ARTICLE I. Name

The name of this organization is The IAGenWeb Project (IAGenWeb).

ARTICLE II. Description, Purpose & Organization

The IAGenWeb Project is a not-for-profit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to gathering and presenting Iowa genealogical and historical information for free, online access by researchers. This is accomplished by maintaining a general state website, individual websites for each of Iowa’s counties, and various “Special Project” websites.

ARTICLE III. Affiliations

The IAGenWeb Project is affiliated with The USGenWeb Project and subject to its bylaws and standing procedures.

ARTICLE IV. Membership

SECTION A. Members of the project are those individuals who:

1. Maintain an IAGenWeb county website (County Coordinators and Assistant County Coordinators) or
2. Maintain an IAGenWeb Special Project website (Special Project Coordinators and Special Project Assistant Coordinators) or
3. Hold a project-wide office or
4. Are declared Honorary Members by the Leadership Team.

SECTION B. Honorary Members may participate fully in all activities of The IAGenWeb Project; however, they do not have the right to vote.

SECTION C. The IAGenWeb Project is an equal opportunity organization and will not tolerate discrimination in any form on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, disability, or sexual orientation.

ARTICLE V. Officers

SECTION A. The officers of The IAGenWeb Project are the State Coordinator, Assistant State Coordinator, Immediate Past State Coordinator, Technical Support Team Leader, and two Welcome Hosts.

SECTION B. Each year one person is elected from the membership to serve a three-year term, the first year as Assistant State Coordinator, the second as State Coordinator, and the third as Immediate Past State Coordinator.

SECTION C. Duties of Officers

1. The State Coordinator is the leader and presiding officer, and the public representative of the project; appoints the Technical Support Team Leader, Welcome Hosts and Special Project Coordinators with the approval of the Leadership Team; appoints County Coordinators; and manages and maintains the archived mailing list (IAGEN-L@rootsweb.com) and the IAGenWeb Forum (http://iagenweb.org/forum/index.php).
2. The Assistant State Coordinator manages and coordinates County and Special Project reviews, and chairs the Election Committee.
3. The Immediate Past State Coordinator₁ serves as resource to the State Coordinator and Leadership Team, and substitutes for the State Coordinator when that person is unavailable.
4. The Welcome Hosts recruit, train and assist County Coordinators and Special Project Coordinators under the direction of the State Coordinator; and reply to or redirect visitor email received in response to the Join Our Team invitations.
5. Technical Support Team Leader manages and maintains the IAGenWeb website under the supervision of the State Coordinator and the Leadership Team.

SECTION D. Replacement of Officers

1. In the event the Assistant State Coordinator is unable to complete the term of office, a special election will be held immediately to select a replacement.
2. In the event the State Coordinator is unable to complete the term of office, the Immediate Past State Coordinator will complete the term and appoint another Past State Coordinator to serve as Immediate Past State Coordinator.
3. In the event the Immediate Past State Coordinator is unable to complete the term of office, the State Coordinator will appoint another Past State Coordinator to complete the term.

SECTION E. Removal of Officers

1. Any elected officer may be removed from office if cause exists for such removal. Cause for removal includes, but is not limited to gross, willful, and continued neglect of the duties of office, ethics violations, or conduct characterized by a lack of fairness and good faith that could be injurious to the project, its members, or representatives.
2. A petition signed by 33% of the current members must be presented to a member of the Leadership Team to initiate removal of an elected officer. The petition and a presentation of facts showing cause for removal must be posted on the archived mailing list within ten (10) days and at least thirty (30) days before a recall election takes place. The officer in question may provide a rebuttal to be posted on the archived mailing list. A simple majority of the votes cast in the recall election is required for removal.

ARTICLE VI. Leadership Team

SECTION A. Membership

1. The State Coordinator, Assistant State Coordinator, and Immediate Past State Coordinator are ex officio₂ members of the Leadership Team.
2. The Welcome Hosts and Technical Support Team Leader are advisory₃ members of the Leadership Team.

SECTION B. The State Coordinator serves as chair of the Leadership Team.

SECTION C. The Leadership Team is the board of directors of The IAGenWeb Project and has the responsibility and authority to act for the organization within the scope of the project bylaws.

SECTION D. The Leadership Team approves the appointment of all Special Project Coordinators and other statewide appointees.

SECTION E. The Leadership Team meets as called by the State Coordinator. A quorum consists of two members.

SECTION F. The Leadership Team reports to the membership as appropriate, but at least on a quarterly basis.

ARTICLE VII. County & Special Coordinators

SECTION A. County Coordinators and Special Project Coordinators agree to abide by The IAGenWeb State Rules located at http://iagenweb.org/state/rules.htm. These rules may not be changed except by a vote of the membership.

SECTION B. County Coordinators and Special Project Coordinators will keep the State Coordinator advised of their current address, phone number, personal email address, and county email address.

SECTION C. County Coordinators and Special Project Coordinators have the right to maintain their websites in the manner, style, and location of their choice as long as it is in keeping with the rules and procedures of The IAGenWeb Project and The USGenWeb Project.

SECTION D. County Coordinators and Special Project Coordinators may appoint Assistant County Coordinators as they choose. The County Coordinator will notify the State Coordinator or Assistant State Coordinator when appointing an Assistant County Coordinator and will provide their name, address, phone number, personal email address, and county email address.

