Final Symphony Guild Procedures 2020
The Asheville Symphony Guild is a subsidiary of the Asheville Symphony Society and falls under its 501 (c) 3 determination as a not-for-profit institution.
Mission: The Asheville Symphony Guild (hereafter “the Guild”) works to support the Asheville Symphony Society by raising funds for the Symphony, sponsoring music education programs in area schools, encouraging an interest in music among Guild members and area residents, and providing opportunities to socialize with friends both old and new in the greater Asheville and Buncombe County community.
Officers: The President, President-Elect, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary and Treasurer are elected by the general membership at the annual meeting in May or June and comprise the Executive Committee along with the immediate Past-President. The President shall be elected to a one-year term and may serve no more than three consecutive terms in this office. Other officers are elected to one-year terms and may serve up to six consecutive terms in the same office.
Board of Directors: The Board of Directors (hereafter “the Board”) consists of the Executive Committee and Chairpersons of the committees. Officers and Committee Chairs are installed in May or June of each year at the annual meeting. The Board of Directors is responsible for the affairs, funds and property of the Guild and meets on a bi-monthly basis from September through May. A planning meeting may be held in June, July or August. Meetings may be called by the President at other times.
In the event of inclement weather, Guild Board meetings will be canceled automatically when the Asheville City schools are closed. Should city schools have a delayed opening, Guild Board meetings will be held as scheduled.
Membership: Any interested person may become a member of the Guild by paying annual dues. Dues are assessed annually consistent with the fiscal year of the Asheville Symphony Society (July 1– June 30). The Guild Board determines the annual fees.
FUNCTIONS and DUTIES of GUILD OFFICERS
There are full descriptions of the jobs of each officer and Committee Chair in the Guild files.
President: The President of the Asheville Symphony Guild is the responsible and endorsing authority for any document that obligates the Guild. If liability statements are required to be signed, the President consults with the Executive Director of the Asheville Symphony Society. The President manages the affairs of the Guild, presides at Board meetings, presides at Guild programs, serves as an ex-officio member of all committees and, in conjunction with the Treasurer, disburses funds. The President serves as an internal auditor for the Guild’s financial records.
The President may create special committees, assign their duties and appoint their members.
The President serves as a voting member of the Asheville Symphony Society Board of Directors and in this position presents periodic reports of the Guild’s activities, projects and budget. The President also shares information on Symphony Board affairs and budgets with the Guild Board.
President-Elect: The President-Elect assists the President and, in the President’s absence, assumes the duties of that office. The President-Elect, in consultation with the President, manages the posting of news items on the website and composes eblasts to be sent to the membership. The President-Elect chairs or finds a chair for and serves on the committee for the “Pass the Hat” fundraiser, generally held at one of the symphony concerts to support Music in the Schools.
Vice-President: The Vice-President, in the absence of the President and President-Elect, will perform the duties of the President. In addition, the Vice-President is responsible for organizing the annual membership function in September (Guild potluck or other) and for organizing the annual Guild program in May or June, usually a luncheon or dinner held in conjunction with the annual meeting. In addition, the Vice-President assists the President and the Guild with various functions, as needed.
Recording Secretary: The Recording Secretary takes minutes of Board and Executive Committee meetings and prepares, distributes and retains copies of those minutes. The Recording Secretary keeps copies of Guild Board job descriptions and other important documents.
Corresponding Secretary: The Corresponding Secretary handles all general correspondence relating to Guild members, which includes sending letters of appreciation and acknowledgement of contributions of donors, whether or not they are Guild members.
Past-President: The immediate Past-President serves as an advisor to the President and the Board and updates the website in August for the coming year. The President may assign other duties to the Past- President.
Treasurer: The Treasurer is custodian of the Guild’s funds and of all monies collected and dispersed. The Treasurer disburses funds in accordance with the budget approved by the Board. In the absence of the Treasurer, the Guild President may disburse funds. The Treasurer is responsible for the collection and recording of all monies coming in and, with the knowledge of the Guild President, makes payments when receiving invoices for approved expenditures. The Treasurer ensures that all membership information (names, physical address, email address, and telephone) received from new and renewing members is transferred to the Database Manager. The Database Manager is then responsible for passing the information on to the pertinent people.
In May the Treasurer submits a preliminary operating budget for the coming year to the Board for approval, which should be finalized by the end of July or at the September Board meeting. The approved budget is then presented to Guild Members either through an email notification or at the October Guild meeting. The Guild membership does not vote on the budget.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Fiscal Policy and the Disbursement of Monies: Guild funds are used exclusively to pay the Guild’s operating and educational program costs and to support the Asheville Symphony. Funds donated or earmarked for specific programs are to be disbursed only in support of those programs. Should the Guild be dissolved, assets will be used to discharge outstanding obligations; any remaining assets are subsequently to be allocated to the Asheville Symphony Society, Inc.
The President of the Guild is responsible for performing internal audits of the Treasurer’s accounts several times a year.
