Article I – Name
The name of the organization is the CRESTLINE SOARING SOCIETY, hereafter referred to as the SOCIETY.
Article II – Purposes of the SOCIETY
Section 1. The SOCIETY shall:
A. Encourage and promote the safe participation in hang gliding and paragliding.
B. Foster, support and conduct regional, national, and international competitions in the sports of hang gliding and paragliding.
C. Support and develop amateur athletes for competition and recreational hang gliding and paragliding.
D. Protect, regulate, maintain, and improve flying sites for pilots’ use.
E. Be organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, or scientific purposes within the meaning of section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
F. NOT support the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempt to influence legislation, and the SOCIETY shall NOT participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office.
Article IlI – Membership
Section 1. Membership Types:
A. General Membership – General Members enjoy all membership benefits and voting privileges. Members who have failed to pay their dues by one calendar year following their last membership dues payment shall be placed on the inactive members list until dues are paid.
B.Associate Members – Associate Members are granted flying privileges. Family members of the same household of a General Member are eligible to be Associate Members. Voting privileges are not automatically granted with the Associate Membership, but if combined with the Administrative or Honorary Membership, the vote as described in these memberships is allowed.
C. Administrative Members – Administrative Members may hold an office of the SOCIETY’s Board and vote at any function where General Members are voting. They receive full membership benefits with the exception of flying privileges. The Administrative Membership may be held in conjunction with Associate or Limited Membership in which case flying privileges are granted. Any person who runs for and wins an office of the Society will be automatically granted an Administrative Membership status.
D. Honorary Membership – Honorary Members may vote at any function where General Members are voting. They receive full membership benefits with the exception of flying privileges. Honorary Members are not Board members. The Honorary Membership may be held in conjunction with Associate or Limited Membership in which case flying privileges are granted.
E. Lifetime Memberships are awarded to members for outstanding service to the sport of hang gliding and paragliding. They have full benefits and privileges as a General Member for the duration of their lifetime.
F. Limited Membership – Limited Members are granted flying privileges. Voting privileges are not automatically granted with the Limited Membership but if combined with the Administrative or Honorary Membership, the vote as described in these memberships is allowed.
Section 2. Qualifications:
A. Flight privileges are allowed only to persons with current SOCIETY general, associate, lifetime or limited memberships, and liability insurance through the United States Hang Gliding Paragliding Association (USHPA), unless otherwise approved by the Board.
Section 3. Dues:
A. Dues shall remain the same from year to year unless a change is proposed by the Board. Any changes in annual dues for all membership types shall be enacted based on the rules and procedures outlining the modification of these By Laws by the SOCIETY Board as stated in Article VI, Section 1-C in this document.
B. All memberships expire after their term as stated at the time of purchase.
C. Changes to the price of any membership dues will not affect active memberships in good standing until after the term of that membership has ended (e.g., if the cost of a general membership is increased, general members would not pay the increased price until the next term of their membership).
D. Cost of all dues shall be set by the SOCIETY Board to ensure the continued operation of the SOCIETY and the facilities and operations for which it is responsible and to support its purposes as outlined in this document.
Section 4. Lifetime Members:
A. For their outstanding service to the freeflight community in Southern California and the Andy Jackson Airpark, Andy and Juanita Jackson are hereby named as lifetime members. Read more about their contributions here.
B. For their outstanding contributions to the freeflight community in Southern California and the Andy Jackson Airpark, Rob and Dianne McKenzie are hereby named as lifetime members. Read more about their contributions here.
Article IV – Distribution of Income and Assets
Section 1. General:
A. The SOCIETY will distribute its income for each tax year at such time and in such manner as not to become subject to the tax on undistributed income imposed by Section 4942 of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
B. The SOCIETY will not engage in any act of self-dealing as defined in Section 4941(d) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
C. The SOCIETY will not maintain excess business holdings as defined in Section 4943(c) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
D. The SOCIETY will not make any investments in such manner as to subject it to tax under Section 4944 of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
E. The SOCIETY will not make any taxable expenditures as defined in Section 4945(d) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
F. No part of the net earnings of the SOCIETY shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributed to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the SOCIETY shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of these purposes.
