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Constitution
Table of Contents
Article I: Name
This organization shall be known as: Internet Cat Club
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Article II: Affiliation
This organization shall be a non-profit club affiliated with The Cat
Fanciers' Association, Inc. No part of any profit, dues, or donations to
the organization shall be used for the benefit of any member or individual.
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Article III: Objectives
The objectives of the organization shall be:
1. To support and encourage electronic communication and the use of
computer technology to benefit all aspects of the cat fancy.
2. To provide financial assistance and/or technical expertise to CFA show
producing efforts such as (but not limited to) the International Show and
regional fundraising shows.
3. To promote friendship, understanding and communication among breeders
and exhibitors, and between the fancy and the general pet owning community,
and to promote good sportsmanship within the fancy.
4. To encourage the free and meaningful exchange of knowledge among
breeders and exhibitors and between fanciers and pet owners.
5. To advocate in every way possible the interests of breeders and exhibitors
and to promote the welfare of all cats.
6. To support Animal Welfare activities and Rescue groups by facilitating
rapid access to pertinent information and publicity.
7. To disseminate information on Animal Rights activities and proposed
legislation to breeders so that prompt and active countermeasures can be
taken in their local communities and to provide a powerful, instantaneous,
worldwide platform upon which to put forth CFA's positions in countering
Animal Rights propaganda.
8. To facilitate the networking of fanciers for public service, such
as rapid dissemination of information on disasters and on missing children
and other issues that directly or indirectly affect members of the fancy.
9. To facilitate breeder access to information on such subjects as genetics,
veterinary research, cattery management, and feline behavioral problems.
10. To provide a Web Page on the Internet linking with all fanciers
groups, rescue groups, veterinary groups, and sources of cat information,
providing the public with rapid access to CFA related information, and
otherwise furthering the above stated goals of the club.
11. To promote the breeding of pedigree cats to the standards as accepted
by CFA.
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Article IV: Membership
1. All members must have access to a computer and to e-mail through
the Internet or Internet linked electronic services.
2. All members must be in good standing with CFA, must have online access
to the mail list, must support the objectives of the Club, and must abide by the Club Code of Ethics.
3. There shall be four categories of membership:
- a. Regular Member:
- A Regular Member must pay dues and may cast one vote per member. All
Regular Members are encouraged to be active in CFA.
- b. Associate Member:
- Associate memberships are available to anyone interested in the goals of
this club who applies for membership and who meet requirements as defined
in Article 1 of the ByLaws. Associate Members pay dues and may not hold
office or vote in elections or on constitutional changes. Associate
Members may apply for regular membership after 6 months. Associate Members
are encouraged to join any club committees.
- c. Charter Member:
- All persons integrally involved in the founding of this club (see
attached list) are considered Charter Members. They shall have the
same rights and responsibilities as Regular members with certain exceptions
(see Bylaws, Article I, Section II).
- d. Honorary Member:
- Any person who has made a major and significant contribution to this
Club, CFA, or the Cat Fancy may be nominated for Honorary membership. Club
members who are retiring from the cat fancy and therefore might not fulfill
membership requirements in the future but whose knowledge and expertise
is valuable to the club or who have made major and significant contributions
of time and energy previously to the club may be also considered for this
honor. Once seconded, a vote will be posted for ten days. A unanimous vote
by all members who vote within that time period is necessary for the nominee
to become a Honorary member. A Honorary member may not vote, does not pay
dues, and must meet no membership requirements, other than remaining in
good standing with CFA, respecting disciplinary guidelines of the club
(Article IX of the Bylaws) and maintaining
access to the club mail list online.
- e. International Associate Member
- International Associate Member is a non-voting membership, open to anyone
interested in the goals of this club who lives in the International Regions presently underserved by CFA clubs. This category does not require the CFA showing, but does require CFA registered cattery. International Associate members can apply for full membership, upon completion of the CFA showing/participation requirements.
4. Requirements for attaining membership and grounds for termination
of membership are delineated in Articles I and
IX of the By-Laws, respectively.
5. Any member who quits the club must reapply for Associate Membership
and follow the course to become a member as if they were a totally new
member.
6. All members are required to be active in promoting CFA and the club
and to meet membership requirements.
7. No person may be a Regular Member of this club if they are an officer,
judge or are in the employ of another organization with purposes and goals
similar to those of CFA.
8. Yearly dues must be received no later than midnight of January 31st
of each new year. In election years, members whose dues are received after
this deadline will not be allowed to vote in the election.
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Article V: Officers
1. The officers of this organization shall consist of the President,
Vice- President, Secretary, Treasurer and three (3) Directors who each
individually shall assume responsibilities of one Coordinator position
(see Appendix I of the Bylaws). All offices shall
be held separately by individuals and shall not be combined.
2. All officers shall be elected as provided in Articles
III and IV of the By-Laws. The officers
and Coordinators shall constitute the Board of Directors, of which the
President shall be chairperson. All Officers must be Regular or Charter
Members.
3. The club delegate to the CFA Annual Meeting shall be chosen each
March by a vote of the membership.
4. The term of all elected positions is two years, to begin on May 1
and end on April 30 two years later. Elections shall be held in due time
for elected officials to assume office on May 1. Term limits and vacancies
are covered in Article VI, Sections I and
II of the Bylaws.
5. Officers may be removed from office under the circumstances and by
the means delineated in Article IX, Section
3 of the By-Laws.
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Article VI: Meetings and Communication
1. Special emergency meetings of this organization shall be held as
provided in Article II of the By-Laws.
2. All formal communication within the organization shall be accomplished
electronically online as delineated in the Bylaws. The mail list shall
be private to members. Informal communication about club activities is
unrestricted.
3. Disciplinary hearing may be conducted in a private conference on
any online service, by private electronic mail list, or at any location
that is accessible to the majority of the Board and the concerned parties
and chosen by the Board.
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Article VII: Dues
Annual Dues shall be payable by midnight of January 31st of that year.
The amount of the dues shall be provided for in the Bylaws, Sections I
and II.
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Article VIII: Dissolution
In the event that this club is dissolved, any accumulated funds will
be donated to the CFA Disaster Fund. In no event shall such property or
assets be distributed to any member of the organization, or to any private
individual unless full value is paid and the money so collected is sent
to the CFA Disaster Fund.
Dissolution will be deemed to have occurred when any of the following
has occurred:
1. the membership elects to disband
2. if the officers have not been elected as provided in the Constitution
and By-Laws
3. if the total number of Regular Members drops below seven
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Article IX: Amendments
This Constitution and the accompanying By-Laws
may be amended as follows:
1. The text of the amendment and explanation of the proposed change
must be submitted electronically to the Secretary, who shall make the full
proposal available as a text file. This file shall be made readily available
to all club members. The proposal must be submitted at least 30 days prior
to a vote. Members shall then have until the vote to discuss the proposal.
2. The voting period for the proposed change shall be 10 days from the
date of posting of the vote. The call for the vote shall include the deadline
for the submission of that vote. The Secretary shall then tabulate all
votes cast and post the final results as delineated in Article
II of the By-Laws, within 48 hours of the vote deadline.
3. This Constitution and the accompanying Bylaws and Appendices may
be amended by a two thirds majority vote obtained pursuant to the stipulations
in Articles II and IV
of the Bylaws. The Appendices shall be considered a part of the Bylaws.
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Article X: Time Zones
The club's official region of residence is determined by CFA rules concerning
the region of residence of the Secretary. This region of residence shall
determine the time zone which applies for all voting and other issues on
which a time limit is stated.