SECTION E. County Coordinators and Special Project Coordinators may designate a Co-Coordinator for the county or special project, but they must be approved in advance by the State Coordinator. Co-Coordinators have identical rights and responsibilities, regardless of who was appointed first. When one Co-Coordinator resigns, the other becomes the sole County Coordinator automatically.

SECTION F. In any case where a County Coordinator or Special Project Coordinator fails to properly maintain and improve their site, or fails to abide by the standards of The IAGenWeb Project, the State Coordinator or their representative will provide assistance and counseling to remedy the situation. If that fails, the Coordinator is subject to removal by the State Coordinator. Any removal may be appealed to the Leadership Team.

ARTICLE VIII. Meetings and Communications

SECTION A. The IAGenWeb Project conducts an ongoing virtual meeting via its mailing list and the IAGenWeb Forum. All members must be subscribed to the mailing list. Members may participate in the IAGenWeb Forum if they choose.

SECTION B. Members may post items related to the business of the organization to the mailing list. The IAGenWeb Forum functions as an extension of the mailing list.

SECTION C. The State Coordinator or other member of the Leadership Team will post to the mailing list in a timely manner information of importance and interest to the members.

SECTION D. When an issue arises that requires a vote of the membership, the State Coordinator will instruct the Election Committee to conduct the election. The committee will announce the voting period on the mailing list, allowing appropriate time for notice and discussion.

SECTION E. The State Coordinator may determine that a topic is inappropriate for discussion on the mailing list and restrict discussion to the Forum.

SECTION F. A quorum consists of those members present.

ARTICLE IX. Elections

SECTION A. The Election Committee consists of three members. The Assistant State Coordinator serves as chairman and each July recruits one member to serve a two-year term.₄ The chairman may appoint additional advisory members as appropriate. The committee meets as necessary and reports to the Leadership Team.

SECTION B. The committee manages the general election each June, making appropriate announcements on the mailing list, coordinating issues to be voted on, recruiting candidates as necessary, setting dates for registration and voting, arranging for the voting mechanism, and reporting results to the Leadership Team.

SECTION C. When an issue arises that requires a vote of the membership at a time other than the general election, the State Coordinator will instruct the Election Committee to conduct a special election. The committee sets dates for registration and voting, allowing appropriate time for notice and discussion, and proceeds as with a general election.

SECTION D. Candidates are elected and issues decided by a simple majority.

SECTION E. Terms of office begin July 1. Voter-approved issues become effective immediately, unless otherwise specified.

ARTICLE X. Appeals & Grievances

SECTION A. All members have the right to appeal a decision of any IAGenWeb Officer to the Leadership Team. An appeal is considered a confidential communication between the Leadership Team and the member. The Leadership Team will respond to the member with an appeal decision within 30 calendar days of receipt of the appeal.

SECTION B. All members have the right to grieve any Leadership Team appeal decision as well as request assistance in resolving a dispute within IAGenWeb.

SECTION C. Whenever necessary, the Leadership Team has the authority to establish a Grievance Committee comprised of members drawn from a pool of volunteer members on a rotating basis throughout the year. Any decisions of the Grievance Commitee will be in the best interest of the complete IAGenWeb Project and within the Project Bylaws and rules.

SECTION D. Grievances can be submitted to any member of the Leadership Team.

ARTICLE XI. Finances

The IAGenWeb project has no dues and no budget, but does accept donations in kind. Members are expected to fund the incidental costs associated with presenting their websites.

ARTICLE XII. Parliamentary Authority

The parliamentary authority for IAGenWeb will be the latest edition of The Standard Code of Parliamentary Authority by Alice Sturgis.

ARTICLE XIII. Amendments to Bylaws

These bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the members of The IAGenWeb Project.

ENDNOTES

1. For the purpose of complying with Article XII, Section 1 of the USGenWeb Bylaws, the Immediate Past State Coordinator holds the status of Assistant State Coordinator.
2. An ex officio member becomes a member when elected or appointed to a particular office. An ex officio member is counted in determining the quorum and has all the rights and responsibilities of any other member of the committee, including the right to vote.
3. An advisory or consultant member has the right to attend meetings, participate in debate, and make motions, but is not counted in determining the quorum and does not have the right to vote.
4. At the time these bylaws take effect, in addition to appointing a member to a two-year term the Election Committee chair will appoint the current Senior Poll Monitor to a one-year term on the Election Committee.

The Bylaws Committee:
Richard “Isaiah” Harrison, Chair, Jones County Coordinator
Karen De Groote-Johnson, Grundy, Humboldt & Webster County Coordinator
Barbara Hug, Jasper County Coordinator
Debbie Nash, Jefferson Assistant County Coordinator
Mike Peterson, Chickasaw & Dickinson County Coordinator
Peggy Tebbetts, Welcome Hostess, Mahaska, Poweshiek & Sioux County Coordinator
Sharyl Ferrall, Advisory Member, State Coordinator, Iowa Old Press Special Project Coordinator, Allamakee & Clayton County Coordinator
Greta Thompson, Advisory Member, Assistant State Coordinator, Iowa Family Group Sheets Special Project Coordinator, Butler & Marion County Coordinator