By-Laws of the International Women’s Club of Philadelphia   

May 2024

 Article I – NAME

The name of the organization shall be the International Women’s Club of Philadelphia, hereafter referred to as IWCP.

Article II – OBJECTIVE

The objective of the IWCP shall be to welcome women of all cultures in the Philadelphia area and to promote friendship,

cooperation and understanding without political agenda and self-promotion of business.

Article III – MEMBERSHIP

1. Membership shall be open to all women residing in the Philadelphia area who are either foreign-born, American-born

but who have lived abroad for at least one year, or American-born with a demonstrated interest in fostering

international cultural exchange.

2. Before applying all new applicants must attend at least one event to meet our members. Then they will need a

minimum of one IWCP member who is in good standing to sponsor them.

3. The Director of Membership must submit all applications for membership to the Board for approval by a Quorum of

five. The proportion of American-born members shall be limited to 40% of total membership.

4. The membership year shall run from July 1 st to June 30 th .

5. Annual dues and other IWCP fees shall be determined by the Board. Any changes to the annual dues will be shared

with the membership immediately following the vote by the Board.

6. Members shall have priority over non-members for all IWCP-sponsored events, up until the registration deadline.

Non-Members are welcome if there is remaining availability.

7. Members of the Women’s Clubs International affiliated clubs are automatically eligible for membership in the IWCP,

with no support vote necessary.

Article IV – OFFICERS

The officers of the IWCP shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer. These officers shall perform

the duties prescribed by these by-laws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the IWCP. All Officers must

maintain accurate records of their respective offices and transfer these records to their successors at the completion of

their terms of office. All records remain the property of the IWCP.

1. President: The President shall preside at all meetings of the IWCP and the Board and maintain contacts with other

organizations. The President shall be authorized as a signatory for the IWCP bank account and handle all financial

matters in the absence of the Treasurer.

2. Vice President: The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the Director of Membership. As Director of

Membership, she shall communicate with potential members; assist with application process, when necessary; send

summary of new applicant’s information for approval; when approved, notify applicant and also notify the Treasurer

to receive the new membership fee. Then notify the Board that there is a new active member. If the President is

absent or unable to perform her duties, the Vice-President shall do so.

3. Secretary: The Secretary shall keep a record of all IWCP proceedings, maintain a record book in which the by-laws,

special rules of order, standing rules and minutes are entered, and conduct the general correspondence of the club.

If the President or Vice-President are absent or unable to perform their duties, the Secretary shall do so.

4. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall collect and hold all monies on behalf of the IWCP and deposit them in the IWCP bank

account. She shall disburse these funds as directed by the President and/or the Board of Directors. She shall keep a

correct amount of all money received and paid out by her, and report to the Board at each meeting. She shall

prepare a written annual report to share with the membership.

The IWCP fiscal year shall run from July 1 st through June 30. At least a month before the Annual Business Meeting

Luncheon, the President and the Secretary shall review the Club’s financial records and report their findings to the

Board and membership through the newsletter. If either the President or Secretary are not available, the Vice-

President shall do so.

Article V – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the Officers of the club together with a Newsletter Editor, the Immediate Past

President and a minimum of three Directors. These Board members shall perform their duties as prescribed by

these by-laws and by the parliamentary procedures adopted by the IWCP. Provided that they are still members of

the IWCP, the founding members and Past Presidents are invited to attend all Board meetings.

1.1 The Director of Programs shall plan and organize monthly activities for the Club, present these activities to the

Board each quarter and plan two luncheons.

1.2 The Newsletter Editor shall ensure information is received in a timely manner, organize information, proofread

and edit, then send the completed newsletter in a format acceptable to the Webmaster for publication on the

website. The newsletter must be published at least four times during the club year, in a format agreed to by the

Board.

1.3 The Director of Social Events shall coordinate with the organizers of these ongoing events and report to the

Board at each Board meeting.

1.4 The Director of Hospitality shall send out welcome cards with a personal note to each new member. She will

also send out a card or flowers to members following the death of a loved one or during an illness or

hospitalization.

1.5 The Director of Charity shall maintain contact with those charities supported by the Club with annual visits. She

shall coordinate with the Treasurer to monitor the funds collected from members for our charities and

encourage members to donate to our charities. She will work with the Treasurer, staying on top of the

remaining balance in our charity account and with the Secretary on the annual Holiday Raffle, the Club’s major

fundraiser. The Director of Charity shall propose to the Board the amount of the distributions and the timing of

each.

1.6 The Webmaster maintains the online System. She maintains the website, which includes ongoing updates,

security, documentation and instructions. The Webmaster is responsible for the system’s security by providing

targeted access to Board members.

2 The number of Board positions held by American-born members at any time shall be limited to four out of the ten

positions.

3 At the regular Board meeting held in February, the Board shall elect a Nominating Committee of three members.

This committee shall include at least one Board member, preferably the immediate Past President and two other

members selected from the Board and/or the committees and interest groups. The President may not serve on the

Nominating Committee. It shall be the duty of the Nominating Committee to nominate candidates for the offices to

be filled at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in May or June. The Nominating Committee shall report at the

regular Board meeting in May. Before the election at the AGM in May or June, additional nominations from the floor

shall be permitted.

4 The Board members shall be elected by show of hands to serve a term of three years. Their terms of office shall

begin on July 1st .

5 The terms of office of the Board members will be staggered so as to preserve the continuity of the Board. Over a

three-year period, the terms of office will expire as follows:

Year 1 – President, Immediate Past President, and one Director.

Year 2 – VP-President, Newsletter Editor, Treasurer, one Director.

Year 3 = Secretary, and two Directors.

6 No Board member shall hold more than one office at a time. Board members may serve consecutive terms with the

consent of a simple majority of the Board.

Article VI – MEETINGS

1. The club year shall run from July 1st to June 30th .

2. The regular Board meetings shall be held in the first week of August, November, February and May.

3. The Business Luncheon in either May or June shall be for introducing Board members and Officers, electing new

Board members and for any other business that may arise. New members will also be introduced at this luncheon.

4. All Board members are expected to attend at least three regular meetings during the club year. In the event that

they are unable to attend a particular meeting, each Board member must designate other Board members as their

representative. This representative may vote by proxy for the absent member.

5. The regular Board meeting shall be open to the general membership to encourage participation and recruitment for

club activities.

6. The quorum for the regular Board meetings shall be five persons. Non-Board members cannot be counted towards

the quorum, nor are they entitled to vote.

Article VII – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the IWCP, in so far as they

do not conflict with these by-laws or any special rules of order the IWCP may adopt. The President shall be responsible

for upholding and adjudicating any issues with respect to parliamentary procedure.

Article VIII – AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS

These by-laws may be amended at any regular Board meeting by a two-thirds majority vote, provided that the

amendment has been submitted in writing to the full Board before the regular Board meeting. Updates will be

communicated to the membership in the Annual Membership Directory, to be distributed in September.

Article IX – LIABILITY

Neither the IWCP nor the Board of Directors accept liability for any loss, damage, accident or injury sustained or caused by

any individual or club member while participating in IWCP activities.