INTERNATIONAL COSTUMERS' GUILD, INC.

These Standing Rules will govern the actions of the Corporation until they are modified or superseded by majority vote of the membership present or represented by proxy at the annual meeting or at a special meeting or by a three-fifths (60%) vote of the Board of Directors. Proposed modifications to these rules must be presented in writing at least 45 days prior to the meeting at which they are to be considered or may be presented for consideration at a meeting if a majority of the members present or represented by proxy agrees to consider them [adopted 2/19/90; amended 5/25/92]

1. Voting membership in the Corporation shall be open to all members 13 years of age or older. [Adopted 2/15/90]
   
   
2. Nominations for Officers of the Corporation shall be made in writing to the President of the Corporation at least 30 days in advance of the annual meeting. It shall be customary for the President of the Corporation to have served at least one turn as a local chapter president prior to nomination. [Adopted 2/15/90]
   
   
3. The ICG shall offer two types of memberships; Individual (for a single member) and Household (for each additional legal resident residing at the same address as an individual member). Household members do not receive publications, but are entitled to vote on all lCG business. Members may opt to join at the Household only if and when one member of the Household joins at the individual rate. All memberships from a Household may be accepted at the same time. Household memberships expire at the same time as the qualifying individual memberships at the same address[Adopted 2/15/90; amended 1/3/01 by Board of Directors, amended 4/02/04, amended 04/29/05]
   
   
4. Dues for the Corporation shall be set at $8.00 [U.S.] per Individual member per year, and $4.00 [U.S.] per Household member per year. Membership dues will include $2.00 restricted for use as Archive Funds. The remainder of all dues will be unrestricted General Funds. [Adopted 04/26/2005, Amended 09/27/2007]
   
   
5. Each member has the right to join more than one chapter of the corporation. However, to avoid payment of ICG dues more than once, they must do the following:
   1. Designate one ICG chapter as their PRIMARY CHAPTER. Their ICG membership expiration date is determined by the membership in the Primary Chapter.
      
      
   2. When joining another chapter the member must indicating to the new chapter Treasurer that they are already a member of the PRIMARY CHAPTER.
      
      
   3. The Treasurer of the new chapter can contact the ICG Treasurer or the Primary Chapter Treasurer to get the ICG membership expiration date. That date becomes the expiration date for the new chapter, regardless of how long the primary Chapter membership has to run.
      
      
   4. When the member's renewal date occurs, they must pay through the PRIMARY CHAPTER or designate another chapter as "PRIMARY", and renew their membership through that new PRIMARY CHAPTER.
      
      
   5. Only the PRIMARY CHAPTER must collect ICG dues for each member. The Treasurer of the secondary chapters can verify payment of renewal fees to the PRIMARY CHAPTER by contacting the ICG and/or PRIMARY CHAPTER Treasurer. [adopted 5/26/2006]
   
   
   
6. Each Chapter shall provide a list of its officers' names, addresses, telephone numbers and electronic addresses, if available, to the Corporation Treasurer or his or her delegate within 30 days before the Annual Meeting, and shall indicate which officer is the chapter's delegate to the Board of Directors of the corporation (it shall be assumed to be the president if no other member is designated). The Corporation Treasurer or his or her delegate shall send a list of the names, addresses, telephone numbers and electronic addresses, if available, of the officers of the ICG and other members of the Board of Directors, plus that of the Parliamentarian and ICG Newsletter Editor to all members on that list. The Corporation Treasurer or his or her delegate may also call for an updated list of chapter officers 30 days prior to any other meeting called by the Board. [Original Standing rule 4 adopted 2/15/90; repealed and replaced with this rule 5/27/96, amended 01/31/04, renumbered 04/29/05]
   
   
7. Each chapter shall send to the Corporation Treasurer monthly, by the 7th day of each month, an updated list of the names and addresses, (where provided) electronic mail addresses and phone numbers of all new and/or renewing members. The chapter shall remit the dues set in Standing Rule 3 for all new and/or renewing members included with each monthly update. Effective January 1, 1995, all new members whose dues are received by the Corporation Treasurer will be assigned a membership expiration date which shall be the last day of the month, one (1) year after the dated payment. Renewing members' expiration dates will be extended one (1) year from their current expiration dates, unless the membership has lapsed more than three (3) months, in which case the member will be assigned a new expiration month, in accordance with the new member policy as stated above. Such updates shall also include changes of names and addresses, (where provided) electronic mail addresses and phone numbers, and any changes in membership status of existing members. Annually, on January 7, each chapter shall provide a complete list of all members of record, including all contact information as listed above, for review by the Corporation Treasurer. [Adopted 2/15/90; amended 5/25/92, 2/15/93, 5/29/95, and 01/31/04, renumbered 04/29/05]
   
