SFHG Charter
Below is the current version of the SFHG Charter.
The SFHG Charter was drafted by SFHG founder & 2012-2014 President Chris Cohen with input from 2012-2014 SFHG Vice President Kevin Inglin. The original proposed charter was posted on the SFHG website on Wed, October 9th, 2013. Input, feedback, and proposals for changes from the SFHG’s members were requested and received. Chris Cohen, Kevin Inglin, and appointed Treasurer-Membership Manager Rachel Cunningham unanimously voted to enact the new Charter at a meeting on November 13th, 2013.
SAN FRANCISCO HOMEBREWERS GUILD CHARTER
Voted into effect 11/13/2013. Most recent update: 7/4/2014
I. Formation and Name
The San Francisco Homebrewers Guild (herein “SFHG” or “the Guild”) was launched by Chris Cohen in Feb 2012. The San Francisco Homebrew Club MeetUp.com group, led by Kevin Inglin, merged with the SFHG in Jan 2013. In Oct 2013 the SFHG Officers enacted this San Francisco Homebrewers Guild Charter in accordance with the laws of the State of California. The SFHG shall always operate as a nonprofit organization. The SFHG is affiliated and registered with the American Homebrewers Association (AHA).
II. Purpose
The San Francisco Homebrewers Guild is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
The SFHG was founded with the purpose of promoting the science and art of homebrewing. The SFHG’s primary goals are to bring the local homebrewing community together for fun and education and to spread homebrewing knowledge among the public. The SFHG encourages the learning of knowledge of brewing techniques, ingredients, concepts, equipment, and recipes. The SFHG supports and encourages members to participate in homebrew competitions. The SFHG will participate in AHA and regional homebrew oriented events whenever possible. The SFHG will promote appreciation and understanding of world beer styles and encourage interest in beer judging and the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The SFHG will offer educational opportunities for such through preparatory classes for the BJCP Exam and other continuing education programs. SFHG members will share knowledge, give feedback, and spread encouragement among all skill levels of homebrewers. The SFHG will further the understanding of historical and modern brewing and fermentation techniques. The SFHG will always promote responsible enjoyment, appreciation, and consumption of beer.
III. Structure
III. A. General Membership Statement
No member or officer of the SFHG shall be selected, dismissed, or discriminated against on the basis of age, race, religion, skin color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, or beer style preference.
III. B. Members
III. B. (a) Becoming a Member:
•Members must maintain a desire to participate and contribute to the enjoyment of all SFHG members in the pursuit of the SFHG’s purpose.
• The price of individual Membership and Household Memberships shall be reviewed, and may be adjusted for any reason, by the SFHG Officers, prior to the January meeting every year.
• Beginning in April 2012, Members paid annual dues in the amount of $45.00 for individual membership. Payment was accepted only through the SFHG website via a PayPal link.
• Beginning in January 2014, Members shall pay annual dues in the amount of $45.00 for an individual, or $45.00 for the first Member, plus $15.00 for up to three additional Members per household. Payment will be possible at the January meeting or via links on the SFHG website.
• Beginning in 2014, new Members may be added throughout the year at any regularly scheduled meeting or via the SFHG website. Members joining later in the year will have dues prorated for the remainder of the calendar year as follows:
• Members joining after June 1st will pay partial dues in the amount of $25.00.
• Members joining after October 1st will pay partial dues in the amount of $15.00.
• Each individual with a Household Membership is a full Member with all rights and requirements of any other Member. The goal for the Household Membership type is to encourage couples and housemates to get involved in SFHG activity without the expense of Membership being overly burdensome.
• All members must sign and agree to abide by the rules set forth in this Club Charter.
III. B. (b)(1) Rights and Responsibilities of SFHG Members
SFHG Members must be persons aged 21 years or older. SFHG Membership includes the following rights and responsibilities:
• Each Member shall strive to maintain the highest standards for their behavior at SFHG meetings, activities, and any competitions or external events where the members of the SFHG are promoting or representing the Guild name. Members will do their best to positively reflect Guild principles, promote the goals of the SFHG, and represent the Guild in a professional and courteous manner at all times.
• Members are encouraged to maintain regular attendance at monthly club meetings - after all, what’s the reason for being in a club if you don’t participate!
• Each Member will have voting rights in all club elections and Charter updates.
• Members are encouraged to participate in all club-sponsored events and competitions.
• Members are encouraged to use the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild name in competition entries or other venues where SFHG affiliation may be appropriately used.
III. B. (b)(2) SFHG Member Agreement to Arbitrate Legal Disputes
• Members shall be personally responsible for the results of their consumption of alcoholic beverages consumed during SFHG functions or social events. Members agree to hold harmless Officers and Members of the SFHG in the case of any legal actions or for any adverse consequence such as personal injury, or any other damages, real or perceived, that may arise from activities at, or the consumption of alcohol at, an SFHG function or event, except in cases of gross negligence by an Officer or another SFHG Member. Each Member shall recognize and respect their own limits, agrees to take full responsibility for monitoring those limits, and accepts personal individual responsibility for their actions taken at, or relating to, SFHG functions, and their consumptions of alcohol at those functions.
• Members agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising from activity at, or resulting from, an SFHG function or social event, including the determination of the scope or applicability of this Agreement to Arbitrate, shall be determined by arbitration in San Francisco before three neutral arbitrators. Judgment reached by arbitrators may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. Payment for arbitration will be made by the party bringing the action, or may be split as determined by the arbitrator(s). Prior to resorting to arbitration, the parties will in good faith attempt to settle the dispute via negotiation. If negotiation that does not work, the parties will in good faith attempt to settle the dispute via mediation, prior to arbitration.
III. B. (c) Removal of Members
Any Member may be removed by agreement of a simple majority of the Officers. Removal may be due to a disruptive disciplinary or behavioral situation that cannot be resolved between Members. Written notice of an in-person or phone meeting between the Member and Officers where removal of a Member is to be considered shall include a specific reference to the matter in question. At that meeting, the Member in question should be allowed to explain their perspective on the situation. The vote on whether to remove that Member may be undertaken after the meeting with the Member, that Member need not be present for the vote. The removal shall become effective upon the refunding of the entirety of the Member’s most recently paid dues. Note that the removal of a Member is very serious, it is an action that should only be undertaken in extremely rare situations and only after a frank, thoughtful, and meaningful discussion by the Officers of the problematic situation and all parties involved in it.
