Bylaws

ARTICLE I - Name

The corporate name of this Public Charity shall be the Northeast Arkansas Paranormal Society. It shall also be referred to informally by its acronym, NEARPS.

ARTICLE II - Objectives

To aid and assist those who are experiencing paranormal phenomenon by looking for authentic evidence of the paranormal and offering assistance in cases where paranormal activity is confirmed.
To aid and assist the general public, traveling throughout the Mid-South. To establish and require of all members such professional standards of integrity, ability and conduct as will command for it the confidence of the public by admitting to this membership only those persons who have established character and recognized ability.
To preserve the good name and integrity of the profession by requiring from its membership at all times full observance of the highest standards of professional conduct.
To promote professional and social interaction among its members.
To encourage the proper training of persons who desire to become Paranormal Investigators,
To secure the proper recognition of the practice of paranormal investigation.
To endorse and support continuing professional education.
To protect the interest of its members and to promote their welfare.
To conduct paranormal investigations at locations visited frequently by the public, where paranormal activity is reported to have occurred, to seek evidence to support or refute such claims.
To seek, using scientific methods and equipment, undisputable proof that paranormal activity as it relates to ghosts and hauntings, does indeed exist.
To make distributions of funds, when available, to other organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

ARTICLE III - Board of Directors

Initial Directors. The initial board of directors shall consist of three (3) persons. The initial directors shall serve until he or she either voluntarily resigns or is removed from office
Number, Election and Term. The number of directors to serve on the board of directors may be amended by a duly adopted resolution of the board of directors, however, this number shall not be less than the minimum number required by Arkansas law. All directors shall serve life terms. New directors shall be nominated by a majority vote of the members but must be approved by affirmative votes of 100% of the remaining directors.
Powers. The activities and assets of the corporation shall be managed and controlled by the board of directors which shall exercise all the powers of the corporation and do all acts and things as are not, by law, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws, directed or required to be done or exercised by the members.
Meetings; Quorum. Regular meetings of the board of directors shall be held at such places, within or without the State of Arkansas, and on such days and at such times as shall be fixed from time to time by the board of directors. Rules of procedure for the conduct of such meetings shall be adopted by resolution of the board of directors. Notice of such regular meetings need not be given. A majority of members of the board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but a lesser number may adjourn to another day if a quorum is not present. The act of the majority of the directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the board of directors, unless the act of a greater number is required by the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws. Special meetings of the board may be held at any time and place, within or without the State of Arkansas, upon the call of the chairman of the board, the president or secretary of the corporation by written notice delivered to each director not less than three (3) days before such meeting; provided, however, that any director may, at any time, in writing, waive notice of any meeting. Attendance of a director at any meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of the meeting except where a director attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. For purposed of this section, "delivery" of notice of a board of director's meeting may be accomplished either by hand−delivery, through the U.S. Postal Service, through a private parcel carrier service, or electronically by electronic mail transmission. "Delivery" is completed upon receipt by the director through any of the aforementioned means except when delivery of notice is by U.S. Postal Service or private parcel carrier service, in which case, delivery shall be completed upon delivery of the notice to the director's last known home address.
Director meeting via telephone conference. Directors may appear at a meeting of the board by means of telephone conference or similar communication system whereby all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, and participation in a meeting in this manner shall constitute presence in person at the meeting. Furthermore, a director appearing at board meeting via telephone conference shall also be allowed to vote by this medium. Furthermore, it is permissible for all directors to appear at a meeting of the board of directors via telephone conference or similar communication system.
Action by Consent. Any action which is required to be or may be taken at a meeting of the directors may be taken without a meeting if consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, are signed by all the directors. The written consent may be executed in several identical counterparts by the directors with the effect as if the directors had executed a single document.
Resignation and Filling of Vacancies of Directors. Any director of the corporation may resign at any time by giving written notice of such resignation to the board of directors, the chairman of the board, or the corporation. Any such resignation shall take effect at the time specified therein or, if no time be specified, upon receipt thereof by the board of directors or one of the above named officers. Vacancies on the board and newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the number of directors to constitute the board of directors may be filled by a duly approved resolution of a majority of the directors then in office. If the directors remaining in office constitute fewer than a quorum of the board, they may fill the vacancy by the affirmative vote of all the directors remaining in office. Any director elected to fill a vacancy or a newly created directorship shall serve until he or she voluntarily resigns or is removed from office. The death of any director shall be treated as a voluntary resignation by the corporation. No one under the age of 21 years of age shall be nominated or elected to fill a vacancy on the Board of Directors.
Compensation of Directors. Directors, as such, may receive such compensation and be reimbursed for expenses of attendance at any meeting of the board as shall be determined by resolution of the board of directors. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to preclude any director from serving the corporation in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefore.
Committees. The board of directors, by resolution adopted by a majority of the whole board, may designate two or more members to constitute a committee. Each such committee, to the extent provided in such resolution, shall have and may exercise the authority of the board of directors, as so delegated in the resolution, in the management of the corporation; but the designation of such committee and the delegation thereto of authority shall not operate to relieve the board of directors, or any member thereof, of any responsibility imposed upon it or such member by law.
Power and duties of the board of directors. The property and business of the corporation shall be controlled and managed by the board of directors; however, the board may delegate duties to the officers of the corporation to the full extent allowed by law.
Removal of directors. The board of directors may, by resolution adopted by the unanimous vote of the remaining two (2) directors, remove a fellow board member.
Director Titles. The titles of the members of the Board of Directors shall be as follows: Director of Operations -- The Chairman of the board

