HQ SACT OFFICERS' PARTNERS' CLUB BYLAWS - Sopc.us

HQ SACT OFFICERS' PARTNERS' CLUB BYLAWS
ARTICLE I - NAME
The name of the organisation shall be the HQ SACT Officers' Partners' Club, hereinafter referred
SOPC or as the Club.
ARTICLE II - PURPOSE
The purpose of the Club shall be to encourage friendship amongst the members and to support
selected charities.
ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
1. The partner of the Club member must be a member of the HQ SACT Staff Mess;
And
-An Officer or a NATO civilian (A, B, or L grade) working in a NATO billet in the
Hampton Roads area;
or
-An officer associated with HQ SACT (liaison team, military mission, etc.);
or
-An active duty serving officer, of the wider community, serving with a US
Military Command (liaison team, military mission, etc.) within the Hampton Roads
area.
2. The Partner's rank, appointment, and place of work are to be provided to the Membership
Coordinator when joining the Club.
3. Members shall be entitled to all privileges of the Club including voting and holding office,
luncheon, Newsletter, password access to the Website and social activities.
4. Dues are paid annually and are not refundable. Information relating to annual dues may be
found on the SOPC website.
5. Associate membership
Becoming an Associate member of the SOPC will be considered subject to the
following criteria being fulfilled:
-Applicants, who have enjoyed full membership of SOPC, living in the Hamptons
Road area but now find due to circumstances, no longer fulfil the criteria required
of a full member.
All members of the Club are advised to be familiar with and abide by the Bylaws and Guidelines

-There will be no more than 15 Associate members at any given time.
-Associate members will have no voting rights, nor can they hold a post within the
Operational Committee, unless in exceptional circumstances.
6. Honorary Membership
-The President and Vice President; SOPC Chairperson & Vice Chairperson and
Lead NR (on behalf of the NR Board of Representatives) as a group, have the
right to approve/award Honorary Membership to those ladies who have
worked tirelessly for the good of the SOPC.
-To enable this award to be considered, any full member of the SOPC may
approach a member of the Operations Committee and or a National
Representative with their proposal who in turn, will put it forward on their
behalf to the Steering Group.
-It is proposed there will be no more than 5 Honorary members at any given
time. This number may be reviewed should exceptional circumstances occur.
-Honorary members shall be exempt from annual SOPC membership fees.
-Honorary members will have no voting rights.
ARTICLE IV - PRESI DENCY
1. The President of the Club shall be the partner of the Supreme Allied Commander
Transformation. In this capacity, she/he shall be a member of all committees. In her/his
absence, the Vice President shall act for her/him at any meeting or social event.
2. The Vice President shall be the partner of the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander
Transformation, except in exceptional circumstances when the partner of the Chief of
Staff will be expected to take up the position.
3. The President shall solicit the advice of the partners of the Flag and General Officers who
are members of the Club, and represent their views accordingly.
ARTICLE V BOARD
There shall be a Board consisting of the President and Vice-President, one National
Representative of each nation represented in the Club, the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson, and
the primary position holders in each function of the Operations Committee.
All members of the Club are advised to be familiar with and abide by the Bylaws and Guidelines

ARTICLE VI - OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
1. The members of the Operations Committee are:
Chairperson
Vice Chairperson
Secretary
Treasurer
Reservations Coordinator
Benefits Coordinator
Membership Coordinator
Newsletter Coordinator
Social Activities Coordinator
Photographer
Webmaster
2. Posts becoming vacant shall be announced as soon as the vacancy becomes known.
Vacancies will be advertised in the Newsletter and announced at the monthly luncheon.
When appointing candidates, we shall seek representation from as many different
member nations as possible.
3. For the Operations Committee positions, assistants can be designated who generally
succeed to the primary post. If an assistant is appointed, she/he is a full member of the
Operation Committee. The Vice Chairperson succeeds the Chairperson.
4. The post of Vice Chairperson will be offered to each nation 1 represented in the Club in
reverse alphabetical order, i.e. Ukraine, United Kingdom, Turkey, etc., via the Lead NR
in October of each year.
5. The President will host a meeting in October to meet with the NRs to introduce herself
and to discuss the SOPC and appointment of the Vice Chairperson.
6. The Vice Chairperson will normally take up the post in January of each year. If, however,
the Vice Chairperson wishes to step down for whatever reason, her nation will be asked
to replace her/him for the time remaining. Should the nation decline, the post will be
offered to the next nation.
7. Members of the Operations Committee usually serve about a year as office holder. They
may serve more than two years exceptionally.
8. The Operations Committee office holders usually rotate at the end of the calendar year,
except for the Reservations Coordinator whose job will generally rotate in the summer.
1 The Nation who elects the Vice Chairperson has the right to determine whether their representative is behaving in
accordance with their nation and that of the SOPC and may withdraw their candidate with consultation of the
Steering Group, should this not be the case.
All members of the Club are advised to be familiar with and abide by the Bylaws and Guidelines

