Bylaws of the Honourable Company of Horners
Adopted: March 10, 2001
Article I: Name.
1. This organization shall be known as The Honourable Company of Horners (hereafter HCH).
Article II: Purpose.
1. To promote and preserve an active interest in horn working in North America.
2. To promote the exchange of ideas and knowledge of the horn working art and craft.
3. To promote the preservation of the history and artifacts of horn work throughout the ages.
4. To protect the art and craft of horn working by establishing a guild system for its members.
Article III: Permanent Address.
1. The permanent address of the HCH shall be:
Article IV: A Not for Profit Organization.
1. The HCH shall be a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization.
2. The HCH may not undertake any activity that would cause it to loose its exemption from United
States federal taxation as provided by section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, in that
section's present or future form.
3. The HCH may undertake any lawful activity to administer its affairs and attain it objectives, alone
or in conjunction with others, except as proscribed in Article IV, Section 2 of these bylaws.
Article V: Membership.
1. Membership shall be limited to horn workers, active and inactive, and those persons interested in
the history, technology and collecting of horn work.
2. Application for membership should be made to the Treasurer.
3. Dues shall be determined by the Executive Committee.
4. A member may be dropped from the rolls because of non-payment of dues.
5. Any member may withdraw or resign from the guild, in which event the resignation shall be effective
as soon as it is received on paper by the Treasurer.
6. Those who have withdrawn or resigned from the guild, may be reinstated by payment of dues for the
current year.
7. Honorary Lifetime memberships may be awarded by a two-thirds vote of the membership where a quorum
of the membership exists.
8. Voting power of the members shall be equal and each member shall be entitled to one vote. Members
may vote for officers, for proposed bylaw changes, and for such other business that comes before the
HCH.
Article VI: Officers.
1. The officers of the HCH shall include the Guildmaster, the Guildmaster Elect, the Secretary, and the
Treasurer.
2. The officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the membership at the annual meeting.
3. All officers must be in good financial standing with the guild.
4. The Guildmaster shall have the following responsibilities and duties:
A. The Guildmaster shall have such powers as may be reasonably construed as belonging to the chief
executive officer of any organization.
B. The Guildmaster shall chair the general meetings of the HCH.
C. The Guildmaster shall chair the Executive Committee.
D. The Guildmaster shall appoint such committees as needed, both Standing and Special, for the
operation of the guild, subject to the approval of the executive committee.
E. The Guild master shall appoint the Chairperson of each Standing or Special Committee, subject to
the approval of the Executive Committee.
F. The Guildmaster shall see that all books, reports and certificates required by law are properly kept
by the HCH.
G. The Guildmaster shall have the authority to direct the Treasurer to make disbursements of up to
three hundred dollars U.S. in order to further the objectives of the guild.
H. The Guildmaster may be one of the officers of the guild who may sign checks or drafts of the
organization.
I. The Guildmaster must approve or sign all official correspondence from the Guild.
J. In the event that an officer of the guild resigns, the Guildmaster shall appoint a replacement to fill
the remainder of the term, subject to confirmation by the Executive Committee.
K. Should the Guildmaster resign during his term in office and the Guildmaster Elect not be able to
assume the office of Guildmaster, the last available Past Guildmaster shall assume the position of
Guildmaster, until a general election can be held at the next annual meeting.
5. The Guildmaster Elect shall have the following responsibilities and duties:
A. The Guildmaster Elect shall serve on the Executive Committee.
B. The Guildmaster Elect shall automatically succeed the Guildmaster at the annual business meeting
each year when the newly elected officers are installed or whenever the Guildmaster is unable to
complete his or her term.
C. The Guildmaster Elect may conduct the business of the annual meeting if the Guildmaster is unable
to fulfill his or her responsibilities.
D. The Guildmaster Elect shall chair the Nominating Committee.
6. The Secretary shall have the following responsibilities and duties:
A. The Secretary shall make a record of the business meetings of the HCH and submit a copy of the
approved minutes to the Publications Committee Chairperson for dissemination in the newsletter.
