MISSION
The Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. is a non profit federation of writers groups dedicated to promoting higher standards for the written word. We believe that the literary profession has come of age and merits a fair share of the critical acclaim so generously lavished on other worthwhile arts. The Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. shall seek to coordinate and encourage professional writing within and without its organization and promote the recognition of outstanding contributions to the written language.

ARTICLE I
Name
The name of this organization is the Oklahoma Writers' Federation, Inc. and will hereinafter be referred to as the Federation or OWFI.

ARTICLE II
Purpose
The Federation shall:
1. Assist in forming and encouraging local writers groups within but not limited to the state of Oklahoma as growth and geography dictate, and to bring together the membership to foster a greater understanding of our mutual problems and efforts through friendly interchange;
2. To provide a forum for improving the craft of writing by hosting an annual writer’s conference in Oklahoma;
3. Raise the standard of our craft by promoting an annual contest and recognizing meritorious work through the presentation of awards at the annual conference;
4. To prepare and distribute within the membership a newsletter designed to keep the individual members abreast of organizational activities and other matters pertaining to our mutual interests.

ARTICLE III
Membership
1. Affiliate Membership. Affiliate members of OWFI shall consist of those local writing groups in Oklahoma and elsewhere which seek membership in OWFI and have at least five (5) members who are also individual members in good standing of OWFI (current in payment of annual dues). Any group may apply for affiliate membership if it consists of and maintains at least five OWFI members in good standing. Each affiliated member group of the Federation shall retain its own entity and be governed by its own constitution, bylaws or rules.
2. Individual Affiliate Membership. Individual affiliate membership shall consist of those individuals who are OWFI members in good standing (current in payment of annual dues) and also members of a local writers' group affiliated with the Federation.
3. Individual At-Large Membership. Membership at large shall consist of individuals who are not a member of a local affiliated writers group who pay annual OWFI At-large dues.

ARTICLE IV
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall consist of the Executive Committee, appointed staff positions and delegates elected or appointed by affiliate groups. Each affiliate group is required to send to the Federation secretary, within sixty (60) days of acceptance as an Affiliate Member, a list of OWFI delegate(s) from the Affiliate club.
1. Delegates to The Board of Directors shall be elected or appointed annually by each affiliated group according to the following formula:
A. Clubs with fewer than ten OWFI members are entitled to one (1) voting delegate.
B. Clubs having 10 21 OWFI members will have two (2) delegates.
C. Clubs having 22 51 OWFI members will have three (3) delegates.
D. Clubs having 52 81 OWFI members will have four (4) delegates.
E. Clubs having 82 111 OWFI members will have five (5) delegates.
F. Clubs having 112 OWFI members or more will have a maximum of six (6) delegates.

ARTICLE V
Governance
Officers
1. The officers of this Federation shall consist of the President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Conference Chair and Publicity Director, and together with the immediate past President they make up the Executive Committee of the Federation.
2. The officers shall be elected by the Board of Directors, from the Board of Directors, for a term of one (1) year.
3. Except for the office of President, which must be filled by a delegate representing an affiliate group within the state of Oklahoma, delegates from any OWFI affiliate group may, if elected, serve as officers.
4. In the event of the resignation, expulsion or death of any officer, the remaining members of the Executive Committee may appoint a person to fill those duties until the next general election. The person appointed need not come from within the Board of Directors but must be a member in good standing of the Federation.
5. Any officer may be removed by two-thirds majority of Board members present at any scheduled or called meeting of the Board of Directors for, but not limited to, the following reasons: repeated failure to attend scheduled and called meetings of the board; incompetence or inability to perform the duties of the office; conviction of a crime; conduct deemed by the board to be unprofessional conduct harmful to the Federation or its purpose. Any officer considered for removal will be invited to meet with the board. Voting shall be by secret ballot.

Executive Committee
1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the elected officers and the immediate past president of the Federation.
2. The Executive Committee shall conduct such business of the Federation as may arise during the period between meetings of the Board of Directors and shall report its actions to the board at its next meeting.
3. The Executive Committee shall create an annual budget for the organization to be presented for approval by the Board of Directors at the September Board meeting.
4. The Executive Committee shall direct an annual audit of the Federation's funds. The auditor(s) shall not be members of the Executive Committee or the Board of Directors, but may, at the discretion of the Executive Committee, be member(s) of the Organization as long as the Executive Committee is assured that there would be no conflict of interest with such person(s).

