I Name
The name of this association shall be The Baltimore Area Concierge Association, hereinafter referred to as The Association.

II Legal Description
A . The Association shall comply wit the designation as a non-profit organization as described in Section 501 C (4) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States of America and as such is exempt from federal income tax.

B. The Association shall not seek pecuniary gain or profit and no part of the net earnings or income shall inure to the benefit of any member or individual, with the exception of the payment of reasonable compensation for services rendered.

C. The designation of the Association as above outlined may not be altered without securing the consent of the membership and engaging legal counsel.

D. The fiscal year of the Association shall be from March 1 to the last day of February of the following year.

III. Purpose

A. To develop friendship and solidarity among the concierge of the hotels, buildings, and institutions of the Metropolitan area of Baltimore, through social interaction.

B. To invite non-member concierge to join and to encourage members to participate in activities of the Association.

C. To work for recognition of the concierge profession in the Metropolitan Baltimore area.

D. To promote competence and professionalism among members of the Association by holding regularly scheduled meetings, by circulating information, and by providing materials and activities of educational value.

E. To work for the development of trade, travel and tourism in the Baltimore area and to promote the positive image of the Metropolitan Baltimore area.

F. To encourage greater cooperation from Metropolitan Baltimore, Maryland area businesses and cultural organizations in providing quality service to guest / clients.

IV. Affiliation

A. The Association shall have no affiliation with any business, society or other organization.

V. Definitions

A. The term concierge shall refer to an individual with the title of concierge or guest service personnel whose primary function is to directly assist guest and/or clients on-site in a hotel, building or institution.

1. Exception: Those with the title of concierge who broker their services to other concierge shall be eligible for affiliate membership in the association.

B. Purpose of the Association and has a direct relationship to the ser4vices which a concierge offers a guest / client.

VI. Membership

A. Eligibility – Eligibility is based on job function of the individual, without regard to sex, race, national origin, religion, sexual preference, political or union affiliation.

B. Approval – Membership in the Association is gained through approval by the Membership Committee, and must be re-applied for each fiscal year.

C. Sponsorship - All new membership applications must be accompanied by the sponsorship of a concierge who is a full member.

D. Categories of Membership

1. Full membership may be granted to individuals performing the duties of concierge as approved by the Membership Committee for periods of at least (6) months.
A. Full membership may be granted to individuals who perform the duties of concierge without the designated title of concierge, as approved by the Membership Committee.

2. Apprentice membership is a non-voting membership, which may be granted to any individual fulfilling the duties of concierge as approved by the Membership Committee for periods of less than six (6) months. The individual may be considered for full membership once he/she has held the position for at least six (6) months.

3. Hospitality – Any individual employee with interest in Guest Service may be granted non-voting membership, in order to better serve the guest / client and Baltimore area, subject to approval by the Membership Committee. Hospitality memberships will be approved on a case to case basis.

4. Hotel Membership is designed for a smaller property, without a designated concierge / guest services personnel, subject to approval by the Membership Committee. One vote per property will be allotted per hotel ,membership.

5. Affiliate Membership may be granted to individuals who have an interest in, or whose business interests have a direct relationship to the services which a concierge offers to guest / clients. Affiliate membership shall be a voting membership solely involving affiliate matters. Each business will have one vote.

6. Honorary Membership may be granted to individuals who provide meritorious service to the Association. The duration of such membership shall be determined by the Executive Board and approved by the voting membership.

7. Membership in the Association shall only be available to persons who have reached twenty-one (21) years of age.

E. Responsibilities, Rights and Privileges

1. Dues – The individual who is granted Full, Apprentice, Hospitality, Hotel or Affiliate membership must pay annual dues. Honorary members shall not be required to pay dues.

2. Attendance – Members are required to attend a minimum of four (4) Association general meetings per year, prior to the March election. If this requirement is not fulfilled, sail member may not4 be elected to office or vote in the election.

3. Good standing – Members shall be considered in good standing if their dues are paid in full, and a minimum of four (4) meetings have been attended in the previous fiscal year.

4. Voting – Only Full and Hotel members may vote in Association matters. There shall be no proxy voting by any member, on any matter.

