National Organization for Women

Washington, D.C. Chapter (D.C. NOW)

Operating Rules

Article I. Policy

1. No member shall speak or write publicly on behalf of D.C. NOW without the prior consent of a
majority of the Board.

2. Chapter members constitute the supreme policy-setting unit of D.C. NOW. A decision of policy or
finance may originate in either a Board or Chapter meeting, but must be approved at a Chapter meeting
before it may be enacted. As necessary, urgent decisions of policy or finance may be enacted by a
majority of the Board. However the Chapter may reverse the decision, to the extent practicable, at a
subsequent Chapter meeting through a majority vote.

3. The Board shall propose a recommended annual budget at a Chapter meeting within 60 days of the
biennial election and one year thereafter.

4. The Board may delegate to Chapter members the execution of Chapter activities.

5. The Chapter shall take into account the needs and perspectives of the diverse community of women
and girls in the District of Columbia when determining policy and carrying out Chapter activities. The
Membership Development Director shall make it a priority to conduct outreach to a diverse community
of women and girls.

Article II. Membership & Dues

1. New members' dues shall be $35.00 or as changed by the State organization. Reduced dues are
available on a sliding scale beginning at $10.00. Renewing members' dues shall be determined by
National NOW.

2. D.C. NOW members can either pay at minimum $10.00 to the Chapter Treasurer or join and renew
through the National Action Center website. The Treasurer will forward the dues within 30 days to the
National Action Center in order to officially activate a person's membership.
 Article III. Structure

1. The Chapter may establish Committees as necessary to plan, implement, and conduct the activities of
the Chapter.

2. Committee may be established by:

a. Volunteers responding to a call for a Committee from the Board; or
b. A majority vote at a Chapter meeting.

3. Committees are responsible for electing a Chair or Co-Chairs by a majority vote of its members.

4. The Chair, or the Chair’s delegate, shall report on Committee activities and recommendations at
Chapter meetings. The Chapter may vote on Committee recommendations.

5. The Committee shall submit to the Board a budget, if applicable, for its activities prior to
implementation.

Article IV. Officers’ Roles & Responsibilities

1. The responsibilities of the Board Officers are as follows:

a. Chapter President
i. Serves as spokesperson for the organization;
ii. Prepares agendas and facilitates Board and Chapter meetings;
iii. Liaises with the National organization, the state organizations, and other chapters;
iv. Creates opportunities for fundraising
v. Encourages member recruitment and retention; and
vi. Holds the rest of the officers accountable for fulfilling their responsibilities.
b. Vice President
i. Responsible for fulfilling the roles of vacant offices;
ii. Fulfills the responsibilities of the Chapter President, in the event of the President’s
absence;
iii. Records minutes at Board and Chapter meetings and maintains records of meeting
agendas, meeting minutes, approved budgets, and current bylaws and Operating Rules;
and
iv. Oversees Committees.
c. Treasurer
i. Drafts the proposed annual budget;
ii. Manages and maintains Chapter finances and financial records;
iii. Files Chapter tax forms;
iv. Maintains membership records; and
 v. Determines eligibility for D.C. NOW members to vote or run for office.
d. Communications Director
i. Maintains and updates the Chapter website and other social media outlets;
ii. Manages Chapter communications and correspondence;
iii. Creates and maintains a current collection of videos, photographs, print materials, and
audio recordings of Chapter activities;
iv. Assists the Chapter President with drafting public statements; and
v. Engages and liaises with the media for Chapter activities;
e. Membership Development Director
i. Responsible for the recruitment and retention of members;
ii. Engages new and potential members at actions, meetings, and activities; and
iii. Assists the Treasurer in maintaining membership records.

2. The Officers of the Chapter may redistribute various tasks assigned to them, but not the responsibility
for seeing that they are completed.

Article V. Elections

1. Voting eligibility shall be determined by the Election Chair for each member upon arrival at the
biennial election. The Election Chair will use the list provided by National NOW for determining eligibility.

2. Positions shall come for a vote in the order of the offices presented in the bylaws. Voting for one office
at a time allows a person to run for more than one office, provided that no member holds more than
one office at one time.

3. The results shall be tabulated and announced at the biennial meeting during which elections were
held.

4. In the case of the whole board stepping down and/or dissolving the chapter, any members seeking to
reconstitute the board must be appointed via a special election within 60 days of seeking to reconstitute
the board. 30 days notice to members must be given before the vote.

Article VI. Meetings

1. Any number of members present at a meeting shall constitute a quorum at Chapter and biennial
election meetings.

2. Every Chapter meeting shall consist of a brief update from each officer and each committee, as
applicable.
 Article VII. Delegates to the National Conference

1. Nominations for delegate slots must be submitted to the Board at least seven days prior to the
delegate election meeting.

2. A ballot containing all nominated members for delegate slots shall be presented at the delegate
election meeting.

3. Preferential balloting for delegate slots will be used. Delegate slots are assigned to the nominees that
receive the most votes in descending order. The alternate slots are assigned to the nominees who
received the most votes after the delegate slots are filled.

4. Alternate slots shall be ranked in the order of votes received.

5. The Chapter President, or a Board-elected representative if the President is unavailable, shall provide
credentialing forms to elected delegates and alternates in the order of selection on-site at the
conference.

6. If the Chapter is unable to fill all of its allotted delegate slots with Chapter members, the President, or
Board-elected representative if the President is unavailable, may select the recipients of credentialing
slots at the National Conference.

7. The meeting at which delegates are elected shall not be an executive session.

8. The delegates shall represent the Chapter and its interests at the conference.

Article VIII. Grievance Procedure

1. A member with a grievance must inform the Chapter Vice President of his or her grievance in writing.
If the Vice President is one of the parties to the grievance, the member may provide written notice to
any other Chapter Officer.

2. In the event of a grievance involving the violation of a specific D.C. NOW or National NOW policy or
bylaw, each side to the controversy will designate one arbitrator and these two arbitrators will select a
third arbitrator. Any person who has a conflict of interest may not serve as an arbitrator. The arbitrators,
acting as a Grievance Committee, will conduct a private hearing on the matter at which both sides to the
controversy may present their case. The arbitrators shall endeavor to resolve disputes to the mutual
satisfaction of the parties, but if they are unable to do so, the majority's decision becomes the decision
of the Grievance Committee. If a party is dissatisfied with the decision, they may utilize the State NOW
grievance procedure. Disputes involving money must be addressed confidentially. The committee has the
power to ask that results of the grievance be kept confidential.

3. Upon request, the Chapter will follow the grievance policy of National NOW.