Our Bylaws

Article I – Purpose 

The Independent Women’s Organization of Greater New Orleans (IWO) is an organization  dedicated to promoting the issues and candidates of the Democratic Party. 

Article II – Membership 

Membership is open to anyone who identifies as a woman and is registered to vote as a  Democrat in Orleans Parish, Louisiana if eligible to vote. If not eligible to vote, a member must  support the Purposes of this Corporation. Anyone otherwise eligible but residing outside Orleans  Parish, Louisiana may be a member if any of her non-statewide elected officials has a district  that extends into Orleans Parish, Louisiana. All existing members, whether or not they meet  these qualifications, may remain as members as long as their membership remains current. 

All members have equal rights and privileges and each shall have one vote. There will be no  proxy voting. 

Article III – Dues 

Sec. 3.01 Annual dues shall be decided by the Board of Directors. Dues are payable annually  by January 1st for the fiscal year ending December 31st. 

Article IV – Officers 

Sec. 4.01 The officers of the Organization shall be: President, Vice-President, Corresponding  Secretary, Recording Secretary and Treasurer. 

Sec. 4.02 The officers shall be elected as follows: the Executive Committee shall appoint a  three member Nominating Committee which shall prepare a slate of nominees to be presented to  the membership at the annual meeting. Nominations will also be taken from the floor subject to  prior consent of the Nominee and that the Nominee is a member in good standing. The Board  shall be informed of the proposed slate prior to the annual meeting. 

Sec. 4.03 All officers shall be elected for a term of two years and may run for re-election. The  President may be elected for no more than two (2) consecutive terms as President. 

Sec. 4.04 Duties of Officers

1. a) The President shall preside at all meetings of the Organization, the Board of Directors  and the Executive Committee. With the approval of the Executive Committee, she may  call special meetings. She shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the  Nominating Committee and shall perform such other duties as usually pertain to the  office. The President shall keep the files of the organization. 

b) The Vice-President shall preside at meetings in the absence of the President, and will  serve as Acting President if the President is incapacitated, disabled, or otherwise unable  to serve. She shall perform other duties as requested by the President. 

c) The Corresponding Secretary shall keep the mailing list and send all meeting notices  and other such information as shall be approved by the Board for distribution to the  members. She will coordinate with the Treasurer and Membership Chair to maintain an  accurate and up to date record of members’ e-mail and USPS addresses. 

d) The Recording Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Organization, the  Board or Directors and the Executive Committee and shall perform such other duties as  usually pertain to the office. 

e) The Treasurer shall receive all monies paid to the Organization and shall be  responsible for the collection of dues. She provides membership information to the  Corresponding Secretary. She shall pay all bills when properly verified by the President.  Expenditures of over $100 by any member must be approved by the Board of Directors.  In case of an emergency between Board meetings, the approval of the Executive  Committee must be obtained. She shall keep a proper set of records rendering an account  at meetings of the Board of Directors and the Membership. 

Article V – Executive Committee 

There shall be an executive committee composed of the officers, which will act for the Board in  emergencies or between board meetings. 

Article VI – Board of Directors 

Sec. 6.01 The affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by the Board of Directors, which  shall have no fewer than 11 and no more than 19 members. The Board of Directors shall be  elected by majority vote of the members present at the annual meeting. The Board of Directors  shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and chairs of all Standing  Committees. In addition there may be at large members at the discretion and in a number  determined by the Board. 

Sec. 6.02 Prior to the annual meeting, the Board shall decide how many members are needed  to conduct the affairs of the organization and shall instruct the Nominating Committee as to its  decision. The Nominating Committee shall then prepare a list of candidates and present it at the annual meeting. Nominations shall also be taken from the floor providing the consent of the  Nominee has been previously obtained. Candidates receiving the most votes from the members  present shall be deemed elected. 

Sec. 6.03 Board members shall be elected for a term of two years. All members of the Board  of Directors shall be eligible for re-election at the end of their term of office.

Sec. 6.04 From qualification date and during the length of the person’s candidacy for public  office, no candidate for public office shall serve on the Board of the IWO. No person elected to  public office, except those elected to the Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee and any  parish Democratic Executive Committee, shall serve on the Board of IWO. Any elected official  serving on the Board at the time of the amendment of these by-laws (June 2022) may remain on  the Board for a period of no more than five (5) years while serving in elected office. No elected  official may serve on the Board after June, 2027. 

Sec. 6.05 The Board shall put into effect the general objectives and programs of the IWO. As  new issues arise, the decisions of the Board are recommendations to be voted upon by the  membership. A two-thirds vote of the Directors shall empower the Board to make known to  public officials or through the media, the position it has taken. Only the President or Vice  President may speak for the organization. 

Sec. 6.06 The Board of Directors shall meet at least six times a year, at the call of the  President, and a majority of the Board shall always constitute a quorum. A majority of the Board  may call a Board meeting if the President fails to do so. Meetings may be held virtually, in  person, or a combination at the call of the Chair, so long as all Board Members can be seen and  heard. 

