Policies and Procedures Manual

AMMENDED: April 19, 2022

 

Section 1: PURPOSE

The RMA Policies and Procedures Manual is intended to be used in managing the everyday business of the organization and to serve as guidelines for the Officers and Committee Chairmen in carrying out their responsibilities. The manual provides details and descriptions on implementing the activities of the RMA.

This document shall be updated as required and maintained at the approval level of the Board of Directors.

All practices of the RMA shall comply with the RMA Articles of Organization, its By-Laws and local, State and Federal laws.

Section 2: OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES

The President shall serve as the official representative of the RMA. He will preside at all Monthly Membership meetings and Board Meetings and perform such other duties usually pertaining to the office.

The President Will Welcome New Members: The President will contact new members within six months of the member joining the RMA. The objective is to extend a personal welcome, answer any questions and encourage fellowship with other members. In addition, the interest of the new member and potential needs of the RMA will be explored.

The Vice-President shall assist the President as requested. He shall preside at meetings at the request of or in the absence of the President.

The President will assign someone to be responsible for overseeing the Annual Dinner.

The President shall see that each Chairman of a Committee is familiar with this Manual and receives a write-up of his area of responsibility.

The Treasurer shall have responsibility for receipt and disbursement of all funds pertaining to RMA activities. He is responsible for signing instruments that require his signature such as contracts or letters of agreement.

As soon as practicable after November 30, the Treasurer shall make a report to the Board comparing the current financial status with that of the previous year, and shall subsequently present this information to the membership. The Treasurer shall prepare an annual budget based upon previous history of income and expenditures and anticipated ones for the coming year. This budget will be presented to the Board for approval. The following records shall be retained by the Treasurer: completed cash books, all cancelled checks, the Treasurer’s Annual report, audit records, contracts and Letters of Agreement.

The Treasurer shall submit expenditures in excess of $500.00 or more to the Board for approval.

The Assistant Treasurer shall support the objectives of the Treasurer’s responsibilities and perform such duties and have such powers as may be designated from time to time by the Treasurer or the Board of Directors.

The Secretary/Clerk (a duty currently performed by the Treasurer) shall record and distribute the minutes of all Board of Directors meetings to all Board members. He shall keep on file an approved copy of the minutes. He shall be responsible for the preparation and filing of any reports required by Federal and State authorities including the annual registration and filing with the Massachusetts Secretary of State and maintain a copy of the Corporation’s Articles of Organization, the By-laws, and custodial control over any contracts. He shall also perform such duties and have such powers as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors.

Procedures for Selecting New Board Members:

Step 1: A Board Member recommends a current RMA member join the Board

Step 2: The recommendation is brought to the Board. If the Board accepts, proceed to step 3. If the Board rejects the candidate, the case is closed and the initiating Board Member notifies the person, if necessary.

Step3: The President or his designee interviews the candidate

Step4: If there is agreement on the part of the candidate and the interviewer; the candidate’s name is submitted to the Board for approval. A majority of Board members is required for passage.

Step5: The candidate is informed by the President of the Board’s decision and is listed on the RMA Organization chart.

Section 3: MEETINGS

Board of Director Meetings: The President shall determine the date, time, place and purpose for conducting the Board meetings. Written and/or electronic notice of the meeting shall be made to all Board members not less than 15 days prior to the meeting.

All business decisions requiring a vote by The Board of Directors, including audit report approvals, expenditure approvals and annual membership dues, shall be made at Board meetings.

Monthly Member Meetings: The monthly meetings will normally be held at the First Baptist Church of Sudbury, MA at 10 AM and ending at 12 noon on the second Friday of each month (second Thursday during July and August). The meeting opens with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and singing of the National Anthem. The meeting agenda begins with the introduction of new members and guests, and continues with

1. travel reports of our members
2. description of special events planned and suggestions for new events
3. new and/or unfinished business
4. announcements by members- for example – describing a volunteer activity with which they are involved
5. the list of birthdays and anniversaries of our members
6. health report of our members
7. a short video on an educational or entertaining subject, or activity of interest to members
8. a few moments of appropriate good humor
9. announcement of the local restaurant where the ROMEO (Retired Old Men Eat Out) will convene after the meeting

The second half of the meeting is set aside for the speaker of the day. A member of the Speakers Program Committee will introduce the speaker. An RMA certificate of appreciation will be given to the speaker at the end of the program and the speaker will be invited to join the RMA members as a guest for the ROMEO lunch.