III. C. Officers and Elections
Officers are Members of the SFHG who have special responsibilities and magic powers.
III. C. (a) Declarations and Nominations
The presiding President shall call for declarations and nominations one month prior to a yearly election in March.
Members, as defined in III B above, who are interested in running for an Officer position shall declare their intent at least two (2) weeks prior to the date of the meeting at which the election will be held. Exceptions may be made for late entrants if the Officers vote by simple majority to allow such an exception.
Members running for an Officer position shall submit their full name, the position they are running for, a brief description of their qualifications, and the reason they are running for the position to the club email address (which is sfhomebrewersguild@gmail.com, as of Aug 2013, but may change in the future).
The Member running for the Officer position must be present at the election meeting unless there are extenuating circumstances that have been approved by the current Officers.
SFHG Members may nominate other Members for an Officer position. The nominated individual must still accept that nomination via a declaration of their intent to run for an officer position two (2) weeks prior to the March election in the same manner as noted above.
The nomination process for SFHG Board Members differs from the typical Officer nomination and election process described above in that they must be nominated by a majority of the existing Officers (excluding any Officers who are being voted on, who should leave the room and give the other Officers privacy for this discussion and vote) and then voted in on an “up or down” vote by the Members. In both cases a simple majority vote is required.
III. C. (a). i Special Consideration for Positions Without Candidates
Declarations and Nominations may also be made at the March election if there are positions to be filled for which there are no candidates. The President can, at his or her discretion, call for declarations and nominations from the floor in this special situation.
Alternatively, in the situation where there are no candidates for a position, the President and other Officers can take the time necessary to find qualified candidates and can elect them as Interim Officers with a unanimous vote of all the Guild Officers. This method of election can also take place in instances where an Officer is removed, moves away, or steps down from their position within a given elected term.
III. C. (b) Election and Terms
Officers shall be elected at the annual meeting in March and will take office and begin duties at the April meeting or event. They should take the month between these two meetings to work with the current Officer to learn about their new position and any spreadsheets, websites, or other technologies they will need to use in the proper execution of their new position. Officers shall serve for one year or until new officers are elected.
An image of the ballot will be sent out to Members for their review at least one week prior to the election. Physical ballot will be provided at the time of voting.
Members must be present at the meeting to vote. Members unable to attend the election may request to vote by absentee ballot, at least two (2) days prior to election by contacting an Officer. These votes must be turned in prior to the voting by the rest of the Members and with enough time for them to be counted.
Voting will take place at the meeting after the candidates each have an opportunity to speak to the Members, if they so desire, about why they are a good fit for the position. Speeches will be limited to four (4) minutes.
Election of officers will be decided by plurality of club Members (a simple majority of voters), including any absentee votes. Each member gets one vote for each position.
The winners of the voting will be announced to the entire SFHG Membership via newsletter within three days of the vote, but only after the candidates have all been personally notified of the results of the vote.
Upon the occurrence of a vacancy, the President and other Officers can elect qualified candidates as Interim Officers with a unanimous vote of all the SFHG Officers. Alternatively, if there are several Members interested in the position or the SFHG Officers cannot agree unanimously on a Member to be the Interim Officer, an interim election shall be held at the next meeting to fill the vacancy for the balance of the year prior to the next March election.
Officers may succeed themselves in the same office, but there is a term limit of three years for each position. Officer Members are encouraged to contribute to the SFHG in a variety of positions both to keep the work fresh and to allow for other Members to gain experience and help the SFHG in new ways. Term limits are meant to keep the SFHG leadership structure from becoming calcified, which ultimately may lead to a situation in which the SFHG culture becomes set in its ways and lacks the flexibility required to change with the times and trends in the homebrew community and in the local San Francisco culture.
In the extraordinary instance where a particular Officer has done an exemplary job for three years and wishes continue in the position AND there are no other qualified candidates who wish to run for the position, then the SFHG Officers may, by unanimous vote, extend that Member’s position to a fourth year, however, during that year it should be a priority for the SFHG Officers to find a new Member to take on the position in the following March election.
III. C. (c) Officer Positions
All Officers
The shared duties and responsibilities of all officers include:
• Maintain the activities of the SFHG, uphold SFHG rules, and monitor and enforce appropriate behavior by Members.
• Serve as ambassadors for the SFHG and the homebrewing community in the Bay Area.
• Ensure that Guild Members are kept informed of all SFHG activities.
• Provide positive role models for appropriate behavior.
• Plan and manage at least one event, project, or meeting for the SFHG per year. As always, events involve cooperation from all Officers, but for this particular event the Officer will be the driving force and will “own” the event.
• Advise the other officers in advance if you are unable to attend any SFHG meeting or function.
• Where the SFHG Officers cannot simply agree on a course of action, all Officers (except Board Members, see below) get to vote on the SFHG’s action. Simple majority wins a vote. In case of a tie, the President’s vote is the tie-breaker.
• When an important decision is being made that will affect SFHG Members, such as a change in the cost of dues, the expulsion of a Member from the SFHG, an event cancellation, etc., then all Officers (except Board Members, see below) should vote on the SFHG’s action. Simple majority wins. In case of a tie, the President’s vote is the tie-breaker. Note that it is generally in the best interest of the SFHG for its Officers to show solidarity in such instances to avoid creating disagreements that will split the SFHG Membership on issues that may not actually be greatly important to achieving the goals of the SFHG, proceed carefully.
• Resolve to settle the occasional disagreement among leadership through mature discussion and communication, as divisive internal politics among the Officers within the SFHG is generally inappropriate to the SFHG’s ultimate goals. Make beer, not war!
President
The duties and responsibilities of the President shall include:
• Attendance of all SFHG monthly meetings, event functions, and Officer meetings.
• Provide the overall guidance and direction for the club.
• Schedule and chair quarterly Officer meetings, coordinating those meeting dates and times with all other SFHG Officers.
• Finalize Officer meeting agendas, lead discussions, and preside over Officer meetings.
