisory committee shall nominate the Regional Coordinators for the term to coincide with the term of the officers of the organization. The candidate for the position should have been member of TENA in good standing for minimum of one year. All Regional Coordinators shall implement the proposals approved by the Advisory committee. The Regional Coordinator shall report to the board through the Chairperson of the organization. The Regional Coordinators shall be responsible for all TENA activities in their respective regions, including, but not limited to solicit TENA membership, Page 12 of 14 organize and coordinate TENA programs with the regional Telugu Associations and executive committee of TENA. Send newsworthy items or articles from the respective regions for publication in the organization newsletter. Section 2: Overseas Coordinators The Chairperson with the approval of the Advisory committee shall nominate up to two Overseas Coordinators for the term to coincide with the term of the officers of the organization. All India Coordinators shall implement the proposals approved by the Advisory committee. The India Coordinators shall report to the board through the Chairperson of the organization. The Overseas Coordinators shall be responsible for all TENA activities in India to monitor, organize and coordinate TENA programs. Send newsworthy items or articles for publication in the organization newsletter. Article XV: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Chairperson, with the approval of the Advisory committee, shall appoint an executive Director for the initial term of two (2) years. The term may be extended for a period of two (2) years, unless replaced sooner by the Advisory committee with 2/3rd majority of full Advisory committee. The executive director should have been associated with TENA for long time, and who has deep commitment for the organization, and his position needs to compliment the secretary?s duties and in addition should take a lead role in coming up with ideas to promote and expand the organization. He or she should be an adviser and a close associate to Chairperson to discuss and aid to implement the policies and goals of the Chairperson and the board. He or she shall be compensated at the discretion of the Advisory committee. Article XVI: OFFICE COORDINATOR The Chairperson, with the approval of the Advisory committee, shall appoint TENA Home Office Coordinator for the initial term of two (2) years. The term may be extended for a period of two (2) years, unless replaced sooner by the Advisory committee with 2/3rd majority of full Advisory committee. He/she must reside with in 50 miles radius of TENA official address. He/she has been associated with TENA for long time and who has deep commitment for the organization. His/ her functions are to oversee the day to day office functions, assist in transition of the office bearers and other functions that may from time to time approved by the Advisory committee through the Chairperson. He or she shall be compensated at the discretion of the Advisory committee. Page 13 of 14 Article XVII: DISSOLUTION Chairperson with the approval of 2/3rd majority of full board can propose to dissolve the corporation to the General Body for approval of the dissolution of the corporation. The dissolution shall be deemed approved if accepted in writing by 2/3rd majority in each category of ballots received from Grand Donor, Donor, and Life members. Upon dissolution of the corporation, the Advisory committee shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all the liabilities of the corporation, dispose of all the assets of the corporation exclusively for the purpose of such corporation is such manner, or to organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, education, religious or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under section 501 c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), as the Advisory committee shall determine. And such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the County in which the principal office of the corporation is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purpose. Functioning of this organization shall be in accordance with the Articles I through XVII of this constitution. The End Page 14 of 14   .

 

Bye-Laws:

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BYLAWS Revision Date: March 18, 2006 Telangana NRI Associaton of America ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank all the board of trustees and members of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee for their valuable input in preparing the drafts for the amendments that were presented for board review during 2005-2006. We appreciate the assistance of Sandhya Gavva in formulating Spiritual Committee Guidelines. We would also like to thank Madhava B. Reddy for his assistance in the revision of nominating and election committee bylaws. CONTENTS 1 Amendments 2 Bylaws Bylaw 1: Bylaws Bylaw 2: Section 1: Proxy Voting Section 2: Election of the Officers Section 3 : Executive Committee Bylaw 3: Membership Dues Bylaw 4: General Responsibilities of Each Committee Bylaw 5: Standing Committees Section 1: Membership Committee Section 2: Bylaws Committee Section 3: Finance Committee Section 4: Planning Committee Section 5: Nominating Committee Section 6: Community Service Committee Section 7: Language and Cultural Committee Section 8: Trust Fund Committee Section 9: TENA Foundation Committee Section 10: America Bharathi Committee Section 11: Public Relations Committee Section 12: America Bharathi Trust Fund Committee Section 13: Youth Activities Committee Section 14: Continuing Education Committee Section 15: Election Committee Section 16: Archives and Records Committee Section 17: Audit Committee Section 18: Other Committees (Spiritual Committee) Bylaw 6 : Amendments to the Bylaws Bylaw 7: Conference Guidelines Bylaw 8: Coordinators Section 1: Regional Coordinators Section 2: Overseas Coordinators Bylaw 9: TENA logo, official seal and other standard stationary Bylaw 10: Forms 3. List of Annexures Annexure A: Conference Guidelines Annexure B: Election Guidelines Annexure C: Archives and Records Guidelines Annexure D: Membership List Preparation Guidelines Annexure D1: Member Index Card Annexure E: Membership Form Annexure F: Nomination Form Annexure G: Ballot for Amendments to the Constitution Annexure H1: TENA official Logo Annexure H2: TENA official seal TeNA-Bylaws Page 3 of 46 Amendments BYLAWS Bylaw 1: Bylaw Functioning of this organization shall be in accordance with these Bylaws except otherwise noted in the constitution. Latest edition of Roberts Rules of Order shall be the authority on all questions of procedures not specifically stated by this Constitution and Bylaws. Bylaw 2 Bylaw 2 - Section 1. Proxy Voting: A proxy is a power of attorney given by one trustee to another member of TENA to vote in his/her stead, and it is used to designate the person who holds the power of attorney. Proxy voting limited to board of trustees meetings and are not allowed for the purpose of the quorum of the meeting. Bylaw 2- Section 2. Election of the Officers: The president shall nominate the candidates for election of the officers, shall seek the nominations from the board of trustees and conduct the election at the first regular board meeting of the newly elected trustees once in every two years. The candidate who receives the majority of votes of all trustees, either by proxy or in person, shall be declared elected to the position. Bylaw2- Section 3. Executive Committee: The Executive Committee shall provide a collective platform for leadership, communication, deliberation, and execution of responsibilities as assigned to the officers by the Board of Trustees and the General Body from time to time. The President shall serve as Chairperson of the Executive Committee and shall execute all contracts, deeds, documents and instruments. Executive Committee shall meet periodically, but not less than twice a year. Special Executive Committee meetings via teleconferences may be called for by the President or by the Secretary or at the written request of two or more members of the Executive Committee. All regular meetings shall require minimum of fourteen (14) days of written notice by either US mail or by electronic media. All special meetings shall require minimum of three (3) days of written notice by either US mail or by electronic media. Bylaw 3: Membership Dues A. Life Member: Any person who pays $100.00 or more in one installment payment towards membership is a Life Member. B. Patron Member: Any person who pays $1,000.00 or more in one installment payment towards membership during a calendar year is a Patron Member. C. Grand Patron Member: Any person who pays $5,000.00 or more in one installment payment towards membership during a calendar year is a Grand Patron Member. TeNA-Bylaws Page 5 of 46 Bylaw 4: General Responsibilities of Each Committee A. The fiscal year of the committee shall correspond to the calendar year and the term of the committee shall coincide with the term of the officers of the organization. B. Each committee shall have at least three members. C. All chairpersons of various committees shall submit their written reports to the board through the President. D. All committees are required to maintain accurate records of their income and expenses and submit a written report to the board through the president. E. All expenses in excess of $200.00 shall require prior approval of the Treasurer and the President, and all expenses, in excess of $1,000.00 shall require the approval of the majority of the board, unless already appropriated in the budget by the board. F. At least two quotations shall be obtained for purchases of $1,000.00 or more. G. All members of the committees shall be members of TENA in good standing. H. The committee functions can be modified by the board as needed. I. No individual member shall enter into any contracts, agreements or other instruments, whether written or oral with any other individual or organization at any time with the exception of the president by virtue of such authority conferred on him/her by the constitution. Bylaw 5: STANDING COMMITTEES Section 1: Membership Committee: The primary function of this committee shall be to solicit membership, advertisements for the directory, update membership addresses, prepare membership directory. The printing and distribution of the directory shall be approved by the executive committee. The committee shall update the membership list as of last day of the month, 3 months prior to the next election of board of trustees, or any General Body Meeting. The committee shall also update the membership list as at the end of calendar year within 30 days. Membership