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Association of Physicians of Pakistani-Descent of North America Alliance

"Greatness is not where we stand but what direction we are moving in; sometimes we sail with the wind sometimes against it, but sail we must." (Anonymous)

Preamble:

Alliance has extraordinary potential to be an effective philanthropic organization. In our endeavor to bring about a positive change around us, a team effort is required. Benefit to the humanity ought to be at the root and facade of Alliance’s mission. Alliance must explore the priceless human and financial resources of the APPNA/Alliance membership and equip it to carry out its mission. Alliance’s effectiveness in furthering its agenda would require establishing Alliance chapters nationwide. Efforts to uplift our communities shall be a truly rewarding experience, enhancing the image of the Alliance/APPNA and earning a new level of respect.

Constitution and Bylaws

Article I – Name:

The Name of the organization is the Association of Physicians of Pakistani-Descent of North America Alliance (hereafter referred to as APPNA Alliance)

Article II – Name:

The purposes of this organization are exclusively educational and charitable.

These are:

To enhance the image of Alliance/APPNA at home and abroad uplifting our organization in the process.
To support the aims and objectives of APPNA.
To support the efforts of those who preserve and enhance cultural heritage and values.
To promote association and networking amongst the members of the Alliance and beyond.
To participate in medical relief, and charitable activities, both in North America and beyond.

Article III – Membership:

A. Regular-

(a) The spouse of a member of APPNA shall be eligible for membership.
(b) The spouse of retired or deceased member of APPNA shall be eligible for membership.
(c) The spouse of Resident Physician shall be eligible for membership.

B. Honorary- The Alliance may elect as an honorary member any person who has been of

Article IV- Dues:

A. The fiscal year shall be from January 1 to December 31.
B. The annual membership dues shall be payable on January 1.
C. Honorary members shall not be assessed dues.

Article V-Rights and Privileges:

A. A regular member shall be eligible to vote and hold office.
B. Honorary members shall not vote or hold office.

Article VI- Officers:

Section 1. The elected officers of the Alliances shall be President, President Elect, Secretary and Treasurer. Each officer shall be elected to serve a one year term.

Section 2. Eligibility: To be eligible to serve as President-Elect, a member shall have served on an Alliance committee for a minimum of one year, and should have been a member in a good standing for at least two years.

Physician Alliance Members active in APPNA / APPNA Chapters may participate in Alliance activities but they shall not be eligible to be elected to any Alliance office.

Section 3. Elections: The Nominating committee shall seek nominations from the regular membership at least three month prior to the annual meeting. After considering the nominations so received, the nominating committee shall submit the slate of candidates to all members at least 30 days before the annual meeting.

Elections of the officers of the Alliance shall be held by secret mail ballot.

Mail Ballot: The members of the Alliance will cast their vote by mail. The ballot enclosed in a separate envelope, will be untitled in another envelope to the Secretary of the Alliance. The deadline for the return of the ballot shall be Fifteen days prior to the annual meeting. The outer envelope will bear the name of the member and their signature. The inner envelope and the ballot will bear no identification. On the day of Alliance Annual Banquet, the ballots will be counted by the Nominating Committee in the presence of the nominees or their representatives. The results will be announced at the Alliance Annual Banquet

Section 4. Officers and Committee Obligations:

For Executive Committee, Committee Chair, Co-chair, and Committee members

Benefits of the group must be kept above any personal benefits.
Be a member of APPNA Alliance and their respective local Chapter.
Be familiar with the Alliance and chapter bylaws.
Work towards achieving the goals of the Alliance and the respective chapter.
Familiarize themselves with the obligations of their position.
Attend their committee meetings unless an emergency arises, in which case they must inform the President/ Committee Chair of their situation as soon as possible via e-mail, phone, or fax.
To ensure a smooth running of the association, the officers must it take upon them to inquire if the agenda of the alliance is being pursued, and that all of the steps are being taken to achieve it.
The secretary shall take the minutes and circulate them to the committee members with a copy to the President within forty eight hours.
Keep a current copy of the bylaws, policies, rules and regulations.
Keep a current roster of all officers, committee chairs, and co-chairs.
Be familiar with IRS Policies relating to not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organizations.
Support APPNA Alliance positions.
Be willing to travel to be at Alliance meetings if required.

1. President: The President shall

Be the presiding officer of all the meetings.
Be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee.
Appoint committee members, chairpersons with the consent of the Executive Committee.

2. President- Elect: The President-Elect shall

Assist the President and become familiar with the office.
Perform the duties of the President in her/his absence.
Serve as President if the office falls vacant.

3. Secretary: The Secretary shall

Keep a record of all meetings of the Alliance.
Keep a record of attendance of each meeting.
Keep an up to date record of the members addresses.
Be responsible for all publications of the Alliance.

4. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall:

Keep a record of all the accounts and funds of the Alliance.
Dispense funds as approved by the Executive committee.
Present a financial report at the Alliance meetings.
Notify each member when annual dues are payable.
Have an audit performed of the accounts annually.

5. Immediate Past President:

Assist the President and the Executive Committee.

Article VII- Committees:

Section 1. Composition:

A. Executive Committee:
The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer and Immediate Past- President.

B. Other Committees:
Finance, Membership, Fundraising, Nominating, Communications, and Host Committee The President shall appoint the chairperson and members of all committees in consultation with other Officers.

Section 2. Duties:

A. The Executive Committee shall:

Direct and administer the business of the Alliance.
Be responsible for the financial operation of the Alliance.
Have power to create and eliminate such special committees as necessary.
Meet a minimum of three times a year.
Hold teleconferences periodically.

B. Host Committee:
The Hostess committee shall consist of three members appointed by the executive committee. The committee shall help with the arrangement of the regional and summer meetings.

C. Finance Committee:
The treasurer shall serve as chairperson of the Finance committee along with three other members appointed by the executive committee. The Finance Committee shall be responsible for preparing the budget for the current year and, any investment made, by the Alliance.

D. Membership Committee:
The membership committee shall consist of three members appointed by the Executive Committee. The Membership committee shall recruit members and introduce them to other Alliance members.

E. Nomination committee:
The Nominations Committee shall consist of three members. At least one member shall be a Past-President. The other members shall be appointed by the Executive committee. The Nominating committee shall seek nominations the general membership and conduct the elections.

Sections 3 Special Committees:

The President and the Executive shall have the power to create special committees as necessary to facilitate the welfare of the Alliance. The Chairperson of such committees shall be appointed by the President.

Article VIII

Section 1. Meetings:
The annual meeting shall be held in conjunction with the APPNA Annual meeting.

Section 2. The Executive committee shall meet in the fall and spring of each year in conjunction with the APPNA Executive Council meetings.

Section 3. Special meetings can be called as the President / Executive Committee deems necessary.

Article IX - Quorum:

Section 1
One fifth of the membership shall constitute a quorum at any annual meeting.

Section 2
Three members of the Executive committee shall constitute a quorum

Article X- Rules:

Roberts Rules of Order, newly revised, shall govern the Alliance.

Appendix: Chapter Bylaws

Name: The name of the organization shall be the APPNA Alliance (name of a Chapter) Chapter.

Vision and Mission:

To carry out the vision and mission of the APPNA Alliance to the grass root level.
To utilize its resources in a manner that benefits local communities, and, in turn, enhances the image of the APPNA/Alliance.
To build trust among local communities nationwide, by endorsing and supporting the charitable services performed by physicians of Pakistani-descent and their spouses and adding new programs for community service.

APPNA Alliance is a not-for-profit organization and its platform must not be used to promote any political agenda or for personal benefit. Any such activity shall be grounds for revocation of membership of the concerned member. The President of the chapter can be removed by a vote of no-confidence passed by the executive committee.

Component Societies:

Spouses of APPNA members can join together to start a chapter at their state or county level, if there are fifteen active members of the APPNA Alliance in their group.

Membership:

The spouse of a current APPNA member shall be eligible to be an active member of the Alliance Chapter.
In order to be a chapter member, the prospective member shall be spouse of an APPNA member, and a current Alliance member.
Chapter membership dues shall be specified by the EC annually, in addition to the annual Alliance dues.
Lifetime dues of the APPNA Alliance shall be as specified by the EC.
If a chapter has an excess of 100 active members, then the additional 100 members would be allowed to have an additional chapter.
In their involvement in the affairs of the Association, however, it is essential that they register with the Council giving those details of their articles of incorporation. of membership, and the names and addresses of officers. All their financial dealings and bookkeeping will be through the Association’s office and accountant.
The Council may withdraw recognition of any component society whenever it finds that such organization has materially breached any of the provisions of the Constitution and Bylaws of this Association or has failed to function within the expressed spirit and purpose of this Association to such an extent that withdrawal of recognition is in the best interest of the Association. The final action taken by the council shall be presented at the next annual meeting or the general body vote should be sought through e-mail/ mail.
The component society elections should be conducted in October each year. The application for the nominations must clearly be written and the consent of the officer must be taken so they have a clear understanding of the obligation of a respective position.
The incoming officers for each chapter must be handed the over the necessary paper work to fulfill their obligations by the previous officer two weeks prior to the beginning of their term.
If an incoming officer does not receive the information from the previous chair then they must inform the Alliance President, President Elect, and the APPNA office in writing.