• Appoint committees, special interest groups, and/or individual managers for SFHG sponsored projects and events.
• See that resolutions passed by the club are carried out.
• Mitigate disputes with or between Guild Members.
• Communicate with all Club Members regarding meetings, events, or other Club activities.
• Send a newsletter style message to all SFHG Members at least once monthly, which shall include meeting reminders, announcements of upcoming functions and special events, information about other activities SFHG Members may be interested. This information should be sent via email, posted on the SFHG MeetUp page, Facebook, Twitter, and posted to the main SFHG website. This job will obviously evolve as forms of social media and communication do, the SFHG’s modes of communication should evolve to keep up with the trends among new and young homebrewers.
• Essentially, “the buck stops here,” it is the President’s job to ensure that the SFHG remains a vibrant and active club by keeping the flow of events and meetings happening. The President need not own all such events and meetings, but should ensure that they are being dealt with and managed properly by whoever is in charge of the event or meeting. It is also a key factor to the openness and vibrancy of the SFHG that we communicate what the club is doing to our Members as well as to the public (where appropriate) and therefore it is the President’s job to ensure that this takes place as described above.
Vice-President
The duties and responsibilities of the Vice-President shall include:
• Attendance of SFHG monthly meetings, functions, and Officer meetings.
• Manage club sponsored events, competitions, and guest speaker/presentations.
• Schedule, coordinate, and manage the monthly Member meetings. Work with other Officers and Members to schedule speakers and presentations for the monthly meetings.
• Take part in Officer meetings by offering advice and counsel to SFHG Officers regarding all SFHG issues.
• Assist the President and perform his or her duties in the absence of the President.
• Proposing meeting topics, speakers, and agenda points to the President.
• The Vice President should help the President manage all the various moving parts of the SFHG’s ongoing meetings, events, and projects. The President and VP should work together hand in glove to ensure that the SFHG runs properly, is vibrant and active, and that events and meetings are properly managed.
Treasurer & Membership Manager
The duties and responsibilities of the Treasurer & Membership Manager shall include:
• Attendance of SFHG monthly meetings, functions, and Officer meetings.
• Take part in Officer meetings, offer advice and counsel to SFHG Officers regarding all SFHG issues.
• Prepare and manage the SFHG’s budget.
• Manage all club dues, donations, and other funds and keep accurate records of all transactions; be prepared to submit audits to the officers and members of the Guild, and to handle all other matters pertaining to the SFHG’s finances.
• To make sure ALL dues-paying club members have signed the club charter, and to maintain/file copies of the signed charters.
• Keep and maintain an updated spreadsheet of Members, which shall include their:
• Adding new Members to the Members Only email mailing list.
• Emailing Members whose membership does have lapsed to encourage them to pay their dues or rejoin the SFHG as a paid Member. After 2014, this should occur only early in each calendar year when all the current Member’s dues will be due for the next year.
Secretary
The duties and responsibilities of the Secretary shall include:
• Attendance of SFHG monthly meetings, functions, and Officer meetings.
• Take part in Officer meetings, offer advice and counsel to SFHG Officers regarding all SFHG issues.
• Record attendance at Officer meetings.
• Take Officer meeting minutes and email them within 7 days to all of the SFHG Officers.
• Take part in Officer meetings, offer advice and counsel to SFHG Officers regarding all SFHG issues.
• Plan and execute at least one SFHG event per calendar year in addition to the one each Officer is required to do per year. This can be managing or helping with a larger scale event rather than planning one from start to finish.
• Produce an annual summary of club activities to archive in the official Historical Annals for the club, which will be presented to the SFHG Membership at the end of every year.
Competitions Chair
The Competitions Chair is nominated by majority agreement of the Guild Officers. The nominee, if they accept the nomination, is then voted on by the Membership of the SFHG at the next regularly scheduled club meeting. A simple majority vote will seat the Competitions Chair for the remainder of the election year.
It is the Competitions Chair’s job to help the President and Vice President in their duty of executing a series of SFHG competitions throughout the year and to encourage SFHG members to participate in competitions generally. The duties and responsibilities of the Competitions Chair shall include:
• Attendance of SFHG monthly meetings, functions, and Officer meetings.
• Take part in Officer meetings, offer advice and counsel to SFHG Officers regarding all SFHG issues.
• Serve as the President and Vice President’s right-hand man or woman when it comes to organizing and running SFHG competitions.
• Register upcoming SFHG comps with the BJCP several months in advance.
• Help with the competitions by potentially doing such things as contacting potential judges, picking up competition entries and transporting them to the cellaring or judging location, anonymizing competition entries, stewarding or judging the competition, tracking competition scores, and reporting the results to the BJCP after the competition. Note: the Competitions Chair is doing all this with help from the other Officers or volunteers and is not expected to single-handedly run the competitions.
• Keep accurate track of points earned by SFHG Members toward the “Homebrewer of the Year” award in SFHG and non-SFHG competitions.
• Let Members know about upcoming non-SFHG competitions and opportunities to judge or steward those competitions. This will likely involve keeping a list of outside competitions that will be shared with SFHG Members online and via monthly newsletters from the President.
• While not required, it is preferable to have a BJCP-qualified judge to serve in this position.
BJCP Chair
The BJCP Chair shall be an active BJCP judge who wants to encourage others to also become active BJCP judges. The BJCP Chair is nominated by majority agreement of the Guild Officers. The nominee, if they accept the nomination, is then voted on by the Membership of the SFHG at the next regularly scheduled club meeting. A simple majority vote will seat the BJCP Chair for the remainder of the election year.
The duties and responsibilities of the BJCP Chair shall include:
• Attendance of SFHG monthly meetings, functions, and Officer meetings.
• Take part in Officer meetings, offer advice and counsel to SFHG Officers regarding all SFHG issues.
• Keep track, via a shared document, of which SFHG Members are BJCP judges as well as which SFHG Members have beer judge training but may not yet have passed the BJCP test. This includes those who have taken the SFHG’s BJCP training courses, or are Certified Cicerones, etc.
• Maintain a shared list of area BJCP judges who can be reached out to for help judging SFHG competitions. This aspect of the position may involve occasionally working together with the Competitions Chair to organize judging panels.
• Encourage SFHG Members to get beer judge training and ultimately to take the BJCP test.
