CONSTITUTION
TEXAS NORTH STAR SAMS

A TEXAS GOOD SAM CHAPTER
OF THE INTERNATIONAL GOOD SAM CLUB

I. Name

A. This organization shall be known as Texas North Star Sams. It was organized March 15, 2002, and chartered as a chapter of the International Good Sam Recreational Vehicle Club.

B. This Chapter will only use the Good Sam name and logo in good taste and will promote the Good Sam Pledge and Chapter activities in a manner consistent with the Club Constitution, by-laws and general policies. The chapter agrees to cease and desist from all use of the Good Sam name and logo upon loss of its charter from the Club for any reason.

C. The chapter emblem will have a western motif and include the Texas flag, the state shape and include the words Good Sam or have a Good Sam logo within it in order to meet the requirements established by the International Good Sam Club. The emblem will be submitted for approval to the International Good Sam Club before it will be recognized as official.

II. Membership

A. All members of the Chapter must be current members in good standing of the International Good Sam Recreational Vehicle Club.

B. Membership to the Chapter is by invitation only.

III. Purpose

A. The promotion of good fellowship.

B. The promotion of good camping practices, the use of recreational vehicles and the enjoyment of the outdoors.

C. The promotion of patriotism (not to be confused with political bias) and other aims of the Good Sam organization.

D. The participation in community service projects, including at least one civic, community or benevolent project each year.

IV. Officers

A. Elected officers shall include the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Wagonmaster.

Their terms shall be one (1) year and their duties shall be as follows:

1. President: provide leadership within the Chapter, preside over all general and Executive Committee meetings, appoint committees and non-elective positions and represent the Chapter at regional, state and national Good Sam functions.

2. Vice President: preside in the absence of the President and assume and perform additional leadership roles as required or assigned.

3. Secretary: provide record keeping and correspondence services, attend all business and Executive Committee meetings and attend other committee meetings as requested.

4. Treasurer: maintain control and records of Chapter funds and transactions, accept dues and other incoming monies, disburse Chapter funds as required and approved by the membership and prepare and present financial status reports at each monthly meeting and upon special request.

5. Wagonmaster (Trail Boss): shall select and schedule locations for monthly campouts, publish schedules of campout locations and dates in the chapter newsletter, provide caravan leadership as necessary, maintain attendance records, and supervise the collection and payment of the camping fees.

B. Appointed officers shall include the Chaplain and Newsletter Editor; their terms shall be one (1) year and their duties shall be as follows:

1. Chaplain: shall provide spiritual direction to the Chapter activities and members as appropriate, and conduct or arrange for campout devotionals.

2. Newsletter Editor: shall provide the membership a monthly newsletter, including pertinent information regarding the last meeting, the upcoming campout and other information of interest to the chapter.

V. Committees

A. Executive Committee The Executive Committee shall include the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Wagonmaster (Trail Boss) and Past President. Election of any other members of the committee will be made from the membership.

1. Their duties include helping the president with the guidance of the chapter.

2. Being available for members' concerns.

3. Attending committee meetings and reporting proceedings to the chapter.

B. Other committees may be formed as required and may include Project, Sunshine, Telephone, Legislature and Membership. All committees except the Executive Committee are discretionary and may be formed and dissolved by the President. The President may fill committee positions by appointment or with volunteers.

VI. Standard Operating Procedures

A. Detailed operational procedures for achieving the purposes of the Constitution are listed in the Stand Operating Procedures.

B. Proposed amendments to the Standard Operating Procedures will be presented and discussed at a regularly scheduled business meeting, then published in the chapter's next monthly newsletter and voted on at the next scheduled business meeting. Amendments will be accepted upon simple majority vote of current members present. Amendments become effective immediately upon Chapter acceptance.

VII. Miscellaneous

A. This Constitution may be amended upon recommendation by the Executive Committee, proper notification in the chapter newsletter and the approval of ¾ of the membership attending any regular business meeting, with the stipulation that a quorum is present and the amendment is subject to approval of the International Good Sam Club (A quorum shall include twenty-five percent or ¼ of the current members of the chapter.)

B. All chapter members must at all times have a current International Good Sam Recreational Vehicle Club membership. Current membership number must be provided to the treasurer when dues are paid and upon special request.

C. Acceptance of membership to the Chapter shall be by secret ballot and notification of results will be by mail.

D. Any member family may be removed from the Chapter membership. A motion for removal must be made at regularly scheduled business meetings and the motion will be published in the next Chapter newsletter. The vote will be by secret ballot at the following business meeting and must be approved by ¾ of the members present. Notification will be by letter; dues for the current year will be forfeited.

E. All Chapter members and guests will observe the rules and regulations of the campgrounds that are being used for the Chapter campouts.

Standard Operating Procedures

Texas North Star Sams
Denton, TX

Adopted January 20, 2007

I. ACTIVITIES

A. Campouts

1. Scheduled campouts at campgrounds selected by the Wagonmaster and announced in the chapter newsletter, will be held the weekend of the third Friday of January through November unless otherwise announced by the presiding officer or published as an amended schedule in the chapter newsletter. If the scheduled weekend falls on a national holiday, our campout will be scheduled for the following weekend. A campout is defined as staying overnight, in a rig, at a campground scheduled by the Wagonmaster.

2. Any group expense prepayments necessary will be the responsibility of the Wagonmaster or his representative. Campers will make reimbursement to the Wagonmaster upon arrival at camp.

