

MECA - DC
A 501 (C )(3) CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION
ARTICLE II. MEETINGS
2.01. Meetings shall be held once a month on the last Saturday of the month.
2.02. Hosting of meetings shall follow a pre-arranged itinerary by groups or by an individual who may choose to host singlehandedly.
2.03. Participating in hosting meetings is an important responsibility of membership and therefore mandatory.
2.04. Meeting hosts (group or individual) will communicate to the executive the venue of the meeting a week in advance in order that the venue can be published to the wider audience.
2.05. Meetings shall begin promptly at 6:00 PM and last no more than two (2) hours, except in extra- ordinary circumstances.
2.06. Decisions taken during meetings shall be binding and final. Any member who misses a meeting when a final ruling has been issued shall abide to such a decision.
2.07. The conduct of meetings shall be directed by the Protocol Officer.
2.08. All motions and critical issues to the general assembly shall be tabled for deliberation during the next general assembly meeting before a vote or decision can be taken on the issue and a copy submitted to the president for meeting archives. Therefore all motions and critical issues must be entered into the minutes to be dealt with as matters arising in the next meeting. This will give members the opportunity to review the motions before making a decision.
ARTICLE III. FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS
3.01. All members are required to pay a monthly contribution of $20.00 and are expected to have completed paying $200.00 by the end of the year.
3.02. The Financial Secretary shall present a quarterly financial report indicating the income and expenditure of the association.
3.03. The Financial Secretary and Treasurer shall collect all revenue and deposit it to the general and trust funds.
3.04. All withdrawals shall be done by the treasurer and the non-executive member nominated as a signatory.
3.05. An audit committee shall be appointed by the General Assembly and shall audit the books of the Treasurer and Financial Secretary at least once a year and may conduct any surprise audit.
3.06. The President or anyone the meeting designates shall be reimbursed out-of-state expenses that will be limited to flight, car rental and hotel at one hundred percent (100%) upon presentation of receipt (s). This provision covers leadership, Council of Chiefs and other meetings approved by the General Assembly but do not cover convention expenses.
ARTICLE IV. BANKING
4.01. The association shall maintain a checking account with a financial institution.
4.02. All association funds shall be deposited by the Financial Secretary or Treasurer.
4.03. All association checks above $500 shall be signed by the Treasurer only after notifying the meeting or the Board of Directors.
4.04. Quarterly financial statements shall be presented to the general assembly.
ARTICLE V. TRUST FUND
5.01. The association shall maintain a Trust Fund for the primary purpose of dealing with financial responsibilities in the event of the death of an active member.
5.02. Funds from the Trust Fund could be used for any other purpose only if the Trust Fund has a sizable reserve and the General Assembly approves such a purpose.
5.03 The Trust Fund shall be funded from the monthly/annual dues, fund drives and any extra-ordinary contributions.
ARTICLE VI. GROUP LIFE INSURANCE
6.01. There shall be a voluntary Group Life Insurance available to all members of the association.
6.02. Members shall pay for the Group Life Insurance separately from the monthly/annual dues.
iii. The association shall purchase the policies for the members who sign up and pay their insurance dues up front.