Article I – Name

The name of this organization shall be Prairie Garden Club, Inc., hereafter referred to as PGC. PGC is a member of the Wyoming Federation of Garden Clubs Inc., hereafter referred to as WFGC, Rocky Mountain Region, hereafter referred to as RMR, and as such is a member of National Garden Clubs, Inc., hereafter referred to as NGC.

Article II – Object

The object and general purpose of this organization shall be:

Section 1. To encourage the study and practice of horticulture, gardening, landscape design, and the art of floral design.

Section 2. To aid in the protection and conservation of our natural resources and wildlife.

Section 3. To promote civic development and to encourage the improvement and beautification of roadsides and parks.

Section 4. To encourage youth participation through cooperation with local schools, 4-H, and other organizations, and through appropriate achievement awards.

Section 5. To be an active member of WFGC, RMR, and NGC.

Section 6. To cooperate with other organizations in the furtherance of the foregoing objectives.

Article III – Membership and Dues

Section 1. Eligibility:

All individuals living in Laramie County who are interested in the object of PGC may be eligible to join without discrimination.

Section 2. Member categories will be:

Active members

Active Couple members

Supporting members

Life Members

Junior members

Active members shall be interested in gardening, the objects and activities of PGC and shall participate in the activities of PGC. Active members shall have voting privileges.
Couple members shall be interested in gardening, the objects and activities of PGC and shall participate in the activities of PGC. Active Couple members shall each have voting privileges.
Supporting members shall be those having an interest in PGC membership, but who may not be able to participate actively in projects. Supporting members shall have voting privileges.
Life members shall be members who have been active for ten (10) consecutive years or more, and shall receive recognition for becoming a Life member. Life members shall have voting privileges and continue to pay dues.
Junior members are individuals interested in the object of the club and who have not reached their 18th birthday, and shall not have voting privileges.

Section 3. Dues

The fiscal year is from June 1 through May 31.
Dues shall be payable in April and shall become delinquent May 31. Delinquent members will be removed from active PGC membership and communication on June 1.
Annually, the Treasurer shall send dues to WFGC Treasurer on or before June 30.
For new members joining after March 1, their dues shall cover the period from that date through May 31 of the following year.
The Executive Committee shall propose a change in dues to the membership, to be followed by a motion by the membership and a vote. These dues will be published in the yearbook.

Article IV – Personal Information and Image Privacy

The Member Directory, within the PGC Yearbook includes personal contact information. Members should ensure that their Yearbook is not accessible to non-members. Member contact information shall only be used for PGC, WFGC, RMR, and NGC communication purposes. Members have the choice to opt out of having their personal information printed in the PGC Yearbook, and an email request to opt out must be sent to the PGC Secretary by August 1 (member name only will appear in the Yearbook). Member contact information is not for public distribution and shall not be sold or used for any commercial venture. All members, including the Public Relations/Social Media Committee, must ensure that only photo images of members be shared, digitally used, or printed, if those members have completed and submitted PGC’s ‘Release for Publication’ (RFP) form. Any member who wishes their photo not be publicized must complete and sign the RFP form indicating such. A digital spreadsheet document is maintained by the President, containing all members’ personal contact information and RFP release status, which is distributed to the Executive Committee and the Public Relations/Social Media Committee when updates to the spreadsheet occur.

Article V – Officers

Section 1. The officers of PGC shall be President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 2. The President shall:

Preside at all meetings and perform all duties which pertain to that office.
Call Executive Committee meetings. Provide Secretary with the agenda topics, so that Secretary can prepare and provide the agenda document to all officers.
Have signature authority on the PGC bank account.
After each June election, the Executive Committee shall convene to read the Bylaws to ensure knowledge of and compliance with them.
In April of each year, appoint two (2) members to perform annual financial review of Treasurer’s records and Secretary’s minutes, for the past fiscal year. Review will occur in June.
After new member application forms are received from the Treasurer, update the digital membership spreadsheet and send the revised spreadsheet to the Executive Committee and the Public Relations/Social Media Committee. Transfer the original new member application forms to the Secretary for archiving.

Section 3. The First Vice President shall:

Assume duties of the President while absent.
Chair the Program Committee:
1. Select two (2) active members to participate on the Program Committee.
2. Have responsibility for selecting program speakers and creating the program schedule for the year.
3. Invite and confirm all guest speakers.
4. Select meeting venues and make a room reservation for each meeting.
In the event of death, any type of absence, resignation, or incapacity of the President, the First Vice President shall become President for the unexpired portion of the term.

Section 4. The Second Vice President shall:

Act as presiding officer if the President and First Vice President are absent for any reason.
Have responsibility for development, formatting, completion, and printing of the annual Yearbook, to be distributed each September at the General Meeting.

