SISTERS IN CRIME, INC.

 

Tornado Alley Chapter Bylaws

 

Effective Pending 2025

 

 

ARTICLE I

Name and Seal:

 

Section 1. The name of this chapter shall be Tornado Alley Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Its seal shall be a design adopted by its Executive Committee, as approved by Sisters in Crime National. Its principal location shall be Central United States.

 

ARTICLE II

Vision, Mission and Core Values

 

Vision: Sisters in Crime (SinC) sets standards for itself, its members, and the crime writing community. Through advocacy, programming, and leadership, SinC empowers and supports all crime writers regardless of genre or position on their career trajectory.

 

Mission: Sisters in Crime was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers.

 

Core Values: SinC’s core values are intrinsic to our organization’s identity and are reflected in every decision, action, program, and communication we undertake.

SinC’s core values are:

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Advocacy: Championing our mission, vision, and members.

 

Equity: Ensuring fair and just practices and policies that enable all community members to thrive, participate, and succeed.

 

Inclusion: Actively, intentionally, and continually creating an environment where every member of our community is valued, respected, and has a sense of belonging.

 

Community: Fostering a community where differences are valued, everyone feels accepted and free to express their authentic selves, and individual needs are acknowledged and respected. Our community embraces everyone, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, age, religion, disability, neurodiversity, national origin, citizenship, socioeconomic status, educational background, publishing path, or chosen genre.

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ARTICLE III

 

Membership: Membership is open to all persons worldwide who have an interest in crime and mystery writing and in furthering the purposes of Sisters in Crime, Inc., as defined in Article II.

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Section 1. PROFESSIONAL Membership.  A PROFESSIONAL member is a paid-up member of both Sisters in Crime, Inc. and the Tornado Alley Chapter who is one of the following: an author pursuing a career in crime and mystery writing, a bookseller, a publisher, a librarian, an editor, or an individual who has a business interest in promoting the purposes of Sisters in Crime, Inc., as defined in Article II.

 

Section 2. ACTIVE Membership.  An ACTIVE member is a paid-up member of both Sisters in Crime, Inc. and the Tornado Alley Chapter who does not have a business interest in promoting the purposes of Sisters in Crime, Inc.  This includes, but is not limited to, fans and readers.

 

Section 3. HONORARY Membership. An HONORARY member would be a person who is elected as such by a two-thirds majority vote of the chapter membership. No dues at the chapter level are required; however, the individual must be a continuing member in good standing of national Sisters in Crime, Inc. Specifically, this honorary membership does not extend to National membership. National dues must still be paid. 

 

Section 4. YOUTH Membership: A YOUTH member is aged 18-25. After a YOUTH member turns 25, said member will be renewed into a PROFESSIONAL membership. YOUTH members have all of the rights and responsibilities of PROFESSIONAL members.

 

Section 5. EXPANSION OF MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES. Additional or amended categories of membership may be added by a majority vote of the Chapter Executive Committee. Specifically, any membership does not extend to National membership. National dues must still be paid.

 

ARTICLE IV

General Management:

 

Section 1. The general management, control, and direction of the affairs, funds, and property of the Tornado Alley Chapter shall be vested in the chapter’s “Executive Committee.”

 

Section 2. No part of the net earnings of the Tornado Alley Chapter shall inure to the benefit of any member, director, or officer of the organization, or to any private individual. Reasonable compensation may be paid for services rendered to, or for, the Tornado Alley Chapter (subject to the provisions of Article VI).

 

Section 3. If there is a cash surplus at the end of the fiscal year, it shall be retained in the treasury of the Tornado Alley Chapter to be used to further the purposes of the organization.

 

Section 4. No part of the activities of the Tornado Alley Chapter shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation. The chapter shall not participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office (including the publishing or distribution of statements) except as authorized under the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 the Tax Act of Canada, except as authorized or other country restrictions, as amended.

 

Section 5. The Tornado Alley Chapter will obtain approval for logos, anthologies, chapter name changes, and by-law changes from SinC National before moving forward with such logos, anthologies, name changes, and by-law changes.

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ARTICLE V

Officers (the “Executive Committee”):

 

Section 1. The officers of the Tornado Alley Chapter shall include a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. They shall be Professional or Active members of both Sisters in Crime, Inc. and the Tornado Alley

Chapter. These officers shall constitute the Executive Committee. The Secretary and Treasurer may be elected or appointed as meets the needs of the chapter.