• To arrange for BJCP training sessions by Bay Area Master-Level Certified BJCP judges for SFHG Members, such as the three-month-long weekly course offered to SFHG Members by BJCP Master Judge Lee Shephard in late 2013.
• To keep track of upcoming BJCP tests in the area and to ensure that as many SFHG Members as possible get signed up for those tests. It is not uncommon for last minute testing slots to open for tests that appear to be full - local BJCP judges who run those tests should know they can always fill those seats by reaching out to the SFHG’s BJCP Chair for folks who want to test.
Board Member
Board Member positions are for people who have demonstrated dedication to helping the SFHG achieve greater things. Appropriate Board Members may include: people who consistently have new and creative ideas for events and have demonstrated the ability to execute on those ideas to make them a reality; people who have exceptional contacts in the beer world that they can and will leverage to help bring in guest speakers, secure event venues, and other beer-related resources to help the SFHG put together outstanding functions on a recurring basis, etc. These positions need not be filled, they are entirely optional.
The duties and responsibilities of the Board Members shall include:
• Attendance of SFHG monthly meetings, functions, and Officer meetings.
• Take part in Officer meetings, offer advice and counsel to SFHG Officers regarding all SFHG issues.
• Board Members are non-voting Officers. At the discretion of the President and Vice President, Board Members may be allowed to vote in cases where the issue will directly affect them or where it is otherwise appropriate.
• Use contacts and experience to open doors for the SFHG, e.g. perhaps help Officers make contact with potential monthly meetings speakers or with professional brewery executives for help with events such as collaboration brews or brewery tours, etc.
• The position may be appropriate for some former SFHG Officers who have shown sustained, long-term dedication to the SFHG but have hit a term limit as an Officer or desire to step down from an Officer position in order to dial back the amount of time they give to the SFHG, but still wish to remain heavily involved.
• Board Members must work to further the SFHG’s goals, this is not purely an advisory position. Each Board Member is expected to sign up early in the year to take a major role in organizing at least one event per year. As always, events involve cooperation from all Officers, but for this particular event the Board Member will be the driving force and will “own” the event.
• For example, if a former multi-term President or Vice President can no longer dedicate as much time to the SFHG and decides not to run for the position again, s/he could request to be a Board Member instead, that way they could remain an active voice in the SFHG, maintain a position in the SFHG, and be responsible for one event per year.
• There shall be a maximum of four (4) SFHG Board Members at any given time.
• Candidates can make their desire to be a Board Member known to SFHG Officers, but it is the Officers’ job to nominate Board Members via a simple majority. Once a candidate is nominated by the existing Officers, the SFHG Members must vote “Yes” or “No” during the regular March election. A simple majority vote is necessary to seat the Board Member for the election year.
III. D Meetings
III. D. (a) Member Meeting
The SFHG will meet monthly on the 3rd Tuesday of each month (excluding certain holidays or months in which a Club event is held, e.g. an annual holiday party). In the event of a holiday or otherwise interfering with a scheduled club meeting, the default is to reschedule for the following Tuesday. The monthly meeting should only be cancelled in rare circumstances.
As of Aug 2013 the SFHG is holding its monthly meeting at Anchor Brewing. It is important for the appropriate SFHG Officer (generally the VP) to make sure they are in contact with our host to ensure that the 3rd Tuesday of every month is reserved for the SFHG meeting very far in advance.
III. D. (b) Officer Meetings
Officers will meet outside of the regular monthly SFHG meetings at least one (1) time per quarter to facilitate planning, discuss Guild procedures, Charter updates, membership issues, Member disputes, and other activities as appropriate to the role of the officers.
Minutes from officer meetings will be taken by the Secretary and will be available to Club Members upon request.
IV. Amendments
Any Member in good standing who has been a registered member for at least two (2) months and attended at least two (2) meetings may suggest amendments to the Club Charter.
Amendments will be written by the Officers and must be ratified by a simple majority vote of a quorum representing 50% of the Members of the Club (i.e. 50% of SFHG Members must be on hand for the vote and 51% of them must vote for the change). All amendments passed by the Club will automatically become part of the Club Charter and thus adopted by each Club Member. All Club Members will be notified of changes by email and will be held responsible for following rules introduced by any changes to the Member policies introduced in an Amendment.
In the event that proposing and voting on Amendments becomes a common event at SFHG meetings, which should be unlikely, Amendments may be consolidated and voted on in single sessions once every four (4) months at SFHG meetings rather than at every meeting. Political activity at SFHG meetings should always be a very minimal part of the meetings (except at the yearly meeting when all the positions are being voted on). These activities should always remain completely civil even where there are disagreements.
V. Miscellaneous
V. A. Privacy Policy
The SFHG collects basic information about its members including name, address, telephone number, and email. Member information may, from time to time, be shared with partners of the SFHG or with vendors that have agreed to provide benefits or discounts to SFHG members. The SFHG will never collect member information to sell to vendors or merchants and will only provide such information in rare instances.
V. B. Representing the SFHG at Outside Events That Involve Pouring Homebrew
No member of the SFHG shall purport to represent the SFHG at any outside event at which they are pouring their homebrew for the public, unless they have cleared the activity with the SFHG leadership.
SFHG leadership must be given at least two weeks of prior notice to consider the request to represent the SFHG at the event.
Laws regarding pouring at public and private nonprofit events are shifting. Making mistakes and violating these laws could endanger not only the SFHG, but the CA homebrewing community at large. SFHG will be responsible and will seek the advice of the SFHG leadership when engaging in such activity.
V. C. Dissolution
Upon the dissolution of the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose.
• All club physical assets will be donated to local schools and/or charities decided upon by the current presiding Officers.
• All club financial assets will be donated to the American Homebrewers Association.
VI. Agreement
I do hereby understand and agree with the rules and terms of membership in the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild, including the indemnification of SFHG Officers and Members from the results of my decision to consume alcohol at SFHG functions and I understand that any disputes resulting from activities at SFHG functions will be subject to binding arbitration by a neutral professional arbitrator rather than by a court of law.