   
8. The local chapter may provide for types of memberships and dues structures in addition to the national structure at its discretion. [Adopted 2/15/90, renumbered 04/29/05]
   
   
9. The local chapter shall provide for local meetings, election of local officers, and the conduct of local business at its discretion, provided such actions are not in conflict with the Corporation By-Laws. [Adopted 2/15/90, renumbered 04/29/05]
   
   
10. New chapters shall be admitted to the Corporation by majority vote of the membership at the annual meeting or at a special meeting, or by majority vote of the Board of Directors at a meeting of the Board. The new chapter shall submit its request in writing to the Corporation Board of Directors. The request for affiliation shall specify the formal name of the proposed chapter; the informal nickname, if any; and the names of the initial board of chapter officers, comprising at a minimum a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer; and shall be signed by a minimum of six persons eligible for Corporation membership. [Adopted 2/15/90; amended 5/25/92; renumbered 5/26/97, renumbered 04/29/05]
    
    
11. Upon admission approval, a new chapter shall send its dues and membership list as noted above within 30 days. Until the dues and membership list are received, the chapter will not be considered active. [Adopted 2/15/90, renumbered 5/26/97, amended 5/31/03, renumbered 04/29/05]
    
    
12. If a chapter fails to submit membership updates and dues (if applicable) to the Corporation for a period of twelve (12) months from the date of last report, the Corporation may withdraw official recognition of the chapter. After six (6) months in arrears, the Corporation Corresponding Secretary shall contact the chapter treasurer to confirm contact information and try to reconcile with the chapter. If the chapter remains in arrears at nine (9) months, the Corporation Corresponding Secretary shall send at least one (1) warning of pending deactivation to the chapter president as well as the chapter treasurer. If the chapter remains in arrears at forty-five (45) days from the date of pending deactivation, the Corporation Corresponding Secretary shall send a final warning notification by certified mail, return receipt requested, to both the president and treasurer of the chapter in arrears. A chapter which has been deactivated may be reactivated by following the admission procedure for new chapters above. Timely submission of membership lists containing at least six (6) members and all dues fees paid for those members included on the list shall constitute reactivation. [Adopted 2/15/90; renumbered 5/26/97, amended 5/31/03 and 01/31/04, renumbered 04/29/05]
    
    
13. Whereas membership in the corporation requires membership in a chapter in good standing with the corporation, to accommodate those members whose chapter, for whatever reason, becomes disassociated with the corporation and to maintain their full rights and representation as members of the corporation, an ICG Member Transition Chapter, hereinafter referred to as the T-Chapter, shall be created.
    
    
    1. The T-Chapter shall be established in the state of Maryland, the location of the corporation's registered office, for the purpose of complying with the requirement in the corporation's By-Laws. (See Article II _CHAPTERS_ Section 1, Organization.)
       
       
    2. This chapter shall exist when and only when there are ICG members of disassociated chapters who qualify for membership in the T- Chapter, as outlined below. When the T- Chapter exists, a corporate officer appointed by the President of the corporation shall become a de facto member of the chapter.
       
       
    3. When a chapter disassociates itself from the corporation, its corporation members shall automatically be transferred on the corporate membership roster to the T-Chapter. Additionally, said members shall be notified in writing of this action. Such written notification shall include a description of the rights and obligations of T-Chapter members.
       
    4. For multi-chapter members(as defined in SR5), if the disassociated chapter was not designated as the primary chapter, no action shall be taken and those members shall not be transferred to the T-Chapter.
       
       
    5. Membership tenure in the T- Chapter shall be limited to:
       1. the remaining "paid through date" on the corporation membership roster, or
       2. one year, which ever comes first.
          
          
    6. To remain members of the corporation, T-Chapter members must join another chapter in good standing with the corporation before their memberships in the T-Chapter expire.
       
