Can we contact you about your submission? *
Are you interested in volunteering for the revision committee *

Bylaws

BYLAWS – THE RUCKUS

The Ruckus is an organization created to support Orlando City Soccer Club (hereinafter referred to as “OCSC”) by increasing awareness of OCSC through social and charitable endeavors.

ARTICLE I Membership

A. Levels of Membership for the Ruckus shall consist of :

1. Registered Members: Registered Members must remain in good standing according to the Ruckus Code of Conduct and pay annual membership dues, which are outlined in Article II of the Bylaws.

a. Rights Include:

i. Access to members only pages/emails, voting, members only events, etc.

ii. Voting in General Elections, Special Elections, any votes on proposed changes to by-laws.

iii. Eligibility to run and hold a position on the Governing Board.

2. Ruckus Kids Members: Ruckus Kids Members must be under the age of 14 and has paid the reduced Ruckus Kids annual membership dues.

a. Rights Include:

i. The Kids membership allows access to kid friendly Ruckus only events, such as open practices or player events.

ii. Kids memberships do NOT have a vote in General elections, Special Elections or by-law changes.

iii. A member under the age of 14 is able to purchase a full membership if they want to have access to voting rights, but must have and use their own email account.

3. Honorary Members: This membership is bestowed to individuals from the club that The Ruckus feel deserve the privilege (coach, front office staff, players, etc). This level of membership has no voting privileges. Ruckus Members can nominate people they feel deserve this honor and the Board will consider each on their individual merit.

B. Termination and/or Suspension of Membership :

1. Membership in the Ruckus is suspended or terminated as defined below:

a. Upon written resignation to the Governing Board (Henceforth any written communication in these by-laws shall include electronic mediums).

b. By approval of a majority of the Governing Board for cause in accordance with the Ruckus Code of Conduct;

i. Any member suspended or terminated for cause from the Ruckus by the Governing Board will be notified in writing and informed of their right to appeal the decision to the Godfather Council within two weeks of receiving the notification to suspend or terminate membership.

a. The Godfather Council has the right to hear or dismiss an appeal.

b. The Godfather Council will vote within two (2) weeks of the appeal to uphold, amend, or revoke disciplinary sanctions.

ii. The Governing Board shall maintain a historical record of all incidents where members allegedly violate the Ruckus Code of Conduct. Records may include but are not limited to witness statements, police records, and statements from OCSC. Terminated members will not receive a refund of their dues.

ARTICLE II Dues

A. Dues shall be paid annually to the Ruckus to maintain Registered Member/Ruckus Kids status and to maintain all the rights and privileges that come with Registered Membership. Ruckus membership is only valid for the year in which it was purchased.

1. Dues shall be established by the Governing Board.

2. A dues increase of more than 25% of the previous year must be approved by a simple majority of the General Membership.

3. The nonpayment of dues constitutes a delinquency for which said Registered Member will be removed from the membership directory until such time of payment as prescribed in Article I, Section C of the Bylaws.

B. Registered Membership may have pricing levels as decided by the Governing Board. However, these will only reflect different premiums or rewards given for any higher fee and will not imply or denote extra rights or privileges.

ARTICLE III Nominations and Elections

A. Elections Committee:

1. The Elections Committee shall consist of the Godfather Council (“the Council”) and three (3) Registered Members appointed by the Council.

a. The Elections Committee shall meet no later than the first week of September of each year to prepare a slate of nominees for presentation to the General Membership at the General Membership meeting in October.

2. All candidates for office must have been a Registered Member for at least one (1) year prior to the election and be over the age of eighteen (18) at the time of their nomination.

3. Any Registered Member may nominate a candidate for office. However, all nominations must be received no later than two (2) weeks before the Election and must be seconded by another Registered Member.

4. Length of membership or board member requirements may be circumvented by a unanimous vote of the Elections Committee.

B. Election:

1. The Elections Committee shall establish a fair and secure system of voting, which may include electronic voting.

2. The election of officers shall conclude at the General Membership meeting which will take place at least two (2) weeks prior to the last regular season match, and will be carried out by secret ballot. Any tie shall be resolved by a second, simple majority vote of the current elected officers, which will be made upon notification by the Elections Committee that a tie has occurred.

3. There will be a total of five (5) Elected Officers and their positions will be decided by those Elected Officers at their first Board Meeting. All Elected Officers have equal voting rights. Elected Officers cannot hold any Affiliate leadership positions during their term on the Board.

