ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION AND BY-LAWS OF
ACADIANA PRIDE
A NON-PROFIT CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION
ARTICLE I NAME
The name of the organization shall be Acadiana PRIDE, with PRIDE to stand for “Pride, Respect, Individuality, Diversity, and Equality”. The organization may, at its pleasure, by a 2/3 vote of the Board of Directors, change its name. ARTICLE II PURPOSE
SECTION I The purpose of Acadian
a PRIDE is to celebrate the LGBTQ population of the Acadiana area, educate our community on past and current LGBTQ issues and events, and donate funds to other LGBTQ non-profit organizations throughout the state. The Acadiana PRIDE Festival is a culmination of our year-round efforts to enhance the lives of the Acadiana area LGBTQ community and is meant to celebrate the accomplishments of the Acadiana area LGBTQ community. SECTION II Acadiana PRIDE is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes,
including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt
organizations under section 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any
future code. SECTION III No substantial part of the activities of Acadiana PRIDE shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and Acadiana PRIDE shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of this document, Acadiana PRIDE shall not carry on any other purpose not permitted to be carried on (a) by an organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or (b) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under section 170 ( c ) ( 2 ) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code. ARTICLE III MISSION
Acadiana PRIDE is a charitable organization which is passioned to bring together the Acadiana area LGBTQ community to celebrate family , community, and diversity through activities that empower and unite. ARTICLE IV DISCRIMINATION POLICY
Acadiana PRIDE and its representatives shall not discriminate on the basis of s*xual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, s*x, age, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, immigration status, veteran status, or disability. ARTICLE V MEMBERSHIP
SECTION I Acadiana PRIDE membership dues / fees shall be voted on by the board of directors, as necessary. SECTION II Acadiana PRIDE membership dues / fees shall be non-refundable and non-transferable. SECTION III Active members may submit nominations to the Board of Directors. SECTION IV Active members are encouraged to participate in Acadiana PRIDE fundraisers and activities as
volunteers. Sir) shall be honorary non-voting members, and their
annual membership fee is waived. SECTION VI No part of net earnings of Acadiana PRIDE shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its
members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that Acadiana PRIDE shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in the purpose clause hereof. ARTICLE VI GOVERNING BODY
SECTION I The governing body of this organization shall be a Board of Directors consisting of an odd number of no less than three (3) members and no more than fifteen (15) members, excluding the parliamentarian; including the executive branch of the organization. SECTION II Each member of the Acadiana PRIDE board of directors must be a paid member in good standing with the Acadiana PRIDE membership. SECTION III Board members shall serve one-festival-year* terms and may be elected for successive terms. *Each festival-year begins on the date following the most current Acadiana PRIDE Festival, and ends on April 15th of the following year. All board member terms expire on April 15th of each year, regardless of when the board member was originally elected to the board of directors. The exception to this rule as it relates to the Executive Branch is defined in Article VII, Section I and in Article IX, Section I. SECTION IV Board members are chosen by the Board of Directors, or, when necessary, appointed by the President, and are self-electing. New members to the board must be approved by a simple majority vote of the existing board. SECTION V The Board of Directors shall be tasked with managing all business pertaining to this organization. The Board of Directors is responsible for formulating and executing policies as determined by the Board of Directors, and adhering to policies and procedures voted on by the Board of Directors. SECTION VI Each member of the board of directors shall be tasked with soliciting at least 10 additional paid memberships during their tenure on the board. The first 5 memberships must be paid in full within 3 months of being elected to the board of directors. The final 5 memberships must be paid in full at least one month prior to the current year’s festival. (This requirement may be waived in lieu of other memberships, donations, secured sponsorships, and/or advertising sales of at least $1000.) Failure to adhere to these guidelines will result in dismissal from the Acadiana PRIDE Board of Directors; either with or without a vote of the board. SECTION VII The Board of Directors should strive to have at least one Board member who identifies as le***an, at least one Board member who identifies as gay, at least one Board member who identifies as bis*xual, at least one Board member who identifies as transgender, at least one Board member who identifies as q***r or questioning, and at least one Board member who identifies as an LGBTQ ally. SECTION VIII The Board of Directors shall have two (2) levels of participation: the Executive Branch, whose responsibilities and objectives are defined in Article VII, and the Directors Branch, whose responsibilities and objectives are defined in Article VIII. SECTION IX The Board of Directors and any of its members shall act in the name of the organization only within the authority granted to them by the Board of Directors. SECTION X Members of the board of directors shall give a report at each general meeting.