       
    7. The T-Chapter members shall elect a representative to serve as a Director on the Board of Directors within sixty (60) days of its becoming active. If no representative is elected within that period, the appointed corporate officer, as a member of the T-Chapter, shall appoint a representative from within its membership [Adopted 8/14/2006]
    
    
14. A list of the mailing addresses of the presidents of active chapters shall be provided by the Corresponding Secretary to each local chapter within 30 days following the annual meeting. It shall be the custom of each chapter to mail copies of its newsletter to the presidents of all other local chapters and to the President of the Corporation as a means of keeping all chapters informed on local happenings. [Adopted 2/15/90; renumbered 5/26/97, renumbered 04/29/05]
    
    
15. The Annual Meeting of the International Costumers' Guild shall be held at the annual Costume-ConŽ conference. In the event that a Costume-Con conference is not held in a given year, the Board of Directors shall determine a site and date for an annual meeting to be held. Such a determination may be made as the last item of business for the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors. Annual Meetings may be held in an exclusive venue or in conjunction with an established conference or convention. [Amended 4/21/03, 10/31/03, renumbered 04/29/05]
    
    
16. The text in the By-Laws Article V, Section 6 shall be construed to include all e-mail, electronic or internet discussion lists or any other similar technology now existing or to be developed which allows communication with all relevant parties. [Added 9/11/05]
    
    
17. Any debatable motion made and seconded before any type of electronic, e-mail or internet meeting will require the following action:
    
    
    1. The president will assign a motion number to the motion.
       
       
    2. The president will electronically mail the motion number and a restatement of the motion to all voting and consulting members of the electronic forum in use. This mailing will include a feature requiring an automatic notification of receipt. This notification will include a specified period of discussion and the starting date for voting.
       
       
    3. The listing of automatic notifications of receipt required in section (b) above will constitute the members present for that debate and vote. This number must constitute a majority of the Board members for the debate to proceed as required by the By-Laws, Article V, Section 10. Under no circumstance may any member of the Board of Directors be prevented from debating or voting.
       
       
    4. A minimum of fifteen (15) days shall be allowed for discussion of all debatable motions.
       
       
    5. A minimum of fifteen (15) days shall be allowed for the voting period. [Added 9/11/05, Original section (e) ruled in violation of By-Laws and deleted 10/27/05, Amended 02/02/06]
    
    
    
18. In order to establish voting privileges at any meeting, membership dues must be received by the Treasurer no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting date. [Adopted 2/21/94; amended 5/29/95; renumbered 5/26/97, renumbered 8/31/03, renumbered 04/29/05, renumbered 9/11/05]
    
    
19. In recognition of the importance of the annual Costume-Con conference, and the longstanding relationship of the International Costumers' Guild and Costume-Con conferences, the ICG shall perform reasonable activities to promote the annual Costume-Con conferences. Such promotions can include, but are not limited to, the Annual Meeting of the ICG, media promotions such as newspaper, radio or other media, access to ICG functions for Costume-Con conferences promotions, and as a source of classes, panels or other needs of the Costume-Con conference. [Amended 4/21/2003, 10/31/03, renumbered 04/29/05, renumbered 9/11/05]
    
    
20. Individual chapters or the ICG as a whole may initiate a bid for a Costume-Con conference in accordance with the provisions of the Costume-Con Constitution. Any fiduciary responsibility, in this instance, remains with the chapter initiating the bid and not with the ICG as a whole. [Amended 4/21/03, 10/31/03, renumbered 04/29/05, renumbered 9/11/05]
    
    
21. The ICG shall establish a Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize a body of achievement in the costuming art and service to the costuming community.
    1. Candidates for this award should have the following qualifications:
       
       
       1. Shall have been active in the costuming community for at least ten years.
       2. Shall have achieved significant recognition for their costuming skills, which may be in the form of, but not restricted to, competitive awards, professional accomplishments, teaching of skills, and/or media recognition.
       3. Shall have made significant contributions in service to the costuming community.
       
       
    2. This award shall be given at the discretion of the ICG Board of Directors, but no more frequently than once per year.
       
       
    3. Candidates for this award may be nominated by letter of proposal to the ICG President from any member in good standing or from any chapter. All letters of proposal must be received 60 days before the annual meeting.
       
       
    4. The ICG President shall prepare a secret ballot of proposed candidates and No Award and send it to all chapter presidents and ICG officers. The voting deadline shall be 30 days in advance of the annual meeting. A majority of votes shall determine the winner. The results shall be kept secret until the award is presented.
       