Committee?s Procedures and Guidelines Annexure ?G, shall be part of this section. Section 2: Bylaws Committee: The primary function of this committee shall be to provide the interpretation of the constitution and bylaws, solicit the proposals for amendments, and propose the amendments for board's review and approval. At the direction of the board, committee shall seek the approval of the general body. Prepare and distribute the latest version of the constitution and bylaws to all the trustees soon after the approval of the amendments and no later than the end of the year. Section 3: Finance Committee: The primary function of this committee shall be to solicit donations, provide the financial planning, and coordinate all fund raising activities. Section 4: Planning Committee: The primary function of this committee shall be to advise the board on long range goals and plans. TeNA-Bylaws Page 6 of 46 Section 5: Nominating Committee: A. President with the approval of the board shall activate the Nominating Committee (NC) at least 60 days before the next election, for the purpose of electing new trustees. B. Seek nominations from members as certified by secretary, either by publishing the Nomination Form (Annexure F or unless board approved a different Nomination Form) in America Bharathi or by US mail. C. In order for the nomination to be valid, a fee of $100.00 must be enclosed. D. Person proposing and seconding the nominee shall be a member of TENA in good standing as per the certified membership list prepared prior to the next election in the category he/she is proposing. Nominee shall be a member in good standing for 90 days prior to the election in the Category he/she is seeking the nomination and shall be member for two full calendar years in any Membership Category. E. Members of Nominating Committee are not eligible for nomination as trustees. F. All correspondence shall be sent to TENA official address, unless board approved a different address. G. For all regular elections, the following nomination process schedule may be used with approved deadlines by EC, unless board approved a different schedule: H. For all special elections, President, with the approval of the board, shall provide the election process schedule to Nominating Committee at least 90days prior to the special election. I. Other materials that should be part of the nomination form are: 1. A brief profile (maximum of 15 lines) of the candidate that emphasizes his/her community service and service to this organization. 2. A passport size color photograph. These documents can be mailed separately but they should be within one week from dead line for the submission of nomination from. TeNA-Bylaws Page 7 of 46 Section 6: Community Service Committee: The primary function of this committee shall be to organize the community service events. Section 7: Language and Cultural Committee: The primary function of this committee shall be to coordinate the cultural and language programs. Section 8: Trust Fund Committee: A. The primary function of this committee shall be to monitor and operate the trust fund; to safe guard the fund for long term viability and to make appropriate recommendations to the Executive Committee for long term growth of the fund, by safe guarding the principal in tact. B. The purpose of this trust fund is to provide monetary resources for emergencies and to support the organization in perpetuity. C. The Trust Fund accounts shall be opened in a FDIC bank, located with in 50 mile radius of the TENA official address under the joint custody of Treasurer and Trust Fund Chairperson. To safe guard the funds unforeseen bankruptcies of banks, the account balances in each bank may be limited to $100,000, in view of FDIC coverage limits. D. At least 1% of total TENA regular yearly revenues, plus minimum of 50% of the left over money from the conferences, shall be deposited into this account. E. Withdrawals from this account shall require unanimous approval by trust fund committee and also approval from at least two thirds (2/3) of full board of trustees. F. All fund withdrawals must require the signatures of Treasurer and the committee chairperson. Section 9: TENA Foundation Committee: The primary function of this committee is to seek donations, review, approve and coordinate the charitable projects. At minimum the following guidelines must be followed. All other guidelines must be approved by the board. A. The Objectives: 1 To promote developmental projects in areas of the Telugu Speaking People and to improve educational, cultural, literary, health and quality of life of these people. 2 To encourage people to participate in the above projects. B. Guidelines: 1 A written proposal for each project shall be submitted by an individual or group of people. 2 There shall be no conflict of interest or personal benefit to any member of TENA. 3 The project sponsor shall be member of TENA. 4 The project shall meet the criteria of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) under section 501(c) (3). 5 The TENA treasurer should be a member of the TENA Foundation Committee and he/she will disburse the funds, as decided by the committee. 6 Each project shall be monitored and its status shall be reported to the TENA Board periodically. 7 The project cost should be at least $10,000.00 TeNA-Bylaws Page 8 of 46 C. Operation: 1 The committee shall review and recommend to the President/ Board for approval of the projects based on the above guidelines. 2 A administration fee of 5% of the project cost shall be allotted to the general fund of the TENA. 3 The TENA board may exempt or change the above deductions based on the project merits. 4 If a project sponsor wants the committee to disburse the funds electronically, additional expenses should be paid by the sponsor. Section 10: America Bharathi Committee: The primary function of this committee shall be to solicit articles, news worthy items for publication, preparation of material for printing, proof reading and mailing to the general membership. Section 11: Public Relations Committee: The primary function of this committee shall be to coordinate public relations activities and to organize, promote and coordinate TENA activities during all special occasions, such as conventions. Section 12: America Bharathi Trust Fund Committee: The primary function of this committee shall be to solicit donations & advertisements for the publication of America Bharathi magazine. Section 13: Youth Activities Committee: The primary function of this committee shall be to plan youth activities and coordinate all youth activities with other committees. The Primary Function of this committee shall be to Plan Youth Activities and coordinate all Youth Activities with other committees. This committee should contain at least 5 active members of TENA the term of which shall conclude with the other committees chair of this committee shall be appointed by the President and approved by the majority of the Board of Trustees. The main Function of this committee is to maintain a dTeNA base of the TENA Youth and organize events involving children of all ages. Emphasis shall be placed on Indian culture ( Telugu in particular) being part of the mainstream U.S.A., yet preserving our identity with Pride, Education, Career opportunities, marriage etc. this committee can serve in an advisory capacity to the parents of the youth. This committee shall also coordinate/combine its activities with Youth Forum and Youth Conference committee described in Bylaw 7: Conference guidelines. Section 14: Continuing Education Committee: This committee shall deal with continuing Education activities for Professionals of Telugu origin in different fields, living in U.S.A. , INDIA and other countries. The chair of this committee shall be appointed by the President and approved by the majority of the Board of Trustees. To assure the continuity, the chair shall serve for at least Four Years and other four members shall serve staggered terms of two years. This committee shall perform the following duties: A. 1. Identify the Educational needs of the Telugu Professionals 1 Formulate clear statements of objectives for each program 2 Assess the effectiveness of each Program 3 Choose appropriate teaching methods and Knowledgeable faculty for each program and 4 Document attendance of participants at each program TeNA-Bylaws Page 9 of 46 B. Solicit appropriate sponsors for the program C. Maintain close liaison with alumni committee activities described under conference guidelines D. Make recommendations to the Executive committee regarding the needs of continuing Education for Professionals of Telugu origin E. All Financial needs require TENA Board?s approval. Section 15: Election Committee: The primary function of this committee shall be to conduct elections as if required as directed by the Article XI of the constitution and with the following guidelines. A. Election Process/ Guidelines - Annexure B, shall be part of this section. B. For all regular elections, the following election process schedule may be used with approved deadlines by EC, unless board approved a different schedule: C. For all special elections, President, with the approval of the board, shall provide the schedule for conducting elections to Election Committee at least 90 days prior to the special election. D. Election committee in consultation with Nominating committee should set up the dead lines and complete the election process before December 15 or three weeks before the Scheduled TENA board meeting intended for the inauguration of new board and office bearers. Section 16: Archives and Records Committee: Archives and R cords Committee?s Guidelines- Annexure ?C, shall be part of this section. Section 17: Audit Committee: The purpose of Audit committee is to provide independent assessments of TENA programs and operations in order to reduce waste, abuse and mismanagement and to promote economy and efficiency throughout the organization. The Treasurer should make the records and monthly financial statements available to the committee, periodically to coincide with the BOT meetings, at least 30 days in advance of such Board meetings, to allow the committee to review and submit report directly to the Board. The Treasurer is also required to prepare annual financial report before March of the following year and should send a copy to the committee for review and report to the Board. The Treasurer's annual financial report should be prepared well in advance of the Board meetings to allow the audit to be completed before the report is made at a board of trustees meeting. TeNA-Bylaws Page 10 of 46 Section 18: OTHER COMMITTEES A: Spiritual Committee: The primary function of this committee shall be to organize the spiritual activities and events. The scope of this committee will be: 1 To provide various activities that promote overall spiritual development. 