ARTICLE 1: NAME
The name of the Group is the Valley Real Estate Network , hereinafter
referred to as “___VREN_”.
ARTICLE 2: PURPOSE
The Council is a committee of the Bay East Association of REALTORS® (“BAY
EAST”). Its purpose is to help its members improve their awareness of
inventory and market conditions, to network with fellow members and
affiliates of the real estate industry; and to provide educational
opportunities that will provide members with skills and experience in
becoming better professionals in the real estate industry.
ARTICLE 3: DEFINITIONS
Bay East Affiliate – An Affiliate Member shall be a real estate owner or
other individual or firm engaged in activities related to the real estate
profession, but who does not qualify for REALTOR® membership, and is an
Affiliate member in good standing of BAY EAST.
REALTOR® – Individuals who are engaged in the real estate profession, who
are licensed/certified by the State of California, and who are members of
the National Association of REALTORS®, and is a REALTOR® member in good
standing of BAY EAST.
Vendor/Service Provider – An individual who is engaged in a business that
directly relates to the real estate profession, but who is not a Bay East
Affiliate member.
ARTICLE 4: JURISDICTION
The jurisdiction of VREN will be: Pleasanton and Dublin.
ARTICLE 5: MEMBERSHIP
The membership of VREN shall consist of REALTORS® and Affiliates (as
defined in Article 3).
A. Voting is limited to members only (no proxies permitted) who have
attended at least 75% of the meetings in the 6 weeks prior to election
date. (Insert # weeks into D9 of Article 7, pg5)
B. Only members may hold office.
ARTICLE 6: FEES & ASSESSMENTS
Fees
Weekly entry fees will be charged for all attendees. Fees will be
established from time to time by the Officers.
Fee Exemptions
A. Officers are exempt from entry fees during the time they hold office.
B. Sponsors may have one exempt entry per week during the month of their
sponsorship.
C. Employees of BAY EAST shall not pay entry fees.
D. The President, President-Elect, Past President, and Treasurer of BAY
EAST shall not pay fees.
E. The President, Vice President and Treasurer from other BAY EAST
Marketing Groups shall not pay fees if they attend the meeting as a
representative of their group.
F. Invited speakers shall not pay entry fees.
G. Any attendee who is exempt from fees must pay the entry fee if they
wish to present a listing.
Fines
Fines will be imposed if, during a meeting, the following occur:
A. An attendee’s cell phone rings; or
B. An attendee’s pager goes off.
The amounts of fines and actions which result in fines will be established
from time to time by the Officers.
ARTICLE 7: OFFICERS
Titles and Terms
The following Officers shall serve on behalf of the Council:
A. President
B. Immediate Past President
C. Vice President
D. Treasurer
E. Secretary
F. Sergeant-at –Arms
G. Public Relations Officer
H. Members Communication Officer
I. Affiliate Liaison
All Officers shall serve for a period on one year from January 1 through
December 31. The Officers will meet quarterly to discuss ¬¬¬ financial
reports, events and sub-committees.
All officers (President, Vice President, and Treasurer) shall serve for no
more than _3_ consecutive one-year terms. Officers may serve again after
a one (1) year break. However at the end of the 3 year term no one is
available or wants to run for any of the positions than the current
officer can run for another term.
Qualifications
All Officers must be REALTOR® or Platinum Affiliate member of BAY EAST,
and be a member in good standing of this Marketing Group.
The President must be a REALTOR®. Vice President can be a REALTOR® or
Platinum Affiliate.
Positions other than President and Treasurer may be a shared position
(maximum of two members) If the Vice President position is shared, least
one of the members holding the position must be a REALTOR®.
Member Communications Officer must have working knowledge of computer
applications and the Internet.