Section 4: APPOINTMENTS AND COMMITTEES

Appointments: The routine activities of the RMA are carried out by its Standing Committees. Special ad-hoc committees may be appointed from time to time by the President for a specific purpose.

Each committee shall be under the supervision of the President

The Chairman of a committee will consult on a regular basis with the President and report any material changes. Each chairman should also see that an appropriate successor is in place for his committee.

Committees and their functions: The list of committees and their functions are shown below:

Cigar Box Bulletin Committee

The Cigar Box Bulletin is the official record of all matters covered at each monthly meeting. It includes official notices, meeting notes, summary of the speaker’s talk, speaker for the next meeting, announcements, listing of forthcoming special events, members’ anniversaries and birthdays and other information that reflects what occurs at the meeting and the activities of the RMA. The Committee Chairman/Editor of the Bulletin shall arrange for proofreading of the Bulletin as he deems appropriate in order to maximize accuracy. He shall arrange for printing of the Bulletin and meeting notice cards containing speaker information.

The Committee Chairman/Editor of the Bulletin shall maintain an email list used to communicate with the members. He shall email monthly meeting notices and the Cigar Box Bulletins to members with email addresses.

Mailing Committee

The Mailing Committee shall be responsible for mailing printed materials to the members, including meeting notice cards, Cigar Box Bulletins, membership renewal notices and other materials requiring mailing services. Hardcopies of the meeting notice cards and the Bulletin will be mailed only to those coded in the member database as requesting to receive hardcopy.

Membership Committee

The Chairman of the membership committee is responsible for seeing that accurate and up-to date records pertaining to the membership are properly prepared and maintained.

The Membership Committee will provide the application form and other relevant materials to the member candidate and his sponsor.

The process for someone to become a new member of the RMA is as follows:

• A current RMA member invites a friend to a monthly meeting.
• There the friend signs in as a guest and receives an application blank.
• The guest, if he chooses to seek RMA membership, fills out his portion of the application.
• He then gives his application to his sponsor.
• The sponsor fills out his portion of the application (i.e., his recommendation) and then mails it to the RMA post office box with the return envelope that is provided with the application.
• The application is picked up (usually by the Treasurer) and conveyed to the Membership Chairman.
• The Membership Chairman reviews the application and, unless there is a problem (a frequent problem is that the sponsor’s recommendation is missing), accepts the application.
• Once an applicant is accepted, the Membership Chairman notifies the sponsor and advises him that his friend’s application has been received and accepted. In this conversation the Membership Chairman asks the sponsor to notify his friend that he is welcome to join the RMA once his pro-rated dues are paid (generally by mail or in person at the next meeting). (The pro-rated dues are calculated as follows: the number of remaining meetings until the end of November * $4.00 per meeting.)
• After this conversation the membership chairman notifies the President, the Database Manager, the Treasurer, and The Badge Chairman with an email that provides the information that need to go into the database.
• The badge chairman prepares a new badge and provides it to the Membership Chairman awaiting the applicant’s payment of his pro-rated dues.
• When the pro-rated dues are paid, the new member is announced to the rest of the RMA members, and the Treasurer notifies the Database Manager that the applicant is now a paid-up member.

The annual membership renewal process is conducted as follows. The Membership Committee mails renewal notices to current members in October. Each notice is personalized to include title, first and last name, nick name, spouse’s first name, address, phone number, date of birth, wedding date and options to receive hardcopy of meeting notices and Cigar Box Bulletins. The recipient marks any changes to his personalized information and returns the form with payment of dues in the return envelope. Alternatively, payment may be submitted in cash to the Treasurer or Membership Committee Chairman at any regular monthly meeting. If the recipient elects to not renew his membership the form can be so-marked and returned.

