Guild Charter PDF

Prospective members may contact a current member and have their name proposed at a meeting or current members may use the private Facebook page or a meeting to suggest individuals they feel would be an asset to the guild. Current members will discuss any knowledge they have to help decide if the group wishes to invite the individual to participate in a trial period. 

A membership request form must be completed by the prospective member and submitted to the guild. This form will provide the guild with information that will help in the decision to invite prospective members to try out the guild and to determine the level of skill/craft of a prospective member. Guild membership will only be considered for persons age 21 and older. 

Once interest in joining the guild has been expressed through the submission of a membership form, the prospective member should:

• Attend two guild events (ie: meetings, brew days, beer fests, etc.). This is considered a trial period, allowing a two-way assessment between prospective member and guild members.
• If the prospective member has a Facebook account, they must friend request guild leadership, at minimum, in order to communicate effectively, and join the SBM Prospective Members Page. During this time, prospective members are encouraged to become friends with as many guild members as he/she wishes in order to encourage comradery.

After trial period, a guild representative will reach out to the prospective member to ask if they would like to join the guild as a full member.

Guild prospective member will be officially offered membership on the guild prospective page and will officially declare if they are accepting or declining full membership, additionally indicating that they have read and accept the guild charter. 

Upon acceptance of full membership, the new member will be added to the Members page, pay the membership fee, and purchase a guild work shirt. 

Upon request, the new member will be provided access to the Google calendar and will be sent an email by the Membership Committee with additional guild information regarding shirt purchase, Google calendar use, upcoming events to which the member was not previously invited, etc.

New members will make a one-time, non-refundable $45 contribution towards future guild expenses. The current contribution amount will remain in place until the guild membership feels an adjustment is appropriate and votes to change the amount. 

Membership in the Guild is a privilege and the guild has certain expectations for a member to maintain that membership. 

• Barring  extenuating circumstances, it is expected that each member will attend a minimum of one (1) monthly meeting each quarter of the year. 
• Guild members are not required to enter beers in competition but if they do, they are  expected to enter them as members of the Suncoast Barley Mashers. If a member is also affiliated with another home brew guild or club and wishes to submit entries under the other affiliation they may do so, however 50 percent of competition entries are to carry the affiliation of Suncoast Barley Mashers. 
• All members are required to represent the guild and act in a professional manner. This is of particular importance when the guild is at public events. Public intoxication will not be tolerated. 
• Inability to meet the guilds requirements will result in becoming an alumni member, being removed from full membership. Alumni members are unable to vote in guild meetings and are removed from the Facebook Members page, while remain on the SBM Prospective Page.
• At any time, the alumni member may request to become a full member again, but must maintain membership requirements.

The guild has acknowledged that there are professional members of the brewing community that help us, the homebrewers, learn and increase our knowledge of the craft and others that support our guild above and beyond the norm. In an effort to recognize these people who have helped our guild hone our skills by knowledge sharing, teaching, co-brewing or supporting us , we have created the Honorary Professional Guild Member.

An Honorary Professional Guild Member will be a non-voting member, who may attend all open meetings, participate in the prospective member page and can wear our work shirt.

To be inducted as an Honorary Professional Guild Member the recipient will have:

1. aided the guild with at least two meetings by hosting or being a guest speaker.
2. provided a knowledge share in particular areas of brewing that are not common to the home brewer.
3. generally supported the Suncoast Barley Mashers with meeting locations and brew day locations.
4. worked on a project with the guild to specifically further brewing technique or enhance a brewing skill.
5. conducted workshops with the guild to increase brewing knowledge.

It is not a requirement that all of these be met, but the individual must have met a high level of support. To be inducted will require a 75% vote of current members in good standing to approve a candidate. These members will be recorded by the Membership Committee who will keep a current Honorary Professional Guild member list. At most there can be two recipients in a calendar year with the exception of the first year, 2016, which can have 6 candidates to make up for the preceding years. There is no requirement to add any of these type members in a year. Candidates that are approved will be offered this membership and if they accept will receive a work shirt from the guild to include their name embroidered with Honorary Member above it.

