Western Mass NEMBA Bylaws

The Western Mass NEMBA Board has six executive roles and additional at-large roles (currently 10 regional seats). Executive roles should be filled at all times; regional at-large seats may remain open until filled.

Executive Leadership

• President
  • 2 year term
• Vice President
  • 2 year term
• Treasurer
  • 2 year term
• Secretary
  • 1 year term
• Regional Board of Directors Primary Representative (this can be the same as one of the above persons)
  • 1 year term
• Regional Board of Directors Alternate Representative (this can be the same as one of the above persons)
  • 1 year term

Additional Board and Regional Seats - 1 year term

• East-Central (South Hadley, Granby, Belchertown, Hadley, Amherst, Pelham, Shutesbury, Leverett, Sunderland)
• West-Central (Northampton, Westhampton, Williamsburg, Hatfield, Whately)
• Springfield Area (Chicopee, Ludlow, Springfield, Wilbraham, Hampden, Longmeadow, East Longmeadow)
• South Quabbin (Ware, Palmer, Monson, Wales, Brimfield, Holland)
• Holyoke-Westfield Area (Easthampton, Southampton, Holyoke, West Springfield, Agawam, Southwick)
• Greenfield Area (Greenfield, Deerfield, Montague, Gill, Bernardston, Northfield)
• North Quabbin (New Salem, Wendell, Orange, Erving, Warwick)
• South Hilltowns (Chester, Huntington, Montgomery, Russell, Granville, Tolland, Blandford, Middlefield)
• Central Hilltowns (Worthington, Chesterfield, Goshen, Cummington, Plainfield, Ashfield, Conway, Hawley)
• North Hilltowns (Leyden, Colrain, Shelburne, Heath, Rowe, Monroe, Charlemont, Buckland)

Western Mass NEMBA holds elections every February. Voting takes place via online survey in the week prior to the following February chapter meeting, and results will be announced at the meeting. 

Eligibility

Current Western Mass NEMBA members are eligible to vote and run for elected positions; members must have an active membership at the time of the vote. Board members can serve unlimited consecutive terms, provided they are voted in again at the end of each term. 

Nominations

Those wishing to nominate themselves must submit a statement of interest to the current board by January 15th. This statement should outline why they would like to serve on the Western Mass board, and any relevant experience they have to contribute. This can be short and informal. All eligible nominations will be shared with chapter members at least two weeks before the February chapter meeting. 

Vacancies

If a board position becomes vacant during the year, the board reserves the right to appoint an existing board member to the vacant position, hold a special election, or leave the seat vacant until the next election. Any interim board member serves until the next election. 

Chapter leadership will be expected to follow the community norms and all NEMBA policies, and to satisfactorily perform their duties as assigned. 

Any member of the board can raise an issue of officer conduct for discussion at a board meeting. Repeated or severe instances of violation will result in the offending party’s removal from the board. 

President 

• Leads and represents the chapter 
• Acts as chair of all meetings of the chapter or may delegate the role of chair to another chapter leader.
• Forges and maintains relationships with a diverse set of partners, including land managers,  local media, commercial and non profit sponsors, parks and facilities, and other trail and recreation focused advocacy organizations (point person) and continues successful efforts to find and leverage common interests within these groups into support for our mission. 
• Oversees the VP role execution to ensure that chapter leadership positions are getting  necessary resources.
• Works with chapter leadership team resources to facilitate and promote outreach for current chapter members through the creation of high quality mountain biking initiatives and opportunities as well as programs to expand participation.
• Acts as the chapter’s primary regional representative to NEMBA leadership and attends all meetings that require the presence of the chapter president.
• Maintains standard operating procedures documenting details about the position to assist with the transition duties.
• Acts as the primary chapter bank account holder.

Vice President 

• Assists the chapter leadership team to foster local level contacts for supportive relationships with land managers and other resources  
• Represents NEMBA. They are also responsible for assisting the president in keeping their chapter informed as to what is happening regionally 
• Acts as a resource for chapter leadership team and trail representatives, responsible for connecting them to tools, equipment or expertise as needed. 
• Manages contributions to chapter communications.
• Organizes and oversees board member’s roles, tasks, and coordination, including calling board meetings as needed. The vice president is responsible for arranging coverage of duties in the absence of other board members (for example, if the president cannot attend a meeting). 

Secretary 

• Takes minutes of the chapter meetings.
• Responsible for uploading meeting minutes to chapter folder/getting meeting minutes to regional treasurer for tax purposes.
• Maintains an archive of chapter documents (both electronic and paper).
• Maintains a calendar of all chapter events.
• Golden Volunteer coordinator & tracks overall hours 
• Writes and coordinates communications outreach to membership and public at large by  working with the chapter social media manager to organize, edit and publish content.

Treasurer 

• Helps create and monitor the annual chapter budget.
• Acts as the primary chapter bank account holder.
• Tracks ongoing chapter spending against expense categories, budget, and income.
• Receives income from NEMBA Regional, PayPal and other income channels.
• Makes disbursements.
• Tracks “Trail Karma” contributions, maintains riding area directed funds, and distributes to relevant trail usage groups (a.k.a. “Friends of” groups).
• Maintains standard operating procedures documenting details about the position to  assist with the transition duties.
• Provides annual financial report to NEMBA Regional for tax purposes.
• Reports finances to the chapter leadership team on a monthly basis.
• Prepares financial reports for chapter meetings.