Duties of Officers
The President, Vice President, and Treasurer shall serve on the BAY EAST
Marketing Council. Marketing Council meeting attendance is required of
these three officers. If an officer fails to attend two (2) of the
quarterly meetings within a calendar year the officer will be deemed
removed from the council and as a Marketing group officer, and his or her
vacancy filled as determined by these Rules. (See Article 8, Removal of
Officers)
Within seven (7) days after the Marketing Council meetings, the President
(or designee) will prepare a summary report which will be forwarded to all
Officers. This report will be discussed at the next quarterly Officers
Meeting. (see article 11B) After being discussed at the Officers
Meeting, a report will be distributed to the general membership at the
next weekly meeting.
In addition, all Officers shall:
A. Attend a minimum of 75% of the quarterly Officers’ meetings each
calendar year;
B. Attend a minimum of 80% of the weekly marketing meetings each calendar
year;
C. Arrive at weekly meeting site no later than 30 minutes prior to start
of meeting;
D. Assist in set up of weekly meeting and any post-meeting clean up that
may be required;
E. Return telephone calls from agents and affiliates in a prompt manner;
F. Attend other marketing meetings outside of this council’s jurisdiction
as requested by the Officers;
G. Advise the President if unable to attend any of the weekly meetings, and
H. Solicit sponsors.
Specific duties based on office held
A. President shall:
1. Coordinate, call to order and preside over all meetings;
2. Act as official spokesperson;
3. Assign an alternate for any Officer who has indicated that he/she will
not be attending a weekly meeting, preferably a person who has previously
held the position;
4. Appoint sub-committee chairs;
5. Generally supervise operations;
6. Receive and respond to all incoming correspondence;
7. Facilitate resolution of grievances and/or disputes of members or
attendees;
8. Be responsible for signing checks, along with the Treasurer, as needed;
and
9. Serve as Immediate Past President at the end of the term as President.
B. The Immediate Past President shall be an active Officer, act in an
advisory position to the President, and shall vote only in the event of a
tie.
C. The Vice President shall:
1. Support the President in all areas;
2. Assist President in weekly meetings;
3. Perform the duties of the President in the event of the President’s
absence, resignation, or inability to perform;
4. Serve as ex-officio member of all sub-committees. and attend meetings
of such sub-committees as needed;
5. Be responsible for signing checks, along with the Treasurer, as needed.
6. Coordinate speakers and sponsors;
7. Inform the room sponsor of the number of centerpieces needed each
month; and
8. Develop a monthly schedule of speakers and sponsors
D. The Secretary shall:
1. Ensure that there is an adequate supply of letterhead, envelopes and
other office supplies;
2. Ensure that an adequate number of Homeowner letters are typed, put in
envelopes, and available at the weekly meetings;
3. Serve as ex-officio member of all activities committees and attend
meetings of such committees as needed;
4. Monitor time guidelines of presentations;
5. Prepare table signs for monthly Room/Breakfast sponsors; and
6. Take attendance for the 6 weeks prior to each election date in order to
determine eligibility of members to vote and shall prepare a list of
eligible voters;
7. Take minutes of the quarterly Officers’ meetings as required and
prepare them for publication.
E. The Treasurer shall:
1. Receive and disburse, with the approval of the officers, all funds;
2. Ensure that all checks are stored in a safe place and that there is
proper, written backup for all checks written (invoice or receipt from
receiving party);
3. Forward backup for all checks to Bay East Accounting Dept monthly;
4. For any check over $500, ensure that two of the following signatures
are on each check: President, Vice President, or Treasurer;
5. Pay all debts as they become due;
6. Make bank deposit after every weekly meeting, endorsing all checks with
“For Deposit Only”;
7. Forward backup of all deposits to Bay East Accounting Dept monthly;
8. Keep an accurate account of all transactions;
9. Communicate monthly financial report to the Officers;
10. Review quarterly financial report from Bay East Accounting Department
(based on calendar year), present the report at the quarterly Officers’
meetings, and have the same available for inspection by Members within 15
days of the end of each calendar quarter. The report for the fourth
quarter of each year shall be done in conjunction with the incoming
Treasurer;
11. Create an annual budget;
12. Ensure that there are adequate funds in the bank accounts to cover
expenses, and immediately notify the President if funds fall below an
acceptable level;
13. Serve as ex-officio member of all activities committees and attend
meetings of such committees as needed;
14. Ensure that sufficient cash is available at each weekly meeting to
handle attendance fee transactions;
