See RULES
See BYLAWS


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CORNERSTONE MORGAN HORSE CLUB RULES

Membership
Membership in Cornerstone Morgan Horse Club is open to anyone who breeds, owns, or admires Foundation bred and high-percentage Foundation bred Morgan horses.   AMHA membership is not required, and members do not need to own a Morgan horse.

Annual dues for membership are $25.00 for an individual membership, $35.00 for a family membership, and $10.00 for a non-voting Youth membership for youth under the age of 18.  Each individual or family membership represents one vote. Membership runs from January 1 to December 31.  Members who have not paid dues for the current year by January 1 will be notified by email, and if dues are not paid by February 1, the member will be removed from the membership list and the chat lists. Dues are non-refundable.  Membership includes subscription to the members-only Cornerstone Morgan Horse chat list on yahoo.com, quarterly newsletter with free farm news and classifieds for members as well as discount group ads in all different advertising venues. Members are encouraged to participate in the chat list, as that is where the majority of club business is conducted. 

Members are expected to support the mission of the club and abide by the rules and by-laws.  Prospective members should read the by-laws, mission and purpose statements, and the rules of the club before joining.  These will be posted on the club web site, and can be forwarded by any Director from the “files” section of the club chat list site on request.

Organization
The club is structured according to the bylaws, with a Board of Directors  composed of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, and three to five directors at-large, elected by the members to serve two-year terms.  Vacancies may be filled by appointment of the Board of Directors if someone leaves office between elections. Board meetings are held as needed via private internet chat group, or conference call.

Committees will be formed as needed to handle specific aspects of club business. Committees currently active include Advertising, Website, Newsletter, Promotion,  Fund-raising, and Membership.  Short-term committees may also be formed to facilitate specific projects.

Committees consist of volunteer members, and should include at least one member of the Board of Directors.  A Director should serve as chairperson of the committee. As the club has taken shape, committee leadership has evolved organically, so existing committee chairpersons who are not Directors shall continue in office, but if the leadership of the committee changes, the new chairperson should be a Director. If there is more than one Director on a committee, the committee shall decide which one is to be a chairperson by agreement or by vote at the committee’s discretion.
Committees shall create private chat lists for the purpose of conducting committee business.  It is suggested that input from the membership at large be put in the form of specific questions, and that the “nuts and bolts” of committee work take place on the committee chat list, rather than on the general list, for the sake of efficiency.
It is strongly suggested that members limit their committee membership to two, and certainly no more than three committees, so more members can participate and so all committee members can be active participants.
Committees will take ideas from within the committee, from the membership at large, and from the Board of Directors, and shape them into concrete proposals, including what is to be done, when it is to be done, an estimate of the cost of the project or proposal, and a specific member or member who will be in charge of the project. The proposal will be submitted first to the Board of Directors for discussion and approval, and then to the membership at large for discussion and to vote on whether the club wishes to pursue the project.  In accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, a proposal put to the membership for a vote must be specific, and the vote must be strictly “yes”, or “no” – any major changes or modifications should be made in the “discussion” part of the process, with the vote a simple yea or nay to accept the proposal in its final form.

Committees shall report to the Board of Directors and to the membership at large on a regular basis. If a committee is actively working on a project or project, the reports should be made at least weekly, otherwise committees should report at least monthly. The Director(s) on each committee should report to the Board of Directors via the Board chat list, and the committee shall report to the membership via the membership chat list.  Committees may also wish to submit articles about their activities to the newsletter.

Decision-making Process:          
Most club decisions are made by vote of the membership in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order. However, the Board of Directors is selected in part as a decision-making body, and some decisions will of necessity be made by majority vote of the Board of Directors in the interest of efficiency.

Proposals for club activities should first be referred to the appropriate committee for consideration. Any club member is welcome to propose ideas for club activities and discussion of activity ideas is encouraged on the chat list.  Committees, guided by the response of the membership at large on the chat list, and input from the Board of Directors, will select ideas to follow up on, research what is involved, including costs, and create a proposal based on the idea to submit to the Board for discussion and approval. 

Decisions regarding club activities will be discussed and voted on first by the Board of Directors.  A majority vote of Directors is necessary to approve a project or proposal for submission to the membership.  The proposal or project is then presented to the membership for final voting.  If the project is a creative effort such as the logo, or an advertisement, it will be presented as a finished product, and will be discussed and voted on with a yes or no vote.