Liability: Members of the Board of Directors and volunteers are protected under the safeguards afforded to and provided by the Asheville Symphony Society, Inc.
Guild Programs: Programs for socialization and education for the Membership and/or the community may be organized as desired by the Board. In the past these have included the September annual potluck, the May or June luncheon/dinner, and events held generally on the Thursday before the concert in October, November, February, March (except for the year in which the Amadeus Festival is held), and April. Installation of officers is held at the annual May or June program. The Program schedule may be amended with the approval of the Board.
With the exception of the September potluck and the May or June annual meeting (usually planned to include a luncheon or dinner), all Guild programs are open to the public. These open programs can attract new members and increase the visibility of the Guild.
In the event of inclement weather, Guild programs will be canceled automatically when the Asheville City schools are closed. Should City schools have a delayed opening, Guild programs will be held as scheduled.
Special Meetings: The President or any three members of the Executive Committee of the Guild may convene special meetings for the purpose of addressing specific issues requiring immediate attention.
Email Voting: Votes on Board issues may be conducted via email when necessary. Each Board member responding to the request for a vote must use “Reply All” so the votes are visible to the entire Board.
STANDING COMMITTEES
Standing Committees of the Guild may include Membership, Musical Feasts, Music in the Schools, Programs, Nominating, and Hospitality, as needed. These committees may change as the needs of the Guild change. Appointment of Chairpersons is completed by the incoming President. At the close of the term of office in May or June, each Chairperson transfers a detailed job description and any records and recommendations for improvement for the forthcoming year to his/her successor.
The Membership Committee promotes membership and helps to recruit new members. It is this committee’s responsibility to welcome new members with a call or letter and to hold a New Member Social once or twice a year.
As often as possible, a representative of the Membership Committee is present at a table in the lobby at Symphony performances to talk to and help recruit members.
The Database Manager, who works closely with the Treasurer, maintains an accurate, up-to-date master database of member information, which is prepared for the use of the Guild Board, Guild members, associate committees and the Symphony office. The Database Manager will promptly distribute all changes to the database to the President, Membership Chair, and Treasurer. The Database Manager will also forward all changes to email addresses to the eblast and website managers. The database is available via sign-on password to Guild members on the Guild website.
Changes to the database are received from the Treasurer, who forwards all accompanying information received with every membership dues payment.
The Musical Feasts Committee plans and organizes a variety of events, luncheons, dinners and special food-related programs (often with music) as fundraisers for the Guild. This committee prepares a brochure that lists all of these events and includes information on the theme, hosts, location, menu and price. The brochure will be publicized and made available on the Guild website and, if needed and feasible, also in print form.
An appointed member of the committee (the reservations manager) keeps a record of all subscriptions to the parties, acknowledges and confirms their payments, sends timely reminders and directions to the subscribers, and manages refunds for cancellations. The Chair reports to the Board and the Guild membership.
The Music Education Committee, also known as Music in the Schools, works with school personnel to organize live and/or virtual school programs which introduce musical instruments and classical music to second, third, fourth and fifth grade students in the schools in Buncombe County and Asheville City. This Committee, along with the President-Elect, is responsible for planning fundraising events for this program, such as “Pass the Hat” at Asheville Symphony concerts.
The Program Committee plans programs for the membership and/or the community. These generally occur monthly from September through May. The September program is organized by the Vice President and is a membership-only potluck. The May or June program, at which the annual meeting is held, is a luncheon or dinner organized by the Vice President and is also membership-only. Other programs may occur in October, November, February, March (except for the year in which the Amadeus festival is held) and April.
The Program Chair keeps a list of programs for the year, indicating who spoke and how many people attended. This is passed down from Chair to Chair in order to examine attendance and to plan programs for the following year.
The Hospitality Committee provides refreshments for the October, November, February, March and April Guild programs and for the Friday Symphony talks. The Symphony pays for the refreshments at the Friday Symphony Talks.
The Nominating Committee consists of the President, the President-Elect, and two or more additional members appointed by the President. The Committee recruits candidates for the Executive Committee and Committee Chairs. Committee Chairs are not elected. Approval of candidates for the Executive Committee is done by the Board either at a Board meeting or via email. Official election of the officers for the Executive Committee occurs at the May or June Annual Meeting of members.
Special Committees carry out events and fundraising activities of the Guild as requested. The President is authorized to appoint such other committees as may be needed.
Change(s) in the Operating Procedures may be proposed to the Asheville Symphony Guild Board by any member of the Guild or the Asheville Symphony Society. The President will appoint a small committee to review and draft any such proposed changes. A two-thirds majority vote by the Guild Board members is then needed for approval. The approved changes will be subsequently presented to the Board of Di- rectors of the Asheville Symphony Society, Inc for final approval.
The change(s) will be posted on the Asheville Symphony Guild website, complete with the dates of ap- proval by the Guild Board and by the Board of the Asheville Symphony Society.
Date of Approval by Asheville Symphony Guild Board: August 9, 2020
Date of Approval by Board of Asheville Symphony Society, Inc.: January 18, 2021