BYLAWS
HONOLULU UNITED
HONPA HONGWANJI BUDDHIST WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION
ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Honolulu United Honpa Hongwanji Buddhist Women’s Association, hereinafter called the Honolulu United BWA and shall be affiliated with the Honpa Hongwanji Mission, Hawaii Federation of Buddhist Women’s Associations.
ARTICLE II: HEADQUARTERS
The headquarters address of this organization shall be c/o Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, 1727 Pali Highway, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813.
ARTICLE III: PURPOSES
1. To promote and propagate Buddhism based on the Teachings of Jodo Shinshu.
2. To coordinate activities of the BWAs in the Honolulu United district.
3. To promote fellowship among the members.
4. To participate in activities that will promote and improve the general welfare of the community.
ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP COUNT, DUES AND FEES
Section 1. All members of the Units (Hawaii Betsuin, Jikoen Hongwanji and Moiliili Hongwanji) assigned to the Honolulu United district are members of this organization, provided membership fees have been remitted.
Section 2. Membership dues of active and associate members shall be remitted annually to this organization by the participating Units.
ARTICLE V: BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND TERMS OF OFFICE
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the Executive Board and Representatives of the three Units in the Honolulu district: Hawaii Betsuin, Jikoen Hongwanji and Moiliili Hongwanji.
Section 2. The term of office is the calendar year from January 1 to December 31.
Section 3. The number of Representatives shall be based on one (1) Representative for every twenty (20) paid members and a major fraction thereof, but not less than five (5) Representatives from each Unit. Each temple Unit shall select its own Representatives.
Section 4. Unit Representatives shall serve for one year and may be selected for consecutive terms.
ARTICLE VI: EXECUTIVE BOARD, TERMS OF OFFICE & DUTIES
Section 1. The officers shall be the President, Immediate Past President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer and two (2) Auditors and the Federation Director(s). They shall constitute the Executive Board.
Section 2. These officers shall serve for two (2) years and may be re-elected for the same office for another consecutive term.
Section 3. The duties of the officers are:
A. President shall:
1) preside at all meetings,
2) appoint all committee chairs (except for the Nominating Committee),
3) submit an annual report at the annual General Membership meeting,
4) attend the Hawaii Federation Representative Assemblies, and
5) perform other duties pertaining to her office.
B. Immediate Past President shall:
1) serve as the adviser to the President,
2) attend all meetings with voice and vote.
3) serve as chair of the General Membership Meeting Minutes Approval Committee, and
4) review the bylaws and policies in consultation with Units and may recommend amendments to the Board of Directors.
C. Vice President shall:
1) assist the President in every way possible,
2) in case of the President’s inability to perform her duties or in case of a vacancy in the office, the Vice President shall assume the Presidency,
3) represent Honolulu United on the Federation’s Student Exchange Committee, and involve all Units in carrying out the program, and
4) perform other duties pertaining to her office.
D. Recording Secretary shall:
1) record the minutes of all meetings,
2) provide minutes of the General Membership Meeting within 30 days of the meeting to President for review prior to processing by the Minutes Approval Committee,
3) be in charge of all documents,
4) disseminate minutes to the members of the Board of Directors and Advisers, and
5) perform other duties pertaining to her office.
E. Corresponding Secretary shall:
1)handle correspondence for the organization,
2) keep all correspondence on file,
3) assist the recording secretary, as requested
4) in consultation with the HU and Unit presidents submit news of the United and forward the news of the Units for the HI Federation of BWA’s Newsletter, and
5) perform other duties pertaining to her office.
F. Treasurer shall:
1) keep an accurate account of all receipts and disbursements,
2) be responsible for the collection and accounting of all dues and assessments,
3) submit a financial statement at all business meetings,
4) submit the annual report to the auditors by March 1,
5) submit a duly audited annual report at the annual General Membership meeting,
6) serve as a member of the Finance and Budget Committee, and
7) perform other duties pertaining to her office.
G. Auditors shall:
1) audit the accounts of the Treasurer,
2) submit annual auditors report and recommendations to the Executive Board by March 31 after the close of the year,
3) be signatories on the annual financial report, and
4) perform other duties pertaining to her office.
H. Federation Director shall:
1) attend bi-annual Hawaii Federation Representative Assemblies as the Honolulu United’s Representative,
2) forward Federation meeting minutes to the Unit Presidents, and
3) present a written/oral report at the next HUBWA quarterly meeting.