Open to spouses or significant others of a Regular Members. Significant Other/ Supportive Guild Members will be given access to only the SBM Prospectus page. This is to ensure that these members are able to be kept up to date with Guild planning activities. Spouse/Supportive Guild Members are non-voting members and do not enjoy the rights and privileges of being a voting member. However, Spouse/Supportive Guild Members are permitted to wear an official Guild work shirt or other Guild paraphernalia as designated as being appropriate by the Guild at events in order to show support. Spouse/Supportive Members maybe added and/or removed at the request of the primary Guild member connected to the Significant Other/ Supportive Guild Member only. Additionally Significant Other/ Supportive Guild Members should be encouraged to apply to become full Guild members if they want. 

At times, the opportunity to add an honorary member to the Guild membership may come up. As a means of recognition, the Guild membership shall have the option to elect “honorary Guild members” to the Guild. Unlike the Honorary Professional Guild Member, this individual can be someone not associated with the professional brewing industry. The Honorary Guild Members are non-voting members and do not enjoy the rights and privileges of being a voting member. Honorary Guild Members will be given access to only the SBM Prospectus page. In order to be considered for Honorary Guild Membership an active Guild member is good standing must nominate the potential honorary Guild member with an explanation as to why the Guild member feels that the individual should be considered for Honorary Guild Membership. After that, an active Guild member shall second the nomination, and a vote should be held. Honorary Guild Membership will be bestowed upon the individual only if 75% of the active voting membership votes in favor of the proposal within seven (7) days of the proposal. If accepted by the Guild membership, the Membership Chair/ and/or President can reach out to the Honorary Guild Member to ascertain if they accept the Honorary Guild Membership offer. The Guild reserves the right to revoke the Honorary Guild Membership of any individual for cause by a vote of 75% of the active Guild membership.

The business of the Guild will be guided by a Steering Committee of Elected Officers consisting of the following positions: 

• President 
• Vice President      
• Secretary 
• Treasurer 

Except as specified in the Charter, Members may hold only one elected office or committee Chair position. 

Elected Officers may create Ad Hoc committees as needed, to plan and oversee specific events that reach beyond Guild membership or require significant planning or resources.  

The duties of the President shall be as follows: 

• To uphold the Guild charter, and to interpret it when necessary. 
• To schedule and set the agenda for Steering Committee meetings, the annual Membership Business and Elections Meeting, and any special meetings, and to call these meetings to order, conduct them in an orderly manner and keep the meetings on agenda. 
• To form Ad Hoc Committees when the Steering Committee deems appropriate. 
• To serve as the primary interface to and maintain the relationship between the Guild and the American Homebrewers Association, and to ensure Guild Members are made aware of AHA events, discounts and other resources available to them and to the Guild. 
• To help maintain and moderate the Guild’s public Facebook page by posting content on behalf of the Guild, reviewing content posted by other parties and removing inappropriate content, including unapproved advertising and promotion. 
• To store, maintain and manage the tap system and other equipment belonging to the      Guild.
• To plan, schedule, coordinate and manage monthly educational sessions that support the Guild’s educational including venue procurement, topic selection, speaker recruitment, onsite setup and clean-up. Examples of educational sessions: lectures, organized interactive discussions, demonstrations, field trips to breweries. 
• To solicit Member input regarding educational needs.

The duties of the Vice-President shall be as follows:  

• To assist the President with his/her duties. 
• To maintain a current list of all Standing Committee Chairs and Ad Hoc Committee Chairs      in the Files area of the Suncoast Barley Mashers private Facebook page. 
• To work with Standing Committee Chairs and Ad Hoc Committee Chairs to ensure that      monthly committee reports are posted to the Files area of the Suncoast Barley Mashers private Facebook page by the Chairs. 
• To help maintain and moderate the Guild’s public Facebook page by posting content on behalf of the Guild, reviewing content posted by other parties and removing inappropriate content, including unapproved advertising and promotion. 
• To help maintain and moderate the Suncoast Barley Mashers private Facebook page and the SBM Prospective Members private Facebook page by reviewing content posted by other parties and removing inappropriate content, including unapproved advertising and promotion. 
• If the President is absent from a Steering Committee meeting, the Membership Business and Elections meeting, or a special membership meeting, the Vice-President shall assume the President's duties for that meeting. 
• To stay abreast of and seek out competitions throughout Florida and the surrounding states, as well as AHA competitions, and make Members aware of their existence and associated deadlines through the Guild’s Google calendar and private Facebook page. 
• To coordinate Guild participation in external beer festivals, brewing demonstrations and      other activities and events hosted by external parties which support the goals of the Guild. 