Preparation for the renewal mailing requires procuring sending and return envelopes, printed personalized notices and 3 sets of printed mailing labels (one set with recipient addresses and 2 sets with the RMA return address).

The Treasurer, together with the Membership Committee Chairman, shall update the President as to any member who has not paid his dues by November 30. The Membership Committee shall notify delinquent members at the end of December of dues payable and that the member will be dropped automatically, unless there are extenuating circumstances, from membership if dues are not received by the end of January.

The Membership Committee Chairman is authorized to handle all correspondence specifically pertaining to the status of individual membership.

Speakers Program Committee

The Speakers Program Committee is responsible for the RMA Speaker series. This includes finding, meeting and confirming a speaking date with potential speakers as much as a year in advance. The plan for the subsequent year is usually developed in October or November and begins with the committee members putting forth candidate speakers including a general outline of the speaker’s background and field of expertise. The committee discusses the individual candidates and decides on those that should be on the Potential Speakers list.

The committee member who proposed the listed candidate will arrange a meeting to be attended by the Committee Chairman, the speaker and the committee member. The purpose of the meeting is to enable the Speakers Chairman to gain some familiarity with the potential speaker to ensure they are appropriate for the RMA and also to familiarize the potential speaker with how the RMA meetings operate. Discussion will include the needs or special requirements of the potential speaker and the RMA audio/video capabilities. If possible, the Speakers Chairman or a committee member will attend a presentation given by the potential speaker prior to the talk given to the RMA.

If a candidate meeting does not take place, the meeting location, time, AV equipment available and contact information with the AV coordinator is provided by email to the potential speaker.

Once a speaker is selected and prior to his presentation, the speakers resume and other pertinent information is obtained and sent to the Cigar Box Bulletin Chairman, for inclusion in the bulletin.

There is always the possibility that a speaker may need to cancel due to illness, schedule conflicts or other reasons. As such, it is necessary to have a list of “Short Notice Speakers” who can fill-in on short notice.

Special Events Committee

The Special Events Committee provides the membership with an opportunity to participate in a wide range of events on a periodic basis. Possible events include visits to museums, historical sites, concerts, tours of business facilities, arts and craft exhibits, musical events, sporting events and many others.

The major responsibilities of the Committee Chairman are making arrangements with the organization to be visited including place, dates and time, obtaining group tickets and arranging transportation needs if necessary, and making restaurant accommodations following the event.

The Committee Chairman will make announcements of the events at the monthly meeting, by email and a listing in the Cigar Box Bulletin.

Wives, friends, and other persons the members wish to invite, are welcome to attend these events.

When possible, pictures should be taken of the event and shared with other members at the monthly meeting, placed in the Cigar Box Bulletin and on the RMA website.

Historian Committee

The Historian is responsible for maintaining such documents, pictures and other memorabilia pertaining to the activities of the RMA, as being of historical interest to the association.

These records shall include, but not be limited to the following:

• Legal Documents: The Articles of Organization, The Annual Report to the Commonwealth; By Laws; Employer Identification Number; and other related IRS documents.
• Minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors.
• The Cigar Box Bulletin
• The Association’s Annual financial statements, the Treasurer’s Annual Report, and Audit Reports
• List of Officers, Directors, and Chairs of Standing Committees.
• Completed Membership Application forms for those members inducted during the year
• The Policies and Procedures Manual including related Organization Charts
• Members Roster/Members List-( with details of each member)
• A list of active members who have died during the year
• Newspaper articles in which the RMA is featured.
• Significant RMA events
• Recipients of Outstanding Service Awards ( Chocolate Cigars)
• Annual Dinner Program

The Historian shall maintain an Index of documents archived, in order that they can be readily accessed as needed. In addition to the above Categories, the Historian shall consult with the President to determine such other materials that should be retained.

The Historian, Webmaster and the Database Manager shall consult to determine the medium in which materials are maintained (hard copy, in electronic form, on the website).

Health Committee

The Health Committee’s responsibility is to inform the general membership concerning the health condition of members who are experiencing serious health problems or those who have recently passed away.