Regional Board of Directors Primary & Alternate Representatives 

Acts as the chapter’s representative to the NEMBA BOD and who must participate in quarterly meetings throughout New England and represents the chapter in NEMBA BOD elections. They are also responsible for keeping their chapter informed as to what is happening regionally.

Regional Seats

• Forges and maintains relationships with a diverse set of partners in their local region.
• Keeps the board updated about any changes or issues in their local region. Represents and advocates for their region to the board.

Note: Board Leadership may fill one of these seats in addition to their executive role, but will need to be elected into the position separately.

These roles may be performed by any chapter member as agreed upon by the board.

Social Media Coordinator  

• Point person for social media accounts: Facebook, Instagram, emails 
• Help create and post content on social media platforms 
• Be aware of and follow social media guidelines 

Trails Coordinator

• Coordinates “friends of” and user groups for chapter trail systems
• Maintains records of primary contacts, user groups, and stakeholders for each trail system
• Helps to establish and foster new user groups as needed

Trail Liaison/Rep  

• Point person for a particular trail systems within region 
• Coordinate trail activities and permission with land managers 
• Assist in managing trail work days, builds, and any other maintenance projects 

Event Coordinator/Planner (per event) 

• Point person for event(s) planning and execution 
• Handle logistics and coordination of venue, event schedule, vendors 
• Secure permits, develop signage, schedule parking detail/police, assist with swag collection, vendor set-up, event schedule 
• Engage volunteers, manage Golden Volunteer sign-up 
• Secures food and refreshment - places order, retains receipts, requests reimbursement 

Group Ride Coordinator (per ride)

• Point person for group ride planning and execution 
• Head up any ride leader training 
• Secure leads and sweeps for each ride 
• Conducts Golden Volunteer check-in 
• Promotes ride on social media (Facebook and Instagram) 
• Introduces NEMBA and ride guidelines 
• Welcome 
• Describe ride(s) 
• Conduct rider introductions 

These norms help foster an inviting, inclusive, and joyful mountain biking community for our chapter. Violation of these norms will be handled at the discretion of the board; response may range in severity from a verbal warning, up to loss of chapter voting privileges and participation. 

• Treat everyone with respect and without judgment.
• Serve as a positive role model for the mountain bike community— act with honesty, integrity and transparency as members of our community.
• Ride with gratitude and respect for the land, landowners, and stewardship that make our trails possible. 
• We’re committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all.  Therefore, any harmful language or behavior will not be tolerated. 
• If you encounter a challenging situation within our chapter, please share the issue with a member of the Western Mass NEMBA board.

Voting Parameters

Current Western Mass NEMBA members and currently serving board members are eligible to vote on issues as defined below. All chapter votes aside from elections will happen in person; members who are unable to attend a meeting may submit their vote in advance to chapter leadership. Issues raised for vote must be publicized at least one week in advance along with the meeting agenda.

Financial

• Board members may make purchases up to $150 without board approval. 
• Purchases up to $1,000 require board approval.
• Purchases above $1,000 require chapter approval.
• Financial votes require a majority decision to pass.

Bylaws and Governance

A public vote by chapter members is needed for fundamental changes to chapter governance; a two-thirds majority is needed to pass.

Elections

A public vote by chapter members is needed to elect chapter board members; ranked-choice voting will be used in cases where there are more than two candidates. Voting takes place via online survey in the week prior to the following February chapter meeting.

Chapter Branding

Chapter branding related votes require a majority decision. A public vote by chapter members is needed for chapter name changes, new logos, and other "trademarks".

Contracts

Contractual related votes require a majority decision. A board vote is required to approve any contracts or agreements with other organizations, individuals, or parties.

Other issues may be raised for chapter vote at the discretion of the board.

Quorum

For issues that require a board or chapter vote, quorum is defined as:

• A minimum of three or one-half of all board members, whichever amount is larger
• AND at least two executive board members

Before the meeting

Board meetings should be called at least two weeks in advance; urgent or emergency meetings may be called by any Board member, but quorum rules will still apply for any votes. Notice must be given to all Board members via the agreed-upon communication channels (currently Facebook messenger and email). 

After the meeting

Meeting minutes should be posted to the chapter website within one week after the meeting. The results of any votes, and other important takeaways should be highlighted on chapter social media and the website.

Before the meeting

Chapter meetings should be advertised at least two weeks in advance; one month is ideal. The meeting agenda should be posted at least one week in advance; any items that will be up for a chapter vote should be included in this advance notice. Any chapter member can submit agenda items in advance; these suggestions will be included at the discretion of the board.

After the meeting

Meeting minutes should be posted to the chapter website within one week after the meeting. The results of any votes, and other important takeaways should be highlighted on chapter social media and the website. 

No amendments at this time.

Last update on November 9, 2023.