2 To provide a platform with a comfortable, serene atmosphere to discuss and participate, to bring more awareness about the importance of practicing spirituality in daily life. 3 To provide a net work for individuals seeking spiritual direction regardless of organizational boundaries. 4 To organize demonstration or training sessions, periodical retreats, discourses, discussions and may be even trips to destinations that have spiritual significance. 5 To provide opportunity to grow spiritually and attain greater happiness and freedom in every aspect of life. 6. Bylaw 6: Amendments to the Bylaws The Bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed by the Board of the Trustees if approved by two-thirds of the full Board of Trustee in person or by proxy. Bylaw 7: Conference Guidelines Conference Guidelines -Annexure ?A, shall be part of this section. Bylaw 8: Regional Coordinators A. Definition of geographic regions: Major metropolitan City and with minimum of 25 TENA members in good standing in the state. B. Eligibility of Coordinator: a) Member of TENA in good standing for one year, b) Reside within 50 miles radius of the region. C. Regions: a) Atlanta area, b) Boston area, c) Chicago area, d) Dallas Area, e) Detroit area, f) Houston area, g) Indiana area h) Los Angels area, i) New Jersey area, j) New York area, k) San Francisco area, l)St. Louis area, m) Other areas not mentioned above. D. Functions of Regional Coordinators: 1 Responsible for all TENA activities in their respective regions, including, but not limited to solicit TENA membership, organize and coordinate TENA programs with the officers of TENA. 2 Send newsworthy items or articles from the respective regions for publication in the organization newsletter. 3 Submit yearly budget (Income/ expenses) for board approval for organizing TENA activities. 4 Make every effort to ensure income from membership dues, donations etc., shall offset the expenses. 5 Maintain working relationship with all regional telugu associations. TeNA-Bylaws Page 11 of 46 Bylaw 9: TENA logo, official seal and other standard stationary All the TENA formal official correspondence, conferences and any other events undertaken by the TENA should follow standard procedures and norms to represent organization name and its identity. TENA logo shall not be used for any other events that are not officially associated with the organization or sponsored by the organization. Section A: All the formal correspondence, communications, newsletters, awards/certificates stationary shall carry official logo (see Annexure H1). All the official certifications and endorsements shall have affixed official seal (see Annexure H2). Official logo and seal shall be revised only with the approval of board. Section B: TENA biannual conference shall always be referred as ? x (number, for example 8th ) TeNA Conference and Youth Convention? as main title. Individual conference can have additional working title (for example TENA 2004) in addition to main title. All the conference correspondence, advertisements, banners, forms and publications shall have both TENA official logo and conference logo. TENA logo should go on the top left corner, and conference logo should go on the top right corner. Both logos should be of the same size. All the promotional material for the conference should also use both logos. Bylaw 10: Forms A) Membership Form: Refer to the Annexure E B) Nomination Form: Refer to the Annexure F C) Mail Ballot for Amendments to the Constitution: Refer to the Annexure G Annexures to follow this page????????????????. The End TeNA-Bylaws (08/01/2006) Page 12 of 46 Appendices Materials to Bylaws Follow this Page TeNA-Bylaws Page 13 of 46 List of Appendices Annexure A: Conference Guidelines Annexure B: Election Guidelines Annexure C: Archives and Records Guidelines Annexure D: Membership List Preparation Guidelines Annexure D1: Member Index Card Annexure E: Membership Form Annexure F: Nomination Form Annexure G: Ballot for Amendments to the Constitution Annexure H1: TENA official Logo Annexure H2: TENA official seal TeNA-Bylaws Page 14 of 46 ANNEXURE - A: Conference Guidelines TeNA Conference Guidelines The conferences of TeNA (TENA) have become showcases for the organization and for Telugu community all across United States of America. Each conference is setting a higher standard for the next conference in attendance, cultural performances, food arrangements, seminar presentations, business exhibits etc. The conferences are gaining national and international recognition and therefore it has become our implicit obligation and duty to set a minimum standard for the conferences held year after year. This will encourage more and more to participate in the conference activities. The collective leadership of several responsible individuals will provide the necessary support and guidance to the several Conference Working Committees. It is an enormous task of organizing a conference of magnitude that we have been witnessing lately and it can only become more demanding in future than ever before. An organizational structure is developed to show the responsibilities that are associated with the conference: TeNA Board of Trustees CONFERENCE ADHOC COMMITTEE TENA President, Chair TENA President Elect, Vice Chair TENA Past President, Member Conference Convener, Member Conference Coordinator, Member Four Members at Large CONFERENCE CONFERENCE CONVENER COORDINATOR VARIOUS COMMITTEES TeNA-Bylaws Page 15 of 46 The following guidelines have been developed to meet the above stated mission of our organization: 1. The Adhoc Committee as formed under this Bylaw will be the main body in-charge of planning and executing the conference. The members of the Committee are: TENA President, TENA Past President, TENA President Elect Conference Convener, Conference Coordinator Four Members appointed by the Board of Trustees 2 The President of the Association will be the Chairperson of the Adhoc Committee and President-Elect will be the Vice-chair. The TENA Treasurer will function as the Conference Treasurer. 3 The Board of Trustees upon recommendation of the Executive Committee will appoint Convener, Coordinator and four other members to the Adhoc Committee for the upcoming conference. One of these four members will be from the local Telugu Association coordinating the event. 4 The general responsibilities of each of the above positions are as follows: 4.1 Chair: The Chair of the Adhoc Committee will preside over the meetings of the Committee and will provide overall supervision and assistance to all Conference Committees. Periodically, the Chair will report to the Executive Committee and the Board of Trustees of all aspects of the Conference activities. He/She will convene a meeting of the Adhoc Committee on a quarterly basis on the last Saturday of the month ending the Quarter and will also hold a minimum of one teleconference per month. All contracts related to conference to be entered with any vendors, facilities, artists advertisers etc., will be signed by the Chair upon formal approval by the Adhoc Committee at one of its regularly scheduled meetings or teleconferences. He/She will have the power to convene a teleconference at a minimum of one day notice to the Adhoc Committee members to discuss any emergency issues. The Chair will be the only other authorized individual besides TENA Treasurer to sign the checks from TENA Conference account. However neither Chair nor the TENA Treasurer can write and sign a check without the approval by the Adhoc Committee for the purpose or expense. The conference committee can spend up to $25,000 at a time. Up on furnishing the receipts, additional monies will be given $25,000 at a time by the treasurer of TENA. 4.2 Vice Chair: In the absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair of the Adhoc Committee will perform all duties and exercise the powers of the Chair specified above. In the absence of the Vice Chair, the Past President will perform all the duties of the Chair. 4.3 Conference Convener: The Convener selected for the conference will be a member of TENA for at least three years and should be residing within 60 mile radius of the conference site. He/She must possess experience in organizing events in some leadership capacity for national or local Telugu or Indian organizations or for some religious or professional organizations. He/She will be responsible for all conference site related activities except those identified under other sections of these guidelines. He/She will be specifically responsible for all activities pertaining to the following Committees identified in further detail in the later sections of these guidelines: Venue Committee Overseas Coordination Committee Registration Committee Women?s Forum Budget Committee Food Committee Hospitality & Transportation Committee Publicity and Public Relations Committee Cultural Committee Volunteer Committee Panel Discussion and Seminar Committee Youth Forum The Convener works closely with the Coordinator in all aspects of the conference and will assist him in arranging conference site related issues. The Convener proposes a Co-Convener and Chairpersons of all above identified committees to Adhoc Committee for approval. He/She selects with recommendation of Chairperson to select other committee members. The Co-Convener assists the Convener and will assume the responsibilities when Convener is absent for whatever reasons. He/She will report to the Chair of the Adhoc Committee and will participate in all meetings and teleconferences of the Adhoc Committee and will also attend Executive Committee and Board of Trustee Meetings and Teleconferences, if asked by the Chair. He/she will furnish copies of all correspondence, reports and minutes of meetings of all committee meetings to the Chair of the Adhoc Committee. The Board of Trustees has the power to remove and replace the Convener at any time if it finds the interests of TENA are not best served by him/her. The Board of Trustees can modify committee assignments between Conference Convener and Conference Coordinator. 