Krewe Babalu Galveston Organizational By Laws

Krewe Babalu Galveston Organizational By Laws last updated 2017 by the Krewe Babalu Board of Directors

BY LAWS

KREWE BABALU of Galveston

ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of this corporation is Krewe Babalu of Galveston (hereinafter referred to as
the “Krewe Babalu” or “Krewe”).

ARTICLE II: MISSION
The mission of the Krewe is to organize and sponsor social and charitable events for
the membership of the Krewe in celebration of the Carnival Season and Mar di Gras;
and to promote civic, social and charitable activities in and around the city of
Galveston throughout the year.

ARTICLE III: MOTTO
The motto of the Krewe is “Amigos para Siempre” (friends forever)

ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Definition
1. Members of the Krewe shall include all persons who apply, have paid in full the
membership dues and been approved by the Board of Directors.
2. The Board of Directors reserves the right to refuse membership to anyone.
3. The number of members is limited to two hundred (200) individuals.
4. Membership is limited to persons twenty-one (21) years of age or older.
5. Dues and terms of membership shall be set by the Board of Directors.
6. A “Member in Good Standing” shall be defined as a member who is current on
all dues and fees to the Krewe and has not been found by the Board of
Directors to have violated these Bylaws.

Section 2: Privileges
1. Each member in good standing shall be entitled to vote on any issue presented
to the Membership.
2. Only members in good standing may exercise the right and privileges of
membership. Membership privileges include participation in any and all official
Krewe activities such as committee membership, or committee chair, serving on
the BOD, earning points, etc. Members are entitled to purchase, wear, use or
display any of the regalia or materials of the Krewe, which has been designated
as exclusive to Krewe Members. This shall include but be not limited to the
official Krewe Babalu jackets
3. The Board of Directors shall have the right to revoke an individual’s
membership if that member:
a.) violates the Articles of Incorporation of the Krewe.
b.) violates the By Laws of the Krewe.
c.) is convicted of any criminal offense above a class “C” misdemeanor.
d.) engages in behavior that places himself or others in danger of bodily injury or
otherwise negatively impacts the safety of any individual of the Krewe event
e.) behaves, at a Krewe event, in a manner that the Board finds damages or may
damage the reputation of the Krewe.
4, A member whose membership has been revoked, shall refrain from identifying
himself as a member of the Krewe and shall not use the name, logo, regalia or
properties designated as exclusive to members

Any member whose membership has been revoked by the Board of Directors,
shall have the right, upon written request to the Board of Directors, to a hearing before
the Board of Directors to determine that member’s membership status. The member in
question shall be given at least ten days notice of the time and place of the hearing. A
quorum of the Board of Directors must be present at the hearing in order to proceed to
a vote on membership status. If a quorum is not present, the vote will be delayed until
a quorum is convened for the vote and the member in question has received at least
ten days notice of the time and place of the hearing. A simple majority of the voting
Board Members will be sufficient to revoke or reinstate the member’s membership.
The Board of Directors has the right to refuse membership or membership
renewal to anyone.

