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 Bylaws & Guidelines
General Charter Last amended on October 20, 2012, in Seattle, Washington For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; for the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward. Doctrine & Covenants Section 58:26-28 The name of this general association shall be Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons (AFFIRMATION). We affirm that homosexuality and homosexual relationships can be consistent with and supported by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Affirmation does charter itself for the purpose and position herein stated, as a charitable, service, educational and religious oriented association. As members and friends of the gay and lesbian community, it is our intention to work for the understanding and acceptance of gays and lesbians as full, equal and worthy persons within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("the Church") and society, and to help them realize and affirm self-worth. Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons is a welcoming community and welcomes all persons regardless of sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Affirmation supports and encourages its members by assisting them in dealing with the Church, their families, employers, work associates and social contacts. The association offers its members strength and support in solving personal problems through mutual acceptance and fellowship. The association is organized to:
Any individual who has paid general association membership dues for the current period shall be considered a member of the general association of Affirmation. An individual may also be a member of a local chapter or the chapter-at-large of Affirmation. The members of Affirmation, meeting in a general conference, shall be the ultimate governing authority of the general association of Affirmation. The regular activities of the association shall be directed by a President and an Executive Committee, elected and appointed as provided in the By-Laws. Certain actions of the President and Executive Committee shall be effective only upon ratification by the Council of Chapter Representatives, the members of which shall be selected as provided in the By-Laws. In general, the President and the Executive Committee shall serve as the functioning executive of the general association, and shall establish policies, procedures and guidelines for the general association, affiliated chapters and fellowship groups. The President shall be elected by the dues-paying members of the general association, in the manner provided in the By-Laws. The President shall select and appoint, from among the dues-paying members of the general association, two Vice Presidents, one of whom shall be designated the Senior Vice President. The President and the two Vice Presidents shall constitute the Executive Committee. The appointment of the Vice Presidents shall be effective upon ratification by the Council of Chapter Representatives, as provided in the By-Laws. In the event of the President's resignation, removal or other inability to act, the Senior Vice President shall become the President, appointing two new Vice Presidents, in the manner appointed above. In the event of the simultaneous resignation, removal or other inability to act of both the President and the Senior Vice President, the other Vice President shall become the President. The President may remove any Vice President at any time and shall appoint (a) successor Vice President(s) in the manner provided for the original appointment of such Vice President(s). Each chapter will elect or select a Representative who will be a member of the Council of Chapter Representatives. A local chapter may become affiliated with the general association by supporting the General Charter, and by applying to and being accepted by the Executive Committee, in the manner provided in the By-Laws. A Board of Directors may be appointed by the President and the Executive Committee to advise and assist the Executive Committee and to oversee any paid staff or employees of the organization, in accordance with the Bylaws. The Board shall consist of no more than fifteen members, plus the President, who shall preside at meetings of the Board, and the two Vice Presidents. With the exception of the members of the Executive Committee, who serve ex officio, members of the Board shall serve for three-year terms, with one-third of such terms ending each year. A Board member may removed by the Council of Chapter Representatives in accordance with the Bylaws. Proposed amendments to this General Charter, and to the By-Laws, may be submitted by any three or more dues paying members of the general association to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall present any such proposed amendments in writing to the full membership (all current dues paying members) with provisions for voting on the acceptance or rejection of the amendment. The amendments shall become permanent upon the ratifying vote of a simple majority of the ballots or votes received in reply, or alternatively, by a simple majority of members of Affirmation in attendance at a general business session of the next general conference. A vote must be called for, by mail or electronically, within no more than six weeks of the Executive Committee having received the proposed amendment, or by a vote at the general business session of the next conference if the proposed amendment is received less than two months before the start of the next conference. Should the Executive Committee and three