Foundation Bylaws

Constitution & Bylaws (Summary)

Constitution

Article 1. Name

The name of this organization is the World Hindi Foundation, henceforth denoted as the Foundation, or Vishwa Hindi Nyas, or Nyas. The activities of the Foundation shall be international. It may have affiliated chapters all over the world.

Article 2. Office

Until a permanent office can be secured, the administrative office of the Foundation shall be the residence of the Executive Director.

Article 3. Mission

3.1. To create a global awareness of the Hindi language.
3.2. To promote its use in all branches of knowledge
3.3. To disseminate the value enshrined in the culture of India

Article 4. Goals

4.1. To encourage the establishment of Hindi classes in Indian Community Centers, areas High Schools and Colleges and to work towards creating Hindi Chairs in the Universities.
4.2. To work toward promoting Hindi as a working language of the United Nations.
4.3. To disseminate the works of Indian literary scholars.
4.4. The Foundation will seek support from individuals and institutions. It will initiate special projects and will invite scholars, specialists, and performers to achieve its goals.

Bylaws (Summary)

Article 1.0 Membership

Section 1.1 Membership

1. Membership of the Foundation will be open to all individuals who share its mission and goals. Persons desiring to become members of the Foundation shall complete an application and submit it to the Secretary or the Chapter Director in their region. The members will be encouraged to join a Foundation Chapter in their region. Persons away from the large population centers may also become members. They will be called members-at-large and will have the same rights as the members in the Chapters.
2. There shall be five classes of members: Individual, Honorary, Donators, Chapter Directors and Members at Large.

Section 1.4 Donating Members

The donors whole have paid the first installment as described below and who have pledged $1,000.000 or more to be paid over five (5) years or less shall automatically become members and shall be entitled to elect six (6) Directors. Said Members are divided into five categories. The minimum annual installment in each category shall be five hundred dollars and the total amount must be paid in five years.
Hindi Ratna $20,000.00 and up
Hindi Samrakshak $10,000.00 and up
Hindi Hitkari $5,000.00 and up
Hindi Mitra $2,500.00 and up
Hindi Shubchintak $1,000.00 and up

Section 1.5 Chapter Directors

The Chapter Directors shall also be members and shall elect a maximum of four Board of Directors from the pool of the Chapter Directors. However, a person cannot be a Board Director and a Chapter Director at the same time.

Section 1.6 Members-At-Large

The members-at-large will elect one (1) Board Director.

Article 2. Board Directors, Executive Board and Elections

Section 2.1 The Board of Directors

The Foundation shall have eleven Board Directors also call the Board, elected for a two-year staggered term.

Section 2.2 Responsibilities of the Board

The responsibilities of the Board shall include the following:
1. Election of the Executive Board;
2. Development of Chapter-By-Laws and approval of Chapters;
3. Approval of special reports;
4. Formulating the policy for publications;
5. Setting up Election Committee;
6. Making editorial changes to the By-laws; and
7. If necessary, adopting a plan of dissolution of the Foundation.

Section 2.3 The Executive Board

The Executive Board, also called the Executive, will consist of three members, to be elected by the eleven Board Directors. It will consist of an Executive Director, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The members of the Executive Board must be competent individuals and may be remunerated at the discretion of the Board.

Section 2.4 The Executive Director

The Executive Director shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation and shall be an ex officio voting member of all the Committees of the Foundation. The Executive Director shall serve as the chair and preside at all Board Meetings of the Foundation and shall appoint the Committee Chairpersons. The Executive Director’s decision on all matters will be final, but the Board, by a majority vote, has the power to overturn the Executive Director’s decision.

Section 2.4.1 Responsibilities of the Executive Director

The Responsibilities of the Executive Director shall include the following:
1. Approval of the curriculum;
2. Appointment of committees, chairpersons and members;
3. Appointment of the Project Directors;
4. Publications; and
5. Calling special Board Meetings.

Section 2.5 Responsibilities of the Secretary

1. Keep Foundation records including voter lists.
2. Initiate the election process as described in Section 2.7.
3. Set up Board meetings.
4. Receive updated membership lists and annual reports from the Chapter Directors.
5. Monitor Chapter activities and report to the Executive Director.

Section 2.6 Responsibilities of the Treasurer

The Treasurer will be required to execute a bond and the responsible for the following:
1. Maintain proper accounts of the moneys received and spent by the Foundation.
2. Write Foundation checks after proper scrutiny. The Executive Director must cosign all the checks.
3. Prepare the annual statement of accounts and get them audited.

Section 2.7 Elections

2.7.1. The Secretary, with the approval of the Board, will set up an Election Committee consisting of three members. This Committee shall be responsible for conducting the election of the eleven Directors of the Board from three constituencies described in Sections 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6 of the By-laws. No member of this Committee shall be a candidate for election.
2.7.2 The Committee shall place every eligible candidate on ballot. The elections shall be conducted by a secret ballot.
2.7.3 A candidate for election must be nominated by a member. This nomination must be submitted in writing to the Committee. The nomination must be accompanied by a written statement from the candidate stating his/her willingness to accept the position if elected.

Article 3.0 Chapters

Section 3.1 Starting a Chapter

1. Ten or more persons living within a certain region and desiring to form a Chapter may submit to the Secretary a written application stating that they agree with the mission and goals of the Foundation, and shall abide by the Chapter By-laws.
2. Upon approval of the application by the Board, the Executive Director will issue a charter in the name of the Foundation. Each Chapter will pay a minimum prescribed annual sum of money to the Foundation and shall collect the membership dues in its region.
3. A Chapter may be named after a city, a country, a state, or a region. More than one Chapter shall not be chartered in any given region. A member of a Chapter automatically becomes a member of the Foundation. Each Chapter should have a Hindi School in its region, and they are advised to adopt a curriculum that will enable them to obtain credit for Hindi as a foreign language.

Section 3.2 Chapter Officers

The Chapter Officers, elected by its members shall consist of a Chapter Director, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. In keeping with the term of the Board, they shall serve for a staggered two-year period. The Chapter Director shall be responsible for filing the membership list and an annual report with the Foundation Secretary.

Article 5.0 Special Projects and Publications.

Section 5.1 Special Projects

1. Special projects are essential to fulfill the mission and goals stated in the constitution. They constitute the most important activities of the Foundation.
2. To ensure that the projects submitted by the members fall within the framework of the Foundation, they must be approved by the Board before their approval. After their approval buy the Board, the Executive Director shall appoint Project Directors who shall seek help from individuals and organizations for their accomplishment. It will be the policy of the Foundation to encourage members to initiate and support the approved projects.
3. The projects initiated in different countries, whole supported by the Foundation, will primarily be the responsibility of the Chapters in that country.

Section 5.2 Publications

The Board of Directors shall make policies for the official publications of the Foundation. The publications will disseminate information about the projects, will publicize the activities of the Chapters and will carry articles helpful to create an awareness of the Foundation mission and goals. The Executive Director of the Foundation will be in charge of the publications.