Director of Information -- Shall preside in the absence of the Director of Investigations.

Director of Investigations -- Shall fill in for either of the remaining two directors in the event of his or her absence.

ARTICLE IV - Termination and Resignation of Membership

The Directors, at its discretion, shall have the right to terminate without a hearing the membership of a member:
1. who fails to pay any dues, assessments or other indebtedness to the Team within two (2) months of being given written demand for payment to the member;
2. who fails to abide by the objects of this, the corporation’s Bylaws; or its Code of Conduct,
3. who is convicted of any felony or misdemeanor, or
4. who fails to comply with the attendance policy set forth in the member guidelines.
.
The Directors, at their discretion, shall have the right to accept the resignation of a member regardless of the basis for the resignation.
Any former member who shall request reinstatement of membership shall complete the application procedure set forth in Article XIII. In the event the applicant for reinstatement is one who was terminated pursuant to preceding Section 1(a) of this Article IV, then all arrearages in dues, assessments or other indebtedness to the Team and any dues or assessments that would have been payable between the date of termination of membership and the date of reinstatement had membership not been terminated must be paid in full; provided, however, the Directors shall have the right to waive all or a portion of the afore stated reinstatement amount.

ARTICLE V - Meetings, Investigations, and Attendance Policies

The fiscal year of the Team will begin July 1 in each year and the annual meeting of the Directors shall be held each year.
Special meetings may be called at any time by a majority of the Directors. At such a special meeting no business shall be transacted except such as shall be specified in the call thereof.
Notice of all meetings shall be sent via email to each member prior to the date of the meeting. In case of a special meeting the notice shall state the purpose of the meeting.
The order of business at any regular meeting shall include, but not be limited to, call to order, roll call, reports team leaders, committee reports, and old and new business.
The Director of Investigations or any two (2) Directors may call a meeting of the Directors at any time. It shall be the duty of the Director of Information to notify the Directors before the proposed meeting.
The Directors shall hold meetings as often as necessary to enable it to govern the Team, but in no case shall the Directors meet less than one (1) time during any fiscal year.
Members will be notified of upcoming meetings, investigations, public appearances, etc. via the Paranormal Talk message forum, the NEARPS online calendar, and/or via email. It is the members’ responsibility to check the calendar and make sure email addresses are kept updated so to insure the notifications will be received. The Directors will make phone calls occasionally, but the methods above will be the primary methods of notification. The Director of Information holds the primary responsibility of notifying Directors, members, and guests of the Date, Time, and Location of every meeting or investigation once notified of said meeting or investigation by the Director of Operations.
Any combination of six (6) unexcused absences, whether meeting or investigation, within a twelve month time period MAY result in immediate dismissal. A member will receive participation points for each activity in which they are in attendance. In the case where it is not possible for all members to attend an investigation due to space constraints, the members who has the most participation points will be selected to attend. In the rare case when two members have the same number of participation points, then the members' seniority will be used to break the tie. The Director of Operations has final authority regarding who attends an activity.
Members' meetings will be held monthly and will usually be held on the first Friday of the month.
Any member who does not attend the monthly meeting will not be allowed to participate in any activity scheduled for the group for that month. Exceptions to this may only occur when approved by the Board of Directors, and for good cause.
Members must keep dues payments up to date to attend any group activity. Any member who is ten (10) days overdue or more is considered suspended until payment is made in full. Exceptions to this may only occur when approved by the Board of Directors, and for good cause. Dues may be paid at monthly meetings, but when a monthly meeting is not held, it is the members responsibility to make payment via U.S. Mail, Electronic Debit thru PayPal, or deliver it personally to a member of the Board of Directors.
Every attempt will be made to hold at least one investigation or one training exercise per month and will usually be held on Friday evenings.