4.4. Conference Coordinator: The position of the Coordinator is of utmost importance to the Conference similar to the Convener as he/she will be responsible for many of the activities involve beyond the immediate boundaries of the Conference site. The Coordinator selected for the conference should be a member of TENA for at least three years and should preferably be residing within the region where the Conference is to be held. He/She must possess experience in organizing events in some leadership capacity for local Telugu or Indian community organizations or for some religious or professional organizations. He/She will be responsible for all activities pertaining to the following committees identified further detail in the later sections of these guidelines: 1 Finance Committee 5. Souvenir Committee 2 Arts & Crafts Committee 6. Business and Vendor Exhibits Committee 3 Alumni Committee 7. NRI Committee 4 Awards Committee 8. Banquet Committee The Coordinator works closely with the Conference Convener in all aspects of the conference and will assist him in all off-site related issues. The Coordinator proposes Chairpersons of all above identified committees to Adhoc Committee for approval. He/She approves recommendation of Chairperson to select other committee members. He/She will report to the Chair of the Adhoc Committee and will participate in all meetings and teleconferences of the Adhoc Committee and will also attend Executive Committee and Board of Trustee Meetings and Teleconferences, if asked by the Chair. He/she will furnish copies of all correspondence, reports and minutes of meetings of all committee meetings to the Chair of the Adhoc Committee. The Board of Trustees has the power to remove and replace the Coordinator at any time if it finds that the interests of TENA are not best served by him/her. 1 Conference Secretary: One of the members of Adhoc Committee will be the Conference Secretary and he/she will be responsible for all conference records. He/She will report to the Chair of the Adhoc Committee and will participate in all meetings and teleconferences of the Adhoc Committee and will also attend Executive Committee and Board of Trustee Meetings and Teleconferences, if asked by the Chair. He/She will furnish copies of all correspondence, reports and minutes of meetings of all committee meetings to the Chair of the Adhoc Committee. 5. Conference Treasurer: The TENA Treasurer will function as the Conference Treasurer. He/she will be responsible for all financial matters related to the Conference besides the regular TENA account. He/she should keep accurate record of deposits and checks written. He/she should be responsible for writing checks for all the Adhoc Committee approved payments for the conference expenses. He/she will report to the Chair of the Adhoc Committee and will participate in all meetings and teleconferences of the Adhoc Committee and will also attend Executive Committee and Board of Trustee Meetings and Teleconferences. He/She will furnish copies of all correspondence, reports and minutes of meetings of all committee meetings to the Chair of the Adhoc Committee. 2 The Conference should be held under the banner of TENA and should be called "THE (number) TENA CONFERENCE." In case the Conference is held by any local organization, in which TENA is the main host, it should be specified clearly. 3 Major TENA Conference will be held every other year. However, it will alternate with TENA Youth Conference resulting in Conference every year. 4 Main theme of any Conference is to make everyone particularly the youth, and Telugus living in the USA aware of the Telugu culture, Indian heritage and the role of NRI in the future of India especially that of Andhra Pradesh. 5 Youth Conferences will be discussed separately. 6 All members of the Conference Working Committees should preferably be members of TENA. The Chairpersons of the various committees should be members of TENA. 7 Regional TENA Conferences may be held in addition to the above and have to follow the same guidelines. 8 The Conference letterhead must include TENA logo in addition to the Conference logo. 9 Committees: The TENA Conference Adhoc Committee is considered to be the supervising body for all Conference Working Committees and all major decisions will be made by the Adhoc Committee with the recommendations of the Conference Working Committees. The Convener and Coordinator of the Conference under whose direction these committees are formed serves as the major communicator between the Adhoc Committee of TENA and the Conference Working Committees. The Convener and Coordinator can form sub- committees as and when needed under the above mentioned committees. Each committee should have one Chairperson and any number of members. One of the members of any given committee should preferably be a Board of Trustees. No one person can be the Chairperson for more than one Committee. Some of the core committees will be discussed in more detail in next few paragraphs. The Budget and Finance Committees should function under the direct supervision of the Adhoc Committee and the Chairpersons of these two Committees will report to the Chair of the Adhoc Committee. 13.1 Budget Committee: This Committee should consist of a minimum of five (5) members of which the Convener and the Coordinator will be automatic members. Adhoc Committee will appoint the other three (3) members to this Committee. The Convener will be the Chairperson of this Committee. The Coordinator will be the Vice Chairperson. The aim of the Budget Committee should be to make the Conference financially successful to TENA. A separate TENA account for the conference should be opened by the TENA Treasurer using the same Tax I.D. number as TENA. The seed money for the Conference will be given by the Board of Trustees to be placed in a TENA Conference Account as follows. Major International Conference $5000.00 National Conference $5000.00 Regional Conference $1500.00 All the seed monies should be returned to TENA main Account no later than one month after the Conference. It is the duty of the TENA Treasurer to send a copy of the monthly statement of the conference account to the Adhoc Committee and also it should be presented to the TENA Executive Committee and to the Board of Trustees at their regular meetings. The Adhoc Committee may allow the Convener to open an account at a local bank and maintain no more than $30,000 in this account at any given time. This account should bear the TENA Tax I.D. number and both Convener and Coordinator should sign each check. Besides these two accounts other Conference accounts other than one started by Ad hoc Committee using TENA Tax I.D. number and it should be closed within three months after the Conference. All payments should be made by check clearly stating the name of the person or firm and the purpose. If a local Telugu Association co-sponsors the Conference, the Committee should make a provision for up to $10,000 contribution to the local Association or 50% of net savings, which ever is less 13.2. Finance Committee: This Committee should consist of a minimum of five (5) members of which the Convener and the Coordinator will be automatic members. Adhoc Committee will appoint the other three (3) members to this Committee. The Coordinator will be the Chairperson of this Committee. The Convener will be the Vice Chairperson. Money for the Conference should be raised by the Finance Committee. The Chairperson should be able to identify the ways and the means to raise the funds with cost over runs in view. All the possible areas of raising money including the fund raising dinners, collecting ads for the Souvenir, speaking with different financial, insurance, pharmaceutical companies etc. should be considered. A report of the funds collected and other efforts that were made should be presented to the Adhoc Committee at their meetings. The TENA Executive Committee, the Regional Vice- Presidents, and the members of the Board of Trustees should be involved to the best of their capability in raising the funds for the Conference. 13.3. Other Committees: 13.3.1 Convener?s Supervised Committees: Following committees? functions and responsibilities surround around the Conference site and are placed under the direct supervision of the Convener. Venue Committee: The Chair /Co-Chair of the Venue Committee along should work with other committees to determine material needs and logistics, such as general setup of the rooms, entrance, signs, and traffic flow in and around the site. This committee's responsibilities include: Parking needs Signs and directions (that clearly identify the sections and room numbers) Banners, drapery, red-carpet, balloons, etc. Security at the Convention Center Arranging and maintaining a PA system Coordinate with other committees and plan for proper and efficient use of space He/She should take into consideration the number of delegates expected, the needs of the youth for their activities, mini conference hall & space for exhibits, stalls, audio and video needs, the location of the hotels dorms etc. Coordinate with other committees and plan for proper and efficient use of space. The Chairperson should then report to the Conference Working Committee. Registration Committee: Fees for registration, patron, grand patron or co-sponsor should be discussed with the Adhoc Committee prior to publishing it. Every effort should be laid to prevent unregistered guests from attending the Conference. In certain cases, the fees may be waived or decreased as deemed necessary by the Adhoc Committee. The Registration Committee Chairperson is responsible for issuing of name tags, meal coupons, Souvenirs and other Conference materials including program brochures/sheets to the delegates. The committee should be prepared to handle any number of on-site registrations. They also coordinate with souvenir committee, program & events committee, cultural committee and make sure that the registration packets are ready at least one week prior to the conference. They should also discuss with the hospitality committee regarding number of invited guests so that registration material can be prepared well in advance. Registration committee should make every effort to minimize waiting during the process. This committee's responsibilities include: Prepare an action plan for registrations Coordinate with the Convener/Coordinator for complimentary registrations, if any, for special guests or delegates Man the registration booths to manage on-site registrations Inspect the conference venue in advance to plan the lay out for the registration tables Set up information, lost & food, and message booths at the Convention Center Budget Committee: The responsibilities of this committee are already outlined earlier. Hospitality, Transportation and Reception Committees: The financial success of the Conference mainly depends on the donors and it is only appropriate to show our appreciation to them by making them feel very important guests to the Conference. In addition many dignitaries, politicians, businessmen, invited artists and poets especially from India will participate. These should be extended the similar appreciation for coming to the Conference from thousands of miles away. It is the responsibility of this Committee to arrange for transportation from airport, hotel