B. The Secretary shall maintain an official bound copy of the minutes of the past annual meetings and
have it available for reference at the annual meeting.
C. The Secretary shall conduct such correspondence as is necessary to carry out these duties.
D. The Secretary shall serve on the Executive Committee.
7. The Treasurer shall have the following responsibilities and duties:
A. The Treasurer shall have charge of and be responsible for all funds and investments of the HCH.
B. The Treasurer shall make routine disbursements and keep, or cause to be kept, full and accurate
records and accounts of receipts.
C. The Treasurer shall maintain, or cause to be maintained, the mailing list of members and subscribers
together with their mailing addresses and make it available to the various committees of the guild.
D. The Treasurer shall collect all sums due to the guild from any source.
E. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the communication of the financial position of the HCH to
the Executive Committee and to present a report of the guilds financial position at the annual
meeting.
F. The Treasurer shall serve on the Executive Committee.
G. The Treasurer shall conduct such correspondence as is necessary to carry out these duties.
Article VII: Recall of an Officer.
1. Any member can propose to recall any officer or officers of the guild if the member believes there is
just cause to do so. Should such a recall be called for and upon statement of the charges against the
officer(s), two-thirds of the member present agree to such, at any meeting attended by a quorum of the
membership, the officer(s) may be removed form office.
2. An election must immediately follow a successful vote of recall to replace the recalled officer(s).
Article VIII: Committees.
1. The Standing Committees of the HCH shall include but not be limited to the Executive Committee, the
Nominating Committee, the Membership Committee, the Meetings Committee, the Education Committee,
the Awards Committee, and the Publications Committee.
2. The Chairperson of each committee shall be responsible for selecting active members for service on
their committees. These committee members must be guild members in good standing and shall serve
by the approval of the Executive Committee.
3. The Executive Committee shall consist of the four officers of the HCH and the last available Past
Guildmaster.
A. The Executive Committee shall assume all the responsibilities for, and shall conduct the activities
of the guild. The committee shall consider and present to the guild proposals for changes or
improvements, and shall transact all business requiring attention and not otherwise assigned.
B. The Executive Committee shall report to the guild annually on its conduct of the guilds business.
The report shall include an approval of the Treasurers accounts.
C. The Executive Committee shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, a proposed budget for
authorization at the annual meeting.
D. The Executive Committee shall hold such meetings as are required to transact the business of
the guild during the year. These meetings may be conducted by electronic mail, telephone, or
other methods.
E. These meetings shall be called by the Guildmaster who chairs the committee and sets its agenda.
4. The Nominating Committee shall be chaired by the Guildmaster Elect and consist of no less than
three members of the guild. No additional officer(s) of the guild may serve on the committee.
A. The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of candidates for officers of the HCH at the
annual meeting. The slate shall be published in the issue of "The Horn Book" immediately
preceding the annual meeting.
B. The committee shall hold such meetings as are required during the year. These meetings may
be conducted by electronic mail, telephone, or other methods.
C. The Chair of the committee shall call these meetings and set the agenda.
5. The Membership Committee shall consist of no less than three members of the guild.
A. The committee shall be responsible for soliciting new members for the guild.
B. The committee shall hold such meetings as are required during the year. These meetings
may be conducted by electronic mail, telephone, or other methods.
C. The Chair of the committee shall call these meetings and set the agenda.
6. The Meetings Committee shall consist of no less than three members of the guild.
A. The committee shall be responsible for selecting the site for the annual meeting, making all
arrangements to reserve the selected site, and will work with the Executive and Education
committees to assure support for the needs of the business meeting and guest speakers.
B. The committee shall be responsible for making arrangements for the Saturday night banquet
at the annual meeting.
C. The committee shall hold such meetings as are required during the year. These meetings
may be conducted by electronic mail, telephone, or other methods.
D. The Chair of the committee shall call these meetings and set the agenda.
7. The Education Committee will consist of no less than three members of the guild.
A. The committee shall be responsible for procuring speakers and arranging programs for the
annual meeting.