ARTICLE VI - Team

The governing body of the corporation shall be the Directors, each of whom shall be a member of the Team in good standing. The Director of Operations of the corporation shall be the Chairman of the Directors and he or she shall preside at all Director’s meetings and at all member monthly meetings. In addition to the powers conferred upon the Directors herein, it shall have such other powers as are ordinarily given such boards by custom or law.
The Directors shall be composed of no less than (3) members, including the Director of Operations, the Director of Information, and the Director of Investigations. Two (2) members of the Directors named above shall constitute a quorum. The corporation's members shall each have a vote on matters which are not specifically resided over by the Board of Directors.
In case of resignation, disqualification or death of any team leader or director, the Directors shall have the power to elect a member to serve out the unexpired term of such team leader or director. New directors may be nominated by members, but the Board of Directors will make the final decision.
A majority vote of the Directors present at any meeting of the Directors attended by a quorum shall be necessary on any question brought before it unless otherwise provided in these bylaws.
The Director of Operations or any two (2) Directors may call a meeting of the Directors at any time. It shall be the duty of the Director of Information to notify the Directors before the proposed meeting.
The Directors shall hold meetings as often as necessary to enable it to govern the corporation, but in no case shall the Directors meet less than one (1) time during any fiscal year.

ARTICLE VII – Team Leaders

The Team Leaders of this corporation shall be appointed as necessary by the Director of Operations. The Directors have the highest authority among all members present at any activity, including Team Leaders.
Any Team Leader may be removed without notice by the Director of Investigations.
The Director of Operations shall preside at meetings of the Team's membership and Directors. In the absence of the Director of Operations, the presiding officer shall be the Director of Information, if present, or if not, the Director of Investigations.
The duties of the Director of Operations shall notify persons elected to membership of their election; ; shall keep a register of the names and addresses of the members of the Team; shall receive all money payable to the Team; shall have charge of all the funds and securities of the Team; shall keep regular accounts thereof as instructed by the Directors; shall pay only such funds as are authorized by the Directors; and shall deposit all funds as instructed by the Directors. The Director of Operations may delegate such responsibilities as deemed advisable to one of the remaining Directors.
The duties of the Director of Information shall be to preside at investigations, general membership and Director’s meetings when the Director of Operations is unable to attend shall conduct correspondence relating to the corporation, to give notice of meetings of the members and of the Directors and keep a record of all matters of which a record shall be ordered by the corporation.
The duties of Director of Investigations shall be to preside at investigations, general membership and Director’s meetings when the Director of Operations and Director of Information are unable to attend.
The Director of Operations shall appoint such committees, committee members and committee chairs as the Directors deem necessary.

ARTICLE VIII - Voting

Every member shall be entitled to vote at meetings of the corporation. Members unable to attend meetings may vote by proxy. Proxies must be signed by the members so voting and must be in the hands of the Director of Information prior to the opening of any meeting at which the voting takes place. The authenticity of each proxy shall be determined by a committee of three (3) appointed by the Board of Directors.
No member shall be entitled to vote in person or by proxy unless all dues, assessments or other indebtedness to the Team are current on the date of the meeting.

ARTICLE IX - Funds

The amount of annual dues of the corporation shall be set by the Board of Directors and are subject to change at the discretion of the Board of Directors.
In meritorious cases the Directors may grant an extension of time for payment or may cancel any dues, assessments or other indebtedness of any member and may order the exemption of any member from any dues, assessments or indebtedness, which may become due in the future. This would only be for good cause and when such actions would benefit the corporation.
Effective 8/1/2010 dues are $5 a month and are due on the 1st of every month and considered late if not paid on or before the 7th of every month. Dues are subject to a $2 late fee if not paid by the 7th of any month. Members can avoid this by attending a meeting if we have one and paying in person, by paying electronically via PayPal, or by mailing a check or money order to the address below.
Make checks payable to: Chuck or Dana Crow

Northeast Arkansas Paranormal Society

C/o Charles or Dana Crow

PO BOX 68
Saint Francis, AR 72464
Members can also avoid monthly late fees by paying dues for an entire year in the amount of $60.Yearly dues payments are due on July 1st of each year and are considered late after the 15th day of July. A $5 late charge will apply if not paid by the 15th of July.
Any member with late dues may not participate in any activities until payment is made in full. (Refer to Article V)
NEARPS will never solicit donations from clients. However, donations will be accepted, if offered, and any funds acquired will be used as needed to further any of the objectives set forth in Article II, and to the corporation in carrying out its daily business.
All NEARPS investigative services shall be provided free of charge. NEARPS reserves the right to impose a fee upon organizations requesting seminars and/or classes to be held or attended by NEARPS representatives. Any fee imposed would be used strictly to cover the cost of transportation and/or lodging as required.
Member dues must be paid to retain membership with NEARPS, they are due for each and every month a member remains a member, regardless of the number of meetings, investigations, etc. held in that particular month.