3. Campout attendance will be the responsibility of the Wagonmaster. Each rig should contact the Wagonmaster on the Sunday prior to the campout to confirm their attendance.

4. Planning and coordination of campout food will be the responsibility of the hosts signed up for each campout. The hosts will convey plans for each campout to the newsletter editor in time for publication by the fourth of each month. Each active member family is required to host or co-host at least one regularly scheduled campout each year.

5. Any member having visitors or acting as sponsor for attending prospective members will be responsible for informing the Wagonmaster and Campout Hosts of how many rigs and people will be attending the campout and meals. The member will be responsible for their guests and be proactive in introducing them to other members and guests and informing them of Good Sam and Chapter policies and procedures and making them feel welcome.

6. At the Saturday night dinner, each attending member will donate $2.50 to the host couple to help defray the costs the hosts have incurred. Sponsors will pay for their visitors. If the amount collected exceeds the amount spent on the weekend, the hosts will donate the excess to the club.

B. Meetings

1. A meeting will be held each December at a date, time, and place announced by the presiding officer at a prior meeting or in the chapter newsletter to install the officers elected for the following calendar year.

2. Business meetings will be held after breakfast Saturday at the scheduled monthly campouts unless otherwise announced by the presiding officer.

3. Voting and business meeting participation is limited to current active members with one vote per person. A quorum of 51 percent of active members must be present to hold a vote on decisions.

4. The Executive Committee will meet prior to the business meeting at each campout as needed.

5. All members are expected to wear name tags to business meetings and when wearing their vests or chapter apparel. Chapter apparel shall be voted on by all members and to be worn to all public appearances where member is representing the chapter.

C. Projects

1. Community, civic, or other benevolent projects will be undertaken, after proposal at any business meeting upon approval by a simple majority of the active members present.

II. ELECTION OF OFFICERS

A. The presiding officer will appoint a nominating committee in August. The committee chair will present the proposed slate of officers at the September business meeting. Additional nominations for officers will be accepted from the floor at the September business meeting.

B. Consent of the nominees must be obtained prior to nomination by the committee or from the floor.

C. Officers will be elected by simple majority vote of active members attending the October business meeting, will be installed at the December meeting, and will take office January 1.

D. If an officer resigns during his term or becomes incapable of continuing to serve, a replacement will be elected at the next regularly scheduled business meeting.

III. MEMBERSHIP

A. Active Members

1. Active members are expected to attend, in their rigs, at least three scheduled campouts every calendar year.

2. Active member families will pay annual Chapter dues of $25 per year, per rig, which includes Chapter Sunshine Funds and our donation to charitable projects/organizations and our dues to the state Good Sam organization. Dues for the coming year will be paid at the October meeting.

B. Associate Members

1. Associate members are those members who wish to take a less active role in the chapter. Associate members are welcome at all functions. However, they may not vote, are not included in determining a quorum, and are not included in the membership reported to the State Good Sam Organization.

2. Requirements for attendance at campouts and hosting a campout do not apply. Dues for Associate will be half of that paid by active members. Members will declare themselves to be Associate Members at the time they pay their dues for the following year.

C. Prospective Members

1. Interested people who have, or contemplate soon buying, a rig may express a desire to be considered for membership in the Texas North Star Sams.

2. Prospective members must attend, in their rigs, at least two scheduled campouts within a 4-month period, each time by invitation from a sponsor member family. The sponsor making each invitation or a designated alternate, must attend the campout with the prospective member and be responsible for the guests' conduct and activities. The sponsor will inform prospective members of membership requirements and Chapter procedures and introduce them to the other campers. More than one sponsor may host prospective members during the 12-month period.

3. After attending two campouts and expressing their desire to become members, prospective members will receive a packet containing the Chapter Constitution, Standard Operating Procedures, and other information desired. Their acceptance will be voted on by secret ballot. New members must be approved by two-thirds of the active members present at the next business meeting. Upon favorable vote, the presiding officer will inform the applicant. Dues are payable upon acceptance of membership and will be prorated to the end of the year.

D. Visitors

1. Visitors are welcome to attend all chapter gatherings at any time, but may not vote in any business meetings. Visitors without rigs should be encouraged to visit campouts to become acquainted with camping activities and the chapter members.

2. Visitors must be invited and accompanied by a sponsor member family at each chapter campout or activity that they attend.

IV. MISCELLANEOUS

A. Members will not smoke or use tobacco products in meetings or campground buildings.

B. A summary of income and expenses will be distributed each December and discussed at the January campout.

C. Any budgeting or spending of chapter funds should be limited to prior year's earnings to preserve the chapter's funds. Any exceptions have to be voted on at a chapter meeting by active members.

D. In the event of Charter dissolution, funds remaining in the treasury after payment of all outstanding wills will be refunded. The amount of refund per member unit will be calculated by dividing the total fund by the number of current paid-up member units.

E. Alcoholic beverages will be restricted to members' rig site.

F. Pets will be on leashes or left in rigs and remain at the owner's campsite.

G. Children participating in Chapter activities will at all times be accompanied by their hosts, parents, or guardians who will be responsible for their actions and needs.

H. Campsites must be clean before departing. I. All complaints of any nature will be reported to the President or Executive Committee. J. The Sunshine Committee is authorized to spend no more than $50 for flowers or food in the event of the death of a chapter member. The committee will send cards for sickness, injury, and death of relatives as deemed appropriate.