4. Numbered and/or unique ballots will be prepared, distributed, collected, and counted by the Elections Committee. Should any changes arise prior to the election a new set of ballots will be required.

5. Any delinquent Registered Member will be prohibited from voting until accrued dues are paid.

6. A registered member may appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf, with approval by a simple majority of the Elections Committee. A proxy vote is required to be delivered to a member of the Elections Committee at least one (1) week prior to the General Membership meeting to be missed.

7. A Registered Member is only eligible to vote in the election if they have been a Member of The Ruckus in good standing for two (2) months prior to the date of the election and meet the criteria outlined in ARTICLE I.

C. Term of Office:

1. An Officer’s term of office begins immediately following the election results and continues until the end of the following MLS season, including playoffs.

2. Every Officer runs for a two (2) year term. Elections for the five positions on the Board are staggered for continuity. Three positions will be voted on to serve in even years and two positions in odd years. Each Officer will be subject to an annual performance review conducted by the rest of the Board and will require a vote of confidence to continue. In the event that the rest of the Board vote against them, they will still be able to run for re-election.

3. Appointed Standing Committee Chairpersons shall assume their duties as soon as practical.

4. A temporary vacancy occurring in any office for a period of less than thirty (30) days may be filled by appointment of the Board from the Registered Membership until the Officer can resume their duties. However, upon the 30th day of absence from an elected position the Governing Board will schedule a Special Meeting of the Ruckus Membership to elect a replacement for the vacated position to take place within two (2) weeks of the 30th day of the vacancy.

D. Impeachment:

1. An impeachable offense is an action by an elected official of the Ruckus that a Registered Member deems contrary to the Code of Conduct of the Ruckus.

2. Upon the unanimous decision of the Godfather Council the officer will be deemed to have committed an impeachable offense and will be notified in writing of the intent to initiate impeachment proceedings with a list of the offense or offenses committed by said party. Until such time that impeachment proceedings have completed, said party will be placed on indefinite suspension. For elected members, the highest ranking officer will assume or appoint a Registered Member to fill the vacancy in accordance with the vacancy rules contained herein.

3. Within two (2) weeks of notice of intent to impeach by the Godfather Council said party will have the opportunity to appeal the impeachment to the Godfather Council. Upon completion of said appeal the Godfather Council will decide again to determine whether to bring the issue to the General Membership for a final vote of impeachment and removal.

4. Upon a two-thirds vote in the affirmative of the Registered Members in attendance the party will be removed from the Ruckus. At the impeachment meeting it will be determined when an election will take place to fill the impeached position. The election must occur within thirty (30) days of the impeachment meeting, and in accordance with the rules contained herein.

ARTICLE IV DUTIES OF OFFICERS (GOVERNING BOARD)

The Governing Board shall be responsible for formulating policies and directing the operations and organization of the Ruckus. The Governing Board shall meet at least once monthly at a time and place designated by the President.

A. The Governing Board (“the Board”) will be made up of five (5) Elected Officials per ARTICLE III. Within Seven (7) days of their first meeting, they shall be solely responsible for assigning their positions and duties as required and informing members. Those duties shall include, but not be limited to:

1. Appoint a “Spokesperson” to be the initial point of contact with the Front Office. This individual’s vote on the board carries the same weight as every other member of the board.

2. Shall appoint Chairperson of all Standing Committees and Special Committees when necessary to conduct the business of the Ruckus.

3. Shall maintain a current list of all Ruckus assets.

4. Shall submit an annual report at the December Governing Board meeting summarizing the activities of the year, as well as presenting information and recommendations for their successor.

5. Carries out the responsibilities and duties of the office as stated in the Constitution and Bylaws, as well as in the job description and in accordance with Ruckus policies.

6. Shall maintain the membership directory.

7. Records the minutes of all regular and special meetings of the Ruckus and Governing Board.

8. Shall be the custodian of the permanent record of the Ruckus, with the exception of records pertaining to Ruckus finances.

9. Shall be responsible for all financial affairs of the Ruckus.

10. Shall be custodian of the General Fund financial records of the Ruckus.

11. Shall receive all Ruckus General Fund monies of the Ruckus.

12. Shall keep an accurate account of all dues, receipts and expenditures balancing the accounts on a monthly basis and preparing a quarterly financial statement, available to all registered members.

a. The accounts shall be financially reviewed and audited in accordance with existing governmental tax laws.

b. A financial review shall be performed on the accounts by a nonelected officer prior to turning the books over to a new treasurer. If errors are found, an audit will be considered by the Governing Board.