Section 4. Should there be a compelling reason for a decision to be made by the Board of Directors between scheduled meetings, the Executive Board shall meet on call of the President. The decision made by the Executive Board at these meetings shall be considered final, provided the entire Board of Directors is notified of the decision within twenty-one (21) days of the called Executive Board meeting.
ARTICLE VII: ADVISERS
Section 1. The minister of the temple to which the President belongs shall serve as the adviser.
Section 2. The Bishop’s spouse shall be an Honorary Adviser and shall have voice and vote provided she is a paying member of the organization.
ARTICLE VIII. COMMITTEES
Section 1. With the exception of the Nominating Committee, Chairs of all Standing Committees and Ad Hoc Committees shall be appointed by the President.
Section 2. The Standing Committees are:
A. Budget and Finance: shall annually prepare the budget for the coming year and monitor the income and expenditures of this organization.
B. Dana: shall receive the annual Dana allocation and select the community organizations or groups, duly certified under IRS Section 501 (c)(3) to which, donations will be made. Selections shall be made following input from the Board of Directors.
C. Education: shall plan and carry out the education workshop; also provide advice and assistance to the Units in matters relating to Buddhist programs, as requested
D. Membership: shall plan and carryout membership workshop/conference and maintain membership records. Receive a count of active members and names of associate members from the Units and submit the count of active and associate members to the Hawaii Federation Membership Chair and support recruitment and retention efforts.
E. Nominating: shall be responsible for preparing a slate of candidates for the Executive Board. Its composition and duties are listed in Article XII, Sections 1 and 2.
Section 3. An Ad Hoc Committee may be appointed by the President with the advice of the Executive Board and shall be disbanded when the stated duty, responsibility or activity has been accomplished.
ARTICLE IX: VACANCIES
Section 1. In case of any vacancy among the Representatives, the temple concerned shall fill it.
Section 2. Any vacancy in the Executive Board shall be filled by a person appointed by the President and confirmed by the majority vote of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE X: MEETINGS
Section 1. There shall be a mandatory Annual General Membership Meeting of the Honolulu United BWA.
Section 2. The Board of Directors shall meet every quarter. Special meetings may be called by the President, provided fourteen (14) days notice has been given.
Section 3. The Executive Board shall meet on call of the President, provided it has been notified seven (7) days prior to the meeting.
ARTICLE XI: QUORUM
Section 1. At the General Membership Meeting, fifty (50) members shall constitute a quorum provided there is representation from each unit.
Section 2. At the Board of Directors meeting, ten (10) members shall constitute a quorum provided there is representation from each unit.
Section 3. At an Executive Board meeting, five (5) members shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE XII: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1. The Nominating Committee shall be composed of one (1) Representative from each Unit.
Section 2. The committee shall meet to select its Chair and prepare the slate of candidates for the Executive Board. The committee shall then circulate this proposed slate to all members of the Board of Directors at least fourteen (14) days prior to the election date.
Section 3. At the election board meeting, additional nominations from the floor should be called for, before the election is held.
Section 4. Majority vote shall determine the election.
ARTICLE XIII: FINANCES
Section 1. The fiscal year of this organization shall be from January 1 to December 31.
Section 2. The President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be authorized to sign checks for disbursements. To be valid, each check for amounts $500 or greater shall require two authorized signatures.
ARTICLE XIV: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Parliamentary procedure at all meetings shall be based on Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws .
ARTICLE XV: AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Any provision of these Bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Board of Directors, provided the proposed amendment is submitted in writing to the members of the Board at the quarterly meeting prior to the meeting at which the discussion and vote are to take place. A two-thirds (2/3) majority of the members present shall be required to approve the proposed amendment.
Section 2. Unless otherwise stated prior to adoption or in the motion to adopt, an amendment to these bylaws shall become law of Honolulu United BWA at the close of the meeting at which it shall have been adopted.
Adopted: January 13, 1986
Amended: Dec. 10, 1990, Sept 8, 1996, June 10, 2000, Sept. 27, 2003, Sept. 26, 2008, Dec. 13, 2008, Sept. 24, 2011, Feb. 7, 2015, June 20, 2015, May 13, 2017, April 29, 2018, Nov. 23, 2019, Nov. 21, 2020