LSF Bylaws - Revised 03/11/2007

Members of LSF met in 2000 to craft a set of "operating procedures" or "rules of the road" (some organizations would call these by-laws). These operating procedures have been revised by club vote since their initial adoption. The current operating procedures are below.

1. Mission Statement - Lambda Sci-Fi (LSF) is an organization for gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered (GLBT) people and their friends who are interested in science fiction, fantasy, horror and related genres (SF/F/H) in all forms. LSF's primary goals are to have fun, to provide a community and to
1. promote SF/F/H, with particular attention to materials of interest to GLBT people and their friends;
2. provide forums for GLBT people and their friends to share their interest in SF/F/H;
3. promote the presence of GLBT elements within SF/F/H and within fandom;
4. promote SF/F/H within the GLBT communities.
2. Regular Meeting - Unless the club otherwise directs, the regular meeting of Lambda Sci-Fi shall occur on the second Sunday of each month. Meeting times and locations shall be announced in advance in the newsletter. Emergency changes may occur and are to be announced via all appropriate channels.
3. Membership - A member is someone for whom appropriate dues have been paid. A member of LSF has the following benefits and privileges:
1. Receives the LSF newsletter;
2. Is allowed to vote on financial, organizational, and business issues affecting LSF;
3. Receives (and can choose to be included in) the LSF Membership Directory;
4. Is eligible to be an officer of LSF;
5. Receives special discounts or benefits arranged for club members. (One example is our current discount arrangement for buying books from Meisha Merlin Press).
4. Voting
1. Propositions must be announced at the meeting prior to the vote and announced through all official communication methods in the intervening period. Propositions must be voted on without alteration.
2. A written proposal for vote must be provided to the Secretary and an exact copy to the Speaker at the meeting where the proposal is made, and that exact text provided by e-mail to the Speaker, the Secretary, and the Newsletter editor, if at all possible.
3. For a vote to be valid a minimum of 10 members or 25% of the membership, whichever is fewer, must cast votes on the issue. A simple majority of the votes cast must be cast by members in attendance at the meeting where the vote is taken. Absentee ballots may be cast by giving a vote on paper (including email which can be printed) to the person running the meeting prior to when the vote is taken. Absentee ballots must include the member's full name, information identifying the issue, and the member's vote. A good faith effort will be made to gather absentee ballots.
4. A proposal passes if a simple majority votes yes.
5. An emergency vote may occur to accomplish club business at a regular club meeting under the following circumstances:
1. The proposer must make a good faith effort to inform the membership of the upcoming vote and must document their efforts at the time of making the proposal.
2. A ¾ majority of votes by members must be cast in favor at the meeting to allow the emergency vote.
3. An emergency vote passes if a ¾ majority of votes cast on the issue are in favor. Absentee ballots will be accepted with the same restrictions as for regular votes. A minimum of 10 members or 25% of the current membership, whichever is fewer, must cast votes on the issue for the vote to be valid.
5. Officers
1. LSF will have four officers, elected by the membership for a term of one year to begin on January 1^st immediately following elections. Officers must be members of LSF. Elections for all officers will be held annually at the regular December meeting of LSF. Officers may serve for any number of terms. An individual may not hold more than one office at a given time. Candidates must announce their desire to run at or before the November LSF meeting. Candidates are encouraged to submit platform and qualification statements in writing to the Newsletter Editor in time for the December newsletter.
2. The four officers are:
1. Speaker: Presides over LSF meetings and insures that the club is informed regarding the enactment of club decisions.
2. Secretary: Insures that minutes are taken at all regular monthly LSF meetings. Maintains archives of minutes and a separate archive of business proceedings. Makes these archives available on request. Provides meeting reports to the Washington Blade on request. Creates, updates, and makes available a quarterly calendar of upcoming LSF events. Completes and sends all required business forms for LSF activities (e.g., Pride table paperwork).
3. Treasurer: Manages, monitors, and reports on the financial activities of the club. Reports monthly on the club's financial status. Provides detailed written reports annually and as requested. Insures that club bank accounts have multiple signatories, who shall be officers of the club and who cannot all reside at the same address.