other dues paying members unanimously agree the amendment is frivolous, they may refuse to submit the proposed amendment to the membership for a vote. This association is organized exclusively for nonprofit, charitable, educational and religious oriented purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the "Internal Revenue Code"). The organization claims that donations and funds received shall therefore be exempt and deductible under the foregoing section of the Internal Revenue Code. Upon the dissolution of the association, its assets remaining after payment of all its debts and liabilities shall be distributed to a non-profit fund, foundation or corporation which is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational and/or religious oriented purposes and which has established its tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. No part of the net earnings of this association shall ever inure to or be for the benefit of or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the association shall be empowered to make reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the exempt purposes for which it was formed. Notwithstanding any other provisions of these articles, the association shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on by an association exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Bylaws The name of this general association shall be Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons (AFFIRMATION). Affirmation is empowered to perform any and all acts which are defined in the General Charter and the By-Laws of the association and shall do nothing which is inconsistent with their provisions and with resolutions adopted by the Executive Committee and ratified by the Council of Chapter Representatives as provided herein. Section 1. The term of office for the President shall be one calendar year, from January 1st through December 31st of the year following the election of the President. Section 2. Candidates for the office of President must formally declare their candidacy in writing to the editor of Affinity or a member of the Executive Committee no later than the end of the first day of the annual general conference of Affirmation, but in no event, later than October 15th. Declaration(s) of candidacy should be printed in the November issue of Affinity along with a printed ballot for use by each current, dues-paying member of Affirmation. Section 3. Ballot votes must be mailed to the General Association's post office box postmarked before November 20th, and marked "BALLOT" on the envelope. Such ballots will be opened and counted by an Election Committee (consisting of the Corresponding Secretary of the Association and two dues-paying members of Affirmation chosen by the Corresponding Secretary) not earlier than November 25th, and not later than December 1st, and the results reported to the current President. All ballots will be submitted to the Executive Committee for verification. The Election Committee shall execute a certificate verifying the results of the election, which shall be printed in the next issue of Affinity. Section 1. The President shall preside at and conduct the business meetings of the Executive Committee. He/She shall be responsible for timely responses to all mail and telephone inquiries about Affirmation, and forwarding the information to the appropriate chapter, fellowship group or General Association officer. Section 2. The President shall report or cause to be reported at each regular meeting of the Executive Committee and each meeting of the Council of Chapter Representatives, the status of the General Association's budget and operating expenses. Section 3. The President shall be empowered to perform any tasks as requested by the Executive Committee and in keeping with the General Charter and these By-Laws. Section 1. The Council of Chapter Representatives shall be composed of one representative of each voting chapter of Affirmation, plus a member, appointed by the President, to represent the members of the "Chapter-at-Large." Each chapter shall elect or select such representative in the manner such chapter may determine, and the presiding officer of such chapter or group shall inform the President of the name and address of the person so elected or selected. Section 2. The Council of Chapter Representatives shall meet at least annually, in conjunction with the annual general conference of Affirmation. It may meet at other times, and may conduct business by telephonic communications followed by written confirmation of the votes of its members, recognizing nevertheless that as a matter of policy, decisions of the Council should be preceded by full disclosure and discussion to the maximum extent practical, and good faith efforts shall be made by the Executive Committee and any other members presenting matters to the Council for action to fully inform all members of the Council and permit discussion of issues by such members prior to action by the Council. Section 3. The power of recall and removal of the President is vested in the Council of Chapter Representatives. Recall and removal of the President may be initiated by the written request of three or more members of the Council of Chapter Representatives (the "moving parties"). The moving parties shall prepare and deliver to the Corresponding Secretary a written statement of the reason for such request, and copies of such statement shall be mailed to each member of the Council of Chapter Representatives. Not sooner than seven (7) days following such mailing of such statement the Council of Chapter Representatives may