Name (print): _________________________________________ Date: ___/____/________
Signature: _________________________________________
The SFHG Charter was drafted by SFHG founder & 2012-2014 President Chris Cohen with input from 2012-2014 SFHG Vice President Kevin Inglin. The original proposed charter was posted on the SFHG website on Wed, October 9th, 2013. Input, feedback, and proposals for changes from the SFHG’s members were requested and received. Chris Cohen, Kevin Inglin, and appointed Treasurer-Membership Manager Rachel Cunningham unanimously voted to enact the new Charter at a meeting on November 13th, 2013.
SAN FRANCISCO HOMEBREWERS GUILD CHARTER
Voted into effect 11/13/2013. Most recent update: 7/4/2014
I. Formation and Name
The San Francisco Homebrewers Guild (herein “SFHG” or “the Guild”) was launched by Chris Cohen in Feb 2012. The San Francisco Homebrew Club MeetUp.com group, led by Kevin Inglin, merged with the SFHG in Jan 2013. In Oct 2013 the SFHG Officers enacted this San Francisco Homebrewers Guild Charter in accordance with the laws of the State of California. The SFHG shall always operate as a nonprofit organization. The SFHG is affiliated and registered with the American Homebrewers Association (AHA).
II. Purpose
The San Francisco Homebrewers Guild is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
The SFHG was founded with the purpose of promoting the science and art of homebrewing. The SFHG’s primary goals are to bring the local homebrewing community together for fun and education and to spread homebrewing knowledge among the public. The SFHG encourages the learning of knowledge of brewing techniques, ingredients, concepts, equipment, and recipes. The SFHG supports and encourages members to participate in homebrew competitions. The SFHG will participate in AHA and regional homebrew oriented events whenever possible. The SFHG will promote appreciation and understanding of world beer styles and encourage interest in beer judging and the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The SFHG will offer educational opportunities for such through preparatory classes for the BJCP Exam and other continuing education programs. SFHG members will share knowledge, give feedback, and spread encouragement among all skill levels of homebrewers. The SFHG will further the understanding of historical and modern brewing and fermentation techniques. The SFHG will always promote responsible enjoyment, appreciation, and consumption of beer.
III. Structure
III. A. General Membership Statement
No member or officer of the SFHG shall be selected, dismissed, or discriminated against on the basis of age, race, religion, skin color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, or beer style preference.
III. B. Members
III. B. (a) Becoming a Member:
•Members must maintain a desire to participate and contribute to the enjoyment of all SFHG members in the pursuit of the SFHG’s purpose.
• The price of individual Membership and Household Memberships shall be reviewed, and may be adjusted for any reason, by the SFHG Officers, prior to the January meeting every year.
• Beginning in April 2012, Members paid annual dues in the amount of $45.00 for individual membership. Payment was accepted only through the SFHG website via a PayPal link.
• Beginning in January 2014, Members shall pay annual dues in the amount of $45.00 for an individual, or $45.00 for the first Member, plus $15.00 for up to three additional Members per household. Payment will be possible at the January meeting or via links on the SFHG website.
• Beginning in 2014, new Members may be added throughout the year at any regularly scheduled meeting or via the SFHG website. Members joining later in the year will have dues prorated for the remainder of the calendar year as follows:
• Members joining after June 1st will pay partial dues in the amount of $25.00.
• Members joining after October 1st will pay partial dues in the amount of $15.00.
• Each individual with a Household Membership is a full Member with all rights and requirements of any other Member. The goal for the Household Membership type is to encourage couples and housemates to get involved in SFHG activity without the expense of Membership being overly burdensome.
• All members must sign and agree to abide by the rules set forth in this Club Charter.
III. B. (b)(1) Rights and Responsibilities of SFHG Members
SFHG Members must be persons aged 21 years or older. SFHG Membership includes the following rights and responsibilities:
• Each Member shall strive to maintain the highest standards for their behavior at SFHG meetings, activities, and any competitions or external events where the members of the SFHG are promoting or representing the Guild name. Members will do their best to positively reflect Guild principles, promote the goals of the SFHG, and represent the Guild in a professional and courteous manner at all times.
• Members are encouraged to maintain regular attendance at monthly club meetings - after all, what’s the reason for being in a club if you don’t participate!
• Each Member will have voting rights in all club elections and Charter updates.
• Members are encouraged to participate in all club-sponsored events and competitions.
• Members are encouraged to use the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild name in competition entries or other venues where SFHG affiliation may be appropriately used.
III. B. (b)(2) SFHG Member Agreement to Arbitrate Legal Disputes
• Members shall be personally responsible for the results of their consumption of alcoholic beverages consumed during SFHG functions or social events. Members agree to hold harmless Officers and Members of the SFHG in the case of any legal actions or for any adverse consequence such as personal injury, or any other damages, real or perceived, that may arise from activities at, or the consumption of alcohol at, an SFHG function or event, except in cases of gross negligence by an Officer or another SFHG Member. Each Member shall recognize and respect their own limits, agrees to take full responsibility for monitoring those limits, and accepts personal individual responsibility for their actions taken at, or relating to, SFHG functions, and their consumptions of alcohol at those functions.
• Members agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising from activity at, or resulting from, an SFHG function or social event, including the determination of the scope or applicability of this Agreement to Arbitrate, shall be determined by arbitration in San Francisco before three neutral arbitrators. Judgment reached by arbitrators may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. Payment for arbitration will be made by the party bringing the action, or may be split as determined by the arbitrator(s). Prior to resorting to arbitration, the parties will in good faith attempt to settle the dispute via negotiation. If negotiation that does not work, the parties will in good faith attempt to settle the dispute via mediation, prior to arbitration.
III. B. (c) Removal of Members
Any Member may be removed by agreement of a simple majority of the Officers. Removal may be due to a disruptive disciplinary or behavioral situation that cannot be resolved between Members. Written notice of an in-person or phone meeting between the Member and Officers where removal of a Member is to be considered shall include a specific reference to the matter in question. At that meeting, the Member in question should be allowed to explain their perspective on the situation. The vote on whether to remove that Member may be undertaken after the meeting with the Member, that Member need not be present for the vote. The removal shall become effective upon the refunding of the entirety of the Member’s most recently paid dues. Note that the removal of a Member is very serious, it is an action that should only be undertaken in extremely rare situations and only after a frank, thoughtful, and meaningful discussion by the Officers of the problematic situation and all parties involved in it.