G. Notwithstanding any other provisions of these Articles, the SOCIETY shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on:
- by an organization exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of future tax code, or;
- by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of future tax code.
Section 2. Dissolution:
A. Upon the dissolution of the SOCIETY, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of future tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations that are organized and operated exclusively for 501(C)(3) purposes.
Section 3. Use:
A. All funds received by the SOCIETY will be used to support the purposes of the SOCIETY as described above in Article II.
Article V – Control of Funds
Section 1. Checking Account:
A. The SOCIETY shall maintain a bank account at any major financial institution in the State of California and all deposits shall be insured under the FDIC.
B. The SOCIETY bank account will be in three officers names, the president, treasurer, and a third officer, as determined by the executive Board. This third person cannot be related to any of the other officers.
C. The withdrawal of any SOCIETY funds shall require the signature of two of the three designated officers unless another amount of signatures is voted in by the Board.
D. Any purchases or expenses that would use 20 percent or more of the SOCIETY’s account balance shall be voted by the SOCIETY’s members.
E. The establishment of any contract between the CSS and any of its officers shall be governed by the IRS recommended conflict of interest policy for tax exempt organizations described in ‘Instructions for Form 1023 – Additional Material, Appendix A: Sample Conflict of Interest Policy’.
Section 2. Collection of Payments:
A. Payments collected electronically (via mobile app, point of sale device, or on the SOCIETY website) shall be processed and deposited directly to the SOCIETY bank account via secure mechanisms.
B. Cash payments to the SOCIETY shall be collected and deposited by the SOCIETY Treasurer, or another board member designee, in a timely fashion to the SOCIETY bank account.
Article VI – The Executive Board
Section 1. The Executive Board:
A. The executive Board shall consist of the elected officers.
B. The executive Board shall handle the regular business of the SOCIETY.
C. The executive Board shall be empowered to adjust membership dues as needed to ensure the continued successful operation of the SOCIETY. Any changes to membership dues, including, but not limited to, general, associate, and limited memberships, must be passed by a majority vote of current board members, either at an in-person meeting or via online voting tool.
Section 2. Board Meetings:
A. Regular meetings of the executive Board shall be held every other month (the day, time, and location to be determined by the Board) and open to the membership.
B. A quorum for conducting the business of the executive Board shall be not less than three (3) voting Board members.
Article VII – Officers
Section 1. Officers:
A. There shall be the following elected officers: President; Vice President: Secretary; Treasurer; Communications Director, Safety Director, Site Coordinator; Events Coordinator; and Past President.
Section 2. Replacement:
A. An officer who does not comply with assigned responsibilities may be relieved of office at an executive Board meeting by a majority vote of the executive Board members in attendance. Appointment of a replacement shall be made by the President with the approval of the executive Board.
Section 3. Committees:
A. The heads of committees shall be appointed by the president with the approval of the executive Board.
Article VIII – Elections
Section 1. Nominations
A. Nominations may be made in writing, in person, by mail, by e-mail, or by proxy to the secretary during the two months preceding or in person from the floor at the first executive Board meeting of the calendar year.
B. Nominees for office must have been either General, Associate, Administrative or Lifetime members of the Society for at least six months.
Section 3. Election Procedures:
A. An elections committee of three members shall be appointed by the president to conduct the elections according to the procedures set up in the standing rules.
B. Each general member shall have one vote.
C. Votes may be cast by mail, e-mail, online via electronic ballot, or in person on or before the day of the election.
D. Day of the election will be no less than thirty (30) days after the ballots are distributed to general members.
D. Elections will be by secret ballot.
E. All officers will be elected by a majority of votes cast.
Section 4. Term of Office:
A. Officers shall be elected for a term of one year, to serve from the time of the resolution of the election to the installation of the newly elected officers the following year.
