Bylaws - Amnesty International USA Group 133
adopted January 11, 2000, revised April 8, 2003

1.1 Group 133 (the Group) is a chartered local Group of Amnesty International USA, Inc. (AIUSA), based in the Somerville/Arlington area of Massachusetts.

1.2 The purpose of the Group is to promote human rights within the mandate of Amnesty International.

2.1 Membership in the Group is open to all people who support its purpose and wish to participate in it. The ultimate decision-making authority within the Group rests with the membership as expressed at its meetings.

2.2 The Group values diversity and seeks to actively recruit members especially from groups which may be under-represented. The Group seeks to be aware of and encourage participation by all genders, races, ethnicities, nationalities, faiths, socio-economic groups, sexual orientations, ages, abilities and political persuasions.

3.1 Meetings of the Group are held on the second Tuesday of every month, at 7:00-9:30 p.m., at the Northeast Regional Office of AIUSA, 58 Day Street, Somerville, Massachusetts. There are no other meetings of the Group.

3.2 At all meetings of the Group, a quorum consists of either 5 people or 50% of the median meeting attendance during the previous fiscal year (this number to be determined by the Secretary), whichever is greater.

3.3 All decisions of the Group are made by consensus of the members in attendance, whenever possible. When, in the opinion of the Coordinator, consensus cannot be reached in a timely manner, a simple majority of the members in attendance shall suffice. It is the responsibility of the Coordinator to ensure that all points of view are given fair hearing and consideration, regardless of the ultimate outcome. The Coordinator is encouraged to table a divisive issue until a subsequent meeting, rather than to rush to a vote. When a decision is made without consensus having been found, the Secretary shall minute the minority view points.

3.4 Any member of the Group may place an item on the meeting agenda by contacting the Coordinator beforehand. The Coordinator will make every effort to accommodate agenda requests within the time constraints of the meetings.

3.5 The minutes shall be compiled by the Secretary and published in the subsequent newsletter. Errors/omissions should be reported to the Secretary. At the following meeting, the Secretary shall report on any corrections/changes to the minutes. In the absence of any objections, the minutes shall be considered approved.

3.6 Between meetings, urgent business of the Group is carried out by the Coordinator, in consultation with the Feedback Committee. All such business is reported to the Group at the next meeting.

4.1 A Coordinator (or two Co-Coordinators), Treasurer and Secretary shall be selected by the Group to serve 2-year terms. All other positions within the Group (other than those specific to Action Teams) shall be appointed to one-year terms by the Coordinator, provided that the position has first been announced at a meeting and in the newsletter. When filling leadership positions, the Group seeks to reflect the diversity of the Group as a whole.

4.2 The Coordinator shall be responsible for preparing agendas for and facilitating Group meetings. The Coordinator is primarily responsible for ensuring that the bylaws and other policies are observed.

4.3 The Secretary shall be responsible for taking and distributing the minutes of all business conducted at all meetings of the Group, and circulating and collecting meeting sign-in sheets. The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining and authenticating the records of the Group.

4.4 The Treasurer shall be responsible for the safekeeping and disbursement of the Group funds and for maintaining records of assets, income and expenditures. The Treasurer shall make quarterly reports to the Group.

4.5 The terms of office for all Group leadership positions begin on the first day of February. The appointments for one-year positions shall be announced by the Coordinator at the January meeting. The selection of two-year term positions shall take place at the January meeting of even-numbered years.

4.6 At the end of all terms, each position is to be reviewed by the Group or Coordinator, as appropriate. The review shall take into consideration the continued interest and ability of the individual to carry out the work of that position.

4.7 In the event of uncompleted one-year terms, individuals in Group leadership positions are responsible for finding their own replacements, in consultation with the Coordinator. The selection of replacements to complete a two-year term is carried out by the Group.

5.1 The Feedback Committee exists to provide the Coordinator with counsel on Group business conducted between meetings. Any Group member who has attended three meetings of the Group (as verified by the Secretary) may self-appoint to the committee, which shall be contacted via e-mail or telephone by the Coordinator. Committee members are obliged to provide prompt consideration and responses to the Coordinator.

5.2 The Budget Committee shall be responsible for developing an annual budget for the Group's consideration at its August meeting. The committee is composed of the Group Coordinator, one representative from each Action Team, and the Treasurer.

5.3 The Audit Committee shall be responsible for reviewing the financial records and other assets of the Group and reporting to the Group. Their annual review of the records for the previous fiscal year shall be delivered to the Group at their January meeting. The committee shall be composed of the Group Coordinator, a representative from each Action Team, and the Tabling Coordinator.

5.4 As needed, the Coordinator may appoint additional committees to carry out specific functions with appropriate powers and responsibilities.

6.1 Action Teams are semi-autonomous committees which work on specific human rights issues. They are responsible to the Group, and must report to the Group on its activities at each meeting.

6.2 Each Action Team will carry out an internal review of its work on a regular basis (suggested 12-24 months) and report to the Group. Within the review, the Action Team should:

1. determine what goals have been accomplished;
2. update goals/plans for the Action Team;
3. evaluate what has worked well and what aspects require improvement;
4. decide whether the Action Team should continue, restructure or disband.

6.3 There is no set limit to the number of Action Teams.

6.4 Each year, each Action Team is entitled to reimbursement for $200 of Action Team expenses when receipts are submitted to the Treasurer. Additional funds may be approved at any monthly meeting.

6.5 Each Action Team is responsible for at least one fundraising event per year, to benefit the Group.

6.6 In order to establish a new Action Team, a Group of members must prepare a presentation for a meeting at which the following are presented:

1. A list of at least five members interested in being active participants of the Action Team, at least one of which is willing to serve as Coordinator.
2. An overview of the Action Team, its scope and purpose
3. A general plan for the work of the Action Team
4. An estimate of the financial needs of the Action Team
5. The intended duration of the Action Team (e.g. a fixed campaign, indefinite, etc.), and the length of time between internal reviews of the Action Team.

If the prospective Action Team satisfies the above criteria, the Group is encouraged to approve. Close attention will be paid to the financial and human resources of the Group.

7.1 Amendments to these bylaws may be made by the Group at any meeting, provided that the intent to amend and the specific bylaws to be amended has previously been announced in the Newsletter. When, in the opinion of the Coordinator, consensus cannot be reached in a timely manner, a two-thirds majority of the members in attendance is necessary to amend.

7.2 In the event of dissolution of the Group, all remaining assets shall revert to AIUSA.

8.1 The fiscal year of the Group begins on the first day of October.

8.2 Any member may be removed from the Group, or any member may be removed from any position of leadership or responsibility, for malfeasance. A two-thirds majority of the members in attendance is necessary for removal.

8.3 The Group is a volunteer organization. The Group shall not pay any wages or salaries, nor shall anyone representing or acting on behalf of the Group receive directly or indirectly any profit or pecuniary advantage from association with the Group, except that the Treasurer may authorize expenditures for reasonable compensation for goods and services rendered in furtherance of the purposes of the Group. Volunteers may be reimbursed only for actual expenses as approved by the Group.