III. C. Officers and Elections
Officers are Members of the SFHG who have special responsibilities and magic powers.
III. C. (a) Declarations and Nominations
The presiding President shall call for declarations and nominations one month prior to a yearly election in March.
Members, as defined in III B above, who are interested in running for an Officer position shall declare their intent at least two (2) weeks prior to the date of the meeting at which the election will be held. Exceptions may be made for late entrants if the Officers vote by simple majority to allow such an exception.
Members running for an Officer position shall submit their full name, the position they are running for, a brief description of their qualifications, and the reason they are running for the position to the club email address (which is sfhomebrewersguild@gmail.com, as of Aug 2013, but may change in the future).
The Member running for the Officer position must be present at the election meeting unless there are extenuating circumstances that have been approved by the current Officers.
SFHG Members may nominate other Members for an Officer position. The nominated individual must still accept that nomination via a declaration of their intent to run for an officer position two (2) weeks prior to the March election in the same manner as noted above.
The nomination process for SFHG Board Members differs from the typical Officer nomination and election process described above in that they must be nominated by a majority of the existing Officers (excluding any Officers who are being voted on, who should leave the room and give the other Officers privacy for this discussion and vote) and then voted in on an “up or down” vote by the Members. In both cases a simple majority vote is required.
III. C. (a). i Special Consideration for Positions Without Candidates
Declarations and Nominations may also be made at the March election if there are positions to be filled for which there are no candidates. The President can, at his or her discretion, call for declarations and nominations from the floor in this special situation.
Alternatively, in the situation where there are no candidates for a position, the President and other Officers can take the time necessary to find qualified candidates and can elect them as Interim Officers with a unanimous vote of all the Guild Officers. This method of election can also take place in instances where an Officer is removed, moves away, or steps down from their position within a given elected term.
III. C. (b) Election and Terms
Officers shall be elected at the annual meeting in March and will take office and begin duties at the April meeting or event. They should take the month between these two meetings to work with the current Officer to learn about their new position and any spreadsheets, websites, or other technologies they will need to use in the proper execution of their new position. Officers shall serve for one year or until new officers are elected.
An image of the ballot will be sent out to Members for their review at least one week prior to the election. Physical ballot will be provided at the time of voting.
Members must be present at the meeting to vote. Members unable to attend the election may request to vote by absentee ballot, at least two (2) days prior to election by contacting an Officer. These votes must be turned in prior to the voting by the rest of the Members and with enough time for them to be counted.
Voting will take place at the meeting after the candidates each have an opportunity to speak to the Members, if they so desire, about why they are a good fit for the position. Speeches will be limited to four (4) minutes.
Election of officers will be decided by plurality of club Members (a simple majority of voters), including any absentee votes. Each member gets one vote for each position.
The winners of the voting will be announced to the entire SFHG Membership via newsletter within three days of the vote, but only after the candidates have all been personally notified of the results of the vote.
Upon the occurrence of a vacancy, the President and other Officers can elect qualified candidates as Interim Officers with a unanimous vote of all the SFHG Officers. Alternatively, if there are several Members interested in the position or the SFHG Officers cannot agree unanimously on a Member to be the Interim Officer, an interim election shall be held at the next meeting to fill the vacancy for the balance of the year prior to the next March election.
Officers may succeed themselves in the same office, but there is a term limit of three years for each position. Officer Members are encouraged to contribute to the SFHG in a variety of positions both to keep the work fresh and to allow for other Members to gain experience and help the SFHG in new ways. Term limits are meant to keep the SFHG leadership structure from becoming calcified, which ultimately may lead to a situation in which the SFHG culture becomes set in its ways and lacks the flexibility required to change with the times and trends in the homebrew community and in the local San Francisco culture.
In the extraordinary instance where a particular Officer has done an exemplary job for three years and wishes continue in the position AND there are no other qualified candidates who wish to run for the position, then the SFHG Officers may, by unanimous vote, extend that Member’s position to a fourth year, however, during that year it should be a priority for the SFHG Officers to find a new Member to take on the position in the following March election.
III. C. (c) Officer Positions
All Officers
The shared duties and responsibilities of all officers include:
• Maintain the activities of the SFHG, uphold SFHG rules, and monitor and enforce appropriate behavior by Members.
• Serve as ambassadors for the SFHG and the homebrewing community in the Bay Area.
• Ensure that Guild Members are kept informed of all SFHG activities.
• Provide positive role models for appropriate behavior.
• Plan and manage at least one event, project, or meeting for the SFHG per year. As always, events involve cooperation from all Officers, but for this particular event the Officer will be the driving force and will “own” the event.
• Advise the other officers in advance if you are unable to attend any SFHG meeting or function.
• Where the SFHG Officers cannot simply agree on a course of action, all Officers (except Board Members, see below) get to vote on the SFHG’s action. Simple majority wins a vote. In case of a tie, the President’s vote is the tie-breaker.
• When an important decision is being made that will affect SFHG Members, such as a change in the cost of dues, the expulsion of a Member from the SFHG, an event cancellation, etc., then all Officers (except Board Members, see below) should vote on the SFHG’s action. Simple majority wins. In case of a tie, the President’s vote is the tie-breaker. Note that it is generally in the best interest of the SFHG for its Officers to show solidarity in such instances to avoid creating disagreements that will split the SFHG Membership on issues that may not actually be greatly important to achieving the goals of the SFHG, proceed carefully.
• Resolve to settle the occasional disagreement among leadership through mature discussion and communication, as divisive internal politics among the Officers within the SFHG is generally inappropriate to the SFHG’s ultimate goals. Make beer, not war!
President
The duties and responsibilities of the President shall include:
• Attendance of all SFHG monthly meetings, event functions, and Officer meetings.
• Provide the overall guidance and direction for the club.
• Schedule and chair quarterly Officer meetings, coordinating those meeting dates and times with all other SFHG Officers.
• Finalize Officer meeting agendas, lead discussions, and preside over Officer meetings.
• Appoint committees, special interest groups, and/or individual managers for SFHG sponsored projects and events.
• See that resolutions passed by the club are carried out.