5. Office – Only Full members in good standing can hold an office in the Association. Only Affiliate Members in good standing can hold positi9on of Affiliate Representative.

6. Membership
A. Concierge membership resides in the individual, is non-transferable and n on-0refundablew. If the individual should cease to be employed as a concierge, he/she shall retain membership as non-voting member for the duration of the year.

B. Affiliate membership resides with the business / organization who will designate their representative and is non-refundable. If the representative leaves the business/ organization, the membership shall revert solely to the business / organization, but may be transferred to another representative with the approval of the Membership Committee. Written acknowledgement of this change must be made immediately to the Vice President of Development.

C. Termination of Membership – A Membership may be terminated by the Member, if the Member sends written notice to the Executive Board or the President. A Membership will automatically be terminated if the member is not in good standing.

VII. Executive Board

A. The Association shall be administered by an Executive Board, composed of the President, Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Development, Secretary, Treasurer, and Parliamentarian, elected by Full Members in good standing and an Affiliate Representative elected by Affiliate members in good standing.

B. The Officers shall be elected at the final meeting of the fiscal year in February, to serve a one year term of office. Terms shall be limited to two consecutive terms in the same office.

C. Term/Vacancies: Each Officer shall hold office for a term of one year or until a successor is duly elected. Vacancies occurring between annual meetings shall be filled by the Board or by the Members, and persons so elected shall fulfill the term of his/her predecessor.

1. The Executive board shall have the authority to appoint Board Members on an as needed basis.

D. Resignation: An Officer may resign only by submitting a written resignation to the President or Secretary if the resigning Officer is the President, the resignation shall be submitted to the other officers.

E. Authorities and Duties:

1. The President shall prepare the agenda for, preside at ,and conduct all meetings of the Board, sign all contracts and agreements in the name of the Association after they have been approved by the Board: normally serve as the representative of the Association in meetings and discussions with other organizations and agencies. The President shall sit on the Constitutional Committee. Membership Committee and be an ex-officio member of all other committees.

2. The Vice-President of Operations- shall perform the duties of the President if the President is unable to do so or absent: perform such other tasks as may be assigned by the Board at the request of the President, assist in the performances of the duties of the President. The Vice-President of Operations shall coordinate the Standing Committee as well as any temporary committees deemed necessary by the General membership or the Executive Board. The VP of Operations shall secure meeting sites, and act as liaison with the host.

3. The Vice President of Development – shall chair the Membership Committee, shall oversee the expansion/development plan coordinated by the Executive Board and approved by the general membership. The Vice-President of Development shall be the Public Relations officer of the Association and shall be responsible for the quarterly newsletter.

4. The Secretary – shall keep accurate records and minutes of all meetings of the Association; make available copies of the minutes of the previous meeting and distribute them in advance of each general meeting; charged with the delivering of all notices of meetings to those persons entitled to vote at such meetings; and maintain the Minutes Book of the Association and a current listing, with phone numbers and addresses of the members of the association. The Secretary shall be responsible to maintain an updated membership roster to determine voting eligibility.

5. The Treasurer – shall be responsible for all funds of the Association and receive and deposit all such funds into the proper account: record and monitor receipts and disbursements from such account of accounts; keep accurate books and records of the finances of the Association; prepare a financial accounting for each Board meeting; and coordinate the preparation of all end of the year accounting, and file all federal and state tax reports and arrange for a yearly independent audit, A; disbursements must be prepared in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation.

6. The Affiliate Representative – shall represent the Affiliate members on the Executive Board and shall coordinate the Special Presentations of the Affiliate Members. ( SPAMS).

7. The Parliamentarian – shall ensure that proper rules of order are adhered to at meetings and shall be the final arbiter in matters of parliamentary procedure

VIII. Meetings

A. Regular Membership Meetings: Regular meetings of the Membership shall be held at least ten times per year, normally once a month on the 4th Thursday of the month.

1. The election of officers will be held during the February General Meeting.

2. Annual Meeting: The Annual Meeting of the Association will be held in the month of March of each year.

B. Regular Board Meetings: Regular meetings of the Board shall be held at least twelve (12) times a year and may be scheduled more often by the President.

