HATDS is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation subject to state and federal laws. Bylaws are required and are enforceable in court. They are not just guidelines
or suggestions
.
More importantly, bylaws—along with established policies and procedures—give structure and continuity to HATDS. While they may seem daunting at first, they actually make your job as a director much easier.
Copies of the bylaws are online (links below) and in two Dropbox folders: Board Policies and Procedures and Compliance Documents.
Highlights
Our initial bylaws were created by a dancer who was both an attorney and an accountant. He wanted to make sure that our collective rear-ends were thoroughly covered, so our bylaws are longer than some other dance groups’ and contain sections that we don't need in the normal operation of HATDS. Subsequent revisions have retained those sections and added one newly required by the IRS.
We have created a 12-point document that lists some of the most important rules that affect the normal operation of HATDS. It is available online here as a web page and downloadable as a PDF here. All directors should be familiar with this document.
Full Bylaws
The full bylaws should always be consulted for clarification and detail. They are online as a web page and downloadable as a PDF.
The Compliance Officer should know how to quickly access the full bylaws and find a specific item.
Annotated
There is also an annotated version that gives more history of our bylaws and the intentions of the most recent bylaw revision committee. It is here as a PDF.
All of these documents are also in Dropbox / Board Policies and Procedures.