[shadowhunter]

Gents-I had a previous post where you all helped me and my group in our effort to form a club and look for a camp.
We have found one and are creating the LLC.
I was hoping some of you would share ideas on creating the bylaws.
Any assistance with bylaws would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

 

[casey]

google how to create by laws and that should help you out.

 

[shadowhunter]

Not sure if your being funny-I am familiar with Google. My hope was that veteran camp owners and club members would share a few "must haves" pertaining to bylaws from experiences they had whether good or bad.

 

[cspot]

Same advice I gave you in your previous thread. Get an attorney. Here is thread from someone that was doing a similar thing. May seem like a waste of money, but in the long run it will be well worth it.

http://www.huntingpa.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=3600740#Post3600740

PS. I hate attorneys, but this is something that you need to have all your ducks in a row.

 

[SRA-5C+]

Must haves:

Relevance to what constitutes a "family" member.
What happens when a member passes?
What costs are being split?
What constitutes a breach of those by laws?
Property in the camp, who owns it?
Use fee- non family?
Voting rights? By longevity or part of $ ownership?
Get a lawyer, get it signed and in writing.
Good luck, hope it all works out. Friends and camps are sticky without a written agreement.

 

[nessmuk]

Good luck with this one. Are you buying a camp and hunting on leased land or are you going to own your own land for hunting and build a camp. Is there an annual fee and what is the penalty for not paying on time? Co-Ed camp during hunting season? Kids, guests, who can invite guests and who gets black balled, who is going to sleep where? Work weekends. How do you pay off a member who wants out and how do you vote a new member in? Which member gets the camp the third week in July for the family vacation? Is this LLC all family members, or friends? There should be an odd number of members so there are no tie votes.
About the only rule that I would recommend, after you get all the above figured out, is that when a member passes away their share reverts to the LLC which then has a certain amount of time to pay the estate the members share. The LLC can then find a new member.

 

[bushmaster]

If you are forming a club you should have club officers elected by the members. This should all be spelled out in your club bi laws. You should hold monthly meetings and work parties as well. No member should retain any ownership of the club. My club consists of 100 members and our bi laws spell out everything. Get a lawyer is the best advice you've got so far on this site.

 

[Birch812]

Pick up a copy of Roberts Rules of Order, that will give you all the information you need to run a club or a country.
Write your own by-laws, do not let a lawyer do it for you.
By-laws don't meed to be 85 pages long, just make sure your going to enforce the rules you set.
Our club members can change by-laws by submitting a change in writing, reading at 2 meetings and voting on it at the second meeting. Majority vote wins.
If you need any help send me a PM.
Good Luck

 

[51542]

The number 1 must have from my perspective: Word the bylaws so that members are paying for the recreation, not the property. In other words, if someone is in the camp for 10 years, and they then want out, they don't get that initial investment back. Obviously, this can have some drawbacks, but it avoids the situation where a couple guys drop out and you are forced to either pay that amount or sell the camp. This has broken up many camps.

Designate a work day and a penalty for missing.

Really think long and hard about how people qualify for future memberships. Too few members can be just as bad as too many.

A lawyer should have some samples (if they are familiar with camps). If you google DCNR State Lease camp bylaws, I think I saw a sample there in the past.

Good luck.

 

[Birch812]

The number 1 must have from my perspective: Word the bylaws so that members are paying for the recreation, not the property. In other words, if someone is in the camp for 10 years, and they then want out, they don't get that initial investment back. Obviously, this can have some drawbacks, but it avoids the situation where a couple guys drop out and you are forced to either pay that amount or sell the camp. This has broken up many camps.

I don't agree with this, not many are willing to plunk down thousands of dollars and simply walk away, nor should they.
Your LLC if you are doing it officially should come with stocks, so investing members should get a share entitling them to a percentage based on the number of the original investors. Yearly dues paying members won't.
At the time shares are issued define how and at what rate anyone leaving the pay out will be.
Our club is a fully incorporated club, not a LLC and now there are no longer owners but fully owned by the cooperation/club.

