Working Draft of Suggested Revisions to the By-Laws

August 12, 2026

LASSEN COUNTY FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY, INC.

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I - Name

Section 1: The name of this organization shall be Lassen County Friends of the Library, Inc.

Section 2: The headquarters of this organization is 1618 Main Street, Susanville, CA 96130

ARTICLE II - Purpose

Section 1: The purpose of this organization shall be to stimulate public awareness, support and use of the Lassen Library District, to assist in maintaining and improving existing Library services and to encourage new Library programs.

Section 2: The extent to which this organization and the Lassen Library District address the areas of support of Section 1 shall be guided by a Memorandum of Understanding. 

ARTICLE III - Meetings

This organization shall conduct regularly scheduled public meetings, once each quarter, on the first Thursday of February, May, August and November. Unless otherwise announced, the meetings shall be held at 4:00 p.m. at the Lassen Library District. Additional meetings, or a change in time or place of meetings, may be scheduled as needed and announced to members and the public no later than 24 hours prior to the changed meeting.

ARTICLE IV - Directors

Section 1: There shall be three directors of this organization: President, Secretary and Treasurer; these directors shall constitute the organization’s Board of Directors. Directors shall serve as uncompensated volunteers to the organization.

Section 2: The slate of Board Directors shall be proposed at the November quarterly meeting and then voted on at the February quarterly meeting. Board Directors shall assume the duties of office immediately, and serve for a term of one year.

Section 3: Director vacancies shall be filled as quickly as a viable candidate can be found. The replacement Director shall serve until the next regular Board of Directors election.

Section 4: When a Director position is vacant, other Directors can serve on a temporary basis in two positions with the exception that the President cannot also serve as the Secretary or the Treasurer.

Section 5: A minimum of two Director positions must be occupied for the Board of Directors to be viable. If the Board cannot maintain a minimum of two Board positions, the Friends of the Library organization shall be placed in a suspended status and cannot conduct normal operations until such time as the Board again becomes viable.

ARTICLE V - Duties of Board Directors

Section 1: The President shall preside at meetings, be responsible for coordinating committee activity, and be an ex-officio member of all committees. In the absence of the President, the Secretary shall preside.

Section 2: The Secretary shall record the minutes of each meeting, maintain the record of current memberships, and as directed by the Board, carry on correspondence and assist the President in the filing of required federal and state reports.

Section 3: The Treasurer is responsible for the finances: maintaining the financial ledger, paying expenses, depositing revenues, providing a report of the financial status of the organization at quarterly meetings and assist the President and/or the Secretary in the filing of annual tax returns.

Section 4: The President and the Treasurer shall be duly authorized by the membership to withdraw funds from the Friends of the Library bank account, pursuant to Article IX.

Section 5. All Directors, either as a group or individually, and with or without member participation, shall work to promote membership growth, complete applications for grants, execute fund-raising activities and create associated informational materials that promote the activities of the organization.

Section 6: The Board of Directors shall have the authority to appoint committees and committee chairpersons consistent with the purposes of this organization.

Section 7: The District Librarian may serve as advisor to the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VI - Membership

Section 1: Membership in this organization shall be open to all individuals in sympathy with its purposes. Memberships can be entered into at any time upon the payment of a monetary contribution and are effective for one year from the date the latest contribution was paid.

Section 2: Each individual membership shall be entitled to one vote at Board of Directors meetings. Members must be physically present at the meeting in order to exercise their vote.  If a membership is in the names of two or more people, any vote made by one person of the membership or by a majority of persons of the membership counts for everyone as the membership’s single vote.

Section 3: Members will receive the Friends of the Library annual newsletter and all other correspondence that may be transmitted by the Board of Directors. No other “deliverable” based on the size of any contribution will be awarded, unless decided upon at a quarterly Board of Directors meeting.

Section 4. Members can petition the Board of Directors to take up any appropriate issue pertinent to the organization’s mission, the conduct of its business or of its Directors. Such petitions must be submitted in writing and include its rationale and supporting documentation. Such petitions will be placed on the next scheduled quarterly meeting agenda as a discussion item, then, if so decided, at a subsequent quarterly meeting for formal action.

ARTICLE VIII – Dues Revenues

Section 1: There shall not be formal membership levels, a set dues structure nor a formal contribution due date.  Any person who makes a monetary contribution of $10 or more, or a physical item of equivalent intrinsic value useful to the library, as determined and accepted by the Library Director, shall be considered a member for one year from the date of their latest contribution. 

Section 2. The organization shall conduct annually a formal membership drive commencing in March of each year and a formal fund-raising campaign from mid-October to early-December to fund a particular need identified by the Library Director. Other fund-raising activities will be pursued as their opportunities present themselves.

Section 3. The organization shall apply for appropriate grants on behalf of the Library that require a 501(c)3 designation as the applicant and shall provide support for fund-raising efforts by the Library itself, when requested.

Section 4: There shall be three classes of dues:  Fund-raising solicitations shall be of a standard format providing the same range of four to six suggested contribution amounts plus an open amount labelled “Other”.  Solicitation forms shall identify the purpose for which the requested contributions are to be used.

Regular - $10 (Available to Students and Senior Citizens)

Family - $25

Benefactor - $100

Section 3: Foundation donation

Foundation membership shall be conferred to individuals, businesses and organizations upon a donation of $500 or more. A plaque will be placed in the Library listing Foundation members, and individual plaques of appreciation will be provided to each member.

Section 5: Contribution levels shall be reviewed, and any changes thereto, approved by a collective majority of the Board and voting members present at the regularly scheduled quarterly meeting in February.

ARTICLE IX - Expenditures

Section 1: Routine administrative expenditures and low-cost library expenses of categories previously approved may be allocated at any time by either of the two Board Directors authorized to withdraw funds from the bank account. Such expenditures will be presented at quarterly meetings as a consent agenda item.

Section 2: Non-routine/operating expenditures shall require approval by a majority of the Board of Directors and voting members present at a regularly scheduled meeting prior to them being paid.

ARTICLE X - Parliamentary Procedure

Common sense shall govern the proceedings of this organization.

ARTICLE XI - Amendments

Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed at any quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors and voted on at the next subsequent quarterly meeting. Approval of proposed amendments shall require a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors and the members present.

ARTICLE XII - Dissolution

Section 1: A decision to dissolve the organization shall require the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Board of Directors and all members present thus voting to be adopted.

Section 2: In the event of the dissolution of the organization, all assets will be turned over to another nonprofit, charitable or educational organization to be selected by the Board of Directors at the time of such dissolution. The Board of Directos shall also take all actions required to terminate the organization’s obligations, close accounts and to file required reports with appropriate local, state and federal agencies.

Bylaws adopted: xxxxx.xx 2026

(These Bylaws contain several changes from the original Bylaws adopted November 12, 1986, as amended on March 10, 2004, all properly voted on and adopted by two-thirds vote. Attested to by: ______________, Secretary.)