Section 3: Point System
1. Purpose
The purpose of a “Point System” is to establish an equitable method to
recognize, quantify, and reward Krewe members’ contributions toward our
Krewe goals. Contributions may be in the form of work, material or monetary
donations, and promotional efforts. Points shall be accumulated by Members
each year beginning January 1st.
2. Definitions
Each hour of labor shall earn ten (10) points. Each ten dollar ($10.00) donation
(material, monetary or promotional) shall earn one (1) point. Attendance at a
scheduled Committee Meeting, General Membership Meeting or Board of
Directors Meeting shall earn one (1) point. When a Member recruits a new
Member, the recruiting Member shall earn one (1) point for each ten dollars
($10.00) of the new member’s paid membership dues. Event Chairpersons may
award points to members for ticket sales, entertainment, equipment loans and
other related event activities. Elected Officers may award points to members
for performing special tasks for the benefit of the Krewe. Elected officers shall
not earn points for performing the duties of their elected office
3. Points Retention
Krewe fiscal year begins April 1 and ends March 31. Yearly membership fee is due April 1.
Points accumulated by Epiphany (Jan) are used to select the royal court (highest point totals)
and purchase/placement of float rides (accumulated points determine parade selection and
position placement on float) as well as other benefits.
Retention of points earned by members after Epiphany is contingent upon Krewe members
submitting membership fees April 1 but no later than the grace period ending at the June
monthly meeting. Members who pay their membership fee no later than the June monthly
meeting will retain points accumulated after Epiphany, members who fail to pay membership
fee by the June meeting will forfeit points accumulated after Epiphany. Point accumulation
will then resume, starting at zero, when membership fee is paid. This policy encourages
members to pay dues on time thus providing operating funds at the beginning of the fiscal
year.
4. Reporting
The Board of Directors shall appoint a “Point Keeper”. The Point Keeper shall
keep a current and accurate tally of all points earned and reported. The Point
Keeper shall maintain a current “Point Report”. A current Point Report shall be
made available to the Board of Directors periodically and upon request from
any member. Event Chairpersons shall report in writing all points earned to the
Point Keeper no later than thirty (30) days after the date of any event. Points
awarded by Officers shall be submitted to the Board of Directors in writing at
the next regularly scheduled Board of Directors meeting. The Secretary shall
submit in writing to the Board of Directors all recruiting points. The Point
Keeper may attend all board meetings.
5. Rewards
The Board of directors may need to periodically revise and modify the poli cies
and procedures for recognition and rewards of the Point System. Any
modifications made shall be distributed to all members no less than ten (10)
days prior to effective date of the modification(s).
Section 4: Membership Meetings
There shall be a minimum of six (6) business meetings of the Membership in each
twelve-month fiscal year. Upon petition of one-fifth of the membership, or motion duly
passed by the Board of Directors, the President shall call other membership
meetings. The President may also call additional membership meetings. All meetings
shall be upon due notice.

ARTICLE V: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1: General Responsibilities
The Board of Directors shall govern the property, affairs and business of Krewe
Babalu. The Board, at its discretion, may delegate these responsibilities by motion or
resolution to Officers or Committees of Krewe Babalu.

Section 2: Enumerated Responsibilities
In addition to the general responsibilities of Section 1, the Board of Directors shall
have the responsibility to approve the following items:
1. Budgets and amendments to the budgets during the fiscal year.
2. Sale, purchase, acceptance or donation, or significant alteration of property of
Krewe Babalu.
3. Funds or lending properties.
4. Pledging security or real estate.
5. Policy issues and changes in existing policy.
6. Establishment of committees and appointment of members of Krewe Babalu to
chair these committees.

Section 3: Composition
All members of the Board of Directors shall be members in good standing of Krewe
Babalu. The Board of Directors shall consist of eleven (11) voting members. The Board
shall be elected by the Membership and composed of five (5) Executive Officers
(President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Parliamentarian; One (1) Officer
elected as Committee Chair (Parade Captain); four (4) Officers elected as Members at
Large; and one (1) Ambassador. The President must have served at least two (2)
terms on the board. The outgoing President shall be appointed to serve as the
Ambassador. In the event that the outgoing President declines the appointment the
Board of Directors shall select another former Executive Officer from previous years
past to fill in as Ambassador.

Section 4: Term
The terms of office of members of the Board shall be one year, commencing on April
1st at the April meeting and extending until the next election. Officers may serve
successive terms.

Section 5: Meetings
The Board of Directors shall meet monthly and in no case shall it meet less than nine
times during any fiscal year. At the written request of five members of the Board of
Directors, or upon his or her own motion, the President shall call a special meeting of
the Board of Directors. The President shall be Chair of the Board of Directors, and the
Secretary of the Krewe shall be the Secretary of the Board. All meetings shall be upon
due notice.

Section 6: Chairs
The Board of Directors shall establish committees and prescribe the responsibilities
and authority of persons appointed to chair such committees. The committee or chair
will not supersede powers and duties already prescribed to the Board of Directors. All
event procedures and budgets shall be processed through the board prior to
proceeding and committing krewe monies.

Section 7: Removal of Directors
Any Director may be removed, at any time, by refusing to abide by the Articles of
Incorporation, By Laws, Standing Orders or Directives of the Board of Directors.
Removal must be by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Directors, provided that
there shall have been included in the notice of such meeting, notification of the
intention to remove such Director. Any Director, who shall miss three (3) consecutive
meetings, or five collective meetings within one calendar year, shall surrender his/her
position, unless otherwise decided by the Board of Directors. In circumstance not
otherwise specified by the Articles of Incorporation and By Laws, all meetings and
business of the Krewe shall be conducted according to Roberts Rules of Order,
10th edition.

