Bylaws

Article I - Name

Section 1: The name of the Not-For-Profit Corporation shall be the Arizona Professional Recruiters Association. The acronym for the Association shall be APRA.

Section 2: Principal Office. There will not be a principal office of the Corporation at this time, but at any time in the future, may be located at the place determined by the Board of Directors. APRA will use a local post office box to receive all business-related correspondence. The directors may establish other offices and places of business in Arizona.

Section 3: Fiscal year. The Fiscal year of the corporation shall begin on the 1^st day of January, and end on the 31st day of December of each year.

Section 4: Business year. The official business year of the corporation shall start on the third Wednesday of the month of October and end on the second Tuesday of the month of October.

Article II - Purpose

Section 1: Purposes. The purpose of the Arizona Professional Recruiters Association shall be as follows:

a) To provide an opportunity for the recruiting community in Arizona to meet regularly to network, exchange ideas and experiences, which are of common interest, and to be kept informed of developments in the field of recruiting.
b) To provide opportunities for professional development and education in the recruiting field through meetings, seminars and programs both within the Association and in cooperation with other appropriate professional organizations in Arizona and the US.
c) To promote and maintain high standards of professional ethics.

Section 2: Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics for the Arizona Professional Recruiters Association shall be defined as follows:

The reliance of managers of private and public institutions on the recommendations of recruiting professionals imposes on the profession an obligation to maintain high standards of integrity and competence. The reputation and integrity of APRA is a valuable asset that is vital to our growth and success. Each member of the group is responsible for conducting APRA’s business in a manner that demonstrates a commitment to the highest standards of integrity and shall and pledge to carry out the following objectives to the best of his/her ability:

Support the goals and objectives of the Association to reflect the highest standards of the recruiting profession.
Be dedicated to the highest ideals of honor and integrity in all public and personal relationships that the member may merit the respect and confidence of others.
Acknowledge his/her personal responsibility to strive for growth in the field of recruiting.
Display a spirit of unity and cohesiveness in creating an environment of support for the Association’s goals of professional excellence, integrity and personal and professional development.
Handle all recruiting matters in strict confidence on the basis of merit so that fairness and impartiality govern a member’s decisions and those decisions are based on facts, not assumption; on principle, not expediency; and never for the member’s personal gain or recognition.
Not take personal, financial or other advantages of material or inside information resulting from their membership in APRA, nor will they provide the basis on which others might take such advantage.
Foster and apply recruiting practices and principles, which motivate people to develop their full capacity as competent, productive employees.

A) Any APRA member can report alleged ethics abuses to the Membership Chair for review. The Membership Chair will investigate complaints and report to the APRA Board. In these cases, the Board of Directors may exercise its ability to censure or revoke a membership.

B) Since professional growth is a main objective of APRA, using the organization as an avenue of marketing one’s business or violating any aspect of the Code of Ethics is unacceptable.

C) In addition, the diversity of APRA’s members is a tremendous asset. We are firmly committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of membership and will not tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin or any other protected class.

Article III - Membership

Membership in the Arizona Professional Recruiters Association shall be available to all persons regardless of race, color, sex, age, religion or national origin that meet the qualifications as defined in Sections 1 to 4 below. Also, membership will be valid for the period of January 1st to December 31st and upon receipt of the member’s annual membership fee with his/her application. Renewing Members do not need to complete an application, but should inform the Membership Chair if their information has changed in the previous year.

Section 1: Persons who reside in Arizona and are employed and work directly for a corporation with the responsibility of either directly recruiting or managing the recruitment of personnel for their employers who have an office (s) in Arizona.

Section 2:

a) Persons who reside in Arizona and are self-employed consultants or contractors and whose professional services involve recruiting personnel for their clients who have an office(s) or have operation(s) in Arizona.
b) Persons who reside in Arizona and are consultants or contractors who work directly for Human Resources – related consulting firms in Arizona whose professional services involve recruiting personnel for their clients.

Section 3: Persons who reside in Arizona and are employed by companies who are providers of professional services to the recruiting community in Arizona. Definitions of these types of companies would be the media (advertising agencies, television, radio, internet, social networks, etc.), outplacement firms, academic institutions and any other organizations that meet this definition.

Section 4: Persons who reside in Arizona and are employed by or own employment agencies, which are directly, involved with the recruitment and placement of personnel in Arizona.

Section 5: Application for Membership. An application for membership in APRA shall be made in writing by completing an application form either on paper, or online, and sending it to the Membership Chair for review.

Section 6: Membership Approval. All memberships must be approved by the Membership Chair and the APRA Officers and must meet the criteria of membership as established in Sections 1 – 5 above. In the absence of the Membership Chair, the President will approve the membership applications.