The initial investment were bonds issued in increments of 3K each, some guys had 1 share another had 12K invested, he had 4 shares.
We took in a lot of social members who had full use of the club, needed to pay dues and assessments for damage or expansion and had voting privileges as outlined in our by-laws.
Dues were based on our expenses and expansion ideas, plus we took 25% into account to buy back the bonds.

After 10 years the club had brought back all the bonds and to this day is totally owned by the membership.
When a member drops out even after 40 years as a member they get a "thank you for your years of participation" and if they were good guys we offer them Honorary Membership which entitles them to still use the club but not vote or bring guests, and they no longer pay dues.

We have 4 mandatory out of 10 workdays that members must attend or pay a $75.00 @ day penalty for.
also if family members are allowed total access define who a "FAMILY MEMBER" is. You would be amazed how many cousins and 1/2 brothers people try and claim to have

. We define family member as spouse....yep we have woman members, and children.

Today we still set aside 10% of the dues money into a "SINKING FUND" to pay for equipment replacement renovation projects and as a self insurance policy for things we don't want to turn into the insurance policy or that might not be covered.

Like I said before, don't put into the by-laws anything you dont intend on enforcing.
In the infancy of a club a lot of things can happen that will change a members situation and to say they lose money invested is not a good way to do business or maintain friendships.
Rule one in forming a club is to promote friendship and sociability and not doing right by the investing members is a big no no in my book.

 

[Bearklr]

Must haves:

Relevance to what constitutes a "family" member.
What happens when a member passes?
What costs are being split?
What constitutes a breach of those by laws?
Property in the camp, who owns it?
Use fee- non family?
Voting rights? By longevity or part of $ ownership?
Get a lawyer, get it signed and in writing.
Good luck, hope it all works out. Friends and camps are sticky without a written agreement.

A lot of good ones here. The biggest we have is in the case of a divorce. Our bylaws are written that upon death or divorce the camp has first right of refusal and can buy all shares if it wants from the deceased. In a divorce, if shares are used in the proceedings the voted upon value of the shares is used and not the actual share. Basically, if I have 6 shares and get divorced and my wife is awarded 3, she does not get the shares but instead the camp pays her for what the shares are worth and then the camp retains the shares. Basically, a lot of laws to ensure the members of the camp as a whole can determine in what direction and to whom the shares go. Obviously every member who ever wanted to give shares to a son did. the law is just a protection from the worst case scenario. It only takes one member to have a kid who is a complete jack wagon and a thief to give their shares to him without the camp having a say and crap will hit the fan.

 

[Birch812]

Disgruntled family's were our main reason to want to pay investing members back as quickly as possible and have the membership be owner.
I was one of the original investors and when I die my wife is still invited to attend all functions and use the club but that's it.
No member is entitled to anything more then the enjoyment and there is nothing to pass down or use as a chip in a divorce.
Our dues are due Jan 1st....late on March 1st with a 10% penalty, another 10% after April 1st and your gone if your still delinquent on May 1st.
We also have 4 elected to a 2 year term officers and 5 trustees. Members thrown out can appeal for reinstatement to the trustees but if a member needs to reapply all delinquent dues, assessments and work fees need to be paid up before a vote could even be taken to accept a member back.
We also have a charter limit. We are at our cap so unless you are the son or daughter of a member in good standing you will not get back, since they are not restricted by the cap.

 

[shadowhunter]

Excellent advise-precisely what I was after. Thank you all for helping us move forward with our camp!

(Real experience is waaaaayyyyy better than google)

 

[KingRon]

Our members are all family. IF someone croaks, then their 1 share goes to their oldest child. This camp must stay in the family. Spouses have no rights to any shares. This is in the by-laws and they all signed off on it. No children, then share goes back to camp.