BYLAWS OF The German from Russia Cultural Preservation Foundation

ARTICLE I - NAME, PURPOSE

Section 1: The name of the organization shall be the Germans from Russia Cultural Preservation Foundation.

Section 2: The Germans from Russia Cultural Preservation Foundation is organized exclusively for charitable, scientific and educational purposes, more specifically to research, support, document, preserve, and expand awareness of the culture and heritage of the Germans from Russia and their ethnic descendents; and to provide humanitarian aid and educational opportunities.

ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: Membership shall consist only of the members of the board of directors.

ARTICLE III - ANNUAL MEETING

Section 1: Annual Meeting. The date of the regular annual meeting shall be set by the Board of Directors who shall also set the time and place.

Section 2: Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called by the President or the Executive Committee.

Section 3: Notice. Notice of each meeting shall be given to each voting member, by mail or e-mail, not less than ten days before the meeting.

ARTICLE IV - BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1: Board Role, Size, Compensation. The Board is responsible for overall policy and direction of the Foundation, and delegates responsibility for day-to-day operations to the President. The Board shall have up to nine and not fewer than three members. The board receives no compensation other than reasonable expenses.

Section 2: Meetings. The Board shall meet at least twice per year, at an agreed upon time and place.

Section 3: Board Elections. Election of new directors or election of current directors to a second term will occur as the first item of business at the annual meeting of the corporation. Directors will be elected by a majority vote of the current directors. Only donors to the GRCPF are eligible for board service.

Section 4: Terms. Board members shall serve three year terms, and are eligible for re-election.

Section 5: Quorum. A quorum must be attended by at least 50 percent of the Board members before business can be transacted or motions made or passed.

Section 6: Notice. An official Board meeting requires that each Board member have written/e-mail notice ten days in advance.

Section 7. Officers and Duties. There shall be five officers of the Board consisting of a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and the Foundation President. Their duties are as follows:

The Chair shall convene regularly scheduled Board meetings, shall preside or arrange for other members of the executive committee to preside at each meeting in the following order: Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.

The Vice-Chair will chair committees on special subjects as designated by the board.

The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping records of Board actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all board meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes and the agenda to each Board member, and assuring that corporate records are maintained.

The Treasurer shall make a report at each Board meeting. Treasurer shall chair the finance committee, assist in the preparation of the budget, help develop fundraising plans, and make financial information available to Board members and the public.

Section 8: Vacancies. When a vacancy on the Board exists, nominations for new members may be received from present Board members by the Secretary. Nominations shall be evaluated at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting and may be voted on at that time or be postponed until the annual meeting at the board’s discretion.

Section 9: Resignation, Termination and Absences. Resignation from the Board must be in writing and received by the Secretary. A Board member shall be dropped for excess absences from the Board if s/he has three unexcused absences from Board meetings in a year. A Board member may be removed for other reasons by a three-fourths vote of the remaining directors.

Section 10: Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board shall be called upon the request of the Chair or one-third of the Board. Notices of special meetings shall be sent out by the Secretary to each Board member ten days in advance.

ARTICLE V - COMMITTEES

Section 1: The Board may create committees as needed, such as fundraising, scholarship distribution, archives, and video/oral history projects, etc. The Board Chair appoints all committee chairs.

Section 2: The five officers serve as the members of the Executive Committee. Except for the power to amend the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, the Executive Committee shall have all of the powers and authority of the Board of Directors in the intervals between meetings of the Board of Directors, subject to the direction and control of the Board of Directors.

Section 3: Finance Committee. The Treasurer is chair of the Finance Committee, which includes three other Board members. The Finance Committee is responsible for developing and reviewing fiscal procedures, a fundraising plan, and annual budget plan with staff and other Board members. The Board must approve the budget, and all expenditures must be within the budget. Any major change in the budget must be approved by the Board or the Executive Committee. The fiscal year shall be the calendar year. Annual reports are required to be submitted to the Board showing income, expenditures and pending income. The financial records of the organization are public information and shall be made available to Board members, donors, and the public.

ARTICLE VI - AMENDMENTS

Section 1: These Bylaws may be amended when necessary by a two-thirds majority of the Board of Directors. Proposed amendments must be submitted to the Secretary to be sent out with regular Board announcements.

These Bylaws were approved at a meeting of the Board of Directors of The Germans from Russia Cultural Preservation Foundation on 7 November, 1999.