Section 7: Termination of Membership. Membership in APRA may be terminated for good cause by a majority vote (3/5) of the four Officers and the Membership Chair. Membership will also be terminated for non-payment of annual dues and for the reason of change of qualification for membership. Any member may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Membership Chair. No refunds will be given for that part of the Membership year unused.

Section 8: Annual Membership Fees. Annual membership fee shall become payable on January 1st of each year. The amount of the membership fee shall be determined each year by the Board of Directors prior to January 1st. The membership shall be notified of the membership dues and eligibility in December of each year.

All Membership Fees are non-refundable.

Article IV - Meetings

Section 1: There are two types of Regular Meetings.

a) Regular “program” meetings should be held five or six times each year, on the third Wednesday of the month, (unless special circumstances require a change of date). The purpose of the business meeting will be educational and networking. The meeting place will be determined by the Board and approved by the President.
b) Regular “mixer” meetings should be held two or three times per year on the third Wednesday of the month, (unless special circumstances require a change of date). The purpose of the Mixer meeting will be professional networking and socializing. The meeting place will be determined by the Board, and approved by the President.
c) A Seminar-style meeting may be held in September, ideally on the third Wednesday.
d) A General Business meeting may be held in the fourth quarter of the year, including Elections for Board of Director positions for the following year.

For “Program” and “Mixer” meetings, first-time attendees and those invited by an APRA member, may attend and not pay an attendance fee, if so approved by the President.

Section 2: Notice of Meetings. A program meeting notice will be sent to all members and people on the mailing list approximately 2 weeks in advance of the meeting date.

Section 3: Quorum. Twenty percent of the regular membership shall constitute a quorum for voting purposes.

Article V - Elections and Balloting

Section 1: Elections of Officers on the Board of Directors will be conducted as follows.

a) In the period of time four to six weeks prior to the General Business meeting the President and Vice President shall appoint a nominating committee who will gather nominations from the membership of names of members who wish to run for an Officer position on the Board of Directors.
b) The slate of nominees will be shared with the Board of Directors and membership at large prior to the General Business Meeting.
c) The slate of nominees will be presented to all voting members at the General Business Meeting and at that time, APRA members who wish to nominate someone or want to self-nominate may do so at the meeting.
d) Each nominated person will give a short introduction to the membership of his/her qualifications for the position.

Section 2: Elections of Committee Chairs on the Board of Directors will be conducted as follows.

a) In the period of time four to six weeks prior to the General Business meeting the President and Vice President shall appoint a nominating committee who will gather nominations from the membership of names of members who wish to run for Committee Chair positions on the Board of Directors.
b) The slate of nominees will be shared with the Board of Directors and membership at large prior to the General Business Meeting.
c) The slate of nominees will be presented to all voting members at the General Business Meeting and at that time, APRA members who wish to nominate someone or want to self-nominate may do so at the meeting.
d) Each nominated person will give a short introduction to the membership of his/her qualifications for the position.

Section 3: Balloting

a) Voting procedure. Each Officer and Committee Chair will be voted on using the method determined appropriate by the current Officers. The majority of votes for each candidate will determine the winner of the position.
b) Tie voting. In the event of a tie for an Officer position, successive balloting will be conducted until one candidate receives a plurality. If two candidates run for a Committee Chair position, they can agree to co-chair the position. If not, then a vote will be taken again.

Article VI - Officers

Section 1: The Officers of the Association will be four. The positions are President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Each position will serve for a one-year period from the time of elections on the date of the General Business Meeting to the morning after the date of the next General Business Meeting. Each candidate seeking an Officer position must be an active APRA member in good standing, have been a member for at least six months and have attended at least 75% of the prior year’s meetings. If removal should occur prior to the completion of office, the Board of Directors shall meet to nominate and vote on a successor for the remainder of the term.

Section 2: The President. The major responsibilities of the President are as follows:

a) Serve as the executive head of the organization.
b) Work with the Board of Directors to establish the strategic direction of the organization.
c) Responsible for the administration of the affairs of the organization.
d) Preside at all regular business and mixer meetings.
e) Call and chair periodic meetings of the Board of Directors and deal with the administrative affairs of the organization.
f) Accountable, along with the Treasurer, for all fiscal affairs. Will work with the Associations’ certified public accountant to file all necessary tax forms with the Internal Revenue Service or the state of Arizona in a timely fashion.
g) Accountable for all legal affairs of the Association. Will work with the statutory agent to fill all required legal documents with the state of Arizona in a timely fashion.
h) Represent APRA at other Recruiter meetings in Arizona, or the United States.
i) To supervise the role of the Webmaster.
j) There will be a limitation on serving in the role of president for two consecutive years.