4. Membership Coordinator: Manages incoming mail. Maintains LSF membership. Generates mailing labels and renewal notices for mailings. Generates regular membership directories. Generates membership list and insures that a current membership list is available at each regular meeting. Creates membership inquiry packets and responds to membership inquiries. Produces LSF membership forms and insures that forms are available at LSF meetings. Maintains confidentiality of member data.
3. All elected officers must keep records of correspondence and samples of materials used in the performance of their office and make these available for review as requested. All officers must insure that all data relevant to their office is backed up regularly offsite.
4. Resignation or Departure of an Officer
1. Any Officer may resign their position at any time during their term of Office. Announcements regarding the loss of an Officer due to resignation, departure or removal shall be made at the next regular LSF Meeting. Nominations for the position being vacated must be made by the end of the regular meeting following the announcement and candidates are encouraged to provide a written statement and platform for publication in the Newsletter. A Special Election to fill the vacancy will occur at the meeting following the meeting where nominations are due.
2. In the event that an Officer role must be filled temporarily prior to the Special Election, a temporary Officer may be elected by a simple majority show of hands at the next regular meeting of the club until the new Officer is elected at the Special Election.
3. Any temporary Officer or Officer elected at a Special Election will only serve through the remainder of the original Officer's term.
5. Involuntary Removal of an Officer - Any member may call for the removal of an Officer in the following manner:
1. A proposal to remove is made and any reasons and evidence is presented at a regular LSF Meeting.
2. The proposal must be seconded at that time to become valid.
3. The Officer in question may present their defense both at the same meeting as the proposal is made, and at the following meeting prior to the actual vote.
4. Both the proposer and the Officer are encouraged to make written cases for presentation in the newsletter prior to the vote.
5. A valid proposal for removal must appear in the newsletter prior to the actual vote.
6. At the meeting following the proposal, a vote will be taken regarding removal. The removal occurs if a ¾ majority of votes cast are in favor of removal.
7. All other standard voting provisions regarding minimum number of votes, eligibility to vote, and absentee voting are in effect.
6. Immediate Removal of an Officer - Any member may call for the immediate removal of an Officer in the following manner:
1. The proposer must make a good faith effort to inform the membership of the upcoming vote and must document their efforts at the time of making the proposal.
2. A proposal for immediate removal is made and any reasons and evidence is presented at a regular LSF Meeting.
3. A ¾ majority of members present at the meeting must approve voting on the proposal to continue.
4. If voting on the proposal has been approved by a ¾ majority of members present at the meeting, a vote on the proposal to remove will occur.
5. All members present, excluding the Officer in question, are eligible to vote on the proposal.
6. A proposal to immediately remove an Officer passes only if ALL eligible voters present vote in favor. An abstention counts against passage.
7. A minimum of 10 members or 25% of the current membership, whichever is fewer, must cast a vote on the proposal for the vote to be valid.
6. Projects and Committees - Committees or Projects that the club chooses to pursue to accomplish club business via vote, function under the following rules:
1. The goals and authority of the committee are defined by the club as part of the approval vote for a committee to be formed.
2. The committee chair is decided upon by the club at time of approval - but may be changed by the committee or the club at a later date.
3. The committee chair must be a current member of LSF.
4. Funds may only be approved by the club, either at initial committee approval or upon future requests.
5. If an advance of funds is required, it can be approved as part of the initial proposal or at a later date by club vote.
6. Any person receiving an advance of funds must be a current LSF member.
7. Any advance must be covered by receipts turned in to the Treasurer; or the person who received the advance must pay back the difference to the club.
8. Receipts are required for all funds paid out by the club.
9. The committee can spend approved funds without additional club approval.
10. The committee must make a report to the club at meetings when called upon.
11. Progress reports shall be included in the meeting minutes.
12. It is recommended that initial proposals, budgets, and progress reports be made available in writing (preferably in electronic form) to the person handling the minutes.
7. Additional Items
1. All funds earned through LSF's Affiliate program with Amazon.com are donated to the Spectrum Awards.

The LSF Operating Procedures are also available in a downloadable/printable PDF file!

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