Our Bylaws

Our Principles of Organization

The Buffalo Chapter of Slow Food has set forth the following principles to guide the behavior of the organization’s Chapter Board as it works to set goals and define activities.

· We foster a sense of discovery and learning among the group, recognizing that the diversity and complexity of life requires that we remain open in order to perceive and understand.

· We are committed to building a sense of community among the members by organizing activities that foster friendship, common purpose, and appreciation for life in Western New York.

· As a group we recognize that success requires clear intentions, hard work, certain forms of sacrifice, and commitment. Therefore, we seek to share the responsibility of achieving our goals.

Organizational Structure

We are organized in one Chapter Board with one Administration Committee, and four Sub-Committees: Membership/Orientation, PR/Communications, Fundraising/Event Coordination and Education.

The composition and duties for each team of the Chapter Board are as follows:

Administration Committee is composed of a:

· Leader, who acts as liaison to national/international Slow Food, handles all inquiries to Slow Food Buffalo that don’t specifically involve greeting new members, oversees financials along with the Treasurer, assists with end-of-year report for National office and presides at all meetings

· Secretary, who handles internal communication within the Administration Committee and Chapter Board, writes and distributes minutes of the meetings to all members through our web-site, constructs the agenda for meetings and schedules meetings

· Treasurer, who is in charge of financial affairs including the receipt, deposit and disbursement of funds from the Slow Food Buffalo bank account; the compilation of the year-end report for the National office, presents a monthly financial report to the leadership team

The Membership/Orientation Sub-Committee, which consists of a Chairperson and as many members as the chair deems necessary to carry out the duties of the committee, which include:

· Handling all member-related inquiries

· Developing and managing a mentoring system for new members

· Maintaining an up-to-date list of paid-up members

· Conducting outreach programs to attract and retain members, including producers and chefs

The Communications Sub-Committee, which consists of a Chairperson and as many members as the chair deems necessary to carry out the duties of the committee, which include:

· Media relations

· Developing and distributing news releases on noteworthy events including activities and fundraising efforts

· Writing and distributing information to the Slow Food Buffalo membership through an email newsletter

· Maintaining the Website

The Fundraising/Event Coordination Sub-Committee, which consists of a Chairperson and as many members as the chair deems necessary to carry out the duties of coordinating at least three Slow Food Buffalo Events per year, which include:

· Developing events that promote Slow Food Buffalo and are open to the general public

· Developing an annual event open only to members to be held in April of each year in conjunction with or in lieu of the annual members meeting

· Seeking out events that may be a vehicle for Slow Food Buffalo Sponsorship and presenting them to the committee for approval in a timely fashion

The Education Sub-Committee, which consists of a Chairperson and as many members as the chair deems necessary to carry out the duties of the committee, which include:

· Developing and executing programs that support Slow Food in schools and community/urban gardens

· Maintaining a presence at farmers markets

· Conducting research to determine local foods/traditions that should be preserved and be included in the Ark of Taste

· Educating the public, the trade and members about good, clean and fair food

The Chapter Board is comprised of the Administration Committee (Leader, Secretary, and Treasurer) and Chairs of each Sub-Committee. The Chapter Board will act as trusted servants for the activities undertaken by the chapter.

· Members of the Chapter Board serve for terms of two years with a maximum of three consecutive terms (or six years) of service. In January of each term’s final year, the Administration Committee will accept and select nominations from all the members of the chapter for Chapter Board. A broadcast message to the membership shall announce a window of time for nominations, including self-nominations.

· Members of the Chapter Board may hold positions in a maximum of two areas, one as a member of the Administration Committee and one as a Sub-Committee Chair.

· If a member of the Administration Committee or a Chair of any Sub-Committee resigns or is removed from their position before the end of the term, the Chapter Board may elect, through a majority vote of the Board, a replacement to fill that seat for the rest of the current term without consulting the members at large.

· The Chapter Board shall meet a minimum of 10 times in a calendar year. Chapter Board members must attend a minimum of 8 annual meetings in order to maintain their position on the Board. These meetings will be posted and open to general non-voting members of Slow Food Buffalo.

· Meetings of the Chapter Board will take place during the third week of each month; specific dates are to be determined each December by the Chapter Board for the following year.

· The Chapter Board shall be confirmed by the membership in the election year at the annual meeting in April.