Officer Duties.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: In addition to the above, the Executive Committee shall determine the dates of the Annual Writing Conference. The Executive Committee shall ensure that the organization’s Newsletter is published and distributed in a timely manner as described in the organization’s Standing Rules.
PRESIDENT: The President shall preside at all meetings of the Federation and board and shall have general supervision over the officers of the Federation. The President shall work with the Conference Chair and the First Vice President to oversee all aspects of the annual conference and contest.
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT: The first vice president shall serve as the general contest chair for the annual contest. He/she will also, in the absence of the president for a particular meeting, perform the duties of the president. He/she shall perform other duties assigned to him/her by the president.
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT: The second vice president shall act as Assistant Contest Chair for the annual contest. He/she shall perform other duties assigned to him/her by the president.
SECRETARY: The secretary shall record the minutes of all meetings associated with the Federation and handle correspondence pertaining to the Federation. He/she will annually verify the existence of, and number of OWFI members from, each of the Affiliate organizations. He/she will maintain records of the Federation and when appropriate, provide such records to outside agencies, such as the Oklahoma State Historical Society. He/she shall perform other duties assigned to him/her by the president.
TREASURER: The treasurer shall receive, disburse, and account for all funds of the Federation. He/she will provide a financial statement of the organization's funds at each meeting of the Board of Directors, said statement to be also printed in the next published Newsletter of the Federation. He/she will provide all necessary materials for an annual audit of the Federation's funds. He/she shall perform other duties assigned to him/her by the president.
CONFERENCE CHAIR: The Conference Chair shall assist the president and other officers in the coordination of all aspects of the annual conference. He/she shall perform other duties assigned to him/her by the president.
PUBLICITY DIRECTOR: The publicity director shall, in harmony with the wishes of the Board of Directors, endeavor to promote membership, attendance and interest in the Federation by publicizing its activities particularly those having to do with the annual conference and contest. He/she shall perform other duties assigned to him/her by the president.

Staff Positions
1. Staff positions of the Federation shall include the EDITOR of the official OWFI newsletter and the WEBMASTER who will oversee the development of the official OWFI Internet web page.
2. Staff positions shall be filled by appointment of the Executive Committee and are not members of the Executive Committee by way of their office. Staff positions may be appointed from the general membership and need not be members of the Board of Directors. Staff of appointed staff positions may be terminated by the Executive Committee for failure to uphold the duties of the position.
3. Executive Committee may appoint other temporary staff positions and define the duties as is deemed necessary for a specified period of time, not to extend beyond the time of the next general election of officers.

Staff Position Duties
1. The Editor shall produce, edit and distribute in a manner approved by the Board of Directors a newsletter to all individual affiliate and at-large members. The Board of Directors shall define the publication and/or distribution dates of the newsletter and may specify certain types of content that must be included in the newsletter.
2. The Webmaster shall produce, edit, update and otherwise provide upkeep of the official OWFI Internet web page. The President and/or the Board of Directors may specify the information to be added to the web page and the timeliness of updates.

ARTICLE VI
Meetings

1. Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. The Board of Directors shall meet at times specified in the Standing Rules or at the call of the president or any two members of the Executive Committee to conduct such business of the Federation as is deemed necessary. The Executive Committee may meet at the call of the President or any two members of the Executive Committee at times other than the meetings of the entire Board of Directors to conduct such business as is deemed necessary.
2. Annual Meeting. A meeting of the general membership of the Federation shall be held at the annual conference for transacting such business as may come before the general assembly.
3. Any Affiliate Member club that fails to send a delegate or designated proxy to the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors may, at the discretion of the Board of Directors, be dropped from the rolls of OWFI as an Affiliate Member. Clubs may apply for reinstatement as an Affiliate Member with the approval of Board of Directors. Individual members of a dropped Affiliate Member club will remain as Members At-Large of OWFI through the term of their current dues.

ARTICLE VII
Amendments
1. These Bylaws may be amended or repealed by a two thirds majority vote of members present and in good standing at the general membership meeting during the annual conference.
2. Such alterations may be offered by the Board of Directors, by a special committee appointed by the president and approved by the board of directors, or by a petition of any ten OWFI members in good standing.
3. Proposed changes must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors not less than sixty (60) days prior to the annual meeting, and notification of the proposed changes shall appear in the Newsletter not less than thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting.