15. Conduct a count of attendees at the mid-point of each weekly meeting.
F. The Sergeant-at-Arms shall:
1. Maintain orderly behavior of the members;
2. Assist with other duties as requested;
3. Serve as ex-officio member of all activities committees and attend
meetings of such committees as needed; and
4. Assist with set up of sponsors’ signs and/or banners.
G. The Members Communications Officer shall be responsible for maintaining
the website for the Council, including insuring that all changes and
updates are made in a timely manner.
1. Send emails to members on information pertaining to VMA upcoming
events, speakers, or other information;
2. Recruit sponsorships and negotiate pricing if needed;
3. Announce available sponsorship opportunities at the weekly meetings;
4. Work with the Treasurer to ensure that all sponsorship fees are paid
prior to the sponsorship month; and
5. Webmaster which can be delegated to a volunteer, but the volunteer’s
work must be overseen by Officer.
H. The Public Relations Officer shall:
1. Inform the room sponsor of the number of centerpieces needed each month;
2. Develop a monthly schedule of speakers and sponsors; and
3. Be available prior to each weekly meeting to welcome attendees
4. Ensure that necessary sets of the Tour Sheets are available at each
weekly meeting;
5. Staff registration table at weekly meetings;
6. Assist Treasurer as required;
7. Order Attendance Discount Cards;
8. Staff registration table at weekly meetings; and
9. Assist Secretary as required.
I. The Affiliate Liaison shall serve on the Affiliate Committee as the
District Chair for their respective area, and shall act as liaison between
this group and BAY EAST. The position will provide information to all its
members and the Affiliate Committee which will include, but not be limited
to, educational classes, events, and Bay East announcements.
Powers
A. The Officers shall be the governing body of the VREN Marketing Group,
and shall have general supervision over the activities and business
affairs of the Council.
B. The Officers may, by resolution adopted by a majority vote of the
Officers then in office, delegate the management of the activities to any
person, persons, or sub-committee, however composed, provided that the
activities and affairs of the VREN shall be managed and all powers shall
be exercised under the ultimate direction of the Officers, and provided
that such person, persons, or committee may not be given authority by the
Officers to:
1. Fill vacancies in Officer positions.
2. Amend or repeal rules, or adopt new rules.
3. Amend or repeal any resolution of the Officers.
C. Without prejudice to these general powers, and subject to the same
limitations, the Officers shall have the power to adopt an annual budget,
by a two-thirds vote of the total number of Officers serving.
D. Provide at the meeting place, a copy of these Rules, as amended from
time to time. Rules shall also be made available to any Member upon
request.
ARTICLE 8: NOMINATION, ELECTION, REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF OFFICERS
Nominations
A. A Nomination and Election committee shall be formed by the Officers
each year.
B. Candidates can be self-nominated or nominated by others.
C. The Nomination and Election committee shall determine if each nominee
is qualified to run for office.
D. Current REALTOR® and Affiliates lists shall be obtained from BAY EAST
for purposes of qualifying candidates.
E. The slate of candidates shall be approved by the Officers as to meeting
the qualification for running for office.
Election
A. Elections shall be held no later than the end of October, unless that
date would conflict with the CAR meeting and then elections must be held
in advance of the CAR meeting.
B. Members shall be notified of the election date by verbal announcement
at each weekly meeting for the minimum of 4 weeks prior to the election.
C. Election procedure shall be in accordance with Article 10 of these Rules.
Removal of Officers
An Officer may be removed from office by the other Officers if he or she:
1. Has been absent from three (3) consecutive regular meetings of the
Officers; or
2. Has been absent for more than 20% of the regular weekly meetings during
a calendar year. See Duties of Officer pg 5
3. Fails to attend two (2) of the quarterly Marketing Council meetings
within a calendar year. This rule applies to the President, Vice President
and Treasurer.