meet to consider the action to be taken with respect to such request, or not sooner than fourteen (14) days following such mailing, the Council may act upon such matter through telephonic communications with written confirmation of the votes of the members to be mailed to the Corresponding Secretary, who shall designate an Election Committee with the same qualifications as indicated in Article IV Section 3, which Committee shall count the votes and sign a certificate of the results. Recall and removal of the President shall require a two-thirds majority vote of all members of the Council of Chapter Representatives voting on the issue. The certificate of voting results shall be published in the next issue of Affinity. Section 4. The President shall preside but shall not vote at the meetings or other proceedings of the Council of Chapter Representatives, unless the matter at issue involves the President, in which case any member of the Council of Chapter Representatives designated by three or more members of the Council shall preside. There shall be no quorum attendance requirement for the Council of Chapter Representatives, but all actions must be taken based upon the voting concurrence of a simple majority of all of the members of the Council eligible to vote, or other majority as specified herein. Section 1. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the President and two Vice Presidents selected and appointed by the President and ratified by a simple majority of the Council of Chapter Representatives as provided in Article VI of these By-Laws. One of the Vice Presidents shall be designated the senior Vice President. In the event of the resignation, removal or other inability to act of the President, the senior Vice President shall become the President, and in the event of the resignation, removal or other inability to act of the senior Vice President, the other Vice President shall become the President. The President, from time to time, may remove any Vice President. In any case of vacancy of the office of Vice President, the President shall appoint successor Vice President(s) in the manner provided for the original appointment of such Vice President(s). Actions of the Executive Committee shall be taken by majority vote (two of the three members) of the Executive Committee. Section 2. The Executive Committee shall meet at such times and places as may be designated by the President. A quorum of the Executive Committee shall consist of the President and one of the Vice Presidents. One member of the Executive Committee shall act as secretary at the meetings of the committee, and records the minutes and actions of the meeting. Section 3. The President and the Executive Committee may appoint members to the Board of Directors. The three members of the Executive Committee shall serve as ex officio members of the Board, and the President shall preside. All other Board members serve for a three year term, with one-third of such terms ending each year. The initial board members shall be appointed to serve a one-, two-, or three-year term. The Board of Directors shall assist and advise the Executive Committee, shall assist with fund raising as requested by the Executive Committee, shall be responsible for ratifying disbursement of grant and loan monies, and shall be responsible for hiring and supervising any paid employees or staff members of the organization. The Council of Chapter Representatives may remove any member of the Board using the same procedure as for the removal of a President (Article V, Section 3). Section 1. The Executive Committee shall appoint the following executive officers ("general association officers") of the general association:
Section 2. Prior to April 1st of each year, the Executive Committee shall prepare and forward to the Council of Chapter Representatives for ratification an annual budget for the activities of Affirmation for the current calendar year. Section 3. The Executive Committee each year shall select, and give notice to the general membership of the Association of, a date and place for a general conference of such membership at a location reasonably convenient to the general membership of the association. The general conference shall be held over a period including a weekend, and shall be held on or prior to the last weekend in October in each year. Section 4. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for:
Membership dues, in an amount to be determined by the Executive Committee, shall be assessed of any member not belonging to any voting chapter. Said fee shall entitle such members to be represented on the Council of Chapter Representatives by an appointee of the President, as well as to an annual subscription to the national newsletter. Said fee shall also be transferable to a local membership in the event of a formation of a new chapter in his or her area. Section 1. Area Representatives who are dues-paying members of the General Association, may be appointed by the Executive Committee to coordinate the activities of, and communication with, members and potential members who live more than thirty (30) miles from any organized chapter. The Area Representative will maintain contact with the President and receive referrals from individuals within his/her geographic area. The Area Representative will work toward the organization of a local chapter by active promotion of Affirmation and fellowshipping of potential members. Section 2. Non-voting chapters of Affirmation shall consist of any number of persons choosing to associate under a single designation, but which have less than three members paying