ARTICLE X - Amendments

Amendments to the constitution and bylaws of the corporation, which must have been previously considered by the Directors and given either a do pass or do not pass recommendation, may be approved at a regular or special meeting of the corporation by a three-fourths (¾ ) majority of the members voting in person or by proxy.
A copy of every proposal to amend the constitution and bylaws shall be set out in the call for the meeting at which the proposed amendment will be voted upon and shall be sent to each member before the date set for the meeting.

ARTICLE XI - Complaints Against Members

Any complaint referred against a member of the organization should be submitted to the Board of Directors, provided it is made in writing and signed by the person or persons presenting the complaint, and the complaint, which shall be examined promptly, shall be kept confidential by the Directors. The Directors shall determine whether to dismiss the complaint or sanction the offending member.
Notice of termination or suspension from membership as a result of a disciplinary action taken in every matter pursued under this Article XI shall be published in a membership publication of the Team in a form approved by the Director of Information. In every case the notice shall disclose the name of the member involved if the Directors so decide by a majority.

ARTICLE XII - Member Induction

The induction of new members into the Northeast Arkansas Paranormal Society shall be governed as follows:

1. Persons interested in becoming a member of NEARPS shall first read and understand these governing Bylaws, the Code of Conduct, and Membership Guidelines. These documents are all available online at www.nearps.com .

2. Interested parties shall complete and submit the online Membership Application after reading all the materials listed in Section 1. If an application is submitted to the Board of Directors with empty fields, it will be discarded. All fields on the application must be filled in.

3. Once an application is approved, the applicant will receive an email notifying them of the date, time and location for an in person interview with the Board of Directors. Members of the Board will then be asking the applicant questions pertaining to his/her background with the paranormal. They may also ask you questions on how you would respond to various situations. They will also be asking you questions about your personal and work schedules to make certain the applicant can dedicate the required time to NEARPS. We need members we can depend on, so if an applicant cannot make investigations, meetings, and other public activities, there is no need to apply. Applicants will usually be notified whether their membership is approved / not approved at the interview.

4. Once an applicant is approved, he/she is expected to pay at least his/her first month of dues and order and pay for a NEARPS T-Shirt, if desired. He/she will also be required to sign the NEARPS Membership agreement and the Liability Waiver. Applicants under the age of 18 will also be required to submit a permission form signed by a parent or legal guardian.

5. As of 8/1/2010 dues are $5 a month and are due on the 1st and considered late if not paid on or before the 7th. Dues are subject to a $2 late fee if not paid on or before the 7th of any month. Members can avoid late fees by paying dues for an entire year in the amount of $60. (See Article IX)

6. Newly inducted members will serve a probationary period of 90 days from the date of induction. The probationary period will begin on the date entered on the membership agreement form. This probationary period gives the Board of Directors a chance to assess the members skills, abilities, composure, honesty, and level of dedication. They will be looking at a members ability to follow instructions, retain things they have been taught, attendance, sincerity, professionalism, and adherence to NEARPS rules and bylaws just to name a few. Members found to be lacking in any area will be dismissed. Members will be considered investigator trainees until the probationary period is expired. If, after the end of the probationary period, a member has not been dismissed from the group, they will then be promoted to the rank of investigator and become a full fledged member of NEARPS. They will then be eligible to receive a nearps.com email address (for a small fee) and also be eligible to fill a manager position or become an officer. They may also be elected to the NEARPS Board of Directors.

7. The Board of Directors reserves the right to extend a member's probationary period in lieu of dismissal if The Board feels a member would better benefit from extra training and could become a valuable asset to the group if given a few more months of training.

8. The Director of Operations holds the highest responsibility pertaining to the induction of new members, and to their impending training.

ARTICLE XIII - Professional Conduct

The rules of professional conduct of the Team shall consist of the Code of Conduct and Membership Guidelines as now constituted and as may be hereafter amended. The Code of Conduct and Membership Guidelines also contain our Standard Operation Protocols for investigations which must be followed.