By-Laws

ARTICLE I – NAME, PURPOSE

Section 1: The name of the organization shall be the Future Society of Central Oklahoma.

Section 2: The Future Society of Central Oklahoma promotes the advancement of science, literature, history, and the arts through educational lectures, seminars, and workshops. The annual convention “SoonerCon” is our main outlet for these activities. Each year, we bring industry professionals and contributors in the fields of science, humanities, publishing, visual and digital arts, filmmaking, and media to share their skills and experiences with our members and the general public, with a critical program focus of science fiction, fantasy, and popular culture interests.

ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: Voting membership shall consist only of the members of the Board of Directors. Non-voting membership in the Future Society of Central Oklahoma is open to anyone who wishes to join.

Section 2: Annual dues: The amount required for annual dues shall be set by a majority vote of the board of directors. Membership shall be considered current for a period of one year beginning on date of purchase.

Section 3: Rights of members: Each member shall be eligible to appoint one voting member to cast the member’s vote in Society elections.

Section 4: Responsibilities of members: Members agree to abide by all Society policies and established procedures. If members participate on FSCOK committees, members agree to comport themselves in accordance with these policies and procedures at all times when conducting any business on behalf of the Society.

Section 5: Resignation and termination: Any member may resign by filing a written resignation with the secretary. Resignation shall not relieve a member of unpaid dues or other charges previously accrued. A member can have their membership terminated by a majority vote of the board.

Section 6: Non-voting membership: The board shall have the authority to establish and define nonvoting categories of membership.

ARTICLE III – SEMI-ANNUAL MEETINGS

Section 1: Semi-annual Meetings. The date of the Semi-annual meetings shall be set by the Board of Directors who shall also set the time and place, to occur in the months of January and August each year.

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

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

ARTICLE IV – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1: Board Role, Size, and Compensation. The Board is responsible for overall policy and direction of the Future Society of Central Oklahoma, and delegates responsibility for day-to-day operations (including funds and asset management, event planning, fundraising, outreach, etc.) to the Future Society of Central Oklahoma’s committees. The Board shall have up to five and not fewer than three members. The board receives no compensation other than reimbursement for reasonable and documented expenses.

Section 2: Meetings. The Board shall meet at least semi-annually, at an agreed upon time and location.

Section 3: Board Elections. Election of new directors or election of current directors to a subsequent term will occur as the first item of business at the August meeting of the Future Society of Central Oklahoma Board of Directors (Board) meeting. Directors will be elected by a majority vote of the current directors.

Section 4: Terms. All serving Board members shall serve one-year terms, but are eligible for re-election.

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

Section 6: Vacancies. Vacancies on the board will be filled from the general membership of the Future Society of Central Oklahoma, through nomination by the remaining serving Board members, with a two-thirds vote of the remaining board required for approval.

Section 7: Resignation, Termination, and Absences. Resignation of a serving member from the Board must be in writing. A serving Board member who misses three Board meetings in a year without prior notice shall be considered to have resigned when business closes at the end of the third meeting missed. A serving Board member may be removed for other reasons by a two-thirds vote of the remaining directors.

Section 8: Officers and duties. There shall be five officers of the board, consisting of a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and member-at-large. Their duties are as follows:

• The president convenes the executive board in regular meetings and planning sessions. They monitor progress of all FSCOK special committees and aligns their work with organizational mission and goals. They may also serve on these committees. The president volunteers at FSCOK and partner organization’s events, develops community relationships to increase awareness and engagement at SoonerCon, aids strategic planning and goalsetting for the FSCOK organization and stakeholders, and serves as the organization’s primary executive point of contact.
• The vice president is prepared at all times to assume the role of board president, if necessary. The vice president, whose knowledge and commitment mirrors that of the president, may serve in the president’s place for board activities and in the spokesperson capacity. The president may delegate special assignments to the vice president, who also works closely with committees to carry out the board president’s vision and directives.
• The secretary is responsible for the various administrative needs of FSCOK. These include: Preparation and publication of FSCOK board meeting agendas and materials, taking meeting minutes (or designates a person for the task), publishing meeting minutes following board’s review and acceptance, filing various forms with Oklahoma Secretary State office, ensures all records are up to date and maintained for FSCOK organization, completes vendor correspondence and RFPs or bid requests as needed, actively participates at FSCOK events and may serve on its subcommittees, as well as assists with fundraising efforts such as community outreach, promotion, donor correspondence and lead cultivation. The secretary is prepared to assume the leadership role when the president and vice president are unavailable.
• The treasurer serves as the financial officer. If the organization has a finance committee, the treasurer is its chairperson. The treasurer applies their knowledge of accounting to monitor finances, while directing the preparation of financial reports and summarizing the reports for the board. They work with other board officers and committee chairs to develop financial plans and prepare the organization’s budget. The treasurer reviews the annual audit and tax forms and presents the financial material to the board.
• The member-at-large oversees the activities of the Society and ensures FSCOK is a healthy and viable member organization. They are an ambassador of the organization. They serve as the liaison between the membership and the board by being available for discussion of any concerns that members might have. Service in this role includes: Providing leadership, governance, and oversight; participating in meetings, strategic planning, budgeting; serving on FSCOK committees; acting as a liaison to external stakeholders; assisting in identifying and recruiting volunteers and membership; ensuring FSCOK policies are carried out and recommending modifications as needed; and aiding the advancement of FSCOK’s mission by offering regular feedback and insights from its membership.

ARTICLE V – COMMITTEES

Section 1: The working committees of the Future Society of Central Oklahoma, such as standing and ad hoc committees, task forces, and advisory councils, shall be selected by the Board annually from the general Society membership. Duties of these committee members and leadership will be specified as needed by the Board for the execution of the annual convention and other Future Society of Central Oklahoma activities as they occur.

Section 2: Committees do not have governance responsibilities but may provide reports and recommendations to the board regarding its governance practices for the Society’s continued development and fulfillment of its mission.

Section 3: Chairpersons. Chairpersons shall be appointed by a majority vote the board at the time of committee selection to serve in this oversight role for the annual term. They shall be considered the designated responsible party for the satisfactory completion of all committee duties and affiliated activities.

Section 4: Resignation. Any committee member may resign by filing a written or offering a verbal resignation to the chairperson or a designated leadership member within the committee. Chairpersons may resign by filing a written resignation with the board secretary.

Section 5: Performance improvement and termination. Committee members and chairpersons may be terminated by a majority vote of the board. Termination proceedings will occur following the demonstrated failure by the committee member (or chairperson) to resolve all elements of a written performance improvement plan by its assigned end date. Performance improvement plans will be issued following documented reasonable attempts to conduct coaching and counseling with the member to resolve performance concerns.

Performance improvement plans for chairpersons will be administered and evaluated by the Future Society of Central Oklahoma president. Performance improvement plans for committee members will be administered and evaluated by the chairperson, who will provide a written recommendation for termination or retention of the committee member to the Board in advance of any termination proceeding. The chairperson may terminate a committee member following review and acceptance of this recommendation by the Board.

For any performance improvement plan to be considered valid by the Society, it must be outlined as a memorandum of understanding containing specific performance improvement strategies and assignments, evaluation criteria, start and end date periods, and shall include the physical or electronic signature of the member and administrator. A written copy of the performance improvement plan and evaluation shall be provided to the member prior to any termination proceeding.

ARTICLE VI – USE OF FUNDS

Section 1: Revenue gained by the Future Society of Central Oklahoma shall be used exclusively for the educational purposes as specified in Article I, section 2 of this document. The majority of the funding will support the annual convention “SoonerCon.” Money not used during the fiscal year will be applied to the following year’s convention and other activities.

Section 2: In the event of dissolution of Future Society of Central Oklahoma, any funds and assets remaining at the end of the final fiscal year will be donated to another 501(c)3 organization.

ARTICLE VII – OKLAHOMA LAW

Section 1: The Future Society of Central Oklahoma, being formed as an Oklahoma State corporation, will be subject to the rules and regulations of the State of Oklahoma.

ARTICLE VIII – 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 Board to be sent out with regular Board announcements.

These Bylaws were initially approved at a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Future Society of Central Oklahoma on January 24, 2016, and most recently updated at a meeting of the Board held October 04, 2021.