reservations, registration packages etc. Hospitality, Transportation and Reception Committees should keep in mind that the people coming as visitors from India may not fully understand the way of life in U.S.A. and may expect "too much" from us. These committees should help them "ALL" and not just the VIPs. Members of this committee should not promise the "visitors? the things they cannot deliver and also any promises to be made should have prior approval of the Adhoc Committee. These "visitors and guests" do carry a definite opinion about us and the Conference back to India. This committee takes the responsibility of arranging transportation to all the registrants if the hotels are not with in walking distance. The Adhoc committee will decide what is with in walking distance. Other responsibilities of this committee include: Receive and greet VIPs, artists & guests at the hotels, and lead them to appropriate areas Arrange reception/Information area with refreshments in all the hotels on Thursday and Friday for VIPs when they first arrive at the hotels Designate one person to be in charge of one group of artists and he/she should know their whereabouts Block long distance telephone calls from guest rooms in hotels Issue telephone cards as appropriate Set up welcome packages in donor rooms Set up volunteers with maps/general information at each hotel Set up message and lost & found desks at each hotel Arrange food for Indian guests/artists before and during the conference Make lodging and boarding arrangements to the invited artists and participants from India Periodically contact hotel sales managers and see how many rooms have been booked already and notify the Convener Coordinate with various committees and obtain a list of confirmed guests Coordinate with Transportation and Volunteers Committees for assistance as needed. Cultural Committee: The Chairperson of the Cultural Committee will be responsible for putting together a cultural program suitable for main theme of the Conference. Needless to say the emphasis is on "YOUTH" and their participation in the propagation of Telugu culture. Dramas, music, dances etc. should be discussed with his/her Committee and then the progress report should be given to the Adhoc Committee at its meeting. The committee should be prepared to execute the program with out set backs by maintaining schedule and quality. The cultural events should feature a variety of performances acceptable to the people of all ages and interests. The committee must encourage participation of local (USA) talent. The TENA Cultural chairperson will be one of the members this committee and should work closely with regional VPs of TENA to identify and encourage talented groups from their respective regions. The Cultural Committee must consider the financial strain when inviting performing artists from India. He/She should work closely with the Venue Committee Chairperson regarding the audio and video facilities, with the Hospitality Committee regarding the lodging and boarding of the guest artists especially the ones arriving from out of town. The stage decorations, settings etc. should be handled by the Cultural Committee. Other responsibilities of this committee include: Design the layout and types of cultural programs to be presented Give extra emphasis to the opening ceremonies Draft the rules and regulations, publicize and solicit programs with scripts, video/audio, etc. Correspond with the performers and obtain confirmations Coordinate with Hospitality Committee for providing accommodations to artists coming from overseas, as appropriate Programs and Events: Coordinate with various committees and allocate time slots for all events on the main stage and in different meeting rooms Coordinate especially with the Cultural Committee and arrange the main stage as per requirements of each event. Coordinate with other committees for their specific requirements and consolidate all requirements into a master program Inspect the venue and discuss audio/visual arrangements. Ensure all audiovisual and other equipment are properly working at all events Estimate expenses, prepare a budget, obtain quotations from different vendors, negotiate and finalize the best one; prepare a contract and submit it to the Adhoc committee for approval Control the main stage and ensure smooth flow of all programs as planned Arrange for photographers/videographers as appropriate during the conference. Panel Discussions Committee: The Chairperson of this committee should take the responsibility of bringing together experts dealing with social and cultural issues of the NRIs particularly of the Telugu origin and arrange discussions either in small groups or large gatherings. He/She should work closely with the Venue Committee. Overseas Coordination Committee: The overseas attendance to the Conference increasing year after year and requires diligence action on the part of this committee in activities such as processing visa applications, extending the invitations to overseas guests, contacting the overseas artists etc. The Coordinator should be the Chairperson of this committee. Women's Forum: The main Thrust of this committee is to bring to light the issues and challenges facing the women in Telugu community and their roles as mothers, wives, daughters etc. Special emphasis should be placed on problems facing the working Telugu women. Food Committee: Every effort should be made to provide food with Andhra flavor to the delegates. The Food Committee Chairperson should figure out the best method of achieving that goal by catering from one or multiple caterers. The food committee must carefully consider labor costs when budgeting and all contracts should be in place well in advance. "A well satiated delegate may be willing to overlook any other deficiency that may arise in other areas." Other responsibilities of this committee include: Select the menu and prepare guidelines Design the layout of the dining areas Coordinate with local health and other agencies for licenses, permits etc., as required Make arrangements for tables, chairs, power, music, water, trash cans, cleaning crew, security, etc. Submit the final contract to the Adhoc Committee for approval Publicity and Public Relations Committee: The major responsibility of this committee is to reach the community and promoting the event. One way to ensure coverage is to compile a media mailing list and work out a strategy that gives maximum exposure. Coordinate with America Bharathi team to well inform about the programs and attractions of the event. This committee should involve regional VPs of TENA and discuss various resources of advertising in their area including radio, community newspapers, etc. Other responsibilities of this committee include: Design/develop information for flyers, banners etc. Make arrangements to distribute publicity materials as appropriate Organize the display of banners and other publicity materials at the conference venue Compile a media mailing list and work out a strategy that gives maximum exposure Coordinate with America Bharathi and webmaster to publicize the conference programs and attractions Volunteers Committee: The Chairperson for the Volunteers Committee should gather as many volunteers as possible to assist before, during and after the Conference. This Committee should schedule volunteers and assign specific jobs or stations, including setup and coverage for breaks and meals. The chair person of this committee should contact volunteers periodically to confirm their commitment and schedule. All other committee Chairpersons should consult him/her regarding the number of volunteers needed for a specific type of work. The Board of Trustees of TENA are highly encouraged to take up an active role by volunteering their services at the conference. Youth Forum & Youth Conference Committee: Youth Conferences may be held as a part of the major Conference or as an independent Conference. If it is a part of the major Conference, a separate Youth Committee with its Own Chair and Co-chair should be appointed and they should coordinate all their activities with individual committees to facilitate smooth integration into the main Conference. One of the members of the Adhoc committee must take an active role in guiding and planning youth activities. The events of youth program should involve the children of all ages. It should be interesting, entertaining and also be a learning experience to our children. The Committee should plan on conducting various competitions based on knowledge and understanding of Telugu culture and society. This committee should work closely with other working committees for space, material , publicity and other requirements. The youth committee must set up a help desk and arrange youth volunteers to be present at all times for providing information about their activities. If a Youth Conference is planned independently, a Convener and a Co-convener from the youth should be appointed at least two years prior to the date of the Conference. The TENA President should appoint an Advisory Committee consisting of at least three members of the Board of Trustees. They should work closely with the Convener and the Co-convener and follow same guidelines that are outlined for the major Conference. The major emphasis of the Youth Conference should be on Indian culture (Telugu in particular) being part of the mainstream U.S.A., yet preserving our identity with pride, education, career opportunities, marriage etc.. 13.3.2 Coordinator Supervised Committees: Following committees? functions and responsibilities are generally surround activities that are not related to the Conference site and are placed under the direct supervision of the Coordinator. Finance Committee: The responsibilities of this Committee are as outlined earlier. Arts & Crafts Committee: The Chairperson for the Arts & Crafts Committee should make every effort to bring together paintings, sculptures and other fine arts with emphasis on Indian culture and should work closely with the Venue Committee regarding space, lighting etc. Business and Vendors Exhibits Committee: This committee has the responsibility to solicit arrange and oversee the business and vendor exhibits. This event has increasingly becoming a source for considerable funds, it should be properly planned and advertised. The Chairperson of this committee should work with the Convener for the allocation of sufficient space for the business exhibits. Other responsibilities of this committee include: Design the layout of the booths according to the nature of the business, rental rates, size, furniture, electrical outlets, tables, chairs, display panels, light fixtures, etc. Contact and obtain at least three quotations from different contractors, negotiate and