Reporters Committee

The Reporters Committee will perform two primary functions. They will record the minutes of the business session of the monthly meeting and, in addition, summarize the main points covered by the featured speaker. Both of these records shall be submitted to the Chairman of the Cigar Box Bulletin Committee for inclusion in the Cigar Box Bulletin.

Webmaster Committee

The webmaster shall be responsible for maintaining and updating the RMA website. The website domain name is: rmena.org. GoDaddy is the RMA website domain name registrar and website host.

The website may be adjusted to reflect changing needs but will coordinate with the Treasurer to provide a single repository where all RMA records will be available. The website includes the following pages: Home, About RMA, Members, Activities, Bulletins and Contact page. The names and pictures of the members shall be password protected, and only available to members.

The website shall maintain the following files:  History of the RMA; officers and Charter Committee; member directory and photos; activities- including past events and volunteering; and the files of past Cigar Box Bulletins. The webmaster will periodically document current practices, describing changes in software, hardware, and operating procedures for future reference.

 Refreshments Committee

The Refreshments Committee will provide refreshments for the monthly meetings.  This may include pastries, fruit and/or other snacks that the members may enjoy. The Committee Chairman will coordinate the pick-up time and location of the pastries with the Stop and Shop member  offering this service.

Coffee Committee

The Coffee Committee will prepare coffee and tea for the monthly meetings, purchasing the necessary supplies and submitting receipts to the Treasurer for reimbursement. The members from the Refreshments and Coffee Committees will clean up the kitchen after each meeting.

Facilities Committee

The Facilities Committee will set-up the meeting room with chairs, tables and audio-visual equipment, and ensure that the room is left in good order after the meeting. The Committee Chairman should coordinate with the Church staff about locking the door upon leaving.

Badge Committee

The Badge Committee will prepare and provide name badges for members. The badge board will be set up in the meeting room prior to the meeting, with all badges displayed in alphabetical order. Prior to the meeting, badges will be checked against the list provided by Database manager. At the end of each meeting, members are asked to return their badges to the badge board tray. The Committee may also be asked to retain and provide new badges for the annual dinner. Committee chair is responsible for re-supplying blank badges and badge holders.

Sound and Projector Committee

The Sound and Projector Committee will be responsible for bringing projection equipment and files to the meeting and setting-up the audio/visual system. The system will be used to display the monthly meeting agenda including the details of the business session.

In addition, the Sound and Projector Chairman will coordinate RMA’s audio/visual functions with the speaker’s presentation requirements.

Vital Statistics Committee

The Vital Statistics Committee, at each monthly meeting, will present the names, birthdays and anniversaries celebrated by members during that month. The photograph of the celebrated member, and when available, the photo of the member and his spouse will be shown.

ROMEO Lunch Committee

After each monthly meeting, the (Retired Old Men Eat Out) committee will arrange for participating members, together with the speaker as a guest, to have lunch at a local restaurant. This gives members a chance to talk further with the speaker and to discuss their own interests and share experiences. Guests who order wine by the glass or distilled spirits [which usually cost double] are asked to contribute an extra $5 when members pay their portion of the bill.. Guidelines to coordinate this activity can be found HERE.

Humor Committee

The Humor Committee Chairman is responsible for brightening the meeting with appropriate good humor.

Database Manager Committee

The Database Manager Chairman receives detailed information regarding each member from the Member Committee and updates from members as their data changes. This includes title, first and last names, nick names, spouse’s first name, address, phone number, date of birth, wedding date, date joined RMA, and current status of dues. This information is used in a variety of ways by the organization- being ever mindful of our members concern for privacy. A copy will be sent to the Badge Committee and Sound and Projector Chairmen before each meeting for use in managing the badges and preparing vital statistics. The Database Manager Chairman will also periodically provide a soft copy of an updated membership roster to the Cigar Box Bulletin editor for distribution to the membership. The roster includes names and addresses of members and spouses, member birth and wedding dates, phone numbers and email addresses.

Let’s Get Acquainted Committee

This committee, through one-on-one interviews, collects biographical information from members, writes up a summary of the interview and after submitting it to the member for correctness and approval, sends the information to the Cigar Box Bulletin Editor for publication.