Replacement of Officers
In the event the President resigns or is deemed to resign before the end
of his or her term, the Vice President shall accede the position and serve
the remainder of the President’s term. In the event that the Vice
President is not a REALTOR® member of Bay East, then the Board of the
Marketing Group shall, within 30 days of such resignation, elect a
replacement President who is a REALTOR® member of Bay East.
Any other vacancy in office (whether by removal or resignation) shall be
filled by an appointee of the President, which must be ratified by a 2/3
vote of the Officers. The appointee shall serve for the remainder of the
term.
ARTICLE 9: STANDING SUB-COMMITTEES
There shall be two required sub-committees:
A. Nomination and Election Sub-Committee
1. The sub-committee shall be composed by a minimum of three (3) members,
at least one of whom shall be an Officer, selected by the Officers. The
Chair of the sub-committee shall be appointed by President.
2. The sub-committee’s duties shall be as follows:
a) Candidates/Nominees shall submit their applications to the
sub-committee no later than 20 days prior to scheduled election date;
b) the sub-committee shall review and qualify all applications received,
as indicated in Article VII, 30 days prior to elections;
c) After confirmation, candidates can campaign for the 30-day period up to
the scheduled election day;
d) One week prior to election, nominees may give campaign speeches at the
marketing meeting, limited to two (2) minutes per nominee;
e) Ballots shall be prepared one week prior to election day.
f) The sub-committee shall submit qualified candidates’ names to the
Secretary for weekly publishing on flyers that will be distributed at the
weekly meetings, during the 30 days prior to the election date;
g) On the day of the election, the sub-committee members are to arrive 15
minutes prior to the marketing meeting for set up which could include,
table, voter list, ballots, ballot box, tally sheets. Ballots shall be
distributed to all eligible members present at that meeting;
h) The sub-committee will count ballots and submit results to the
President. The President or the Chair of the Nomination and Election
Committee will announce the results at the meeting in which the election
is held; and
i) No candidate for office shall be involved in the distribution of or
counting of ballots.
B. Holiday Party Sub-Committee
1. The sub-committee shall be composed of a minimum of three (3) members,
at least one of whom shall be an Officer, appointed by the Officers.
2. The sub-committee shall be responsible for planning the annual holiday
party, in compliance with marketing council guidelines put out by BAY
EAST.
C. Officers may appoint other sub-committees at their discretion.
ARTICLE 10: SPONSORSHIP
A. Both members and non-members of this Marketing Council can sponsor
meetings. In no event shall sponsorship be permitted in violation of state
or federal law.
B. Meeting Sponsors shall be:
1. Permitted to post their company banner at the meeting;
2. Allowed to give a presentation to the membership for a maximum of
__10__minutes per meeting for monthly room sponsor and 5 minutes for
coffee/food sponsor. Presentations may not be used as a recruitment
tool;
3. Assessed a fee as established by the Officers. Fees for sponsorship
shall be used to defer room and food charges for the weekly meetings; and
4. Given the opportunity to identify one person who will be exempt from
weekly entry fees during that Sponsor’s time period. The Public Relations
Officer shall be notified of name of the exempt attendee.
ARTICLE 11: MEETING TIMES, ATTENDANCE, QUORUM, AND PROTOCOL
Weekly Member Meetings
A. Meetings shall be held on Friday of each week from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 am
in the location as approved by the Officers.
B. Raffles cannot be conducted at meetings without the advance written
permission of BAY EAST, and then only in compliance with state and federal
law.
Quarterly Officer Meetings
A. Officers shall have quarterly meetings during the first week of
January, April, July, and October. (Additional meetings may be held at
the discretion of the President). Minutes will be kept of these meetings
by the Secretary, and a full Treasurer’s report will be presented at each
meeting.
B. President, Vice President and Treasurer shall attend quarterly
Marketing Council meetings.