B. The committee shall coordinate the work of the guild in the area of educational programs
and resources, audio visual programs and special lectures.
C. The committee shall be responsible for oversight of a traveling horn shop exhibit.
D. The committee shall hold such meetings as are required during the year. These meetings
may be conducted by electronic mail, telephone, or other methods.
E. The Chair of the committee shall call these meetings and set the agenda.
8. The Awards Committee will consist of no less than three members of the guild.
A. The committee shall be responsible for presenting awards to guest speakers at the annual
meeting and for any other special awards the committee deems appropriate.
B. The committee shall develop awards for displays at the annual meeting.
C. The committee shall hold such meetings as are required during the year. These meetings
may be conducted by electronic mail, telephone, or other methods.
D. The Chair of the committee shall call these meetings and set the agenda.
9. The Publications Committee shall consist of no less than three members of the guild.
A. The committee shall be responsible for publishing the guilds newsletter "The Horn Book"
on a quarterly basis.
1) The annual report of the Treasurer shall appear once a year in "The Horn Book."
2) The committee shall publish a list of the current members of the HCH immediately
after the annual meeting in "The Horn Book."
B. The committee, contingent upon a vote from the membership of the guild and the availability
of funds, may publish from time to time a journal of the HCH in which presentations of
various speakers and writers of the guild are printed.
C. The committee shall offer advice and consent regarding guild publications and internet
projects.
D. The committee shall hold such meetings as are required during the year. These meetings
may be conducted by electronic mail, telephone, or other methods.
E. The Chair of the committee shall call these meetings and set the agenda.
Article IX: Other Committees.
1. Additional committees, both standing and special, may be appointed by the Guildmaster, subject
to the approval of the Executive Committee. Their appointment, membership, terms of office, and
functions shall be determined and recorded by the Executive Committee.
Article X: Meetings.
1. The HCH Annual Meeting will be held each year at a site to be determined by the Meetings
Committee and approved by the Executive Committee. The Annual Meeting shall be scheduled
for a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and be open to the general public.
2. The HCH shall have a business meeting at the Annual Meeting.
3. The business meeting shall be chaired by the Guildmaster.
4. The order of business at the business meeting shall be as follows:
A. Reading and approval of minutes.
B. Reading and approval of the Treasurers Report.
C. Presentation by the Guildmaster of a Summary Report on the state of the guild and the work
performed by its officers.
D. Committee Reports.
E. Old Business.
F. New Business.
G. Election of new officers.
H. Installation of new officers.
I. Adjournment.
5. The HCH shall adopt Roberts Rules of Order, the most recent edition, as its parliamentary
authority in all meetings.
Article XI: Funds.
1. All monies belonging to the HCH shall be deposited in such bank or banks as directed by
the Executive Committee.
Article XII: Seals and Logos.
1. A seal for the guild may be decided upon by a general vote of the membership. The seal
shall be kept by the secretary who may, in that capacity, affix it to any certificate in respect
to guild matters.
2. A logo or logos may be decided upon by a general vote of the membership.
Article XIII: Amendments.
1. Amendments to the bylaws may be initiated by individual members with proposals signed
by at least three members of the Executive committee or by at least twenty five members of
the guild. The required majority for passing an amendment is three-quarters of returned ballots
in the case of a mail ballot vote; in the case of the general meeting, the quorum is half of all
members and the required majority is two-thirds of the members present.
Article XIV: Adoption.
1. These bylaws shall take effect when adopted by either of the following majorities: In the case
of mail-in ballots, the required majority is two-thirds of all members of the guild; in the case of
a general meeting, the required majority is fifty-one percent of the members present.
Article XV: Dissolution.
1. If the HCH should be dissolved or terminated, all its asserts remaining after payment of all
arrears shall be transferred by the Executive Committee upon approval by the membership of
the guild, to one or more non-profit organizations that have educational and historical purposes
similar to the guild.