 

Chapters shall make every effort to limit the terms of the President and Vice President positions to no more than two continuous years; however, if an electronic polling of the membership reveals no new candidates for these roles, a chapter may exceed the two-year rule. Any chapter with the same member serving in the President and/or Vice President role for more than four years shall seek approval from the National Board.

 

In the event that a decision needs to be made quickly without time to poll the general membership, the Executive Committee may make that decision. Votes, which may be collected by email, shall be tabulated and recorded by the Secretary or other designated member if an election includes the incumbent secretary.

 

Section 2. The President shall preside at (or delegate a representative to) all membership meetings and call and preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee. The President sets goals and responsibilities, serves as an ad hoc member of any standing committees, polls members on major decisions, keeps members informed, serves as group spokesperson, acts as liaison with other Sisters in Crime, Inc. chapters or related organizations, plans special events, and performs such other duties as the Executive Committee may determine.

 

Section 3. The Vice President shall substitute for the responsibilities detailed in Section 2 if the President is unable to fulfill said responsibilities, attend Executive Committee meetings, and may act as chairperson for a special event.

 

Section 4. The Secretary shall take minutes at all general membership and Executive Committee meetings, handle correspondence in coordination with the President, keep a file of publications and publicity materials, and perform other duties as directed by the Executive Committee, including maintaining a membership roster and information on the chapter’s website. The Secretary and/or the Membership Chair, as designated by the chapter, shall be responsible for maintaining the chapter’s membership list on the SinC National website unless the chapter becomes part of the National dues project. In that case, the chapter will receive real time updates as members renew and their membership will be immediately updated on the SinC National site. Accordingly, the Secretary and/or the Membership Chair will still need to maintain the chapter’s own updated chapter list using the information provided by National.

 

Section 5. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all financial matters of the Tornado Alley Chapter, including the collection of dues and other income and payment of expenses, maintaining bank account(s), keeping accurate financial accounts, handling IRS filings, and preparing and submitting a financial statement whenever requested by the Executive Committee or general membership. The Treasurer, or any person designated by the Executive Committee, may make disbursements from the treasury as authorized by a majority vote of the Executive Committee and/or general membership.

 

Section 6. Should there be a vacancy in the Presidency at any time, the Vice President shall succeed to the Presidency and shall serve until the next annual election. Any other vacancy of an office shall be filled by a vote of the Executive Committee. The successor shall hold office until the next annual election.

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Section 7. None of the officers of the Tornado Alley Chapter or any other members of the Executive Committee will receive a salary or compensation for services rendered except for reasonable reimbursement of expenses incurred with their service on behalf of the chapter.

 

Section 8. EXPULSION OF OFFICERS. Officers can be impeached locally for dereliction of duty or malfeasance by a majority vote of the general membership.

If it is alleged that the officer is in violation of the SinC Code of Conduct, please use the SinC National procedures for reporting beginning with filling out the form at https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/CoCComplaints. In respect to an alleged violation of the SinC Code of Conduct, the process shall follow the National guidelines. The investigation and all communications related to the investigation, including all communications with witnesses related to same, shall remain in strict confidence and shall not be disclosed to anyone other than the National Disciplinary Committee members and/or legal representatives involved in the investigation, except where disclosure is required under appropriate legal process. The Disciplinary Committee members and all witnesses associated with the investigation shall execute a Confidentiality Agreement related to the investigation in a form similar to the one attached hereto.

 

 

For local dereliction of duty or malfeasance, a general membership vote can be taken in person or by proxy at a regularly scheduled or special meeting, provided that at least 10 days’ notice of the matter under consideration has been sent to the membership. The expulsion process includes the following steps:

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• Notification: The officer will be notified in writing of the local dereliction of duty or malfeasance charge(s) and by whom the charges were made. A copy of the charge(s) will also be filed with the Executive Committee.

• Investigation: A committee of members, none of whom are on the Executive Committee, chaired, if possible, by a former president or other officer of will investigatethe charges. This committee will be selected by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.

• Hearing: If the investigation committee finds merit in the charge by a majority vote, a hearing will be held. The hearing will be conducted in a manner that allows the accused officer(s) ample opportunity to present a defense.