Discussion is encouraged during the voting period, and members should feel free to express their thoughts about the project or proposal, and attempt to influence other members’ votes, as long as the discussion remains civil. Please remember that proposals and projects represent someone’s hard work, and it is possible to disapprove, object, or make suggestions for improvement without being insulting. 
If a vote involves multiple options, in the form of a poll with several choices,  the voting will be regarded as a “yes or no” vote on each choice – the selection the member makes receives a “yes” vote, the other choices automatically receive a “no” vote. The option with the most “yes” votes will win.  Most voting will take place via anonymous poll on the chat list site. Any member can see how the results of the poll are standing and change his or her vote as long as the poll is open. Closing dates for the poll will be clearly posted both in the poll itself and on the list. Proxy votes may be submitted by phone or email to any TWO directors, in the event that a member will be unable to vote on the chat site. Proxy votes will be tabulated after the official poll is closed.
Tie votes will be decided by majority vote of the Board of Directors.
If a project or proposal is voted down, but the members have clearly expressed a willingness to accept it with modifications, the committee may, at its discretion, decide to modify the project or proposal in accordance with the members’ input and submit it again. Otherwise, once voted down, the project or proposal is considered dead.
Members are encouraged to actively participate in the decision-making process by making proposals and suggestions, by commenting on projects and proposals during the discussion and voting period, and by participating in the work of committees. Once voting is concluded, however, it is also expected that members will accept the decision of the club. Complaining about the outcome of a properly made decision is generally unproductive and will be discouraged.

Chat List Rules
The chat list was created primarily to serve as a running meeting of the club membership.  Members are encouraged to discuss any issue or share what is going on with them and their horses, as long as the discussions do not run contrary to the mission of the club, and as long as a civil tone can be maintained. Please remember that the archived messages serve as informal meeting minutes, and make sure posts represent the club well in tone and content.
The list will be moderated by the Secretary and the President. These officers reserve the option of closing or redirecting any discussion that becomes negative or uncivil in tone, or wanders from the purpose or mission of the club.  Generally this will be accompanied by an explanation of why the discussion is inappropriate.
Violation of chat list policy will result in a member being placed on “moderate” status, with his or her posts subject to approval by the moderators.

Please take personal disputes, misunderstandings, and disagreements to PRIVATE email for resolution with the individuals involved.

Moderators and Directors will NOT remove anyone from the list at their request. Members will only be removed from the list by Directors after February 1 if their memberships are not renewed for that year. If a member wishes not to participate in the list, unsubscribing is that member’s individual responsibility. The procedure for unsubscribing is contained in a link at the bottom of each email from the list.  A member who unsubscribes from the list is still considered a member of the club until the end of the membership year, and may rejoin the list at any time. In addition, members who wish not to participate on the list may at any time change their individual email settings to “no mail” or to “digest” on the yahoo site.   Any member who is subscribed can read archived messages and post to the list from the group’s page at yahoogroups.com even if their email settings specify “no mail”.
ALL Cornerstone Morgan Horse Club chat lists, including the Director’s list, the committee lists, and the general membership list have a strict NO CROSS POSTING policy.  That means no forwarding of posts from these lists to other lists or individuals, and no “multiple posts” in which a post is addressed to this list and other lists or individuals.  Members are free to share information about the club and its activities with others, but please do so in your own words in a separate post, not by forwarding posts. This is important because members who post to the list do so with the understanding that they are sharing with a specific audience in a closed forum.
While the list is open to any and all discussions relative to our Foundation Morgans, please keep in mind that the primary purpose of the list is to conduct club business and discuss club activities. The club is focused on promotion and what we are doing with our horses.  General discussions of type and specific bloodlines are more suitable to the Foundation Morgan Horse discussion list. Discussions of type and conformation should ideally be of the “form and function” variety.

In ALL conversations on the list it is of the utmost importance to keep the tone POSITIVE and POLITE.  No flaming or bashing of bloodlines, horses, groups, individuals, ideas, or organizations will be tolerated. It is possible to express an opinion without running anyone down.  A good rule of thumb is, before posting, to consider how you would feel if what you are about to say was directed at you, your horses, your ideas, or an organization you care about.  Remember that part of our mission is to be inclusive and to support and encourage people with horses that are not only 100% Foundation but of high percentage Foundation breeding.  Any post of the “bashing” or “flaming” variety will be removed from the archives and the poster will be put on “moderate” status.
All communications with outside organizations or groups, or posts to the general list or the files, that purpose to represent the club or its policies must be approved by the BOD before they are posted or mailed.

Club Representation
Club members are welcome to link to the Club website on their web pages or use a link to the Club website in email signatures. Club members may also display the Club logo as a badge on their farm websites.