• Mitigate disputes with or between Guild Members.
• Communicate with all Club Members regarding meetings, events, or other Club activities.
• Send a newsletter style message to all SFHG Members at least once monthly, which shall include meeting reminders, announcements of upcoming functions and special events, information about other activities SFHG Members may be interested. This information should be sent via email, posted on the SFHG MeetUp page, Facebook, Twitter, and posted to the main SFHG website. This job will obviously evolve as forms of social media and communication do, the SFHG’s modes of communication should evolve to keep up with the trends among new and young homebrewers.
• Essentially, “the buck stops here,” it is the President’s job to ensure that the SFHG remains a vibrant and active club by keeping the flow of events and meetings happening. The President need not own all such events and meetings, but should ensure that they are being dealt with and managed properly by whoever is in charge of the event or meeting. It is also a key factor to the openness and vibrancy of the SFHG that we communicate what the club is doing to our Members as well as to the public (where appropriate) and therefore it is the President’s job to ensure that this takes place as described above.
Vice-President
The duties and responsibilities of the Vice-President shall include:
• Attendance of SFHG monthly meetings, functions, and Officer meetings.
• Manage club sponsored events, competitions, and guest speaker/presentations.
• Schedule, coordinate, and manage the monthly Member meetings. Work with other Officers and Members to schedule speakers and presentations for the monthly meetings.
• Take part in Officer meetings by offering advice and counsel to SFHG Officers regarding all SFHG issues.
• Assist the President and perform his or her duties in the absence of the President.
• Proposing meeting topics, speakers, and agenda points to the President.
• The Vice President should help the President manage all the various moving parts of the SFHG’s ongoing meetings, events, and projects. The President and VP should work together hand in glove to ensure that the SFHG runs properly, is vibrant and active, and that events and meetings are properly managed.
Treasurer & Membership Manager
The duties and responsibilities of the Treasurer & Membership Manager shall include:
• Attendance of SFHG monthly meetings, functions, and Officer meetings.
• Take part in Officer meetings, offer advice and counsel to SFHG Officers regarding all SFHG issues.
• Prepare and manage the SFHG’s budget.
• Manage all club dues, donations, and other funds and keep accurate records of all transactions; be prepared to submit audits to the officers and members of the Guild, and to handle all other matters pertaining to the SFHG’s finances.
• To make sure ALL dues-paying club members have signed the club charter, and to maintain/file copies of the signed charters.
• Keep and maintain an updated spreadsheet of Members, which shall include their:
- Full name
- Contact info
- Date of joining the SFHG (i.e. when they paid their dues, month and year)
- Verification that they have been added to the Member’s Only email list
• Adding new Members to the Members Only email mailing list.
• Emailing Members whose membership does have lapsed to encourage them to pay their dues or rejoin the SFHG as a paid Member. After 2014, this should occur only early in each calendar year when all the current Member’s dues will be due for the next year.
Secretary
The duties and responsibilities of the Secretary shall include:
• Attendance of SFHG monthly meetings, functions, and Officer meetings.
• Take part in Officer meetings, offer advice and counsel to SFHG Officers regarding all SFHG issues.
• Record attendance at Officer meetings.
• Take Officer meeting minutes and email them within 7 days to all of the SFHG Officers.
• Take part in Officer meetings, offer advice and counsel to SFHG Officers regarding all SFHG issues.
• Plan and execute at least one SFHG event per calendar year in addition to the one each Officer is required to do per year. This can be managing or helping with a larger scale event rather than planning one from start to finish.
• Produce an annual summary of club activities to archive in the official Historical Annals for the club, which will be presented to the SFHG Membership at the end of every year.
Competitions Chair
The Competitions Chair is nominated by majority agreement of the Guild Officers. The nominee, if they accept the nomination, is then voted on by the Membership of the SFHG at the next regularly scheduled club meeting. A simple majority vote will seat the Competitions Chair for the remainder of the election year.
It is the Competitions Chair’s job to help the President and Vice President in their duty of executing a series of SFHG competitions throughout the year and to encourage SFHG members to participate in competitions generally. The duties and responsibilities of the Competitions Chair shall include:
• Attendance of SFHG monthly meetings, functions, and Officer meetings.
• Take part in Officer meetings, offer advice and counsel to SFHG Officers regarding all SFHG issues.
• Serve as the President and Vice President’s right-hand man or woman when it comes to organizing and running SFHG competitions.
• Register upcoming SFHG comps with the BJCP several months in advance.
• Help with the competitions by potentially doing such things as contacting potential judges, picking up competition entries and transporting them to the cellaring or judging location, anonymizing competition entries, stewarding or judging the competition, tracking competition scores, and reporting the results to the BJCP after the competition. Note: the Competitions Chair is doing all this with help from the other Officers or volunteers and is not expected to single-handedly run the competitions.
• Keep accurate track of points earned by SFHG Members toward the “Homebrewer of the Year” award in SFHG and non-SFHG competitions.
• Let Members know about upcoming non-SFHG competitions and opportunities to judge or steward those competitions. This will likely involve keeping a list of outside competitions that will be shared with SFHG Members online and via monthly newsletters from the President.
• While not required, it is preferable to have a BJCP-qualified judge to serve in this position.
BJCP Chair
The BJCP Chair shall be an active BJCP judge who wants to encourage others to also become active BJCP judges. The BJCP Chair is nominated by majority agreement of the Guild Officers. The nominee, if they accept the nomination, is then voted on by the Membership of the SFHG at the next regularly scheduled club meeting. A simple majority vote will seat the BJCP Chair for the remainder of the election year.
The duties and responsibilities of the BJCP Chair shall include:
• Attendance of SFHG monthly meetings, functions, and Officer meetings.
• Take part in Officer meetings, offer advice and counsel to SFHG Officers regarding all SFHG issues.
• Keep track, via a shared document, of which SFHG Members are BJCP judges as well as which SFHG Members have beer judge training but may not yet have passed the BJCP test. This includes those who have taken the SFHG’s BJCP training courses, or are Certified Cicerones, etc.
• Maintain a shared list of area BJCP judges who can be reached out to for help judging SFHG competitions. This aspect of the position may involve occasionally working together with the Competitions Chair to organize judging panels.