Guest Speakers
A. Guest speakers must be approved by Vice President and President.
B. Presentations shall not be for the purpose of marketing or selling a
product, but shall be educational or public service in nature.
C. Requests for charitable contributions must be for a charitable
organization within Alameda County, and must be approved by _President or
Vice President_ before being presented at a meeting.
Attendance
Attendance is open to any REALTOR® or Affiliate within the Real Estate
Industry, or to any interested person.
Presentations
A. REALTORS® in good standing with the National Association of REALTORS®
may present properties for which they are the listing agent.
1. Properties must be presented by the listing agent, or a qualified
member of his/her team.
2. In the event of illness or emergency, the listing agent may designate
another licensed agent in good standing with NAR to present the listing
3. If the Officers determine that there has been misuse of designation,
the agent in question will be notified that the privilege of assigning a
designee may be terminated.
B. There may be limit on the number of presentations that a listing agent
(or designee) may make based on non-discriminatory rules adopted by the
officers. Total presentation time per agent is limited to 30 seconds in
length.
C. “No Host” tours are not allowed to be presented.
Handouts
A. Only authorized/paid sponsors are permitted to distribute handouts at
the attendee tables.
B. REALTORS® arriving late may not distribute flyers at the tables; all
flyers must be put on the back presentation table.
Vendors/Business Providers
A. Vendors may attend weekly meetings for networking purposes.
B. Vendors may not make presentations or hand out flyers
ARTICLE 12: REGULATIONS
In addition to these Rules, the Officers may adopt, from time to time
regulations which govern listing policy and procedure, sponsorship,
general announcements, guest policies and door prizes. Such regulations
are subject to review and approval by BAY EAST.
ARTICLE 13: APPROVAL AND AMENDMENT OF RULES
Approval of these Rules shall be by a majority of the members present at
a meeting designated for that purpose. The approved Rules shall become
effective on the day of approval. These Rules may be amended at any
regular meeting by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present, provided
however that sections of these rules which BAY EAST designates as
mandatory shall not be subject to member approval or amendment. Such
amendment must be proposed in writing by an officer or member at least
four weeks in advance of the vote on the amendment, and the proposal must
be announced and the following three meetings. The same voting
procedures used for the election of candidates shall be in effect for
voting on amendments to these Rules.
Listing Presentation
Policy & Procedure
It is the policy of the VREN to ensure that weekly meetings are managed in
an efficient and consistent manner. Accordingly, the following procedures
must be followed for presentation of listings:
1. Properties must be presented by the listing agent, or a qualified
members of his/her team.
2. At least _100_ flyers must be provided for attendees.
3. Flyers must be placed on the Presentation Table
4. REALTOR’S® name, company name, and contact information must be listed
on flyer.
5. If listing is to be on tour information needs to be provided to Public
Relations Officer by Thursday at 2pm
6. There is no limit on the number of presentations that a listing agent
(or designee) may make, however, the total presentation time per agent
must be limited to30 seconds.
7. Other listings may be presented during “Buyer’s Wants & Needs”.
Sponsorship Guidelines
1. Sponsorship fees are determined at the beginning of the year and
printed on the tour sheets.
2. Sponsors may provide centerpieces for each table, or other gift items,
that are to be given to members as door prizes, provided that doing so
does not violate any state or federal law.
3. Sponsors are expected to present and distribute information solely
about their company and pertaining to their business. Sponsorship fees do
not include or permit any nonaffiliate (vendors, service providers, etc.)
presentations.
4. Any vendor/affiliate/company wishing to make a presentation or
distribute materials must work through the Members Communications Officer
and pay all required sponsorship fees.
General/Community Announcements
1. General announcements shall be informational in nature (classes,
workshops, etc.)
2. Any further presentation information or distribution of materials
requires sponsorship and payment of all fees.
First Time Guests
1. Limited to introductions – name and company only
2. Introductions may not be used to discuss properties or other business
issues
BayEast