Section 8: Executive Officers
General Responsibilities
The Executive Officers of the Krewe shall be the President, the Vice President, the
Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Parliamentarian. Any two of the following officers:
President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer or Parliamentarian shall have the
authority to execute legal documents or behalf of the Krewe upon approval by the
Board of Directors.

Term
Each Officer duly elected by the Membership shall take office thereupon and serve
until the next election.

President
The President shall be elected by the Membership and shall have general directive
supervision over the other Officers and Chairs of the Krewe subject to the instructions
of the Board of Directors. The President shall preside at all meetings of the
Membership and Board of Directors and execute on behalf of the Krewe all legal
instruments. The President shall have the right to attend any committee meeting with
non-voting privileges. The President has the right to form committees as needed.

Vice President
The Vice President shall be elected by the Membership. He or she will have the
responsibility of learning as much as possible about the role of President of the Krewe
and of supporting the President in carrying out his or her responsibilities. The Vice
President shall assume the duties of the President in his or her absence. The Vice
President shall carry out such other responsibilities as the Board of Directors or the
President determines. The Vice President shall have the right to attend any committee
meeting with non-voting privileges.

Secretary
The Secretary shall record the minutes of all meetings of the Membership and Board of
Directors and circulate and maintain copies of these minutes. The Secretary shall
carry out other duties as determined by the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall
also be the main point of communications to the membership. He or she shall feed all
information, news, events or any other correspondence dictated by the Board of
Directors. He or she shall maintain the Membership Rolls and have sole responsibility
of collecting member information and documentation. He or she shall also maintain the
points system.

Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be elected by the Membership and shall be responsible for the
collection, management, disbursement and appropriate reporting for all funds of the
Krewe. The treasurer shall be the chair of any budget or finance committee and shall
be responsible for filing all tax reporting forms.

Parliamentarian
The Parliamentarian shall be responsible for assisting the Presiding Officer in matters
of procedure at any meeting. It shall also be the responsibility of the Parliamentarian
to assist the Board of Directors in matters of compliance with the Articles of
Incorporation, By Laws and Parliamentary Procedure. The Parliamentarian shall be
responsible for distribution of the by-laws to all members and shall oversee tabulation
of election of officers.

Ambassador
The Ambassador shall provide the Board of Directors and President with the benefit of
his or her experience with the Krewe. He/she shall also be the krewe’s official
representative to other mardi gras krewes. The outgoing President shall be appointed
to serve as the Ambassador. In the event that the outgoing President declines the
appointment the general Board of Directors shall select another former Executive
Officer from previous years past to fill in as Ambassador.

Section 9: Other Directors
Parade/Float Captain:
With the Board of Director’s approval, the Parade Captain shall have sole
responsibility for the construction of float(s), maintenance and float participation of the
same. He/she shall have final authority on any and all safety operations of float(s) and
parade routing. He/she shall be responsible for abiding by all city, county, state or
federal rules and restrictions. He/she shall oversee placement of all float riders in the
parades.
The Parade Captain shall have the sole and exclusive authority for enforcement of the
above rules and provisions for any members or non-members who are participating in
any event when the float is present.

At-Large Members:
The At-Large Members (4) shall assist in directing general business of the Krewe and
Board of Directors with full voting rights and responsibilities. They shall also Chair
events or assist Chairmen of krewe events.

ARTICLE VI: COMMITTEES
Section 1: Committee Operations
Committees shall be formed by the event’s chairperson to organize/assist any event or
fundraiser. Committees will meet/organize at times other than General Krewe
meetings. Any discussion, brainstorming, ideas, etc., will be presented away from the
times designated for the General Meetings. Committee chairs and members are
welcome to solicit ideas/advice from any Krewe member as long as it does not disrupt
General Krewe meetings.
Committees may distribute materials, such as tickets, flyers, t-shirts, etc., concerning
an event at General Krewe meetings but their presentation must be submitted to the
President/Secretary in advance.
Chairpersons shall secure the approval of the Board of Directors prior to announcing
or implementing their decisions, in the following areas:
1. Dates, type and plans for any fundraising event.
2. Budget submissions.
3. Alteration of schedules or admission or rental fees for events.
4. A purchase, sale, acceptance or donation, of any physical asset.
5. Collect expense receipts for any expenses of events.
Submission for approval of any such event must be made at least one month prior to
the scheduled event. In the event of some unforeseen emergency, then a special
Board of Directors call will be made.
Chairpersons are required to submit a financial report at the close of their event to the
next Board of Directors meeting, in writing, and to the treasurer along with a list of
points earned by members.

