Contra Costa Wine Group Bylaws

ARTICLE 1 – NAME•	The name of the organization shall be the “Contra Costa Wine Group”, herein referred to as CCWG.

ARTICLE II – MISSION AND VISION    •	The CCWG Mission is to educate and encourage home winemakers to excel in their craft.•	The CCWG Vison is to offer a forum where beginners can feel part of the group from their first meeting, where all can continue to learn techniques to improve their home winemaking skills and where we demystify the science to create a thoroughly enjoyable atmosphere for all as we go from vine to wine to bottle. We encourage and support all members in their wine making endeavors, including those who plant their own vineyards in a desire to create estate grown wines.

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP•	Members must be at least 21year old and have an interest in the art of winemaking.•	The Executive Committee reviews and votes on granting honorary memberships. Any current member may suggest granting honorary membership to the 
Executive Committee.•	Membership is limited to 85 members. Honorary members are not included in this limit.•	The membership limit may be amended at any time by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE IV – DUES•	Annual dues cover the fiscal year from January 1st of the current year to December 31st of the current year.•	Dues are determined by vote of the Executive Committee based upon the recommendation of the CCWG Treasurer.•	Dues shall be considered delinquent on January 10th of the current year. One email notice of delinquent dues shall be given, and the member shall be dropped from the roll if dues are not paid by January 31st of the current year.•	New members will pay a prorated rate based on the month they join and the number of months remaining in the fiscal year ending on December 31st.  The amount due will be one-twelfth of the current yearly dues times the number of months until the end of the fiscal year on December 31st.  •	Honorary members shall not be required to pay dues. They are entitled to all the privileges of the organization except that shall not hold office.•	Active members are entitled to all privileges, inherent and established. 

ARTICLE V – THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE •	The Executive Committee acts as the governing oversight body of the CCWG. •	It is responsible for shaping the CCWG’s strategic direction, policies and operations. •	Members of the Executive Committee include Elected Officers and Appointed Team Leaders.•	Executive Committee meetings are held as often as necessary to conduct business by the appropriate means which may include in person meetings or Zoom meetings.

ARTICLE VI –ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND APPOINTED TEAM LEADERS •	Elected Officers of the organization are President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The President is elected annually and may not serve for more than two consecutive years. The Secretary and Treasurer are elected to two-year terms, Secretary on the odd years, and Treasurer on the even years, they each may be elected to more than one term if they desire.•	Election of officers is by a simple majority of those members voting at the regularly scheduled October meeting. Team Leaders are appointed by the President. •	Teams include Competitions, Educational Programs, Mentoring, Host Schedule, Membership, Communications, and Media.  •	If an elected officer is unable to continue, the President appoints an officer until the next election.  If a Team Leader is unable to continue, the President appoints a new Team Leader.

ARTICLE VII – DUTIES OF OFFICERS•	The President appoints all Team Leaders on the Executive Committee and any other supporting positions that may be required. The President leads the Executive Committee and provides oversight, maintains the liquor liability insurance coverage, and acts as point person for CCWG when contacting outside parties.•	The Secretary acts as both recording and corresponding Secretary, maintains all records of meeting minutes and distributes the Monthly Newsletter.  If not able to attend a meeting, the Secretary arranges for an alternative to take notes. The Secretary maintains pertinent club documents including but not limited to the bylaws, meeting minutes and newsletters. •	The Treasurer collects dues, manages the checkbook, pays all bills owed by the CCWG, notifies the membership Team of changes to individual membership status to enable the Membership Team to maintain an accurate membership roster. The Treasurer also recommends the amount of member dues for th coming year.

ARTICLE VIII – DUTIES OF EXECUTVE COMMITTEE TEAMS•	Team Leaders are appointed by the President. Teams include Competitions, Educational Programs, Mentoring, Host Schedule, Membership, Communications, and Media. Additional teams may be created, and Team Leaders may be appointed by the President at the President’s discretion.•	Competition Team organizes and leads the CCWG Annual Wine Competition in January and the Nouveau Night Competition and Second Opinion Night in December. The Team encourages and enables participation in other wine competitions.•	Educational Program Team provides educational topics and/or guest speakers for select meetings, organizes a yearly outing to a winery and organizes other educational events that are of benefit to the membership.•	Mentoring Team pairs new members with experienced members and monitors and supports mentoring relationships.•	Host Schedule Team schedules hosts for monthly meetings and schedules facilities for other meetings•	Membership Team actively seeks new members thru marketing opportunities, supports CCWG memberships, maintains the membership roster and distributes the membership roster to members.•	Communications Team maintains the CCWG website, considers and activates if appropriate, other possible social media sites, sends out email communication blasts and monitors the group’s Gmail account for inquiries.•	Media Team looks for opportunities to publicize the CCWG through local newspapers, TV, podcasts, local community forums, and other appropriate social media and publicity opportunities.

ARTICLE IX – MEETINGS•	Meeting locations: meetings are held in members’ homes or designated locations. •	Meeting schedules: The January meeting is the CCWG’s Wine Competition and potluck dinner. It is scheduled per availability of a location other than a member’ home.  In the months of February through July, September and October, the meetings are held on the last Friday of the month. In August there is no in-home meeting and may be replaced by field trips, parties or picnics. There is no CCWG meeting in November. The December meeting is held on the first Friday. The meeting is the Nouveau Wine Competition and Second Opinion Night.•	In-Home Meetings:  The host for in-home meetings provides a selection of appetizers. CCWG issues a stipend to cover the expense. Members in attendance are encouraged to bring a bottle of their homemade wine and/or a bottle of commercial wine.•	Voting and a Quorum at Meetings: Business requiring a vote of the membership shall be conducted at a regularly scheduled monthly meeting. One third of the voting membership is considered a quorum. A motion shall pass by an “aye” vote of the majority of those present or, for on-line voting, a majority of the club members. Only one vote per household is allowed. At the discretion of the Executive Committee, elections may be held on-line by emailing a ballot to all CCWG members. This is to encourage greater voter participation by the members of the CCWG.

ARTICLE X – AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS   •	Amendments to the bylaws can be suggested by Executive Committee members or by CCWG members-at-large. The Executive Committee amends the CCWG Bylaws and approves the changes by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. The vote can be taken at an in-person meeting, a Zoom meeting or handled through an email.•	The Secretary files the amended copy in a secure location, emails members a copy and sends a copy to the Web Page Team to update the bylaws on the CCWG website.