The duties of the Secretary shall be as follows:

• To take the minutes of SBM Steering Committee meetings, the Membership Business and      Elections meeting, and any special membership meetings, and to post the minutes to the Files area of the Suncoast Barley Mashers private Facebook page within one week of the meeting. 
• To arrange in advance for another Steering Committee member to take and post meeting      minutes if he/she will be absent from a meeting. 
• To perform or oversee the Charter modification process and the modification of any Guild      forms (e.g., the membership form) and Guild process description documents (e.g., the membership process), and to ensure the most current approved version of the Guild Charter is posted in the Files area of the Suncoast Barley Mashers private Facebook page and the SBM Prospective Members private Facebook page. 
• To maintain backup files of Guild meeting minutes, forms, documents, and approved      versions of the Guild Charter. 
• If the President and Vice President are absent from a Steering Committee meeting,the Membership Business and Elections meeting, or a special membership meeting, the Secretary shall assume the President's duties for that meeting and assign another Member to take and post the meeting minutes from that meeting. 
• To perform or oversee the design and maintenance of the Guild’s website, ensuring the      pages remain accessible and the content stays current.
• To review email coming in to all general/default Guild email accounts at least every three days, to forward to the appropriate officers and/or committees, and to arrange for another Steering Committee member to take over this duty whenever he/she will be unable to perform this duty. 
• To perform or oversee the setup and maintenance of Guild email accounts, websites,      online storage, and social media accounts, to maintain a list of current passwords for all online accounts, and to ensure the President and Vice President have the current passwords. 

The duties of the Treasurer shall be as follows:   

• To administer the Guild finances, and to collect and document monies owed to the Guild. 
• To notify members by email regarding special assessments, and notify the Membership      Chair of any overdue assessments. 
• To manage Guild bank accounts, PayPal accounts and any other financial accounts and      tools, ensuring that the President, Vice President and Treasurer have monitoring and administrative abilities for all Guild financial accounts and tools. 
• To reimburse approved expenses incurred by members on behalf of the Guild. 
• To maintain hardcopy and/or digital/scanned copies of receipts for Guild purchases and reimbursed expenses. 
• To      post a yearly financial report to the Files area of the Suncoast Barley Mashers private Facebook page, including cash on hand, balances in all financial accounts, monies owed to the Guild by internal and external parties (including any applicable due dates), future encumbrances, and the cost value of the current inventory of Guild merchandise. 
• To ensure that the guild’s insurance policy and online presence accounts for email/web are paid on time and no lapse of coverage occurs. 
• To coordinate the purchase of goods or paid services needed to accomplish the duties and      goals of their committee, obtaining advance approval from the Steering Committee before making any purchase or obligating the Guild in any way. Purchases/obligations over $50 will be put to a majority vote of the general membership for approval. 

• To ensure that the responsibilities of their committee are successfully performed in a      timely manner, and in a manner that reflects positively upon the Guild. 
• To recruit volunteers from among the Guild Members to help accomplish the goals of their committee. There is no set number of committee members per committee, and no limit as to how many committees on which a member may be active. Steering Committee members may also serve as Standing Committee members. 
• To provide oversight, coordination and communication during the membership process      (application, trial period, approval, , etc.), posting polls for Members to vote on potential prospective membership for applicants and full membership for current Prospective Members. 

Terms for all Officers and Standing Committee Chairs will be for a period of two years, commencing on January 1st. 

Annual Membership Business 

A Membership Business will be held in December of each year. Prospective Members and guests may not attend the Annual Membership Business. Official minutes of the meeting will be taken and posted to the Files area of the Suncoast Barley Mashers private Facebook page within a week of the meeting. 