Standing Rules
1. Stand Rules may be changed by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Directors at any scheduled or called meeting. The Board may, at its discretion, present such changes for a vote of the general membership at the annual conference. In such a case, notification of the proposed changes shall appear in the newsletter not less than thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting and changes would require a majority vote of the general membership present and in good standing at the annual meeting.

ARTICLE VIII
Plagiarism and Expulsion
1. Persons discovered submitting work other than their own shall be permanently barred from entering any OWFI contests. The entry shall be rejected and any entry fee forfeited.
2. Any member of the Federation may, by a two thirds vote of the members of the Board of Directors present at a scheduled or called meeting, be expelled and divested of honors for conduct deemed by the Board to be unprofessional conduct harmful to the Federation. Any person considered for expulsion will be invited to meet with the board. Voting shall be by secret ballot.

ARTICLE IX
Rules of Order
In all questions not in conflict with the Bylaws of this organization, the latest revised edition of Robert's Rules of Order will provide the parliamentary authority under which the Federation shall conduct business.

ARTICLE X
Standing Rules
The Board of Directors shall establish various standing rules regarding operational details of the Federation. Included, but not limited to, are such items as: the date of the Annual Conference; the distribution schedule of the Federation’s official Newsletter; amount and payment dates of Dues; schedule of Board Meetings.

ARTICLE XI
Insignia
An insignia or emblem will be approved by the Board of Directors and shall thereupon become the insignia of the organization. The board shall be empowered to take whatever steps are necessary in patenting or copyrighting to insure protection of this insignia. Use of the insignia on letterheads and by other means shall be restricted to Affiliate Member clubs in good standing, and no use of the insignia may be made which is at variance with the stated aims and purposes this Federation. No other person or organization shall use the insignia without written permission of the OWFI Board of Directors and may then use it only as directed by the terms of the written permission.

OKLAHOMA WRITERS' FEDERATION, INC.

STANDING RULES

Revised March 11, 2007

ANNUAL CONFERENCE:
The annual Conference will be held on or about the first weekend of May each year.

NEWSLETTER:
The Newsletter is published quarterly, will be mailed to members on the 15th day of June, September, December and March. The December issue will contain material and information related to the May conference: conference registration, contest entry forms and entry categories and the speakers scheduled to attend known at that point in time.

DUES:
Dues for Members At-Large are $25.00 annually, due October 1st.
Dues for Affiliate Members are $20.00 annually, due October 1; discounted to $15 if paid before November 30 for the next calendar year.

BOARD MEETINGS:
Regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of Directors shall occur on or about the first Sunday of September, December and March and at the annual conference.

COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS:
At the start of his/her tenure, the President shall appoint the chairpersons of several Standing Committees. The Standing Committees may include but are not limited to: Contest, Bylaws, Historian, Parliamentarian, Nominations, Sponsorships, Auditor, and Honorary Life Member committee.

DELEGATE VOTES:
Each Board Member carries only one vote, even if they continue to represent their affiliate as delegate after becoming an elected officer. In addition, a board member, except for the President, may carry at most one proxy vote if:
1. Proxy is for an affiliate they do hold membership in, AND
2. There is no other delegate in attendance or proxy for the same affiliate, AND
3. The affiliate in question has notified the Federation Secretary of the proxy in advance of the meeting.

DISCRETIONARY EXPENDITURES:
The president may at his/her own discretion authorize an expenditure of up to $150, to be paid by the treasurer out of the organization’s funds. Expenditures of up to $1000 may be approved by the Executive Committee without prior approval by the Board of Directors. All expenditures over $1000 require the approval of the full Board of Directors.

REGISTRATION AND CONTEST ENTRY FEE REFUNDS:
Any Registrant for the Annual Conference may request a refund of registration until thirty (30) days prior to the start of the conference. Any refund will be reduced by a processing fee of $50.00. OWFI will offer no refunds for entry fees paid for the annual conference or contest.

ELECTIONS OF OFFICERS:
Revised September 9, 2007.
Election of President shall take place in the December prior to the Annual Meeting at which hisher term begins.