Lilac Philly

Bylaws

Bylaws of LILAC

Adopted: 19 May 2019

Article I. Purpose.

LILAC is organized exclusively to promote social welfare. LILAC seeks to build the multiracial, multi-gendered, and multigenerational working class movement necessary to win and wield the power necessary to build socialism and end all other forms of exploitation and oppression. LILAC shall do so by representing and fighting for socialist perspectives, strategies, and policies in progressive coalitions in Philadelphia, actively participant in leftist ones, and building bridges to bring the two together into a popular front.

Article II. Membership.

Section 1. Eligibility

Any individual may apply for LILAC membership. A member is defined as anyone who:

  • Pays monthly dues to the organization;
  • Agrees with and works to uphold the values articulated in Article I; and
  • Agrees to abide by LILAC’s Code of Conduct and Community Agreements.

Any members may resign their membership upon request.

Section 2. Dues

Dues shall be set at a minimum of five dollars ($5.00) per month for the first six months of the organization’s existence and recalculated yearly thereafter. Dues waivers shall be granted upon request.

Article III. Bodies.

Section 1. Working Groups.

Formation and Dissolution: Working Groups may be formed by any five members to pursue any goal in line with Article I, absent the disapproval of two-thirds of a General Meeting. Such disapproval shall require members to wait for three months before attempting to re-form a new Working Group with a substantially similar goal.

Working Group Membership: Working group members must be LILAC members in good standing and have attended two of the previous four Working group meetings including the current meeting.

Powers: Once formed, Working Groups may operate with the imprimatur of LILAC so long as a two-thirds majority of members at a General Meeting do not vote to block a specific proposed action, tactic, or strategy.

Duties: Working Groups shall meet monthly and shall be open to all members of LILAC. The time and place of such meetings shall be made known to all members one week prior to such meetings. The minutes of such meetings shall be made public to all LILAC members. The Working Group’s proposed actions for the following month and overall strategic plan shall be sent to the Archivist. Upon adoption of this Amendment each working group will elect a Bottomliner to ensure, including through delegation, that the Working Group is fulfilling each of its duties. Bottomliners shall serve, at most 1-year terms, but can be recalled at any time. Recall shall prompt the election of a new Bottomliner.

Section 2. General Meeting.

  1. Powers. The General Meeting shall set LILAC’s priorities, and take any other actions it deems appropriate in accordance with these bylaws, and federal and state law. Working Groups shall submit a list of planned actions for that month. The General Meeting shall first vote on whether to disband any new Working Groups or block any specific proposed action of any Working Groups. Any such vote shall require a two-thirds majority to pass. The General Meeting shall then use Rusty’s Rules of Order to prioritize up to 3 of the approved Working Group actions.
  2. Participatory Budgeting. The General Meeting shall approve LILAC’s quarterly budget in accordance with its understanding of LILAC’s priorities. Working Groups shall submit a quarterly budget delineating its requested financial support two weeks prior to the General Meeting at which such financial resources are apportioned.
  3. Quorum. Quorum for a General Meeting is 10% of LILAC’s membership.
  4. Frequency. General Meetings shall occur monthly.

Section 3. Coordinating Committee

  1. Composition. The voting members of the Coordinating Committee shall be composed of seven members, elected annually by the the LILAC membership for one year terms.

    Other groups who wish to coordinate with LILAC may also elect to send a representative to be a non-voting member of the Coordinating Committee.

    Each of the seven voting members of the Coordinating Committee shall be elected by the LILAC membership to serve in one of the following roles:
    1. Co-Chair (two members of the Coordinating Committee)
    2. Communications Officer
    3. Treasurer
    4. Membership Officer
    5. Archivist
    6. Parliamentarian
  2. Duties. The Coordination Committee shall coordinate actions, strategies, and tactics across Working Groups and serve as the locus for LILAC’s efforts that cut across Working Groups. The Coordinating Committee shall also be responsible for coordinating the administrative work necessary for LILAC to function and grow. The Coordinating Committee is required to meet monthly at minimum, and its meetings will be open to LILAC members for participation. The Coordinating Committee is required to submit minutes of its meetings no later than one week after such meeting.