finalize one contractor, draft a contract and submit it to the Adhoc committee for approval Design and send out letters to the prospects soliciting participation Allocate booths and confirm their bookings Coordinate with the Registration Committee for on site registrations. Make separate arrangements at the registration area for vendors to pick up registration materials. Assign booth numbers, guide vendors to their respective booths, and look after their needs during the conference Work with Indian Coordinator for vendors from India Alumni Committee: The Chairperson for the Alumni Committee should get all Alumni of the universities of Andhra Pradesh to take part in the Conference. He/She should make arrangements for CME meetings and also should work with venue Committee in providing the sites for the individual Alumni gatherings. Awards Committee: The function of the Awards Committee primarily is to recognize and honor those individuals of Telugu origin who achieved significant success and contributed in their fields. All formal awards given by the TENA during the conference should be restricted to telugu speaking people residing in USA, except the life time service/achievement awards. Individuals from other ethnic groups who have contributed significantly to Telugu causes can also be honored by special recognition. The President and the Secretary of TENA will be part of the Awards Committee. The Chairperson for the Awards Committee should be named by the Conference Coordinator and have the approval of the Adhoc Committee. Every effort should be made to make TENA award as one of the most prestigious. The Awards Committee should form reasonable number of categories and no more than two awards in each category should be given. The bestowing of awards should be well publicized at least 6 months prior to the Conference. There should be a nomination deadline after which the list of nominees should be presented to the Awards Committee for an open discussion. After approval from the Adhoc Committee, the final list of nominees should be submitted to the TENA Executive Committee at least 3 months prior to the Conference and only after their approval the final list of awardees should be published at least one month prior to the Conference. The Conference working Committees, including all the volunteers and individuals who contributed to the success of the Conference should be recognized by TENA at appropriate time during the Conference. Other responsibilities of this committee include: Determine the scope and criteria for the awards to be given, the range of awards for excellence in fields such as technical, literary, cultural, education, humanitarian, etc., and by geographical areas, as appropriate Solicit nominations from individuals, community leaders, and various Telugu associations in the US and abroad Review credentials thoroughly and impartially, and finalize the list of awardees. Award nominees should be accomplished and well-known in their respective areas Purchase recognition and felicitation materials like plaques, mementos, etc. to be awarded at the banquet Inform the awardees of their selection in advance of their respective time slots to be present to receive their awards Coordinate with the Banquet Committee for special recognition at the banquet Coordinate with the Hospitality Committee for guest room assignments and any special arrangements as appropriate NRI Committee: The main function of NRI Committee is to keep the Telugu community in the U.S.A. informed about the socioeconomic conditions, business opportunities and various projects in the Government and private sectors in India. The Chairperson should be able to communicate with the Departments of Trade and Commerce both at the State and the Federal levels in India as well as U.S.A. He/She should be able to arrange seminars in various fields at the Conference. However, primary importance should be given to the projects in Andhra Pradesh. TENA or Adhoc Committee or the Conference Working Committee should in no way be liable for the success or failure of the projects or investments discussed at the Conference. Souvenir Committee: The Chairperson for the Souvenir Committee should work closely with the Editor of America Bharathi in bringing out the Souvenir as well as the Post Conference Issue. However, the cost and the contents should be discussed with the Adhoc Committee as well as the Executive Committee. Both magazines should not only be self sufficient but also should serve as the source of surplus funds for TENA. Special effort should be made to recognize the Co-sponsors and other individuals who contributed to TENA. The material to be published in the post conference issue of America Bharathi should be sent to the editor of America Bharathi immediately after the conference. The convener and coordinator should work closely with the editor and make every effort to publish the magazine with 60 days after the conference. Other responsibilities of this committee include: Design the cover page and format of the souvenir Contact and gather articles from different writers Solicit camera ready ads from advertisers, sponsors and other agencies Solicit quotations from printers to print the souvenir, finalize a publisher and submit it to the Coordinator for approval Collect pictures of and messages from TENA President, Convener, Co-Convener, Coordinator, Committee Chairs, VIPs, etc., Make arrangements to deliver souvenirs to the Registration Committee at least two weeks before the conference start date Banquet Committee: A banquet should be held on the night before the official opening of the Conference to recognize the donors, special guests, artists etc. This committee should organize this event independent of the conference but within close proximity of the conference preferably inside the hotel where Conference has designated as the main hotel for delegates to stay. Other responsibilities of this committee include: Coordinate with the Awards Committee to recognize invited guests and awardees Coordinate with the Food Committee about the menu and identify the estimated attendees for the banquet Coordinate with the Decorations Committee for table top decorations Coordinate with the Cultural Committee if there are any plans to arrange entertainment 14. Conference Donors: The following categories of donors will be applied to the biannual conferences. a) Patron: $1000 - $ 2499: Patrons are entitled to a conference registration and the Banquet tickets for the family b) Grand Patron: $ 2500 -$4,999: Same benefits as Patron + CME + room for three nights c) Benefactor: $5000 -$ 9,999: Same as Patron + CME + 1 bed room suite for three nights + family picture in the conference Souvenir d) Grand Benefactor: $10,000 and above: Same as Benefactor +Stage recognition 15. THE AUTHORITY: The preliminary program of the Conference, including all the activities for the duration of the Conference should be presented by the Adhoc Committee to the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees of TENA at least one month prior to the date of the Conference for approval. Thereafter, the Adhoc Committee will have the authority to monitor the program and will have the authority to make changes as it is necessary as long as the overall program remains significantly same. End of Conference Guidelines ANNEXURE - B: Election Guidelines TeNA P.O. Box 4496, Naperville, IL 60567 http://www.TeNAworld.org E-mail: info@TeNAworld.org Trustees Election Ballots Mailing/Counting Procedures Preparation of the Ballots: Ballots will be printed on special paper with TENA corporate seal water mark and serial number. Before the Ballots are used it will be affixed with TENA official seal. Prepare and mail the ballots with voting instructions and return envelopes with a return dead line Date (should be received on or before this date). Ballot mailing envelope contains the following: 2 Ballots with instructions Stamped TENA return address P.O. Box xxxx (specifically opened for NC/EC use) Naperville, Illinois, 60567, envelope for Ballot returning (with ?TENA Ballot? inscription) The ballot mailing envelopes will be assembled using double-blinded process as indicated below and all the ballots will be mailed in single batch from the same post office. Fix US postal stamp (First Class) on the Ballot return and mailing envelopes Divide the number of ballot into two bundles and shuffle them to scramble the serial numbers. Place one ballot from each bundle (total 2 ballots) along with the ballot mailing larger envelope and seal it. Fix the labels on all ballot-mailing envelopes in single batch after all the envelopes were assembled. On the day of Ballots Mailing inform the Naperville post office in writing to hold all TENA mail received at P O Box xxxx (specifically opened for NC/EC use) (see attached letter) Receiving of the ballots: TENA mail received at PO Box (Specifically opened for NC/EC use) will be on hold at the post office until it is collected on the day of counting (as indicated below). On the day of counting, the following TENA official representatives will go to the post office 4:00 PM to collect all the mail from PO Box xxxx (Specifically opened for NC/EC use), Naperville, IL 60567 post office. A. TENA Nomination Committee Representative B. TENA Executive Committee representative C. One or two TENA member (s) at large. D. Candidate?s representative if candidate requests All the boxes with mail received at TENA P.O. Box (specifically opened NC/EC use) will be transported to TENA office or to a prior notified other location for sorting and counting. Open and collect the ballots. Make note if any envelopes came without ballots. Record the total number of ballots received. Counting of the Votes: Examine each ballot for its authenticity and any violation of voting instructions and sort them into two categories. 