Standing Rules
EXECUTIVE WOMEN INTERNATIONAL®
RICHMOND CHAPTER
STANDING RULES
Approved by Membership Vote 11/08/2018
The Richmond Chapter of Executive Women International (EWI of Richmond) will strive to be a Chapter of Excellence by including in its membership a diverse group of businesses, governmental agencies, non-profit enterprises or associations as defined in the EWI Corporate and Chapter Bylaws.
CLASSES OF MEMBERSHIP
In accordance with Chapter Bylaws, Article III, Section 1. A (3), EWI of Richmond representatives voted in November, 2018 to adopt subsection (b) regarding transitional status of Representatives after termination of employment with a member firm. The Chapter Board may grant transitional status, including voting rights and service as an Officer or Director, to an individual after termination of employment with a member firm who is in good standing and who has become unemployed due to elimination of job position, merger, acquisition, or other legitimate business reason for a maximum of 120 days. If after four months the representative has not found employment with a member firm, the individual will have the option to transition into one of the other bylaw membership classes adopted by the Richmond Chapter. However, transitional status may only be offered after advising the member firm and no objection is received within 10 days from said member firm.
In accordance with Chapter Bylaws, Article III, Section 1. B, EWI of Richmond representatives voted in January, 2015 not to include the Individual Member class of membership.
In accordance with Chapter Bylaws, Article III, Section 1. C, EWI of Richmond representatives voted in November, 2018 to include the Student Member class of membership. The Chapter will not collect initial or annual dues for this class of membership.
When developing a list of prospective firms, we will make a good faith effort to respect a Member Firm’s line of business. However, realizing that in some cases, competitors are also excellent partners and customers, we will engage a myriad of firms to complement the roster of active membership.
ELIGIBILITY OF A FIRM – When considering a prospective firm for membership in EWI of Richmond, the Recruitment and Retention Director, together with the Chapter Board, will ensure that the prospective firm enhances the diversity of the Chapter at the time of the posting. Such considerations shall include, but are not limited to: (1) a recommendation for membership from a Member Firm or Representative (2) use of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) to identify the code of the prospective firm (3) a minimum of one year in business, (4) approval by the Chapter Board, and (5) posting the information of the prospective firm as outlined in the EWI Chapter Resource Guide. The Richmond Chapter has voted not to accept individual memberships.
MEETING DATE – The monthly meeting of EWI of Richmond shall be held on the second Thursday of each month.
MEETING RESERVATIONS – Reservations for each monthly Chapter meeting are made through a response to the monthly notice of such meeting. Each Representative must respond to the Sergeant-at-Arms by the date requested as to whether he or she will or will not be in attendance. In the event of no response, no reservation will be made. If a Representative indicates he or she will attend a meeting, and subsequently does not attend, the Representative will still be responsible for paying the meeting fee. A Representative who has pre-paid meeting fees, and subsequently does not attend a meeting, will forfeit the fee for that month. Credits will not be issued for future meetings.
ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS – Each Member Firm is required to be represented by a Representative or an Executive at eight (8) meetings within the calendar year. Attendance at a Spring Conference, Leadership Conference & Annual Meeting, or a monthly membership meeting of another EWI Chapter counts as a meeting attended in lieu of an EWI of Richmond Chapter meeting. In the event that a Member Firm cannot meet the attendance requirements due to extenuating circumstances, a written explanation by the Representative or Executive should be provided to the Chapter President for consideration by the Chapter Board.
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE AND ANNUAL MEETING (LCAM) – The President and Vice President/President-Elect will be Delegates to the Annual Meeting. Additional Delegates, if any, and Alternates will be selected by the Nominating Committee and submitted to the membership for election. Delegates and Alternates will serve for one year or until otherwise elected by the membership. In the event that the President or Vice President/President-elect or an Alternate is unable to attend the Annual Meeting, the Nominating Committee will recommend one of the elected Alternates or another Representative attending LCAM to serve as a Delegate. All proposed nominees will be elected by the membership.
AMENDMENT – These Standing Rules may be adopted without previous notice by a majority vote of the active Representatives (in good standing) present at any business meeting. At any meeting these Standing Rules may be suspended by a majority vote of said Representatives present, or they may be amended or rescinded by a two-thirds vote of said Representatives present. If notice of the proposed action was given at a previous meeting, or in the notice of the meeting, the Standing Rules may be amended or rescinded by majority vote of said Representatives.