ARTICLE VII: YEAR-END POLICIES
Section 1: Fiscal Year
The Krewe’s fiscal year is April 1st through March 31st . This may be changed by a two-thirds vote of the general membership.
The corporation is a non-profit organization: No part of the net earnings, properties,
funds or other assets of the corporation shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributed
to its members, officers, or other private person, except that the corporation shall be
authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and
to make payments and distribution for the purpose of the corporation.

Section 2: Financial Disclosure
1. The financial records of the Krewe shall be open to Membership.
2. A monthly treasury report must be made available.
3. An annual financial statement must be completed and presented at the end of
each fiscal year.
4. Any required tax forms shall be filed.

ARTICLE VIII: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1: Nomination Committee
The Board of Directors, after receiving the nominations from the Membership, shall
serve as the Nomination Committee. Positions for which nominations shall be made by
that committee for election by the general membership shall include President, Vice
President, Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, Parade Captain, Event Coordinator
and At-Large members for the Board of Directors. Nominations are due to be received
no later than the second Friday prior to Mardi Gras Day (Fat Tuesday).

Section 2: Nominations
Only members of the Krewe may be nominated for election as Officers or Directors.

Section 3: Election
The President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, Parade Captain,
Event Coordinator and At-Large Directors shall be elected by a majority of the current
membership. If there are multiple nominees for these positions, the membership shall
vote by written ballot with each member casting one vote for each position to be
elected. The current Parliamentarian, or designee, is responsible for conducting the
election.
Nominations for the Board of Directors will be solicited during December and
submitted no later than January 6t h, or at the Epiphany Party, to the current
Parliamentarian.
The Parliamentarian will create a slate of nominations or “voting ballot” will be
presented to each member with one blank space provided for write-in selections. The
voting process shall remain anonymous to all members except the Parliamentarian and
one board member chosen by the Board of Directors to aid in the counting of the
votes.
Voting ballots must be received by the Parliamentarian via mail, electronic mail or in
hand no later than the March meeting, or any announced dates from the Board of
Directors.
Ballots will be tabulated by the Parliamentarian and one other board member
appointed by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IX: VOTING, QUORUM AND MAJORITY
A member, Director, committee member or Officer duly present at a meeting shall be
entitled to vote in accordance with voting privileges granted in these By Laws at such
meeting.
A twenty five percent (25%) of total membership shall constitute a quorum of the
general Membership.
A number of seven (7) of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum of the Board
of Directors.

ARTICLE X: DUE NOTICE OF MEETINGS
The Secretary shall cause notice of all Membership meetings to be sent to all
members at least seven (7) days prior to the date thereof and for all Board of Director s
meetings at least seven (7) days prior to the date thereof.
In times of unusual circumstances, special meetings of the Board of Directors may be
called by the President or in writing by five (5) members of the Board.

ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENTS
Upon recommendation of the Board of Directors, these By Laws may be amended by a
two-thirds vote of the general membership, provided that the proposed changes shall
have been mailed or electronically mailed to the membership at least seven (7) days
prior to the date of such meeting.

ARTICLE XII: BY LAW COMMITTEE
The By Law Committee acts as a reference committee to help expedite the amending
of the By Laws.
The By Law Committee shall be composed of the five (5) members: the
Parliamentarian and four (4) other members appointed by the Board of Directors or the
Parliamentarian.
The Parliamentarian, at this time, shall chair the By Law Committee.
The By Law Committee may call informal meetings to solicit any questions, ideas,
objections, or suggestions for improvement of By Law amendments. Any suggestions
in writing, from general membership, may be delivered at any time to the chair.
Annually and prior to the new fiscal year the By Law Committee will reevaluate the
proposed amendments and make any changes that are acceptable.
With the approval of the Board of Directors, any and all amendments will be presented
in ballot to the general membership for a two-thirds vote.

ARTICLE XIII: Limitations
None of the net earnings of the Krewe, if any shall inure to the benefit of an y member.
No substantial part of the activities of the Krewe shall involve attempts to influence
legislation by propaganda or otherwise, and the Krewe shall not participate in political
campaigns or funding on behalf of any candidate for public office.

ARTICLE XIV: DISSOLUTION
In the event of the dissolution of the Krewe assets will be turned over to an
organization which is itself exempt under Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code
and none of its assets shall be distributed to, or inure to the benefit of any private
individual. Selection of such organization shall be made by the Board of Directors, if
existing in good standing at the time.

Revised 2022

Click here for PDF version.