1) Voted for Nomination committee slate, 2) Voted for other candidates. Reject any ballot that did not follow the voting instructions. Count votes for both Nomination Committee Slate and other candidate one group at a time. Verify counting of both the candidates with a second count. Any discrepancy over 1%, counting should be repeated one more time. If the two counts are identical no need for another counting. Declaration of the Results: Candidate who receives majority of the votes will be declared elected. Tabulate all results. Ballot counts, rejected ballots etc. Seal and save all the records for at least six months. Decision of Election committee is final. Participation of Candidate or his/her representative at the counting. Candidates his/her representative can be present at the opening and counting of ballots if he/she chooses to do so. Candidate should inform Election committee or TENA Executive Committee in writing who will be representing him/her at the counting two days prior to counting. Counting will take place at the TENA office in Lemont, Illinois or at a prior notified other location. Candidates his/her representative will not communicate in any form with Tellers during the counting process. He/she will be a silent and hands-off observer. Any grievances during the counting process should be communicated to Election Committee Representative at the counting without disturbing the counting process. ANNEXURE ? B? : Election Guidelines (continued) S. NO: TeNA P.O. Box 4496, Naperville, IL 60567 Trustees Election Ballot Please be advised that we will be electing new #___ (for example 7 or 8 in the case of Life Membership category) of trustees for a term of four years by respective category. After the careful evaluation, the Election committee is submitting the slate of candidates along with other candidates for your selection. Please cast your vote and mail the ballot in the stamped self addressed envelope provided. Voting Instructions: Each Member is provided with two ballots (one for you and your spouse). Use check mark (v or X) to cast your vote. Any other markings, writing and tampering in any manner will lead to automatic invalidation of your ballot. Please select _____ candidate for Trustee Position. VOTING MORE THAN _______CANDIDATE LEADS AUTOMATIC INVALIDATION OF BALLOT Fold and place the ballot into a special stamped ballot return envelope Dead line for receiving Ballots at TENA P.O. Box xxxx (specifically opened for NC/EC use), Naperville, IL 60567 is date______ Nominating Committee Slate Other Candidate(s) [ ] vote for all --- below List all candidates names of List all names of other contesting Nominating Committee Slate in candidates s in Alphabetical Alphabetical Order Order [ ] [ ] Approved by: Election Committee Secretary, TENA or TENA EC Designate TeNA-Bylaws Page 28 of 46 ANNEXURE - B : Election Guidelines (continued) Sample letter to Post Master (on TENA Letterhead) Date: To, The Post Master Naperville Post Office Naperville, IL 60567 Dear Sir/Madam The TeNA is conducting an Election by postal mail ballot. As a result we are expecting a large amount of mail to our TENA P.O. Box xxxx (specifically opened for NC/EC use) Naperville, IL 60567. We request you to hold all the mail received by the P.O. Box xxxx (specifically opened for NC/EC use) from _____________ until AM or PM (it should be on the same day of counting) on Date________________. The following representatives will be present on Date: _____________ to receive all the mail. Name: Executive Committee Representative - TeNA Name: Election Committee Representative - TeNA We appreciate for your kind cooperation. Sincerely, Executive Committee Representative: Election Committee Representative ANNEXURE - B: Election Guidelines (continued) Trustee Election -Ballot Mailing Certification Date: __________ We the undersigned Prepared and mailed the Ballots for TENA trusteeship election as indicated below. TENA trusteeship election ballots for Grand Patron/Patron/Life Member Category with instruction information along with envelope to return ballots were sent TO ALL THE GRAND PATRON/PATRON/LIFE MEMBERS USING THE ADDRESS AVAILABLE IN THE CERTIFIED MEMBERSHIP DTENA BASE. Ballot mailing envelope contained the following: 1 Two Ballots, with voting instructions 2 Stamped Ballot returning envelope (with TENA return address and ?TENA Ballot? inscription) Fixed US postal First Class mailing stamp on Ballot return and mailing envelops Divided the number of ballots into two bundles and shuffled them to scramble the serial numbers. Placed the ballot instruction letter, one ballot from each bundle (total two) along with ballot return envelop into ballot mailing larger envelope (with special red alert) and sealed it. Fixed the labels on all sealed ballot mailing envelopes in single batch after all the envelopes were assembled. Mailed all the envelopes in single batch from the same US Post Office (---) at one time (---). TENA Election Committee Representative TENA Executive Committee Representative or Secretary, TENA TENA Member at large The following TENA member volunteers helped in ballot assembling and mailing process. ANNEXURE - B: Election Guidelines (continued) COUNTING SCHEDULE/CHECK LIST 1 Pick up mail from TENA Mail Box xxxx (specifically opened for NC/EC use). 2 Bring the mail to TENA office. 3 Count the number of ballot return envelopes. 4 Open the envelopes and count the number of ballots. Save the ballot return envelops, including undeliverable addresses. 5 Tabulate the number of valid ballots and invalid ballots. 6 Sort them by voted for NC slate or other candidate(s). 7 Count voted for NC slate or other candidate(s) each candidate one group/candidate at a time. 8 Repeat/verify the count. 9 Tabulate all results and out come 10 Seal and save all the records until next election. Signed by: Election Committee Representative: Executive Committee Representative: Members at Large: Candidates/representatives present: ANNEXURE- B: Election Guidelines (continued) SUMMARY OF RESULTS v AGAINST THE WINNER Nominating Committee Slate Other Candidates List All Candidates Names of List All Other Candidates Nominating Committee Slate Names in Alphabetical in Alphabetical Order Order [ ] [ ] Election Committee Represenentative: Executive Committee Represenentative: Members at Large: Candidate /representatives present: ANNEXURE - B: Election Guidelines (continued) Trustee Election Ballot Counting Name of the Candidate: ____________________ xx columns xx rows (score with cross line [/] =xxx votes) Teller ( ); Elec. Comm. ( ); EC ( ); Member(s) at large ( ) ANNEXURE - C: Archives and Records Guidelines TeNA P.O. Box 4496, Naperville, IL 60567 http://www.TeNAworld.org E-mail: info@TeNAworld.org SCOPE & GUIDELINES ARCHIVES/RECORDS COMMITTEE CONTENTS: 1 NAME 2 ARC COMITTEE SCOPE 3 GUIDELINES 4 RECORDS AND DOCUMENTS 5 RESPONSIBILIIES 6 BLANK FORMS 7 STORAGE / RETRIEVAL OUTLINE Prepared By: .Madan Mohan Sunkari Drafted: April 21, 2002 Reviewed By: ARC Committee Chairperson: Madhava B. Reddy Members: G.L.N Reddy, Hanmanth Reddy, Madan Mohan Sunkari Sathyanaryan Rao Batchu Approved By: Sandhya Gavva President, TENA ANNEXURE - C: Archives and Records Guidelines (continued) 1. Name: The Board members of TENA approved the formation of Archives/Records Committee-ARC. The name of the committee shall be Archives/Records Committee (ARC) The Archives/ Records Committee (ARC) shall consist of five (5) representative members including Committee Chairperson, who are all located within the Greater Chicago Area and proximity of TENA home office. Three of the members shall be from either past and/or current board of trustees. The term of the committee is perpetual. To add or remove any member of the committee the TENA Board with 2/3 majority at a duly called conveyed Board meeting would be required. Due to inability of any member to continue or resigning, the President with approval of majority of the Board may replace the member. 2. ARC Committee SCOPE: The ARC shall have the following functions including but not limited to: Responsible for retrieval, storage, and disposal of all current and previous (Historical) documents, Tax Returns, Minutes of the Board meetings, Executive Committee meetings, Financial Reports, all Committee Reports, all Legal Documents, Inventory Reports etc., Contracts, Lists, Brochures, and Printed material Computer back up tapes, software, Audio/Video Tapes, Still Photographs. 1. 3. GUIDELINES: Documents shall be stored in a controlled and safe storage facility. Documents shall be easily retrievable Access to all the storage areas shall be controlled Continuity of the system from year to year shall be maintained. 4. RECORDS AND DOCUMENTS: ACTIVE /CURRENT FILES: All current year?s documents, except documents of PERMANENT, shall be stored in this area, before the end of the first month of the New Year. PERMANENT FILES: Corporate documents, Federal, State TAX returns, year-end financial statements, Contracts (Conference), Legal documents, shall be stored in this area. HISTORICAL FILES: All documents from previous years shall be stored in this area (other than permanent files). All financial detail documents shall be kept for at least ten (10) years. ARC shall be responsible for preparing a list of documents for disposal and shall seek an approval by the Board of Trustees prior to disposal. 5. RESPONSIBILITIES: Secretary shall be responsible to ensure all incoming and out going correspondence is sent to TENA home office. Abroad news articles, any pictures taken, should be collected and sent to TENA home office. Any printed material a copy shall be sent to TENA home office (Letterheads, Flyers, American Barathi, Newspaper Advertisements, and Souvenir etc). The person who opens the mail at TENA home office or any outgoing correspondence copies will be mailed to the President, Secretary, and only if it relates a copy is sent to Chairpersons. Treasurer shall be responsible to ensure all financial documents are sent to TENA home office All Chairpersons shall be responsible to ensure all their correspondence is sent to TENA home office. Conference Convener shall be responsible to ensure all their correspondence including contracts is sent to TENA home office after closing the accounts. Executive Committee, Conference Convener and Chairpersons shall be responsible to send copies of pictures for record keeping in albums Each document shall be identified with the file number by the prepared if possible. Before filing and / or storing of records, the person must enter the description, date of the document and his name on the Archives /Records index sheet form. This form shall be kept in index file. 6. BLANK FORMS: Archives /Records Index Sheet form: ARC 01 7. ARCHIEVES / RECORDS OUTLINE: All documents shall be classified in accordance with the following file numbering system. All files must have a separate divider. FILE #: XX-XX-YYYY Example: 1A-00 1F-01-2002 2 3 1 Conference Foundation Corporation Active /Cur. Active /Cur. Permanent Files Files files Historical Files Historical Files Corporation (1) A. Constitution/By Laws B. Corporation Articles C. Correspondence - Incoming (excluding Conference and Foundation) D. Correspondence ? Outgoing ((excluding Conference and Foundation ) E. Meeting Minutes F. Financial Sub-Category for Financial Tax Returns by year Treasurer Financial report by Date Bank statements by date Expenses by date Donations by date Donations Totals by Donors by years (For IRS donation conformations) G. Lists H. Printed Material I. Photos Conference (2) ? Foundation Projects (3) Correspondence outgoing A. Correspondence Outgoing Correspondence incoming B. Correspondence Incoming Meeting Minutes