• Recommendation: If the investigating committee recommends expulsion by a two-thirds vote, notification of the call for expulsion will be sent to all members, along with a statement summarizing the investigating committee’s recommendations.

• Final Vote: The membership will vote on the impeachment of the officer(s) at the next membership meeting, after a full and open hearing of both sides.

 

ARTICLE VI

Committees:

 

Section 1. Standing Committees shall be established by the Executive Committee as needed. Chairs of the Standing Committees shall be appointed by the Executive Committee from the membership. Chairs shall serve at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. They must be Professional or Active members of the organization.

Standing committees and their chairs may include:

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1. Membership Committee: This committee is responsible for keeping a computerized spreadsheet or list of all members or maintaining a member management system.

• Duties may include ensuring the payment of annual chapter dues, updating current contact information, and confirming membership in SinC National. A Membership Committee member or the Secretary, as designated by the chapter, shall maintain the chapter’s group listing on the SinC website.

• If the chapter elects to participate in a SinC National dues collection program, the chapter will receive real time updates as members renew and their membership will be immediately updated on the SinC National site. Accordingly, this committee will still need to maintain its own updated chapter list using the information provided by National.

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2. Program Committee: This committee works in conjunction with the chapter’s President and/or Executive Committee to plan the chapter’s program meetings, workshops, and speaker or author-support at book signing events.

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3. Publicity/Media Committee: This committee submits chapter news to the SinC National newsletter, writes a chapter newsletter on an ad hoc basis if desired, conducts media outreach and/or responds to media inquiries, keeps a record of member authors’ published work, updates information on the chapter website, maintains chapter information on social media websites,

 

Section 2. Ad Hoc and Pro Tem Committees shall be appointed by the President and/or Executive Committee as needed.

 

ARTICLE VII

Meetings:

 

Section 1. The Tornado Alley Chapter shall meet at a designated location or online on a schedule as determined by the Executive Committee. Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with the parliamentary procedure prescribed by the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order or by any other generally accepted procedure agreed upon by the Executive Committee and announced to the members.

 

Section 2. Executive Committee meetings may be held when and where the Executive Committee determines, either in person, by proxy, or by conference call or other media access. A quorum of at least three-fourths of the Committee members must be present.

 

ARTICLE VIII

Elections and Nominations:

 

Section 1. Officer election will take place at a specifically designated time each year. Although SinC National holds elections in August for a board turnover of October 1, the Tornado Alley Chapter will conduct its election in August and change chapter governance by installing new officers in October, which is within 60 days of the vote. The vote can be conducted by secret ballot, by a show of hands, or by electronic voting. The votes will be tabulated by someone who is not up for election. Only Professional or Active members who are in good standing may vote. In the event of a tie, a run-off election will be held.

 

Section 2. Nominations may be made by general members. There are two ways to gather candidates:

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1. Candidates can be suggested to the Executive Committee, which will prepare a slate of nominees.

2. A nominating committee, which includes board members and chapter members, can be formed to recruit nominees. It is suggested that if there is a President-Elect, that individual chair the committee. Otherwise, the chapter should designate a chairperson.

The deadline for submitting nominees is one week before the meeting in the month when elections are held.

 

ARTICLE IX

Dues:

 

Section 1. Every member shall pay chapter dues annually. The amount of chapter dues is determined by the Executive Committee. If a member joins in the tenth calendar month or later, dues will also cover the following year. If your chapter has lifetime members, this can be amended to include them. Lifetime members of SinC National need to pay chapter dues.

 

Section 2. The Executive Committee may propose an increase in chapter dues. This proposal shall be voted on by a simple majority of the members present, voting at a regularly scheduled or special meeting. At least 10 days’ notice of the proposed increase must be sent to all members before the meeting.

 

Section 3. Members of the Tornado Alley Chapter are also required to be members of Sisters in Crime, Inc. SinC’s organizational dues are collected directly by SinC. Collection of these dues is not the responsibility of the chapter, but the chapter is responsible for confirming that SinC dues have been paid before an individual can be deemed a member of the Tornado Alley Chapter.

If the chapter elects to participate in a SinC National dues collection program, the chapter will receive real time updates as members renew and their membership will be immediately updated on the SinC National site. The chapter will still need to maintain its own updated chapter list using the information provided by National.