       
    5. It shall be the responsibility of the ICG President to have a plaque prepared for presentation to the recipient. The plaque shall read, "The International Costumers' Guild presents to (_______________________________) its Lifetime Achievement Award for his/her/their contribution to the costuming community. Presented (Date) at Costume-Con (Number) (City/State/Country)." [Adopted 2/18/91; renumbered 5/26/9, renumbered 8/31/03, renumbered 04/29/05, renumbered 9/11/05]
    
    
    
22. Vice-President, Maryland.
    1. The position of Vice-President, Maryland is established as an additional vice president as authorized by the By-Laws. The Vice-President, Maryland shall be the Guild's liaison with the State of Maryland. He or she shall be in charge of the registered office of the Guild in the state of Maryland. He or she shall keep custody of such documents as applicable Maryland statutes and regulations may require be kept in Maryland. He or she shall also carry out such other duties as the President, the Board of Directors, or the members may prescribe from time to time.
       
       
    2. The Vice-President, Maryland shall be appointed by the Board of Directors and shall serve at the Board's pleasure. The position shall not be an Officer of the Corporation, as defined in the By-Laws, and shall not make its incumbent a member of the Board of Directors. [Adopted 5/25/92; renumbered 5/26/9, renumbered 8/31/03, renumbered 04/29/05, renumbered 9/11/05]
       
       
23. Parliamentarian.
    1. The position of Parliamentarian is established. The Parliamentarian shall advise (1) the President or other Officer of the Corporation presiding at a meeting of the members or of the Board of Directors, (2) the Board of Directors, and (3) the members, concerning the conduct of all meetings of the members and meetings of the Board of Directors.
       
       
    2. The Parliamentarian shall be appointed by the President and shall serve at the President's pleasure. The position shall not be an Officer of the Corporation, as defined in the By-Laws, and shall not make its incumbent a member of the Board of Directors.
       
       
    3. Except where superceded by provisions of statute, of the Articles of Incorporation, of the By-Laws, or of these Standing Rules requiring other procedure, the meetings of the members and the meetings of the Board of Directors shall be conducted according to the latest revision of Robert's Rules of Order. The Parliamentarian shall keep a current copy of them.
       
       
    4. It shall also be the duty of the Parliamentarian to keep the records of the By-Laws and Standing Rules of the organization in good order and to provide each officer and chapter with a copy of same, and a copy to be sent to the Pat & Peggy Kennedy Memorial Archives at least once annually. The Parliamentarian shall provide a copy to any other member of the ICG upon receipt of a request for same, accompanied by a selfaddressed, stamped envelope. [Adopted 5/25/92; amended 5/27/96; renumbered 5/26/92, renumbered 8/31/03, renumbered 04/29/05, renumbered 9/11/05]
    
    
    
24. In addition to those duties assigned to the Corresponding Secretary in the By-Laws or by the Board of Directors, it shall also be the duty of the Corresponding Secretary to:
    1. Be the chair of the ICG public relations committee. The public relations committee shall be responsible for public relations, publicity, and supervision of ICG publications.
       
       
    2. To follow up with local chapters and remind them of their responsibilities and duties to the ICG. It is allowed that the Corresponding Secretary may, if it is determined by the Corresponding Secretary to be advantageous, to delegate this responsibility to a second party.
       
       
    3. To maintain a calendar of all ICG deadlines and events, including, but not limited to, membership due dates, ICG Newsletter submissions, Annual submissions, and proxy submissions, and to inform and remind chapters of these items at 30 days, 14 days and 5 days prior to the deadline or event. These notices may be sent electronically, via postal service or telephonically. [Adopted 5/25/92; renumbered 5/26/97, amended 5/29/00, renumbered 8/31/03, renumbered 04/29/05, renumbered 9/11/05]
    
    
    
25. It shall be the responsibility of the President or his/her designated representative to provide 50 copies of any business item received 15 days in advance of the annual meeting to the meeting. Those bringing items not on the preliminary agenda to the meeting are requested to bring 50 copies of those items. [Adopted 5/26/95, renumbered 8/31/03, renumbered 04/29/05, renumbered 9/11/05]
    