Section 5. The Secretary shall:

Record proceedings of all General and Executive Committee meetings.
Have charge of the general correspondence for PGC.
Participate in annual June review of Secretary’s minutes records, for the past fiscal year. Records will be reviewed by two (2) members appointed by the President in April.
Provide membership with documentation of the upcoming General Meeting agenda, the current Treasurer’s Report, and the previous meeting’s minutes report, at least ten (10) days before a General Meeting is scheduled to occur.
Provide the Executive Committee with documentation of the upcoming Executive Committee Meeting agenda and the previous Executive Committee Meeting’s minutes report, before an Executive Committee meeting is scheduled to occur.
Provide membership with documentation of the minutes of each General Meeting and each Executive Committee Meeting no more than ten (10) days after meetings occur.
Act as guardian to maintain and preserve the historical records of all minutes (Executive Committee and General Meetings), Treasurer’s reports, and all other miscellaneous documents, for six (6) years. These records will all be passed from outgoing to incoming Secretary. Any other documents assigned by the Executive Committee shall also be kept by the Secretary.

Section 6. The Treasurer shall:

Email the President the monthly Treasurer’s Report at least twelve (12) days before the scheduled General Meeting, to be emailed along with agenda for upcoming meeting. If report not provided to President in advance, Treasurer will hand out copies to the membership at the meeting.
Collect and deposit PGC moneys in the PGC checking account.
Maintain an orderly set of financial records.
Disburse funds according to the direction of the Executive Committee.
Present a Treasurer’s Reports at all General Meetings, each report to consist of:
1. Beginning balance (‘working balance’ from previous Treasurer’s report),
2. Total debits,
3. Total credits,
4. Final working balance,
5. Current designated program monies.
Present the year-end financial report (budget dollars planned compared to actual dollars spent) at the June Annual Meeting.
Present proposed annual draft budget for the fiscal year, at the August General Meeting, as prepared by the Executive Committee.
Receive all submitted new member applications and ‘Release for Publication’ forms, and payment for dues. Process forms, then pass all processed forms to the President.
Submit new member information to WFGC’s President and to the editor of the Wyoming Paintbrush state newsletter.
Annually, on or before June 30, submit new member information and the appropriate amount dues owed to WFGC’s Treasurer.
Participate in annual June review of Treasurer’s financial records, for the past fiscal year. Records will be reviewed by two (2) members appointed by the President in April.
Maintain a record of PGC’s Wyoming non-profit corporation status with the Wyoming Secretary of State.
In collaboration with, and following the guidelines of, WFGC and the US Forest Service, PGC will raise funds for the purpose of planting trees in Wyoming. All monies collected at each General Meeting for this purpose will be accounted for by the Treasurer, and such funds will be kept separate from the general funds of PGC.

Article VI – Nomination, Election, Terms of Office

Section 1. A Nominating Committee shall be made up of three (3) members of the club appointed by the President at the April meeting each year. The Nominating Committee shall ensure that each nominee has been reasonably vetted and that each nominee is made fully aware of all responsibilities of the office, and is capable of fulfilling those responsibilities, if elected. They shall prepare a slate of nominees for the ensuing term and present this slate at the May meeting, for election voting to occur at that meeting. Additional nominations may be made from the floor during the election at this meeting. Installation of officers will be held at the June meeting.

Section 2. Terms of all officers shall be two (2) years. Officers shall serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms.

Section 3. Officers shall have staggered terms to provide continuity of the Executive Committee from year to year. The election of President, Second Vice President, and Secretary shall occur in odd years. The election of the First Vice President and Treasurer shall occur in even years.

Section 4. If an officer or committee chairman is not performing their duties as stated, they shall be removed for cause. They must receive notice, they have a right to defend themselves, and it shall take a majority vote of the membership to remove the officer or committee chairman. Robert’s Rules of Order shall be followed for this process.

Section 5. If any office becomes vacant for any reason, the Executive

Committee shall appoint a temporary replacement, until a Nominating Committee can be formed and called into action.

Article VII – Executive Committee

Section 1. The Executive Committee, comprised of all elected officers, shall have general charge of affairs, funds, and properties of PGC.

Section 2. Three (3) Executive Committee members shall constitute a quorum.

Section 3. Executive Committee Meetings shall occur semiannually, or as needed.

Section 4. The Executive Committee may only approve emergency expenditures of no more than $300.00. Any expenditures above $300.00 shall be presented to the members at a General Meeting for a vote.

Section 5. Only members of the Executive Committee are authorized to send email or text messages to the membership.

Section 6. The Executive Committee has the authority to appoint a

replacement for any office which becomes vacant for any reason.