13. Shall present an annual operating budget for approval by the Governing Board by December 31st for the following year.

14. Shall ensure that adequate liability, personal property, or other necessary insurance is maintained as prescribed by law.

15. Shall, as required by law, be responsible for the accountability of assets, satisfaction of liabilities, disposition of residual assets on dissolution, and other means of assuring responsible financial management for the Ruckus General Fund.

16. Monitors and shares responsibility of expenditures of Committee Chairpersons or their representatives to conform with the budget of the fiscal year.

17. Signs checks for authorized expenditures.

18. Shall, as required by the local, state, and federal laws, file appropriate tax forms.

19. Carries out the responsibilities and duties of the office as stated in the Constitution and Bylaws, as well as in the job description and in accordance with Ruckus policies.

20. Shall revise Code of Conduct as they see fit prior to the new season.

21. In the event that the Governing Board feels no member of the Board would be able to successfully meet all of the bookkeeping needs of the Ruckus, they would have the ability to appoint a CFO from the current membership. The Godfather council would have the rights to vet any nominated members for the CFO position. The CFO position would not have a vote in any matters, and would be in place to keep the finances intact.

22. Regulate Affiliate Groups.

B. Godfather Council:

1. The Godfather Council shall serve as a self regulating and self appointing council of the Ruckus in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Ruckus. The Godfather Council is intended to be the highest honor bestowed upon a Ruckus member and given to those members that rise above and exemplify the best qualities of the Ruckus.

2. The Council shall maintain 3 members at all times. If one member of the Council is unable to perform their duties or wishes to retire, the remaining members of the Council shall be responsible for finding their replacement.

3. The Council shall advise the Governing Board and Membership.

4. The Council shall head the Elections Committee.

5. The Council shall be responsible to oversee the appeal process for any disciplinary issues a member may have.

6. Carries out the responsibilities and duties of the office as stated in the Constitution and Bylaws, as well as in the job description and in accordance with Ruckus policies.

7. Have the right to request an audit of the finances for the Ruckus.

8. Shall vet any candidate the Board puts forth for the CFO position.

ARTICLE V Committees

A. Standing Committees:

1. The number of Standing Committees, their functions and their composition will be prescribed by the Governing Board.

2. Chairperson of the Standing Committees will be appointed by the Governing Board.

3. The Governing Board may appoint or delete Standing Committees with a simple majority of the Governing Board.

4. Standing Committee Chairpersons will present report of activity as requested by the Governing Board.

5. Annual reports and recommendations will be submitted by each Standing Committee in the final month of the season and will be made part of the permanent record of the Ruckus.

B. Special Committees:

1. Special Committees may be appointed by the Governing Board for a specific clearly defined purpose and shall cease to exist upon completion of that purpose.

2. Shall attend Governing Board Meetings as required, in a nonvoting capacity.

3. Shall present a final report to the Governing Board, which will become a part of the permanent record of the Ruckus.

ARTICLE VI Finances

A. The Ruckus fiscal year shall be January 1 to December 31.

B. A budget, as prepared by the Designated Treasurer, shall be prepared in December and approved by the Governing Board and then available to the General Membership in January.

C. Monetary assets in the General Fund shall be turned over to the incoming Governing Board for use during the transition from one Ruckus organizational year to the next.

D. Any expenditure not exceeding five thousand ($5,000.00) may be approved by a majority vote of a quorum of the Governing Board. Any expenditure exceeding five thousand ($5,000.00) dollars not covered by the approved budget shall be voted on at a General Membership meeting of the Ruckus and approved by a majority vote of the voting Registered Members present.

E. Committees with yearly budgets approved for individual activities (i.e. Tailgate, Tifo, etc.) must have individual approval from the Governing Board for each event with expenditures which will exceed four hundred ($400.00) dollars.

ARTICLE VII Funds

A. Ruckus General Fund: This fund is composed solely of membership dues (as established by the Governing Board and approved by the General Membership), merchandise sales, and net proceeds from Ruckus sponsored fundraising events. The funds shall be utilized for the operational expenses of the Ruckus.

B. Funds designated for philanthropic efforts will be raised in clearly identified events separate of funds designated for the General Fund.

ARTICLE VIII Amendments, Revisions, and Adoption

The Bylaws may be amended, revised, or eliminated by a majority vote of the voting members via electronic voting or present at a General or Special Membership Meeting. Changes must be proposed to and approved by the Governing Board prior to presentation to the membership.

Amended: August 13, 2019

Adopted: August 17, 2019