    The duties of each of the voting members of the Coordinating Committee shall consist of the following:
    1. Co-Chairs (two members of the Coordinating Committee):
      1. Shall regularly attend meetings of and be involved in multiple working groups;
      2. Shall be expected to familiarize themselves with all of the internal operations and external organizing projects of LILAC to the best of their ability;
      3. Shall be expected to attend and/or represent LILAC at public events and coalition meetings when necessary; and
    2. Communications Officer:
      1. Shall be responsible for LILAC’s official social media accounts, keeping the website up to date, coordinating press releases, publishing the Newsletter; and all other outward facing communications.
    3. Treasurer:
      1. Shall collect monthly dues;
      2. Shall coordinate fundraising activities for LILAC;
      3. Shall regularly provide reports on LILAC’s budget to the rest of the Coordinating Committee and at General Meetings;
      4. Shall serve as the Treasurer of the corporation for the purposes of compliance with local, state, and federal law.
    4. Membership Officer:
      1. Shall handle member recruitment, retention, engagement, and activation functions including but not limited to:
        1. Phone banking and/or texting efforts;
        2. Tracking membership (in association with the Treasurer); and
        3. New member orientations.
    5. Archivist:
      1. Shall be responsible for arranging in-person and virtual meeting spaces for General Meetings, Coordinating Committee Meetings, and will be expected to:
        1. Book a free and handicap accessible space for each month’s General Meeting (if it is in-person);
        2. Book a free and accessible online space for each month’s General Meeting (if it is virtual);
        3. Announce the time, date, and location of said meeting no later than two weeks prior to said Meeting; and
        4. Build the agenda/meeting packets for each General Meeting with input from LILAC’s membership, and publish each agenda/meeting packet one week prior to each General Meeting.
      2. Shall also serve as the Secretary of the corporation for the purposes of compliance with local, state, and federal law.
    6. Parliamentarian:
      1. Shall ensure that the public copy of the Bylaws of LILAC is kept up to date with any amendments passed at General Meetings;
      2. Shall ensure that the article(s) and/or section(s) of Bylaws pertinent to discussions at General Meetings are considered by attendees; and
      3. Assist any member interested in drafting amendments to the Bylaws if they request such assistance.
  3. One of the members of the Coordinating Committee co-chairs shall also be selected by the Coordinating Committee at its first meeting after the annual Coordinating Committee elections to serve as the President of the corporation for the purposes of compliance with local, state, and federal law.
  4. Powers. The Coordinating Committee may act with the imprimatur of the membership between General Meetings, but will defer to the General Meeting if time is not of the essence. Decisions of the Coordinating Committee shall be subject to ratification by the General Meeting.
  5. Recall. The membership may of LILAC recall a member of the Coordinating Committee by simple majority vote at a General Meeting. A member of the Coordinating Committee so recalled shall not be eligible to sit on the Coordinating Committee for one year.

Article IV. Approval and Amendments.

Ratification shall occur when a simple majority of the members of the Local Initiative Local Action Committee of Philly DSA vote to approve these bylaws.

Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by any member to the Agenda Coordinator no less than two weeks prior to the General Meeting. Amendments shall be the first order of business at the General Meeting, and shall take effect immediately upon passing. The General Meeting shall use Rusty’s Rules of Order to debate and decide upon Amendments. Amendments must pass by two-thirds of the members in attendance.

Article V. Dissolution.

The organization may be dissolved upon a ninety percent (90%) majority vote of the entire membership. Upon dissolution, any remaining funds will be donated to the Philly Community Bail Fund.

Article VI. Prohibited Activity.

LILAC shall not engage in activity prohibited by the IRS guidelines established for 501(c)4 organizations or associated Political Action Committees, or similar rules or laws established by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.