Any other use of the Club name, logo, or literature in a public context  must be approved by the Board of Directors.

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CORNERSTON MORGAN HORSE CLUB BYLAWS

ARTICLE I. NAME
The name of this organization shall be: The Cornerstone Morgan Horse Club.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSE
A.  To work together to promote, preserve, and honor the history, image, and progeny of the Foundation Morgan Horse., with the goal of increasing  the breeding, use, showing, and enjoyment of these unique and special horses.

B. To improve, promote and perpetuate the genetic purity of Foundation Morgan horses defined as: Morgans with no Saddlebred outcrosses after 1930 (ie. means no horse foaled after 1930 with a Saddlebred parent) with the exception of the registered offspring of the Saddlebred mare Ladelle.

C. To cooperate with the AMHA Inc. in promoting the Morgan Horse.

D. To provide a united voice and effort in support of the Foundation Morgan Horse.

E. To promote good fellowship and sportsmanship among Cornerstone Morgan members.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
A. Membership shall be open to anyone interested in the purposes of the Cornerstone Morgan Horse club.

B. Dues: Annual dues shall be determined by the Board of Directors and are payable on or before December 31 of each year.

C. Annual dues and other monies due to the club shall be paid in full to qualify as a member in good standing.

D. All dues shall be paid in US currency.

E. Each adult membership shall have one vote.

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS & DUTIES

A.  President, shall be elected for a term of two years, and shall preside at all meetings of the Club and the Board of  Directors. 

B.  Vice-President, whose term of office shall be two years, shall exercise any power or duty of the President in his or her absence.

C. Secretary, shall be elected for a term of two years, post all notices to members, carry on Club correspondence and keep accurate minutes of all meetings. 

D. Treasurer, shall be elected for a term of two years, receive all funds, pay all bills of the Club and  keep full and accurate  account of all receipts and disbursements.  The Treasurer shall deposit all money and other valuable effects in the name of the Club in such depositories as may be designated by the Board of Directors and maintain membership records.

E. Directors:
A. Three to five additional Directors shall be elected for a term of two years.  The immediate past President shall be a Director.

F. The Board of Directors shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Directors, and shall meet periodically, via private chat list, Skype, or teleconference, as necessary to govern the affairs of the club.  The Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and all Directors shall each have one vote during Board of Directors meetings. It shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to fill any vacancy created during an unexpired term of office, and to designate an auditor annually.

ARTICLE V. COMMITTEES
A. Nominating Committee shall consist of three members appointed by the Board of Directors to nominate a slate of Officers and Directors.  At least one of whom shall be a Director.

B. Committees to oversee club activities shall be formed as needed, and shall include at least one Director.

C. Activities undertaken by the club shall be approved by a majority of voting club members

 
ARTICLE VI. ELECTIONS
Elections shall be held at the Annual Meeting.

A. Nominations shall be accepted from the floor following the report of the Nominating Committee.

B. Candidates and Voting members shall be members in good standing with the Cornerstone Morgan Horse club as stated in Article III. Membership.

C. Elections shall be by Secret Ballot, from voting members present or absent.  The presiding officer shall appoint at least three club members, who are neither running for office nor are a current member of the Board of Directors, as tellers to count the ballots.

ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS
The Board of Directors and working committee meetings may be via Skype, a private chatlist or by teleconference for Directors only.

A. Notice to all members shall be postmarked at least 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting and shall include a ballot.

B. Special Meetings may be called any time by the President or the Secretaries or by any two members of the Board of directors.

C. For any Board of Directors or working committee meetings, a quorum shall consist of a simple majority.

ARTICLE VIII. PARLIMENTARY AUTHORITY

Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with the most recent edition of Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised.

ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS
A.   No changes by amendment may be made to the mission statement.

B. The definition of a Foundation Morgan Horse (as defined in Article II B.) shall never change under any circumstances and cannot be amended by any officer or member.

C. Bylaws shall be endorsed by a two-thirds majority of all votes cast. Ballots may be counted concurrent with the election of officers

ARTICLE X. FISCAL YEAR

The Fiscal Year shall run from January 1st to December 31st.

ARTICLE XI. DISSOLUTION
In case of dissolution, Cornerstone Morgan Horse club shall be transferred to a non-profit organization with purposes similar to those of Cornerstone Morgan Horse club, as designated by the Board of Directors. If the Cornerstone Morgan Horse Club is ever transferred, the definition of Foundation Morgan (as defined in Article II B.)  cannot ever change under any circumstances.