C. Meeting Minutes Financial D. Financial Printed Materials E. Printed Materials Photos F. Photos The end of the ARC document ANNEXURE - D: Membership Committee Guidelines TeNA MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE GUIDELINES 1. Responsibilities of TENA Home office Clerk: Open the mail and stamp the date received. Check Membership application form, if all personal information is furnished with a member signature. If personal information is missing or a signature is missing, return the application form and request recipient to fill it out with a signature and mail it back. If a check is received without a Membership application, call the member and ask them to fill the application form with a signature. Until the application form is received, do not deposit the check. Membership application form should be attached with a personal check of the member If the check is paid by third party, keep the check aside and don?t deposit the check; notify the Membership chairman and the member via e-mail or by letter, or by phone. Make a copy of the check and application form Enter the check amount, date, and check number in the revenue file Deposit the check Acknowledge the receipt of Membership form via e-mail if present Keep the original Membership form and copy of the check in a folder. The copy of the Membership form and copy of the check should be kept in separate folder ? To be certified by the Membership Committee Chair. Once a month mail the Membership copy along with a copy of the check to the Membership chairman. After certified by the Membership chairman, the Membership chair will be notified to file the original application form. The Membership chair will provide the index label and Membership id numbers. Follow the same steps A thru N for Membership upgrades. If any change of address is mailed by a member, the TENA home office by that member, with a written correspondence, should notify the TENA chairman or a Membership committee member to update the address. Any correspondence related to Membership should be brought to the attention of the Membership chairman, and the correspondence should be filed with the Membership application. 2. Responsibilities of Membership Chairman or Membership Committee: a) The Membership Chairman and Membership Committee members are responsible to maintain the Membership dTeNAbase including changes of address. b) Once every month provide the new Membership list to the President. c) Once every month provide the Membership upgrades to the President. d) Provide the new members and upgraded members to America Bharathi editor to welcome and publish the members who joined TENA. e) The Membership chair should provide the status report to the Board of trustees meeting, also updated with Membership upgrades. f) Provide a Membership listing as needed by the President. g) Certify Membership: i. Check Membership application form to make sure all personal information is furnished with a member signature. ii. Verify the check to make sure the dues are not paid by a third party. iii. Checks and applications are sometimes backdated, in such case, note the date received and make that as the effective date. iv. Number assignment: The Membership id is also called as Membership family id. The filling is done based on the Membership id. The combination of Member ID and sub Membership categories forms the full Membership id. Once the Membership id is assigned it can?t be changed even if a member upgrades the Membership from Life member to Patron or Grand Patron. A trail is maintained by the member ID. The old numbers of Life member or Patron Member are nullified and should not be re-assigned. The following illustrates how to assign the numbers: 1 Member ID: Next Sequential number 2 Life member LMYYNNN a. LM = Life member b. YY = The Membership year c. NNN = Next sequential number 3. Patron Member: PMNNNN a. PM = Patron Member b. NNNN = Next sequential number 4. Grand Patron Member: GPMNNN a. GPM = Grand Patron Member b. NNNN = Next sequential number h) Once the Membership number is assigned, print the label and mail the labels to the TENA clerk to be filed along with the original application form. i) Print the index card (Annexure D1) and get the approved signatures from Secretary or President for all new members and for all membership upgrades and other pertinent revisions to all existing members. j) New Member Welcome Letter i.Mail a welcome letter (TENA letter head) to every new member. This is to acknowledge the receipt of their application and also to thank them for their support. ii.It is unnecessary to do this after each application is received, but can be dome once a month for a group of members who have joined that month. k) Change of Address: Change of address should apply for the TENA members only. The change of address comes from the following sources; make the changes accordingly: i. America Bharathi has a column which reads as ?Have You Moved?. Members use this form to send a change of address. ii. The web site also has a feature for members to send their changes of address. This comes directly through e-mail to the chairperson. iii. Phone calls informing us of their changes of address. iv. Sometimes the address change may be for family listed under the nonmember category; these are not changed. l) America Bharathi Mailing List i. Find out from the editor the date of publication of the next issue. Combine the Membership list and nonmember list into one big file and send it to the editor. ii. It is possible that the publication may be delayed by a month or more. In a months time there maybe many address changes and added new members, so it is better to send an updated list. m) New Members Welcome List to America Bharathi i. Prepare a list of new members under each category and mail to America Bharathi editor before the publication of each issue. ii. Call the editor and find out when he is planning to go for printing and when he needs the documents. It has happened a few times that we send the info to the editor, but the publication gets delayed by a month or more. An updated list can be sent if we have more new members to be added to the list. iii. After the issue comes out, verify if the new member list is published. Make copy of the list and file. It happened few times that the list was not published. Include these names in the next welcome list. ANNEXURE - D1: Member Index Card ANNEXURE- E: Membership FORM MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION TENA ?A commitment to fairness and excellence? P.O. Box 4496, Naperville, IL 60567 ? (630) 783-2250 ? Fax (630) 783-2251 ? www.TeNAworld.org TENA SPONSORED PROJECTS o VIDYA DANAM (Scholarships for high school students in A.P.) $ __________ o FLUOROSIS PREVENTION IN A.P. $ __________ o HIV/AIDS EDUCATION (In High Schools and Colleges in A.P.) $ __________ o OTHER (Describe) _____________________________ $ __________ For additional information : Please contact TeNAhome@ameritech.net Revised Aug. 05 Membership solicited by: _________________________________ Please visit our website: www.TeNAworld.org ANNEXURE - F: Nomination Form TeNA P.O. Box 4496, Naperville, IL 60567 NOMINATION FORM PROPOSER: I, __________________________________________________, hereby nominate Mr/Mrs. _____________________________________________, for the TENA Trustee in the category of: _____ Grand Patron; _____ Patron; _____ Life Member Signature: ____________________________________ Dated: ________________ Address: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SECONDER: I, _________________________________________, hereby second the above nomination Signature: ____________________________________ Dated: ___________________ Address: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NOMINEE: I, __________________________________________________, hereby accept the above nomination and willing to serve the Board, if elected. Signature: ______________________________________ Dated: _________________ Address: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ELIGIBILITY/ SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: 1 Person proposing and seconding the nominee shall be a member of TENA in good standing as per certified membership list prepared prior to the next election in the category he/she is proposing. 2 Nominee shall be a member in good standing for 90 days prior to the election in the Category he/she is seeking the nomination and shall be member for two full calendar years in any Membership Category. 3 Enclose a non-refundable application fee of $ 100.00 (Payable to TeNA) 4 Other materials that should be part of this nomination form are: A) A brief profile (maximum of 15 lines) of the candidate that emphasizes his/her community service and service to this organization. B) A passport size color photograph. These documents can be mailed separately but they should be received within one week from the dead line for the submission of nomination form (indicated below): INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE SUBMISSION OF NOMINATION FORM: Send the Nomination Form and application fee of $100.00 to the following Address to be received at TENA Office by ------------------------. Mail to: Chairperson: Nominating Committee TeNA For further information/clarification, please call Chairperson: _________at Phone: _______ E-mail: ______ ANNEXURE - G: Mail Ballot for Amendments to the Constitution TeNA P.O. Box 4496, Naperville, IL 60567 http://www.TeNAworld.org E-mail: info@TeNAworld.org Mail Ballot for Amendments to the Constitution Member Label Date Dear TeNA (TENA Member): Please find enclosed the proposed changes to the constitution of TENA for your review and approval. These changes have been discussed and approved by the board of trustees in their -(date)_ meeting at _(place)_. Please indicate your selection by marking with ?X? in appropriate box and sign below and mail in the enclosed self-addressed envelope before _(date)_ to: Attn.: Constitution Comm., Chairperson America Telugu Association P.O. Box 4496, Naperville, IL 60567 (Signature of the member) 1. Article 2. Article ___ Section: For Against Abstain Section For Against Abstain 3. Article 4. Article Section: For Against Abstain Section For Against Abstain A proposed amendment, alternating a repeal of the constitution shall deemed approved if accepted in writing by two-thirds of the Grand Patron, two-thirds of Patron membership and two-thirds of the life membership from the ballots received in each category. Thank you for your support and cooperation. Sincerely Yours, Chairperson, Constitution & Bylaws President ANNEXURE- H1: TENA OFFICAL LOGO TENA OFFICAL LOGO ANNEXURE - H2: TENA Official Seal TENA Official Seal   .
 

 

 

 
     
 
 
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