    
26. Individual members of the corporation shall receive, as a benefit of membership, a subscription to The ICG Newsletter. [Adopted 2/15/90; amended 5/25/92, 2/15/93, 2/21/94, and 5/27/96; amended and renumbered 5/26/97, amended 1/3/01, amended 5/31/03,renumbered 8/31/03, renumbered 01/31/04, amended and renumbered 04/29/05, renumbered 9/11/05]
    
    
27. The ICG Newsletters shall include a summary of all official ICG business and reports received. It is recommended that The ICG Newsletter also include updates from chapters as to their activities and events as well as feature articles. [Adopted 5/29/95; renumbered 5/27/96, 5/26/97, renumbered 8/31/03, renumbered 01/31/04, renumbered 04/29/05, renumbered 9/11/05]
    
    
28. There shall be an editorial board to establish editorial and publication policy for The ICG Newsletter. The editorial board shall be composed of the current President of the Corporation; the current Newsletter editor, who shall be its chair; the current Treasurer of the Corporation; and two Members of the Corporation designated by the President. The editorial board shall establish editorial and publication policies, giving full consideration to the recommendations and advice of the members. Editorial and publication policies may include, but need not be limited to: submission guidelines, numbering systems, mailing procedures, and formats. Initially, the policy will be presented in full as part of the editor's annual report. Subsequently, policy revisions under consideration will be so reported. Members may direct comments to any member of the editorial board. [Adopted 5/26/97, renumbered 8/31/03, renumbered 01/31/04, amended 4/2/04, renumbered 04/29/05, renumbered 9/11/05]
    
    
29. The Board of Directors shall continually evaluate the activities of any appointee, including the editor of The ICG Newsletter. Concerns or complaints should be made in writing to the President, editorial board or other managing body. An appointee's failure to address or correct grievances brought before the President, editorial board or other managing body in a timely manner may result in the recommendation by the Board that said appointee be placed on probation. Probationary status must be delivered in writing to the appointee, with a copy to be placed in Corporation archives. Probation may not exceed three (3) months. Should said appointee remain unresponsive or fail to address all issues raised after the period of probation has expired, said appointee may be dismissed or replaced without further notice. [Adopted 5/29/95; renumbered 5/27/96,5/26/9, renumbered 8/31/03, amended 01/31/04, renumbered 01/31/04, renumbered 04/29/05, renumbered 9/11/05]
    
    
30. The ICG Budget.
    1. There shall be a standing Budget and Finance Committee to periodically review the finances of the Corporation and to prepare and present to the Board of Directors annually a budget for the Corporation. In preparing the proposed budget, the Committee shall consider the requested expenditures of each officer, committee chair, and staff member, together with estimated revenues for the year. It may identify as it wishes any categories of revenue and expenditure to be considered separately. After consulting with the members of the Committee, the Committee chair shall inform all officers, committee chairs, and staff members of the dates by which such requests must be submitted and the information they must include.
       
       
    2. The Budget and Finance Committee shall consist of the Corporation Treasurer and four members of the Corporation, who are not Officers or other members of the Board of Directors, appointed by the President, one of whom the President shall designate as chair. In order to create a staggered membership for this committee, the President shall, on the first year of the committee's existence, appoint two members to a two-year term and two members for a one-year term. Subsequently, in following years, all members shall be appointed to two-year terms.
       
       
    3. Annually, not less than sixty (60) days in advance of the Annual Meeting, the Committee shall present in written form to the Board of Directors its proposed budget for the ensuing year. The Board shall consider the Committee's proposed budget and may either adopt it, with such changes as the Board finds desirable, or refer it, with or without amendments, to the Annual Meeting for approval.
       
       
    4. The Treasurer shall report the Corporation's revenues and expenditures to the Committee and the Board at least quarterly. To meet arising needs, the Board may increase or decrease budgeted expenditures as needed during the course of each year. To meet arising needs, the President may, without the Board's approval, increase or decrease budgeted expenditures each year by an amount not to exceed fifteen (15) percent of the budgeted amount and shall promptly report such changes to the Board and the committee. [Adopted 02/15/99, renumbered 8/31/03, amended 01/31/04, renumbered 04/29/05, renumbered 9/11/05]
    
    
    Costume-Con ConferenceŽ is a registered Service Mark owned by Karen Dick and Kelly Turner [added 10-31-03]
    
    

    Last updated July 9, 2006
    
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