Article VIII – Meetings

Section 1. General Meetings shall be held on the fourth (4th) Thursday of the month, with no meetings held in July, November, and December, unless otherwise voted by the membership.

Section 2. Special meetings, tours, and workshops may be planned on dates other than the scheduled General Meetings, by the First Vice President, who is chairman of the Program Committee.

Section 3. At each Annual Meeting in June:

In odd years, the installation of the President, Second Vice President, and Secretary shall occur.
In even years, the installation of the First Vice President, and Treasurer shall occur.

Section 4. The new draft budget for the fiscal year will be presented by the Treasurer at the August General Meeting. A vote by the membership is required for budget approval. The approved annual budget shall appear in the Yearbook. Section 5. A quorum shall consist of ten (10) members.

Section 6. Under exceptional circumstances, a vote conducted outside of a General Meeting will be allowed by the President. The Secretary will provide the membership with documentation of the details of this vote. Receipt of all ballots, tally of the ballots, and notification of results shall be the responsibility of the Secretary, and passed on to the Executive Committee. Vote shall be passed if majority approval of respondents is obtained. All results of the ballots will be kept in the historical records.

Section 7. Speaker Gratuity: For the Program guest speakers, a gratuity will be given and shall be $50.00, with a maximum of $100.00 for excessive travel, when approved by the First Vice President, Chairman of the Program Committee. Gratuity will be in the form of a check.

Article IX– Committees

Section 1. Standing Committees:

Standing committees are constituted to perform a continuing function, and remain in existence permanently. Standing committees may be created by membership motion, then passed at the annual meeting in June.

Program: Shall consist of the First Vice President and two (2) additional active members.
Nominating: Shall consist of three (3) active members. See Article VI, Section 1.
Annual Review: Shall be an annual review of the

Secretary’s minutes and miscellaneous records, and the Treasurer’s financial records, for the current fiscal year. See Article V, Section 2, E.

Progressive Plant Party Fundraiser: Annual social fundraiser, with food, and a plant exchange. PGC will charge an entry fee, to be determined by the committee and approved by the Executive Committee.
Awards: Shall work with the WFGC Awards Chairman to determine which awards the club may pursue. ‘Individual Member Award of Honor’ nominations must be discussed by the membership in a General Meeting, voted on, and passed by the general membership before application is initiated.
NGC Smokey Bear & Woodsy Owl Poster Contest: Shall work with any elementary-aged children’s organization to share the Smokey Bear & Woodsy Owl educational program.
Public Relations/Social Media: Manages and disseminates information about the PGC and its events

to the public through various media, as requested by the Executive Committee and committees. All members who perform PGC website updates, website maintenance, website administration, and Facebook updates will work under the auspices of the Public Relations/Social Media Committee.

Historic Governor’s Mansion: Member volunteers will participate in the annual June/July grounds upkeep effort, in two or three work sessions.
Meeting Snacks: Team schedules volunteers to provide snacks for each General Meeting for the year,

September thru June, for a total of eight (8) meetings.

Bylaws: A motion may be made to review and update the Bylaws, as needed.

Section 2. Special Committees:

A special committee is a committee appointed, as the need arises, to carry out a specified task, at the completion of which the special committee automatically ceases to exist. Any active member may propose a project, and will provide its scope and the cost for the project to the membership.

Article X– Delegates to the Convention of WFGC, Inc.

The club shall be entitled to two (2) delegates to the annual convention of WFGC, Inc. for the first ten (10) members, and one (1) additional delegate for each ten (10) members, or major fraction thereof, based upon the membership record of the WFGC, Inc. Treasurer, thirty (30) days prior to the opening date of the annual convention.

Article XI – Parliamentary Authority

The parliamentary procedure contained in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern the procedure of this club in all matters not covered by these Bylaws.

Article XII – Bylaws Amendment

These Bylaws may be amended as needed. Bylaws change requires a 2/3 affirmative vote of the full membership (not 2/3 of those members present at the General Meeting) in order to be changed.

Article XIII – Dissolution

In the event of dissolution or liquidation of Prairie Garden Club, all assets of the corporation remaining after payment of any debts shall be transferred to an exempt organization with tax-exempt status under the then existing provision of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States of America. Any such assets not disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principal office of the organization is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes. The Prairie Garden Club would designate The Friends of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens as recipient of club assets. None of the funds shall inter to the benefit of individual members.

Bylaws Adopted May 22, 2012

Bylaws Amended April 28, 2022

Bylaws Amended June 27, 2024

All Bylaws are in accordance with the National Garden Clubs, Inc. and the Wyoming Non-Profit Corporation Act Title 17, Chapter 19, 2020.