ARTICLE VII - MEETINGS
Operations Committee
1. The Operations Committee shall be responsible for the regular operation of the Club.
2. The Operations Committee shall meet once a month and otherwise as often as the
Chairperson deems it necessary for the proper conduct of the affairs of the Club.
3. A quorum shall consist of half the Operations Committee, plus one.
4. All members of the Operations Committee shall be entitled to vote at all meetings. All
votes may be held by a show of hands or by secret ballot. A majority will decide
whether any particular motion is to be voted on by a show of hands or by secret ballot.
5. A majority vote will decide. In the event of an equal number of votes being cast for and
against the motion, the motion shall be considered defeated.
Board
1. The Board shall meet at least three times each year.
2. An extraordinary meeting of the Board shall be called if a request is submitted in
writing to the Chairperson of the Operations Committee by a minimum of six members
of the Board. Detailed reasons for the request shall also be included. The Chairperson
will gain approval for this meeting from the President (or Vice-President in her/his
absence).
3. A quorum shall consist of half the Board, plus one.
4. All members of the Board shall be entitled to vote at all meetings. All votes may be
held by a show of hands or by secret ballot. A majority will decide whether any
particular motion is to be voted on by a show of hands or by secret ballot.
5. A majority vote will decide. In the event of an equal number of votes being cast for and
against the motion, the motion shall be considered defeated.
ARTICLE VIII FINANCIAL
1. The Treasurer has authority for expenditures up to $500.00.
2. Expenditures above $500 must be authorized by the Committee.
3. Cheques in excess of $500 require 2 signatures.
4. Authorized signatories are the Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Chairperson and Vice
Chairperson.
5. Unless otherwise specified, the treasure will designate club income and expenditures as
follows:
A. Membership dues are primarily used to fund club operating expenses and
member activities and functions.
B. Funds received from money making activities are used to support our
designated charities, unless otherwise specified for another activity.
C. Other income is used as directed by the source or most needed by the club if
given without stipulation.
6. The SACT Internal Auditor will audit the accounts at the end of each calendar year, and
as deemed necessary by the Chairperson.
All members of the Club are advised to be familiar with and abide by the Bylaws and Guidelines

ARTICLE IX CHARITIES
The SOPC will sponsor a minimum of 3 charities:
- At least one international charity
- At least one military charity (dedicated to helping any or all the armed forces families of
NATO member countries)
- At least one local charity (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and vicinity)
At least one of these charities should focus on the welfare/education of girls/women. The charities
will be renewed every two years following the selection process presented by the Benefits team
and Operations Committee.
The SOPC will also sponsor foster children in need. The number is to be decided by the board.
ARTICLE X - MEETINGS OF THE HQ SACT OFFICERS' PARTNERS' CLUB
1. A Club meeting, in the form of a luncheon, will usually be held on the second
Wednesday of each month. There will be no luncheons in June, July, and August.
ARTICLE XI - AMENDMENTS AND REVISIONS OF THE BYLAWS
1. Any proposal to amend or review the Bylaws shall first be considered by the Steering
Group which consists of the President, Vice- President, Chairperson, Vice -Chairperson
and NLR leader.
2. After consideration, the proposals shall be forwarded to the members of the Board at
least one week before a regular or specially called meeting. Voting can be by show of
hands or by public or secret ballot. A majority of those present will decide whether any
particular motion is to be voted on by a show of hands or by public or secret ballot.
3. Proposals must be approved by a two-third majority of the members of the Board present
at the meeting. Members of the Board unable to attend the meeting for good reason, and
who have submitted their apologies in a timely fashion to the Secretary, may be allowed
to submit their vote by means of a proxy 2 .
4. Amendments or revisions not receiving the required approval by the Board may be
submitted to the members of the Club, to be voted on by secret ballot. A two-thirds
majority of the members shall be sufficient to approve any such amendment or revision.
5. Amendments and revisions submitted to the Club shall be circulated to the members in
advance, with directions for voting procedures.
ARTICLE XII - IMPLEMENTATION
These bylaws come into effect on May 6, 2013.
2 Authorizing their vote to be made on their behalf, either by the Secretary or an elected Board member.
All members of the Club are advised to be familiar with and abide by the Bylaws and Guidelines