Photography Committee

The Photography Committee is responsible for taking the picture of individual members, which is placed on the RMA website. This committee is also responsible for photographing the speakers at each monthly meeting.  When possible, a committee member attends the special events and takes photographs of interesting parts of the event. These pictures are shown at the monthly meetings as well as being displayed in the Cigar Box Bulletin and on the website.

Audit Committee

The audit committee shall audit the financial records at the end of each fiscal year and report its findings to the Board of Directors and the Membership not later than March 1, following the audit.

Wayne Clemens Founder Award Committee:

Each year the Board will select members to be awarded the Wayne Clemens Founder Award (formerly the Chocolate Cigar award).

The following are the guidelines for granting the award:

• The member would have exhibited exemplary performance of their RMA functions for a period of at least three years.
• The member has sponsored a significant number of new members.
• The person has suggested, created a product or service or introduced procedures that were of major importance to the RMA.
• The member performed a volunteer service to the Boston/Metrowest community that was noteworthy (It may have been published in the newspaper or other media.)

The awards can only be given once to any member.

Board members are not eligible to receive the award if and only so long as they are serving on the Board.

The awards will be presented by the President at an RMA monthly meeting and the names of the recipients published in the Bulletin.

Nomination Procedure – Board nominates 5 or more potential candidates, each Board member has 3 votes. The 3 or 4 nominees with the greatest number of votes are the winners.

Extraordinary Contributor Award

Awards are important as an incentive.

The Extraordinary Contributor Award is for any RMA member who operates, creates or changes routine activities under unusual, new and changing circumstances.

There are two elements to the award:

* The performance of the responsible member

* The circumstances beyond the member’s control that could apply to anyone.

In sum; the difficulties that cause the problem or uncompleted the activity were caused by environmental changes.

In addition, the member’s attempts must be significant in order to be rewarding. The efforts must be directed to the more complex and difficult functions. Not all attempts are expected to be immediately successful, yet they can teach us where the unusual challenges have occurred and help identify the reasons for the difficulties and evaluate them.

One reason for unusual challenges may be a serious fundamental change in the environment. The lessons learned by managing these unusual circumstances in the new environment are tremendously valuable and should be recognized as such. In a more difficult, different environment the desire to take on new projects is obviously reduced. Climbing a high mountain demands more effort than walking up a hill.

We want more people to make contributions to the RMA, because overcoming difficult situations can help pave the way for the success of the RMA and offer a model of the organization.

If we want to encourage members to undertake activities under new or difficult circumstances we should recognize that these attempts require far more effort than in normal times. If we don’t recognize this, we may have fewer volunteers or none to lead these efforts. After all, the Award is their only Reward.

The recognition can be awarded only once to a member.

Recognizing Contribution of a Board Member

Make the award, as recommended/approved by the Board, upon the retirement of the member from the Board. Any Board member can make the recommendation directly to the president. The president then will poll the other members for their approval/rejection.  The actual type of award (plaque, etc.) is decided by the Board.  Member must have been on the Board for 5 years or receive Board approval for lesser tenure.

Annual Dinner Committee

The member assigned to coordinate the Annual Dinner by the President is responsible for overseeing the Annual Dinner.  The Annual Dinner guidelines can be found HERE.

Section 5: STANDING RULES

1) The RMA’s members list will not be shared with other organizations.

2) Speakers will not be allowed to promote or sell products or services as part of their presentation at the monthly meeting.

3) There will be no solicitation or community announcements sent to our members via email, or by any other means. That information may be placed in the Cigar Box Bulletin once approved by the President

4) A letter of condolence may be sent to the family of current or previous members who have passed away.

5) A memorial contribution may be sent in remembrance of active members only- upon their passing away.  In addition, if the wife of an active member passes away, a contribution may be sent in her remembrance.  However, if she passes away after her husband, no action will be taken by the RMA.

6) A free ROMEO lunch will be offered to our Speaker of the Month.

7) A free ROMEO lunch will be awarded to each new member the first time he appears at the monthly meeting.

RMA- Make more of your retirement