By Laws

JNANA PRABODHINI FOUNDATION

ARTICLE I – NAME & PURPOSE

Section 1:

The name of the educational & cultural organization shall be Jnana Prabodhini Foundation (JPF). The postal address of the organization is 39276 Beringer Drive, Murrieta CA 92563.

Executive committee has an authority to change the address anytime with a majority vote.

Jnana Prabodhini Foundation shall be a non-religious & non-political organization.

Section 2:

India has over 50% youth population & 60% of rural population. Jnana Prabodhini Foundation identifies rural development, education, & women empowerment as the areas with the greatest challenges. JPF promotes activities for drought relief, energy sufficiency, healthcare & women empowerment to fulfill basic needs in rural India. JPF also addresses the need for talent development, skill development & teacher’s training programs to enhance the quality of education in India.

To eradicate water scarcity in drought prone areas to fulfill the need for drinking water
To distribute or invest in instruments for renewable energy to comply with basic energy needs in rural areas
To conduct health awareness programs, health checkup camps & direct medical assistance in slums & rural areas
To conduct talent development programs, vocational trainings & qualitative teacher training programs to enhance educational standards
To invest in educational infrastructure to initiate use of technology & encourage innovation
To support five schools by Jnana Prabodhini in Pune, Solapur & Osmanabad district
To provide income generation for rural women through self-help group, micro financing & encouraging women entrepreneurship

ARTICLE II – EXECUTIVE AND CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE

Board Size & Composition:

The Board shall have up to 7 and not fewer than 3 members. Three mandatory office bearers shall be 1) President, 2) Treasurer & 3) Secretary. The other members of the EC will be 4) Vice President, 5) Memberships & Communications Head, 6) Program Head & 7) Technical Web Admin shall be the members of Executive Committee.

Executive committee will have an authority to appoint Advisory Board of 3 or 5 members for the tenure of 2 years with 2/3rd majority of executive committee.

Appointment:

From the interested candidates, the EC shall be appointed by Advisory Board.

Term duration & limits: They shall be allowed to hold the position/office for one term of two years. The EC members shall be allowed to hold the same position for 3 consecutive terms.
Appointment time: Reappointment of a new Executive Committee shall be effective on 1st Jan every alternate year.
Appointment Communication: The appointment shall be communicated to all the volunteers of JPF before 7 days of effectively i.e. 1st Jan.
Resignation, Termination and Absences: Resignation from the member of executive committee shall be in writing and received by the Secretary. Any EC member shall be dismissed from the EC if found working contrary to the objectives of JPF. Dismissal shall require minimum of two-thirds of the EC members voting for dismissal. Notice shall be given to the EC member being considered for dismissal with a period of one week.
There shall be a Consultative Committee up to 21 members. Members of consultative committee will be appointed by executive committee by 2/3 rd majority. The individuals in the consultative committee shall provide their opinions on all the matters where the executive committee need to take any decision for JPF. Members of EC shall be part of the Consultative Committee.
If any vacancy arises on the EC through any cause, the EC may appoint any current consultative committee of JPF to fill that vacancy by majority vote. This appointment should be communicated to all JPF volunteers within 30 days.

ARTICLE III – MEETINGS

Annual General Body Meeting

President or Secretory shall hold Annual General Body meeting with at least a one month notice to all volunteers, donors, well wishers of JPF. This shall be a virtual meeting - conference audio or video call.
The Secretary or President shall prepare an agenda for the proceedings of the General body meeting. He/she shall prepare minutes of the meeting, and these minutes shall be ratified at the next EC meeting.
The President will present a State of the Association report.
The President shall communicate all the Executive Committee appointments.
The Treasurer will report on the fiscal status of the Association.
Any other special motions, such as motions to amend the constitution, shall be considered.
Annual General Board Meeting is the platform for everyone to discuss thoughts or concerns for the improvement of organization. These points shall be sent to Executive Committee 3 weeks before the Annual General Body Meeting.

Executive board Meeting

No meeting of the EC can be held without a seven-day notice to the EC members. Minimum of two third EC members shall constitute a meeting quorum of the EC. Decisions of the EC shall be passed only by a majority vote of those present EC members.
There shall be at least one meeting a month for Executive Committee. All EC members shall attend minimum of one meeting from a month. EC can take a decision on the frequency of a meeting.
The Secretary or President shall prepare an agenda for the proceedings of the meeting of the EC. He/she shall prepare minutes of the meeting, and these minutes shall be ratified at the same EC meeting.
All JPF EC members and Consultative Committee members are authorized to attend the Executive board Meeting.
EC shall invite a volunteer to EC Meeting on as needed basis. The volunteer shall be from the registered list of volunteers.

Special Meetings

President or Executive Committee shall call a Special meeting for the events, fundraisers or any such reason.

ARTICLE IV – FINANCIALS

The fiscal year of JPF shall be the calendar year.
The account in the name of JPF shall be maintained in a bank & shall be operated jointly by Treasurer & Vice-President.
Expenses less than or equal to $500 shall require approval of Treasurer & expenses greater than $500 shall have prior approval of EC.
Delegation of funds to any project shall be the responsibility of EC & shall be approved by majority vote.
The outgoing EC shall prepare audited financial statements of their fiscal year no later than 15th Jan of the following year. A Financial summary shall be published in the upcoming newsletter & on JPF website. The outgoing treasurer will retain responsibility for filing taxes for the previous fiscal year.
No one shall use the name & logo of JPF without formal written approval from the Executive Committee. (moved from membership section to financials since we removed that section)

ARTICLE V – RESPONSIBILITIES of EC OFFICERS

The President shall be the Chief Officer of the JPF. He/she shall lead the EC and serve the objectives of the JPF, and shall see that all orders and resolutions of the EC and the General Body are executed. The President shall present a report on the state of JPF at the Annual General Body Meeting.
The Vice Presidents shall lead operational aspects of the Association for the respective verticals.
The secretary shall record and publish the proceeding of all meetings of the JPF and its EC, attend to the incoming and outgoing correspondence, and keep all the documents and records of the JPF.

The treasurer shall:

Keep custody of the JPF funds and financial instruments.
Keep full and accurate account of receipts and distributions.
Deposit or disburse the JPF funds as authorized by the EC.
Keep track of all JPF assets if any.
Render an account of all the transactions conducted as a treasurer to the EC at the regular meetings and present a financial summary to the volunteers, donors, well-wishers at at the general body meeting.

ARTICLE VI – AMENDMENTS

These Bylaws shall be amended when necessary by a two-thirds majority of the Executive Committee. Proposed amendments must be submitted to the Secretary to be sent out with regular Board announcements. The current bylaws are approved on March 30th 2021, by executive committee of JPF.