Sec. 6.07 Any vacancy on the Board occurring other than by expiration of term shall be filled  by a majority vote of the Board. The person selected shall hold office until the next annual  meeting, when she shall be eligible for election to the Board. 

Sec. 6.08 If a Board member has been absent from three or more consecutive Board meetings  without reasonable excuse presented to the Board, she shall be dropped from membership on the  Board. Board members shall also be dropped if they have failed to pay dues within 30 days after  a second dues notice.

Article VII – Committees 

Sec. 7.01 Each Standing Committee shall be chaired by a Board Member. The Chairwoman  of each Committee shall choose the members of the Committee. The following Committees shall  constitute the Standing Committees of the organization. 

a. Program – The Program Committee shall be responsible for scheduling speakers and  organizing meeting details.

b. Membership – The Membership Committee shall seek out new members, provide  prospective members with information about the IWO and keep the Corresponding Secretary  advised of new and prospective members addresses and contact information. 

c. Nominating – The Nominating Committee shall prepare a list of candidates for the Board  to be presented for election at the annual meeting and of Officers to be elected by the  Board. It shall also present a list of candidates to the Board if a vacancy occurs on the  Board during a term. 

d. Endorsement – The Endorsement Committee shall be responsible for organizing  candidate forums and conducting endorsement meetings prior to city, state, and federal  elections. 

e. Bylaws – The Bylaws Committee shall prepare updates to the bylaws of the organization  as the Board deems necessary. 

f. Advocacy – The Advocacy Committee shall educate members on legislative issues and  coordinate advocacy efforts in support of IWO’s goals. legislative agenda.

g. History – The History Committee shall be responsible for archiving significant  documents and recording the history of the organization. 

h. Public Relations – The Public Relations Committee shall be responsible for the  organization’s press releases, maintaining a current press list, managing press at events,  and coordinating with the social media Committee. 

i. Social Media - the Social Media Committee shall be responsible for the organization’s social media accounts, updating them regularly with information about the organization’s activities and events, and coordinating with the Public Relations Committee 

Sec. 7.02 The President, with the agreement of the Board of Directors, may form ad hoc  committees as needed.

Sec. 7.03 The Chair of each Committee shall submit a request to the Board for expenditures for  Committee activities no less than 30 days prior to the activity in question. Each such request  shall be accompanied by a budget showing the reasons for the requested funds and how such  funds will be used. No such funds may be expended without prior approval by the Board, which  shall vote on the request at the next scheduled meeting, or by the Executive Committee acting  between meetings. 

Article VIII – Meetings of the Organization

Sec. 8.01 There shall be an Annual Meeting of the Organization during the month of June and  the members shall be notified in writing (electronic or USPS) at least two weeks in advance. In  addition to the annual meeting there shall be not less than three member events during the year,  to be called at the direction of the Board of Directors. 

Sec. 8.02 Special meetings of members may be called by the President or by a majority of the  Board of Directors.

Sec. 8.03 The President shall have the discretion to require any meeting of the organization be  held virtually with any necessary voting to be done by electronic means that allow members to  be both seen and heard. 

Article IX – Voting Procedure 

Sec. 9.01 Endorsements 

a) Standard Endorsements: The organization may endorse candidates or issues by a 60  percent vote of the members in good standing present at a general meeting. For the purposes  of this Section, a member in good standing shall mean any member who has been in good  standing with the organization for at least 90 days prior to the endorsement meeting. If a  renewing member was in good standing (i.e. current on annual dues) for the entirety of the  prior fiscal year, that member must have renewed her membership at least 30 days prior to  the endorsement meeting to be a member in good standing for voting purposes. Further, for  purposes of this Section, 60% shall mean 60% of all members casting a vote at the  endorsement meeting, not including members who abstain from voting. Standard  mathematical rounding rules will apply with regard to the voting percentages (i.e. 0-4, round  down, 5-9 round up). If no candidate receives a vote of 60% of all members casting a vote, a  dual endorsement will be made only by a vote of 60% of all members casting a vote. 

b) Endorsements in Run-Offs: If a candidate who was endorsed by the organization in a  primary election does not qualify for the run-off election, the board shall determine whether  any other candidate should be endorsed in the run-off election. If the board determines that a  candidate should be endorsed in the run-off election, the board shall consider the  presentations made by the candidates at the endorsement meeting and the comments made by  the members during the endorsement meeting to select a candidate for endorsement in the  run-off election. 

Sec. 9.02 Other questions shall be decided by majority vote of members present at any general  meeting. 

Article X – Amendments 

Any amendment to these bylaws must be proposed in writing to the Board. The Board shall  report its vote back to the membership at the next regular meeting of the general membership. A  2/3 vote of the members present shall be required for the passage of the amendment. 

Article XI – Rules of Order 

Robert’s Rules of Order Revised shall govern this Organization in all parliamentary procedures  insofar as they are applicable and not inconsistent with these By-laws.

Article XII – Procedure 

During endorsement meetings, if an IWO member is a candidate for office she may not be  present during discussion of candidates for the office she seeks but may vote on the endorsement.



(Revised June 2024)

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