Section 3: The Vice President. The major responsibilities of the Vice President shall be as follows:

a) To assist the President in setting the strategic direction of the organization.
b) To attend all meetings of the Board of Directors.
c) To assist the President in terms of presiding at all APRA meetings.
d) To act as a back up to the President in terms of attending any Recruiter meetings in Arizona or the United States.
e) To fulfill all duties as requested by the President.

Section 4: Secretary. The major responsibilities of the Secretary shall be as follows:

a) To attend the regular “program” meetings of the organization, take meeting notes, transcribe them and distribute the meeting notes to the Webmaster, and in any other fashion as deemed necessary.
b) To attend all meetings of the Board of Directors, take meeting notes and distribute them appropriately as deemed by the Board.
c) Track attendance at meetings.
d) To fulfill all other duties as requested by the President.

Section 5: Treasurer. The major responsibilities of the Treasurer shall be as follows:

a) The Treasurer will be accountable for the financial affairs of the organization.
b) Will invoice and receive monies for membership dues from the Membership Chairperson on an on-going basis throughout the fiscal year.
c) Will collect, and bill if necessary, meeting attendance fees for the organization’s business, Mixer meetings, seminars and any other APRA functions or joint functions with other professional organizations.
d) To arrange for annual examination and publication of the financial statements for APRA’s certified public accountant and Board of Directors when necessary or requested by the President.
e) To attend all meetings of the Board of Directors.
f) To fulfill all other duties as requested by the President.

Article VII - Board of Directors

Section 1: The Board of Directors will be comprised of four Officers, which are President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary as well as the Committee Chairs.

Section 2: All candidates for Officer positions on the Board must be active and qualified members of the Association. All candidates must be in good standing with the Association at the time of election to the Board.

Section 3. Elections to the Board. All nominated Officers and Committee Chairs shall be elected as stipulated in the By-laws of the Association. Terms of office shall be from the date of the General Business Meeting to the morning of the same meeting in the following year.

Section 4: Vacancies. In the event of a vacancy, the President or any Board member may nominate a candidate to fill this position and the majority vote of the Board will be required to approve the candidate. The candidate will fill the remainder of the vacant term.

Section 5: Quorum. A simple majority of those present shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of voting on business matters.

Article VIII - Committees

Section 1: The Program Committee. The Program Committee Chair is the head of the Program Committee and has the responsibilities of:

a) Arranging for meeting and mixer programs that meet the criteria established in the mission statement and code of conduct. Will coordinate speakers, sponsors, and meeting places to attend the business and mixer meetings.
b) Will manage the Program Committee and coordinate all items pertaining to the delivery of successful meetings, which will be of mutual interest to the membership and guests.

Section 2: Membership Committee. The Membership Chair is the head of the Membership Committee and has the responsibilities of:

a) Recruit and recommend new members to the Association throughout the course of the business year.
b) Review the qualifications of prospective members and approve their applications.
c) Ensure that members pay their annual dues in a timely fashion. Will promptly send membership dues checks to the Treasurer.
d) Develop an annual Membership Campaign in the month of January, which will be designed to attract new members.
e) Prepare and maintain an accurate membership roster.
f) Notify the President of any member who fails to meet the criteria of membership during the course of the year.
g) Act as hospitality at all meetings and greet and introduce new APRA members and guests to active APRA members and the Board. Assist the Treasurer at the meetings in receiving meeting dues.

Section 3: Publicity. The Publicity Chair is the head of the Publicity Committee and has the responsibilities of:

a) Production of Meeting Notice two to three weeks before the upcoming meeting for approval the President. The Publicity committee will also distribute the Meeting Notice to the APRA mailing list and media organizations at least 2 weeks prior to the meeting.
b) Send the Meeting Notice to the major media in Arizona in time to meet advance deadlines.
c) Coordinate public relations and publicity activities with the committee and seek new opportunities to promote APRA within the state of Arizona, and the United States on a cost-effective basis.

Section 4: Community Outreach. The Community Outreach Chair is the head of the Community Outreach Community and has the responsibilities of:

a) Establish communication channels with the local community: business, technical, academic, professional and public service organizations. This includes coordinating academic outreach programs to schools pertaining to overall workforce development and public service activities to increase APRA’s visibility.
b) Communicate information to APRA membership on recruitment industry trends, surveys, and general news about the recruiting field.
c) Provide an educational forum to keep APRA members abreast to developments that may directly or indirectly impact recruiting, the job market, and workforce development.
d) Lead and manage the development and production of the annual half-day Seminar.

Section 5: APRA Web Site. APRA will develop and maintain a web site dedicated to providing the public with relevant information describing the Association, its mission, code of conduct, membership and programs.

Article IX - Amendment of Bylaws

These by-laws may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the membership in attendance at a business meeting, and by proxy votes submitted before the meeting.