• Encourage SFHG Members to get beer judge training and ultimately to take the BJCP test.
• To arrange for BJCP training sessions by Bay Area Master-Level Certified BJCP judges for SFHG Members, such as the three-month-long weekly course offered to SFHG Members by BJCP Master Judge Lee Shephard in late 2013.
• To keep track of upcoming BJCP tests in the area and to ensure that as many SFHG Members as possible get signed up for those tests. It is not uncommon for last minute testing slots to open for tests that appear to be full - local BJCP judges who run those tests should know they can always fill those seats by reaching out to the SFHG’s BJCP Chair for folks who want to test.
Board Member
Board Member positions are for people who have demonstrated dedication to helping the SFHG achieve greater things. Appropriate Board Members may include: people who consistently have new and creative ideas for events and have demonstrated the ability to execute on those ideas to make them a reality; people who have exceptional contacts in the beer world that they can and will leverage to help bring in guest speakers, secure event venues, and other beer-related resources to help the SFHG put together outstanding functions on a recurring basis, etc. These positions need not be filled, they are entirely optional.
The duties and responsibilities of the Board Members shall include:
• Attendance of SFHG monthly meetings, functions, and Officer meetings.
• Take part in Officer meetings, offer advice and counsel to SFHG Officers regarding all SFHG issues.
• Board Members are non-voting Officers. At the discretion of the President and Vice President, Board Members may be allowed to vote in cases where the issue will directly affect them or where it is otherwise appropriate.
• Use contacts and experience to open doors for the SFHG, e.g. perhaps help Officers make contact with potential monthly meetings speakers or with professional brewery executives for help with events such as collaboration brews or brewery tours, etc.
• The position may be appropriate for some former SFHG Officers who have shown sustained, long-term dedication to the SFHG but have hit a term limit as an Officer or desire to step down from an Officer position in order to dial back the amount of time they give to the SFHG, but still wish to remain heavily involved.
• Board Members must work to further the SFHG’s goals, this is not purely an advisory position. Each Board Member is expected to sign up early in the year to take a major role in organizing at least one event per year. As always, events involve cooperation from all Officers, but for this particular event the Board Member will be the driving force and will “own” the event.
• For example, if a former multi-term President or Vice President can no longer dedicate as much time to the SFHG and decides not to run for the position again, s/he could request to be a Board Member instead, that way they could remain an active voice in the SFHG, maintain a position in the SFHG, and be responsible for one event per year.
• There shall be a maximum of four (4) SFHG Board Members at any given time.
• Candidates can make their desire to be a Board Member known to SFHG Officers, but it is the Officers’ job to nominate Board Members via a simple majority. Once a candidate is nominated by the existing Officers, the SFHG Members must vote “Yes” or “No” during the regular March election. A simple majority vote is necessary to seat the Board Member for the election year.
III. D Meetings
III. D. (a) Member Meeting
The SFHG will meet monthly on the 3rd Tuesday of each month (excluding certain holidays or months in which a Club event is held, e.g. an annual holiday party). In the event of a holiday or otherwise interfering with a scheduled club meeting, the default is to reschedule for the following Tuesday. The monthly meeting should only be cancelled in rare circumstances.
As of Aug 2013 the SFHG is holding its monthly meeting at Anchor Brewing. It is important for the appropriate SFHG Officer (generally the VP) to make sure they are in contact with our host to ensure that the 3rd Tuesday of every month is reserved for the SFHG meeting very far in advance.
III. D. (b) Officer Meetings
Officers will meet outside of the regular monthly SFHG meetings at least one (1) time per quarter to facilitate planning, discuss Guild procedures, Charter updates, membership issues, Member disputes, and other activities as appropriate to the role of the officers.
Minutes from officer meetings will be taken by the Secretary and will be available to Club Members upon request.
IV. Amendments
Any Member in good standing who has been a registered member for at least two (2) months and attended at least two (2) meetings may suggest amendments to the Club Charter.
Amendments will be written by the Officers and must be ratified by a simple majority vote of a quorum representing 50% of the Members of the Club (i.e. 50% of SFHG Members must be on hand for the vote and 51% of them must vote for the change). All amendments passed by the Club will automatically become part of the Club Charter and thus adopted by each Club Member. All Club Members will be notified of changes by email and will be held responsible for following rules introduced by any changes to the Member policies introduced in an Amendment.
In the event that proposing and voting on Amendments becomes a common event at SFHG meetings, which should be unlikely, Amendments may be consolidated and voted on in single sessions once every four (4) months at SFHG meetings rather than at every meeting. Political activity at SFHG meetings should always be a very minimal part of the meetings (except at the yearly meeting when all the positions are being voted on). These activities should always remain completely civil even where there are disagreements.
V. Miscellaneous
V. A. Privacy Policy
The SFHG collects basic information about its members including name, address, telephone number, and email. Member information may, from time to time, be shared with partners of the SFHG or with vendors that have agreed to provide benefits or discounts to SFHG members. The SFHG will never collect member information to sell to vendors or merchants and will only provide such information in rare instances.
V. B. Representing the SFHG at Outside Events That Involve Pouring Homebrew
No member of the SFHG shall purport to represent the SFHG at any outside event at which they are pouring their homebrew for the public, unless they have cleared the activity with the SFHG leadership.
SFHG leadership must be given at least two weeks of prior notice to consider the request to represent the SFHG at the event.
Laws regarding pouring at public and private nonprofit events are shifting. Making mistakes and violating these laws could endanger not only the SFHG, but the CA homebrewing community at large. SFHG will be responsible and will seek the advice of the SFHG leadership when engaging in such activity.
V. C. Dissolution
Upon the dissolution of the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose.
• All club physical assets will be donated to local schools and/or charities decided upon by the current presiding Officers.
• All club financial assets will be donated to the American Homebrewers Association.
VI. Agreement
I do hereby understand and agree with the rules and terms of membership in the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild, including the indemnification of SFHG Officers and Members from the results of my decision to consume alcohol at SFHG functions and I understand that any disputes resulting from activities at SFHG functions will be subject to binding arbitration by a neutral professional arbitrator rather than by a court of law.
Name (print): _________________________________________ Date: ___/____/________
Signature: _________________________________________