The Washington State Geocaching Association was founded on September 8, 2002. A group of interested geocachers met to discuss the formation of a statewide organization, in part because of a common goal to preserve geocaching in state parks. Here is a photo of that original group:
The association was given the name that it has today. Officers were elected at this first meeting, including Seth! (Seth! Leary) as President and Moun10Bike (Jon Stanley) as Vice-President. Ddog-n-ma (Heidi Hudlow) and BillP3rd (Bill Parrot) were named Treasurer and Secretary, respectively.
Shortly after the formation of the WSGA, its bylaws were adopted. They appear below.
Bylaws
Article I: NAME
The name of the organization is the Washington State Geocaching Association, hereafter referred to as the WSGA.
The purposes of the WSGA are to:
The WSGA shall have two categories of membership: Individual and Commercial. Any individual who subscribes to the purposes of the WSGA as described in Article II may join the WSGA. Businesses and organizations may join as commercial members. GPS receiver dealers may join as commercial members. Membership expiration date is December 31st of each year.
An individual may not hold more than one membership. Commercial memberships are treated as single sites. Multiple locations of the same business or organization must join independently.
Dues shall be established from as deemed appropriate for the various categories by the Board of Directors. Individual dues may be established in multiple categories at various fees, but voting rights shall not be affected by the category of membership selected.
Individual and Commercial Memberships shall be for the period of one (1) year and shall expire on the date specified in Article III. Memberships begun after the start of the dues period shall be prorated on a monthly basis. Dues are payable immediately upon joining and thereafter on the next nearest expiration date.
All members regardless of their membership category shall have equal voting rights with no more than one (1) vote per membership. Notification of the election of Board Members shall be given to the General Membership by mail at least fourteen (14) days in advance.
Absentee voting shall be allowed for elections. Proxy voting shall not be allowed for elections. Proxies may be submitted by Board and Members-at-Large for voting on Association business. Association business shall ordinarily be conducted at the Business Meetings. At the President's discretion, Board business that requires a vote may be conducted via telephone or electronic means for issues that require immediate action, provided that a reasonable attempt is made to notify all Board members of the vote.
The management and administration of the affairs of the WSGA shall be governed by a Board of Directors consisting of seven members: the four officers comprising the Executive Committee and the three Members-at-Large, one of whom will be the immediate past president (if available).
The Nominating Committee of the WSGA shall be responsible for reviewing and screening potential candidates being considered for service on the Board of Directors as set forth in Article X. Final selection shall be approved by the General Membership at the second-to-last General Membership Meeting of each calendar year.
Vacancies on the Board shall be announced at the next General Membership Meeting, in email and on the web site prior to an election to fill the vacancy. This election will take place at the next General Membership Meeting following the announcements. Individuals elected to fill vacancies will serve the remainder of the standard term of office.
A Board Member's term in office shall be one year and serve until duly replaced. Board Members may be re-elected on an annual basis.
Board Members are required to attend 75% of Business Meetings, excluding excused absences. Board Members shall be encouraged to serve on at least one committee.
The Board of Directors shall oversee the affairs and business of the WSGA. The Board will make policies and set guidelines to govern the affairs of the WSGA. The duties of the Board will include planning all organizational functions, adopting and implementing policies consistent with the purposes of the WSGA, and establishing budget and staffing levels necessary to fulfill the policies and implement the decisions of the Board.
All WSGA Board Members shall avoid any conflict between their individual, professional or business interests and the interests of the WSGA. On any deemed conflict of interest by a Board Member, notice shall be given to the President and that Board Member shall then refrain from discussing or voting on any related issue.
Standing committees of the WSGA are:
Executive
- The Executive Committee will consist of the following:
- President
- Vice-President
- Treasurer
- Secretary
Advocacy
Education & Outreach
The President with Board approval may appoint members to the committees as well as designate the committee chairman. The President with board approval may establish special committees as required. Committee membership shall be reviewed by the board on an annual basis.
Committees shall submit a budget to the treasurer by the first Business Meeting of the year for expenses expected to be incurred during the upcoming year.
The WSGA shall have a President, a Vice-President, a Treasurer and a Secretary.
The duties of the officers are as follows:
The President shall:
The Vice-President shall:
The Treasurer shall:
The Secretary shall:
Business Meetings will be held quarterly at a minimum (four times per year), or more often if required. At these meetings all of the regular business of the WSGA will be conducted. The Board will be the decision making body for this business but all members are invited to attend and provide input and/or become more active in the conduct of WSGA business. All meetings will be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order, latest edition. Business may also be conducted by telephone or other electronic means as specified in Article V.
General Membership Meetings will be held as often as designated by the Board, usually monthly. The purpose of the General Membership Meetings shall be to discuss and approve current initiatives, solicit involvement and provide a forum for the exchange of information among members. Agenda items may include slide shows or video tapes of geocaching areas and activities, or educational presentations.
Elections shall take place as the first order of business at the last General Membership Meeting of the year.
A Nominating Committee of three willing members shall be established by random draw by the Board Vice-President from among the members of the Board, at least one month prior to each election providing sufficient time for the list of nominees to be emailed to the General Membership and published on the web site prior to the election.
The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of willing candidates to the Secretary for publication on the web site prior to the meeting at which the elections will take place. Additional candidates may be nominated at the Business Meeting just prior to the elections.
All members in good standing (not in arrears for dues) will have an equal vote for the purpose of electing the Board. Election to a position will be by simple majority of those present and voting at the Business Meeting. If the first ballot fails to produce a majority for one candidate, a runoff of the two with the most votes will be conducted.
The Board of the WSGA will be solely responsible for the bylaws of the WSGA. The Board may adopt, amend, or repeal the bylaws only at any Business Meeting after a minimum of 72 hours of advanced written notice providing the specific contents of the proposed action given to each Board member. The Board may then approve any proposed bylaw change with a two-thirds vote of approval.
As determined by the Board, any member whose actions are deemed to run counter to the best interests of the WSGA shall be subject to disciplinary action. Any action taken shall be with a two-thirds vote of the Board. Disciplinary actions that may be taken include removal from the Board or the membership.
Should the Board feel that disciplinary action is necessary, the Board will schedule a vote and contact the member to be disciplined to ensure that the member can have an opportunity to speak in his or her defense if he or she so chooses. There is no appeal process.
A simple majority in all cases will constitute a quorum.
The WSGA shall not discriminate against people on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or any legally protected characteristic.
Dissolution of the WSGA may occur by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors. In the event of dissolution, all remaining assets, if any, shall be transferred to the nearest geocaching-related organization approved by the Board.