Elections Meeting 

An Elections Meeting for the guild officers will be held in December, every other year. Prospective Members and guests may not attend the Elections Meeting. Official minutes of the meeting will be taken and posted to the Files area of the Suncoast Barley Mashers private Facebook page within a week of the meeting. 

Elections 

Elections will be held at the Annual Membership Business and Elections Meeting for Steering Committee Officers. The election will be conducted by the President. If the President cannot be present at the meeting, another Steering Committee Officer will conduct the election. 

Removal from Office 

Any Officer or Standing Committee Chair not maintaining the status of “Member in Good Standing” during his/her term of office, without reasonable excuse, shall be removed from office and replaced as soon as possible. A reasonable excuse shall be determined by the Steering Committee. 

Any Officer or Standing Committee Chair, as determined by a majority of the Steering Committee, found not satisfactorily performing his/her duties or representing the Guild in a positive manner, may be removed from office, subject to the approval by an absolute majority YES vote of the Members (NOT of the votes cast), following a report from the Steering Committee to the membership. The vote shall be conducted by the Membership Committee Chair and shall be announced by email to all Members and the Officer/Chair in question. Voting will take place by email, with a minimum of two weeks allowed for voting. Members may vote YES, NO or may abstain from voting. 

Removal from the Steering Committee or a Standing Chair position will not affect the Member status of the Officer/Chair. 

Returning Suncoast Barley Mashers Guild Property 

All Officers, Members, or others acting on behalf of the Guild, upon completion of their term in office or assignment, or upon relinquishment or revocation of their membership, shall return to the Guild any and all papers, documents, and property deemed to be important to the operation and history of, and belonging to, the Guild. Failure to comply may result in revocation of membership or association with the Guild, and civil action if deemed necessary. 

No member is authorized to commit the guild to participation in an event/activity without first confirming the guild’s interest at a meeting and/or on the private Facebook page. No member is authorized to incur any financial obligation on behalf of the guild without prior authority of the guild. Members will not accept additional compensation or favor for their efforts in coordinating the guild’s participation in an event/activity beyond what other guild members receive for their participation in the event. No member will accept compensation or favor in return for recommending or selecting a venue or supplier for guild business. 

Other than the initial membership contribution of $45, there will be no dues collected for guild membership. Financial obligations/needs for the guild will be met through the initial membership contributions, voluntary “pass the hat” contributions at meetings/activities, income from merchandise sales and contributions from outside sources. 

SUPPORT OF LOCAL CRAFT BREWERIES
Suncoast Barley Mashers guild is not associated with a particular brewery, venue or commercial entity and strives to support and encourage all the craft breweries and other commercial entities supporting craft brewing and craft beer throughout the Tampa Bay area.    

GUILD ACTIVITIES AND MEETINGS 

• Invitations to special events will be communicated to the entire membership prior to the selection of members/brews to represent the group, and all active members in good standing will be granted an equal chance to participate. Members should rotate through limited events in order for each member to have the opportunity to present their beers. If additional spots are available, prospective members will be eligible to participate. 
• Members are expected to represent the guild with high quality home brews. When      participating in a keg- based event, the keg will contain at least four gallons of brew. 
• No one under the legal drinking age is ever allowed behind the taps of the guild at any fest or tasting.

When officially representing SBM at a public or paid admission event such as a beer festival, members will wear an official SBM shirt. Wearing a guild shirt is optional (though highly recommended) when attending an event planning meeting with other organizations or attending a beer event as a group.  

The guild banner will be displayed whenever possible at events in which the guild is officially participating. A file will be maintained on the private Facebook page to document current responsibility for the banner and where it was last used. The member currently in possession of the banner will transport it to the next official event or convey it to another member who will take over responsibility. The member who takes the banner to an event is responsible for ensuring it “comes home” from the event and is responsible for updating the banner location file. 

