FRIENDS OF THE PHILADELPHIA CITY INSTITUTE BRANCH OF THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA BY-LAWS
FRIENDS OF THE PHILADELPHIA CITY INSTITUTE BRANCH OF THE FREE LIBRARY
OF PHILADELPHIA
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I
The name of this organization shall be the Friends of the Philadelphia City Institute Branch of the
Free Library of Philadelphia.
ARTICLE II
Purpose
Section 1. The Friends of the Philadelphia City Institute Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia
shall be a voluntary non-profit organization of persons whose purpose it is to help promote and
provide for fuller utilization of all physical and cultural facilities of the Philadelphia City Institute
Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
A. To promote knowledge of the resources, services, needs and values of the library.
B. To secure the support of the community in augmenting services not provided for in the City
Budget.
C. To stimulate gifts of books, magazines, collections, endowments and bequests.
D. To provide more cultural activities for our community.
E. To develop better citizenship through better reading.
F. To support the budget request of the Free Library of Philadelphia and any desirable legislation.
Section 2. Said organization is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational and
scientific purposes, including for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that
qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue code of 1954 (or
the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue code.)
No part of the net receipts of the organization shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its
members, trustees and officers.
The organization is authorized to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make
payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in this article.
No substantial part of the activities of the organization shall be lobbying, or attempting to influence
legislation. The organization shall not participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of
any candidate for public office.
The organization shall not carry-on activities prohibited to exempt oganizations by Section 501(c)(3)
or 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or by corresponding provisions of any future
United States Internal Revenue code.
Section 3. Upon the dissolution of this organization, 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 any future federal tax law or local government, for a public purpose.
ARTICLE III
Membership
Section 1. Membership in this association shall be open to all individuals and organizations
interested in the purpose of this group.
Section 2. Each dues-paying member shall be entitled to one vote.
ARTICLE IV
Governing Body
Section 1. The governing body consists of four officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer and
Secretary) who comprise the Executive Committee, at least three members at-large and chairs and
co-chairs of standing committees. All seven are voting members and four is a quorum. The PCI
Branch Manager will be a non-voting member.
ARTICLE V
Officers and Members-at-Large
Section 1. The officers of this organization shall be a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary.
Section 2. Officers and Members-at-Large shall be nominated by a Nominating Committee. This
committee shall be appointed by the Executive Committee.
Section 3. Officers and Members-at-Large shall be elected for two-year terms, with two-year
extensions possible. There is a term limit of 6 years total for officers. Terms will be staggered among
the officers.
Section 4. Should any officer or Member-at-Large be unable to complete his or her term of office,
the Executive Board shall appoint a successor to serve until the next annual meeting.
ARTICLE VI
Duties of Officers
Section 1. President: to preside over and conduct meetings, to appoint all committees, except as
limited herein, and to be ex-officio a member thereof.
Section 2. Vice President: to perform the duties of the President in the absence to the President and
to assist the President as requested.
Section 3. Treasurer: to keep and maintain the financial records of the organization and to
cooperate with the Director and Budget Officer of the Free Library of Philadelphia with respect to
the solicitation and receipt of dues, contributions and gifts.
Section 4. Secretary: To record attendance at all meetings and to take minutes of all meetings.
Section 5. Members-at Large shall be assigned such duties as the President determines, subject to
the approval of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VII
Standing Committees
Section 1. There shall be a standing Membership committee. All other committees are ad hoc.
Other committees may be created by the President with the approval of the Executive Board.
Section 2. Chairs or Co-Chairs of the standing committees shall be appointed annually by the
President with the approval of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VIII
Meetings
Section 1. A special meeting of the membership may be called at any time by the Executive Board,
with written notice of its purpose being mailed to the membership at least three weeks in advance.
Section 2. Meetings of the Executive Board shall be held quarterly. Special meetings may be called
by the President. A majority of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum. All Board meetings
are open to members of the Friends of the Philadelphia City Institute Branch.
ARTICLE IX
Dues
Section 1. Dues shall be payable as each person becomes a member and annually (or by monthly
installments) thereafter.
There shall be four classes of membership:
Student ......................... $5.00
Individual......................$25.00
Household/family............ $35.00
Sponsor...................... $100.00 or more
ARTICLE X
Fiscal Year
Section 1. The fiscal year shall run from July 1st through June 30th. All funds shall be deposited to
the Friends of the Philadelphia City Institute Branch and shall be disbursed by the Treasurer as
authorized by the executive officers or the Executive Board.
ARTICLE XI
Amendments
Section 1. Amendments to these By-Laws may be made at any board meeting by a two-thirds vote
of the members present, after notification in writing to each member at least three weeks before the
meeting at which voting is to take place.
Section 2. A revised draft of the bylaws will be distributed via email. Those without email addresses
will be sent the draft document via standard mail. There will be a stated, limited time period for
membership responses. If there are no objections, it will be assumed that approval has been granted.
ARTICLE XII
Parliamentary Procedure
Section 1. Robert’s Rules of Order, revised, when not in conflict with these By-Laws, shall govern
the proceedings of the organization.
Adopted June 14, 1997
Amended February 9. 2005
Amended December 2014
Amended April 2021