Mission of Reason - Full Member Home Page

This is a Draft of the most recent web version of
the Mission of Reason Chapter Bylaws Template
that has yet to be approved by the board

Chapter Formation Guidelines

The requirements set by Mission of Reason for chapter formation
are as follows:

1.        A group of 5 or more people who are members of the
Mission of Reason or a Mission of Reason special interest group.
2.        A petition signed by these members requesting recognition
as a chapter and identifying the interim offices.
3.        A set of chapter bylaws, approved by the board of Mission of
Reason and adopted by these members in writing and,
4.        A plan for meeting and for carrying forward chapter activities
and for furthering the goals of the Mission of Reason.

While any Mission of Reason member might encourage and
support the creation of a new chapter, members in the geographic
area to be served should be the primary constituents of the chapter
and the embodiment of its activities.

The following are some steps that are general guidelines for
chapter formation:

1.        Initial contact: A member from the geographic area
constacts the MOR board and presents the interest of a group of
members in forming a chapter.
2.        Response to Initial contact: The MOR board responds to the
request. IF there is already an MOR chapter in the area, the
requestor is informed and given the information to contact that
chapter. If there is no existing chapter, the board will provide
guidance and receive materials on how to start a chapter. A SIG
Chapter (Special Interest Group chapter) is also possible in a local
region, but becomes a sub-division of an MOR global SIGs in a
geographic region. If the response is positive, the initiator will
receive a copy of the ACM bylaws and the chapter bylaws sample
along with any other relevant information. Multiple requests for a
chapter from a single area will be asked to coordinate a joint
request.
3.        Identification of core volunteers: The requestor should
indicate the individuals who will take responsibility for the chapter
formation, and for managing and conducting chapter activities and
events. Usually these individuals will make up the executive
committee of the chapter.
4.        Submit petition for charter and draft of bylaws: Submission
of the petition for charter and draft of the bylaws initiates dialog with
the MOR board regarding the structure unique characteristics of
the chapter. Generally the only differentiating characteristics from
the template should be geographic region and possibly a SIG
emphasis. MOR events and activities may not include the serving
of alcohol, use of fire, or include travel as part of the event. These
restrictions are to limit liability and risk for the chapter and for
MOR. Chapters must also maintain a ledger of all financial
activities and log of all activities that are both submitted to MOR no
later than January 30th of each year. All relevant laws applicable to
the chapter will be followed.
5.        Bylaws Draft Approval: Once a initial draft of the bylaws is
negotiated, a formal draft of the bylaws, signed by the group of
members founding the chapter, is sent to the board prior to any
local public announcement..
6.        Organizational Public Announcement: Once the bylaws have
been approved, the local MOR chapter should begin a public
relations campaign announcing the formation of the chapter locally
so that interested individuals can be aware of the opportunity to
participate. This should include local mass media, general MOR
direct marketing, and any associated publicity options.
7.        Organizing Meeting. The organizing meeting shall be
advertised locally and open to the public. The organizing
volunteers need to invite local individuals to join MOR and become
founding members and signatory to the petition form chapter
formation. A list of interim officers (who must be MOR members)
are included with the petition. Any indication of dues, donation
collection and management, and activities management must be
described as part of the petition package. Any local laws
pertaining to charity status must be addressed and the local
petitioners can work with the guidance of the MOR board.
8.        Authorization: Pending a successful review of the petition
and bylaws, the MOR board will authorize the group to have
ordinary chapter meetings under the name “Mission of Reason.”
The review will be performed by a vote of the MOR board and this
review will establish the duration of the renewable charter.
Charters are generally issued for three-year renewable terms.
Charters can be revoked at the discretion of the MOR board. For
SIG Chapter authorization, the relevant SIG membership will be
consulted. The charter will be issued to the interim officers.
9.        Announcement: A public relations campaign will be
implemented at the local level to advertise the formation of the
local chapter and indicate the first meeting date and time.
10.        Initial Ordinary Meeting: The first MOR Chapter ordinary
meeting should follow the standard MOR guidelines and all MOR
Chapter meetings should be open to the public. There should be
some topical presentation, a brief presentation of what MOR is and
what its goals are. It is the option of the local chapter whether a
children’s component or college student forum is necessary.
11.        Once the chapter has received its charter, the chapter
officers may open a bank account, file for a bulk mail permit for not-
for-profit organizations, and proceed with the chapter activities
under the 501(c)3 status of MOR as appropriate according to
federal, state, and local laws. Funds handled by the chapter shall
be used for chapter activities only in accordance with the goals and
guidelines of MOR.

---end of chapter formation proceedures