Guild members will conduct themselves in a manner that reflects positively upon the guild when wearing their official SBM shirt or otherwise officially representing the guild. Behaviors that reflect poorly upon the guild include, but are not limited to: 

• Public inebriation 
• Violating the rules of brew competitions (whether BJCP/AHA-sanctioned or unsanctioned) 
• Campaigning or attempting to sway the vote during people's choice judging 
• Publicly expressing disrespect for other guilds, clubs or individuals in the craft beer community 

Negative behavior when representing the guild may affect a member's rights to represent the guild in subsequent events or may result in revocation of guild membership. 

At both internal and external activities and events, guild members will only serve alcohol products to people over the legal drinking age; if the guild is serving at an event and someone looks under age 21, the member will request I.D. if the hosting organization has not provided its own age check and provided a proof of age token, such as a hand stamp or wristband. 

At both internal and external activities and events, guild members are responsible for themselves. Guild members may participate in meetings, events and activities and consume alcohol as a group, but the group in no way is responsible for a member’s personal actions and conduct. 

REPRESENTING THE GUILD - Expressing differences of opinion in social media discussions are totally acceptable, but members should do so with respect and make clear that it is their personal opinion when any portion of the topic relates to beer, brewing, craft beer venues, brew organizations, guilds and clubs. Official SBM accounts (Facebook, Twitter, email, etc.) will not be used to express negative commentary unless officially decided by the guild membership. For example, the guild may decide to officially state the group's dislike of a new law that is harmful to the craft brewing industry or home brewing communities. 

PUBLIC FACEBOOK PAGE – External events in which the guild is participating may be posted on the public Facebook page, but this page is not an advertising forum for other beer/brewing commercial ventures. Advertising will be removed from the page and repeat offenders may be blocked. Photos of guild events may be posted to the page following the event and should be limited to photos that would not reflect negatively on the guild. Public posts to thank guild supporters and host venues are encouraged. 

PRIVATE FACEBOOK PAGE - Discussions on the private guild page, along with documents and other files posted to that page are not to be disclosed or distributed to individuals who have not been granted access to the page. Discussions/polls relating to specific membership pledges/decisions will be deleted prior to adding the member to the page. Members will be given a week to respond to official polls/votes, after which time anyone not voting will be considered to have abstained or cast a default vote, as specified in the original post. Events will be created on the private Facebook page to advertise (to members) and coordinate guild activities (face-to-face or electronic meetings, field trips, brew days, etc.) and to centralize discussion pertaining to the activity. 

EMAIL – Email messages sent from the info@barleymashers.org account will only reflect the official view of the guild. Messages will be signed by the member sending the email and "On behalf of Suncoast Barley Mashers" will appear on the line under the member's name. The member will also indicate any title/function within the group, if appropriate. A copy of sent and received email will remain in the account for at least six months if considered short-term and non-controversial (Example: coordination emails for an event or a thank-you email to a guild supporter), or indefinitely if related to ongoing guild business or "controversial" topics (example: complaint from a member or outside party). 

GOOGLE CALENDAR - A private Google calendar has been established for the guild and all full members have read/write access to the calendar. Note that a Gmail account is required. Although internal guild events will also be posted on the Google calendar, members should look to the private Facebook page for event details. 

Modification of guild charter requires a 75% majority vote of current members. Members will be notified of the suggested modifications, with the notification specifying all details of what is being added, removed or modified. Notification will take place both on the Facebook private page and with email sent to each member via the email address on file with the guild. Members will have a minimum of three weeks to cast their vote. Lack of response by the member within the specified time will be counted as a YES vote. 

Appendix documents are considered to be working documents that can be modified by the guild without a formal vote. 

  In the event the Suncoast Barley Mashers guild disbands as an organization:

• Any monies remaining in the organization will be donated to a Pinellas County Area non-profit organization. 
• Any equipment on loan to the guild by a member or other individual or organization will      be returned to its owner. 
• Any equipment and supplies belonging to the guild will be sold to the highest bidder      among current guild members and the monies donated to a Pinellas County Area non-profit organization. If no guild members are interested in the available items, they will be donated to an active area homebrew guild/club. 
• All guild-related social media accounts will be shut down and/or deleted.