dues to the General Association. Non-voting chapters shall be governed by the Executive Committee, or an appointee thereof, who shall report to the Executive Committee. Non-voting chapters shall not be autonomous and may be reorganized or disbanded at the discretion of the Executive Committee at any time. The right to use the designation of Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons, or any part thereof, is also at the discretion of the Executive Committee. Section 3. Voting chapters of Affirmation shall consist of any number of persons choosing to associate, not less than three of whom have paid dues to the General Association for the year. Qualification will occur when the dues are received by the national treasury. The chapter must maintain a regular meeting schedule, meeting at least once every three months. A quarterly written or electronic communication should be published. The chapter shall have bylaws or other written documentation setting forth the method of selection of a chapter leader and method of accounting for chapter funds; a copy of the this by-laws or documentation shall be filed with the Secretary of the General Association. The chapter shall provide contact information for the chapter leader to the Editor or Secretary of the General Association in a format to be determined by the Editor or Secretary. Chapters maintaining the above criteria will receive all referrals in their geographic area, and will be listed in the Affinity directory. Voting chapters shall be governed by locally elected or appointed leaders, subject to the goals and objectives of the General Association as outlined in this Charter and By-laws. Section 4. The Executive Committee shall periodically review and determine the status of affiliated chapters. Any group of persons desiring to affiliate with Affirmation will make application to the Executive Committee with the following:
Section 6. The status of a chapter may be revised or recognition revoked by the Executive Committee for any of the following reasons:
Section 1. Affirmation hereby adopts the following statement of its mission, objectives and ideology, which will be reviewed and updated, from time to time, as deemed appropriate by the members assembled in general conference, upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee or Council of Chapter Representatives. Section 2. The mission of Affirmation shall be to provide gay and lesbian Mormons and former Mormons with opportunities to make their own choices by helping them deal with issues regarding sexual orientation, spirituality, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Section 3. The objectives of Affirmation are as follows:
Section 1.The Executive Committee may establish an Affirmation Endowment Fund which shall receive contributions from members and friends of Affirmation. The objective of the Endowment Fund will be to receive and invest principal funds and to earn an income which shall be used to further the purposes of Affirmation as stated in the organization's Charter. Section 2.The Endowment Fund shall be governed by an Administrative Committee comprised of not less than three nor more than seven members who shall be appointed by the President and ratified the by the Executive Committee. The term of service shall be three years with terms staggered so approximately one third of appointments expire each year. Shorter terms may be made to fill vacancies and maintain a rotation of appointments. Section 3. The Administrative Committee may appoint an Endowment Fund Administrator to administer the affairs of the Fund in accordance with policies and rules which the Administrative Committee will establish. Section 4. The Affirmation Treasurer shall be the custodian of the monetary assets of the Endowment Fund. Funds are to be invested and disbursed in accordance with the directions of the Administrative Committee. Section 5. A report of Endowment Fund finances and activities shall be made regularly to the Affirmation National President and Executive Committee. Annually, a financial report of the Endowment Fund shall be made available to the general membership of Affirmation. (Revised Sept. 1998) Ratified into Affirmation's Bylaws on September 5, 1998 at the Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon Our Mission Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons endorses community-based and national initiatives which assist youth and young adults who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, or questioning their sexuality (GLBTQ). Affirmation's Youth Services relies upon such initiatives to promote positive emotional, spiritual, and psychological development among Mormon affiliated youth and young adults who struggle with their sexual orientation. By providing information about and referral to such initiatives, Affirmation serves as a link between community resources and young individuals in need. Our Vision Affirmation believes health and wellness is possible for Mormon affiliated GLBTQ people of all ages who accept themselves. By supporting those service initiatives that believe similarly, we hope to preserve the physical and spiritual lives of GLBTQ youth, and thereby reduce risk behaviors including intra-personal violence (suicide and other self-destructive acts), alcoholism, HIV transmission, sexual and emotional exploitation, substance abuse, dropping out of school, running away, and exposure to unhealthy adult role models and environments which seek to exploit youth sexually, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. |
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