Section 5. Transition of Officers:
A. There shall be a meeting of both the outgoing and incoming executive Board members immediately following installation.
Article IX – Duties of Officers
Section 1. President – The president shall:
A. Preside at all regular and special meetings.
B. Sign and execute all contracts in the name of the Society when authorized to do so by the executive Board.
C. Appoint committee heads.
D. Cosign checks.
E. Sign membership cards.
F. Call special meetings when necessary.
Section 2. Vice-president – The vice-president shall:
A. Perform the duties of an absent president.
B. Perform such duties as assigned by the president.
C. Cosign all checks in the absence of the president or treasurer.
Section 3. Secretary – The secretary shall:
A. Keep the minutes of all meetings.
B. Be responsible for all meeting notices.
C. Keep historical records for the Society.
D. Perform duties assigned by the executive Board.
Section 4. Treasurer – The treasurer shall:
A. Have charge of all the funds of the organization.
B. Pay all bills as required to maintain the Society’s activities.
C. Make a biannual financial report to the membership.
D. Cosign checks.
E. Maintain the Society checking/savings account.
F. Maintain the Society’s members record.
Section 5. Communications Director – The communications director shall:
A. Be responsible for and manage all Society communications, both offline and online, including printed and/or electronic newsletters and general/promotional communications on the Society’s primary website.
B. Represent the Society on any Society-maintained social media profiles (including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and any online forum in which the Society is to be represented).
Section 6. Site Coordinator – The site coordinator shall:
A. Represent the Society in site procurement.
B. Manage launch sites and landing zones under the direction of the executive Board to ensure necessary operation and maintenance.
C. Maintain all safety equipment owned by the Society.
Section 7. Safety Director – The safety director shall:
A. Enforce local site safety rules and regulations.
B. Coordinate actions to be undertaken in case of emergency.
C. Ensure that the Society maintains compliance with USHPA regulations.
D. Ensure that the Society maintains compliance with USHPA insurance requirements.
E. Maintain and revise (when needed) the Society’s site briefings.
Section 8. Events Coordinator – The events coordinator shall:
A. Promote and organize all Society activities and events.
B. Be on-site at all Society activities and events, or designate another Society member to be responsible for specific events.
Section 9. Past President – The past president shall:
A. Assist the incoming executive board in conducting all duties of the Society by providing information gained during the past term of office.
Article X – Meetings
Section 1. General Membership Meetings:
A. There shall be a semiannual general member meeting at dates set by the executive Board. Notice of such meetings shall be given to all general members at least thirty (30) days in advance.
Section 2. Special Meetings:
A. Special meetings may be called by the president or the executive Board. Special meetings may also be called by the president or the executive Board upon written notice of no less than 20 general members. Notice of special meetings shall be given to the general members at least thirty (30) days in advance.
Section 3. Quorum:
A. A quorum for conducting business of a regular or special meeting of the membership shall be no less than one fifth of the membership empowered to vote.
Article Xl – Discipline
Section 1. Discipline of Members:
A. Charges of professional dishonesty, working against, or performing actions contrary to, the principles and purpose of the Society, and/or injuring the professional standing of a member may be filed in a written statement signed by five general members in good standing and sent to the executive Board.
B. The accused member shall be notified in writing of the action and shall have the privilege of being present at a special or regular meeting of the executive Board, at which the charges will be considered.
C. The member may be suspended by a two-thirds vote or expelled by a three-fourths vote of the executive Board.
Article XII – Amendments
These articles and any amendments shall constitute the Society’s By Laws. The constitution may be amended or revised by an affirmation vote of two thirds of all general members and proxies present at a meeting designed for that purpose. Votes may be cast by mail, e-mail or in person on or before the meeting date. Copies of proposed amendments shall be given to members in writing at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting.
Last Revised: April 7, 2020