 

ARTICLE X

Discipline:

 

Section 1. NON-PAYMENT OF DUES. Chapter membership may be terminated if National dues have not been paid as required and if chapter dues have not been paid within 90 days after the chapter payment is due.

 

Section 2. MISCONDUCT. "Misconduct" is defined as conduct inimical or harmful to the purposes and/or good repute of Sisters in Crime, Inc. If a person is believed to be in violation of the SinC Code of Conduct, please use the SinC National procedures for reporting beginning with filling out the form at https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/CoCComplaints. In respect to an alleged violation of the SinC Code of Conduct, the process shall follow the National guidelines. The investigation and all communications related to the investigation, including all communications with witnesses related to same, shall remain in strict confidence and shall not be disclosed to anyone other than the National Disciplinary Committee members and/or legal representatives involved in the investigation, except where disclosure is required under appropriate legal process. The Disciplinary Committee members and all witnesses associated with the investigation shall execute a Confidentiality Agreement related to the investigation in a form similar to the one attached hereto.

 

If it is believed that the misconduct does not rise to the level of a Code of Conduct violation, the chapter  should reach out to the Community Support Group through the National Chapter Liaisons and/or the National Executive Director for support and guidance in line with SinC’s National procedures.

 

ARTICLE XI

Bylaws and Amendments:

 

Section 1. These bylaws shall constitute the bylaws pro tem of the Tornado Alley Chapter upon approval by the Executive Committee and shall continue as bylaws pro tem until amended and/or approved by a majority of the Professional or Active membership at a regular meeting or by electronic voting. Bylaws shall be distributed to the members of the Tornado Alley Chapter thirty (30) days prior to a chapter meeting, accompanied by an announcement that a vote on the bylaws will take place at that meeting. Approval of the bylaws require an affirmative vote of a majority of the members participating in the vote.

 

Section 2. Proposals to amend the bylaws must be authorized by the Executive Committee or be presented to the Secretary over the signature of 20 percent of the membership. To be effective, an amendment to the bylaws must be distributed to all members and follow the voting approval process outlined above. The amended bylaws must be sent to SinC National for approval.

 

ARTICLE XII

Dissolution:

 

Section 1. The Tornado Alley Chapter will be dissolved only after such a proposal has been accepted by two-thirds of the Executive Committee and notice has been distributed to the membership and to the National SinC organization. Voting on the proposal shall take place at a monthly meeting or at a special meeting called by the Executive Committee. Such voting shall be done by the members in person, electronically, or by proxy. Approval to dissolve the chapter requires a two-thirds affirmative vote by the members who participate in the voting.

 

Section 2. Upon dissolution of the Tornado Alley Chapter, its property and assets shall be distributed as follows:

• All liabilities and obligations of the chapter shall be paid, satisfied, and discharged, or adequate provision made hereafter.

• Assets held by the chapter requiring return, transfer, or conveyance, which condition occurs by reason of the dissolution, shall be returned, transferred, or conveyed in accordance with such requirements.

• Any remaining assets shall be sent to SinC National.

 

Section 3. Information about the dissolution of the chapter will be posted to the chapter’s website and will include the redirection of interested parties to the contact information available on the SinC National website or to nearby chapters.

 

Section 4. If a chapter is not in compliance with SinC National regulations (e.g., having not filled out the annual chapter survey, maintained communication with SinC National through email or other direct communications, nor met the minimum standards of being a chapter in good standing as per the SinC Chapter Handbook), SinC National may revoke their chapter charter. If that happens, the chapter, through its members and/or Executive Committee, has thirty days to appeal the decision.

 

ARTICLE XIII

Rules of Procedure and Parliamentary Authority:

 

 

Section 1. Any policies or procedures not contrary to law or to these bylaws may be approved or amended by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. A record of such policies and procedures will be kept by the Secretary or the Secretary’s designee. Notification of policy or procedural changes will be sent to members in the next regular mailing, announced at the next regular meeting, or published in the chapter’s newsletter.

 

Section 2. All meetings of the Tornado Alley Chapter and its Executive Committee will be conducted in accordance with the parliamentary procedures described in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, or by another generally accepted procedure agreed upon by the Executive Committee and announced to the members.

 

ARTICLE IX

Repeal of Prior Bylaws

 

These Bylaws constitute the entire Bylaws of the Tornado Alley Chapter. All previous By- laws or constitutional provisions adopted by the chapter are hereby repealed.