Peninsula Chinese-American Association (PCAA) Bylaws

ARTICLE I. Name

• The name of this organization shall be the Peninsula Chinese-American Association (PCAA).

ARTICLE II. Purpose

• The Association shall be a non-profit, non-political organization with the following purposes:
• Section 1. To promote fellowship, provide a communication and networking platform for information sharing, and enhance cultural awareness and diversity within the Chinese American community on the Virginia Peninsula and the community at large via sponsorship and co-sponsorship of social and cultural events and recreational activities.
• Section 2. To enhance the Chinese ethnic identity of the organization and its members and promote Chinese cultural heritage.
• Section 3. To provide Chinese language and culture education.

ARTICLE III. Membership

• Section 1. To become a member, an applicant shall submit a PCAA Membership Application to the Association’s Membership Committee for approval. The application is available from the PCAA website.
• Section 2. The membership term is from March 1st of one year to February 28th of the next year.
• Section 3. Any person of Chinese ethnic background and his/her family residing on the Virginia Peninsula and its vicinity are eligible for PCAA Membership.
• Section 4. Any person who is interested in Chinese culture and supports the purpose of the PCAA may apply for Membership.
• Section 5. The Membership Committee may nominate a friend of the Association as an Honorary Member, to be approved by the Executive Board. An Honorary Member enjoys the privilege of PCAA membership without submitting an application and annual fee.
• Section 6. The Membership of any member that acts against the Association’s interests shall be subject to review by the Executive Board. His/her membership may be revoked through the action of the Board.

ARTICLE IV. Executive Board and Officers

• Section 1. The governing body of the Association shall be called the Executive Board. The PCAA members in attendance at the annual General Assembly, defined in ARTICLE VI, elect members of the Executive Board that shall consist of 12-18 members including, by default, the immediate Past President and the Principals of each of the two Chinese Schools sponsored by PCAA.
• Section 2. The Officers of PCAA shall consist of the President, the Vice President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Membership Committee Chairperson. Elections of all vacated Officer positions shall be held among Board members after each General Assembly and at other times as necessary.
• Section 3. The Executive Board members and Officers shall serve a 2-year term that begins in the month of March immediately following the election and ends in February two years hence. There is no limit to the number of terms a Board member can serve. Officers shall not serve consecutive terms in the same positions.
• Section 4. The Executive Board shall determine the number of openings in the Board no less than one month before the annual General Assembly. Candidates for the openings shall be nominated by the Nomination Committee of the Executive Board prior to the General Assembly. Voting in the general election shall be held by secret ballot. The candidates will be ranked by number of votes received and will fill the vacancies beginning with the candidate receiving the most votes and continuing until all vacancies are filled. The Executive Board, at its own discretion, may authorize use of proxy for such election. The proxy has to be received by the deadline as stated.
• Section 5. The Executive Board, at its own discretion, shall fill interim non-Officer vacancies in the Executive Board for the remainder of the current term from the general membership.

ARTICLE V. Duties of the Officers and Executive Board

• Section 1. The President of the Association shall exercise general supervision over the affairs internal and external to the Association, with concurrence of a simple majority of the Executive Board members on all matters. He/she shall perform official duties usually incident to the office of the President of an organization.
• Section 2. The Vice President shall assist the President in the performance of his/her duties. In the event of the absence of the President, the Vice President shall act on his/her behalf. In the event of a premature termination of the President’s term of service, the Vice President shall assume the President’s position for the rest of his/her term.
• Section 3. The Secretary shall keep the records of the Association, including minutes of all of the meetings, appointments and general correspondences.
• Section 4. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all monetary transactions of the Association. He/she shall submit a fiscal report at the General Assembly, and shall respond to the President’s request for interim financial statements.
• Section 5. The Membership Committee Chairperson shall process Membership applications, and maintain and update the PCAA Membership Directory. He/she is responsible for the recruitment of new members, the accuracy of the contents of the Membership Directory, the compilation of the bi-annual new Membership Directory and the annual update to this Directory by providing a leaflet of modifications in the form of an addendum to the Membership Directory.
• Section 6. The Board members who are not Officers may chair committees of PCAA functions that include but are not limited to the fund raising, cultural education, public relations and newsletters, scholarship, organization planning, nomination, and various event committees.
• Section 7. The Executive Board shall be the legal representative of the Association. It shall have the power to expend Association funds raised during its term of service, and it shall not incur indebtedness beyond the assets of the Association. It shall transact all business of the Association that is not otherwise specifically delegated in the PCAA Bylaws.
• Section 8. Public comments on PCAA business made by individual Board members shall reflect the common consent of the Board. The Executive Board may remove any member of the Board for misconduct or negligence of duty.

ARTICLE VI. Meetings

• Section 1. An annual meeting of the PCAA members, to be called the General Assembly, shall generally be held at the same time as the Lunar New Year Celebration Event. The Executive Board shall determine the date, time and place of the annual General Assembly.
• Section 2. Other special general membership meetings of the Association may be called at any time by the Executive Board, or by submission of written petition signed by at least one-third of the members and submitted to the Board. The meetings will occur after not less than one week’s notice to all PCAA members.
• Section 3. The quorum for general membership meeting shall be one-half of the total membership of the Association at the time of the meeting.
• Section 4. The quorum for the Executive Board meetings shall be 1/2 of the total number of Board Members of the Association at the time of the meeting.

ARTICLE VII. Membership Dues and Privileges

• Section 1. The membership fee shall be paid annually and shall be due on the date of the General Assembly. Applicants for new membership shall pay their dues upon approval of their application. The amount of the annual membership fee shall be stated in the Membership Application and Association Newsletters announcing General Assembly information.
• Section 2. Members of the Association shall have the right to vote and to be elected to the Executive Board of the Association. Members shall have the right of access to resources of the Association and participate in all activities sponsored by the Association.
• Section 3. Children of PCAA members are eligible for applications for the PCAA Outstanding High School Graduate Award, the PCAA Special Achievement Award and other awards sponsored by the Association.

ARTICLE VIII. Amendments

• Section 1. Amendments to the Bylaws shall be approved at the General Assembly of the Association by affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present.

ARTICLE IX. Parliamentary Procedure

• Section 1. Robert's Rules of Order, when not in conflict with these Bylaws, shall govern the proceedings of the Association.

ARTICLE X. Dissolution

• Section 1. Dissolution of the PCAA by consent of the members shall occur only upon unanimous agreement of all of its Executive Board members followed by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present at a meeting of the Association that has been publicized to all members not less than two weeks in advance and specifically declared as a meeting to vote on dissolution of the Association.
• Section 2. Should this Association be dissolved, its assets shall be transferred to organizations having within their charter, the ability to engage in activities similar to those of PCAA, or to other charity organizations, as proposed by the Executive Board and approved by the general membership meeting.

HISTORY

• PCAA Bylaws, 1983
• Revision 1:March 1, 2008
• Revision 2:May 1, 2024