1. Board meetings are not open to the general membership.

2. Association members may request to attend any Board meeting. Such requests should be made to the President.

C. Special Meetings: Special meetings of the Board or Membership shall be held at an y time and at any place when called by the President or by at least three Officers. Business transacted at special meetings shall be confined to the purposes of the meeting stated in the notice of the meeting.

D. Notice of Meetings: Notices of regular meetings and of the Annual Meeting of the Membership, shall be in writing and delivered at least ten (10) days and no more than thirty (30) days before the day of the meeting. Notices of special meetings shall state that it is a special meeting being called and may be given orally or in writing at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the meeting time. All persons entitled to vote at the meeting must receive proper notice of the meeting.

E. Quorum: At any meeting, a majority of those persons present and entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum. A majority vote shall consist of at least fifty-one (51) percent of those present and entitled to vote at the meeting.

IX. Committees

A. The Executive Committee may create such committees as it deems wise to have. The President shall appoint persons to chair and serve on those committees, including persons who are not Officers of the Association. All such appointments must be approved by the Board either prior to the appointment or ratified at the next Board Meeting.

X: Indemnification:

The association may indemnify officers, employees and agents of the Association to the fullest extend required and permitted by the General Laws of Maryland.

X. Voting

A. A simple majority of the quorum shall carry sway in all elections and actions, other than constitutional amendments.

B. Proposed constitutional amendments shall be presented to the Board. The amendment shall be discussed and motioned at the next general meeting. After discussion the amendment will then be tabled until the next meeting., Furthermore, the amendment will be published and mailed to all members in the Association. The Amendment will then be voted upon the next meeting, and action must be carried by two-thirds of the voting members.

C. The Affiliate Representative will be elected by the affiliate members. Each affiliate business will be entitled to one vote.

XIII. Dissolution:

A. If the Association is dissolved or ended for any reason, the Executive Board shall dispose of all of the net assets of the Association exclusively for the same or similar purposes as those of the Association or to such non-profit organization(s) which are organized and operated exclusively for charitable of educational purposes as shall at the time quality as a exempt organization under section 501© or 501©(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. Provide the Association, before any such distributions shall first pay all of the liabilities of the Association. Any remaining assets not disposed of by the Board shall be disposed of by the Court in the jurisdiction in which the principal office of the Corporation is then located, exclusively for such purposes of the organization.

RATIFIED
11/16/95

BACA Constitutional Amendments
Amendment 1
Sec VI 6 Membership
A. Concierge membership resides in the individual, is non-transferable and non-refundable. If the individual should cease to be employed as a concierge, he/she shall retain membership as non-voting member for the duration of the fiscal year.

Sec VI Term/Vacancies:
B. Each Officer shall hold office for a term of one year. Vacancies occurring between annual meetings shall be filled by the Board and persons so elected shall fulfill the term of his/her predecessor.
1. The Executive Board shall have the authority to appoint Board Members on an as needed basis.
2. If the affiliate representative position becomes vacant, the position must be filled by a vote of eligible affiliate members.

Section VI F
1. The President shall prepare the agenda for, preside at and conduct all meetings of the Board; sign all contracts and agreements in the name of the Association after they have been approved by the Board; normally serve as the representative of the Association in meetings and discussions with other organizations and agencies. The President shall sit on the Constitutional Committee. Membership Committee, and he an ex-officio member of all other committees. The President must be employed as a hotel or corporate concierge and have no paid relationship with any affiliate or business that could qualify for affiliate membership in the Association.

Sec VI:
6.The Affiliate Representative shall represent the Affiliate members
on the Executive Board and shall coordinate the Special Presentations
by Affiliate Members (SPAMS) The Affiliate Representative shall have
no paid relationship with any hotel, building or institution other than
their primary business.
8. The Executive Board shall have the authority to remove from office a Board member who does not fulfill the responsibilities of the office to which they were elected.

Amendment II

Sec. VII Meetings

A. Regular Membership Meetings: Regular meetings of the Membership shall be held at least ten times per year, normally once a month on the last Monday of the month,

Ratified and Amended
2/23/98