By Laws

Summary

Chicago Andhra Association was established to fill the need for cohesive action on the part of people of Andhra Pradesh origin residing in

North America. Organization has two primary objectives:

Serve underdeveloped regions of Andhra Pradesh state in India through sustainable community based projects in public health, medical, art, education, energy and sanitation

Provide opportunities for the youth and people of Andhra Pradesh region living in north America to participate in cultural activities by conducting cultural performances, workshops and celebrations.

The fiscal year of CAA shall begin on January 1st and end on the December 31st of that year.

Organizational Structure

Chicago Andhra Association (CAA) organizational structure consists of

• Founders Committee: Founders committee members are permanent members of CAA and their objective is to protect CAA from any unforeseen conflicts in future and to ensure the propagation of organization goals and objectives
• Board of Directors: The Board oversees the operations, manages its finances and appoints/elects the president. The board sets policy and makes major decisions for the organization. The Board consists of 15 board directors, of which 2 positions are reserved for Young Adults and one position for a Senior Member. The other 12 positions shall be filled with 6 women and 6 men, who must be of at least 21 years of age. Board members will convene at a minimum of 4 quarterly meetings/year to discuss and vote on the organization affairs. Directors are elected from the general members who are in good standing for 1 calendar year and priority is given to the members who have been part of the committees for atleast one year. If the nominations received and remained more than the number of positions available after the withdrawl date, lucky draw will be used for electing the Directors to fill the number of available positions.
• Executive Committee: Executive committee is responsible for the day-to-day activities and functioning of the organization and consists of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Joint Secretary, and APDFNA Executive Director. Executive Committee shall consist of office bearers who shall serve at the will of the Board for a period of one year. The term will begin on March 1st and end on February 28th/29th of the following year. Executive Committee shall be elected by the board from among the 15 members.
• Adhoc Committees: Based on the needs of the organization for the current term, all committees will be identified and nominated by the President with the approval of Board for a one year term.

CAF (Chicago Andhra Foundation)

CAF is the service wing of the organization. The sole purpose of CAF is to provide services that benefit the people of Andhra Pradesh Origin. CAF governing body consists of:

Executive Director (2 years term): Executive Director is the primary point of contact for all the communication and activity championed by CAF.

Assistant Executive Director (2 years term): Assistance Executive director is appointed by the President upon approval from the Board and assists the Executive Director in all the tasks related to CAF.

Member (2 year term):CAF member is appointed by the Executive Director in discussion with the Assistance Executive Director. There will be a maximum of 3 members in the CAF committee and members are selected based on their interest and prior contribution in similar activities.

CAA Membership

CAA offers Single, Family and Life memberships

General membership criteria - To become a general member of the organization, the person should have been associated either directly or indirectly thru decadency to the current state of Andhra Pradesh, India defined as the state that exists as of Jan 1st 2016.

• Single members - Single membership may be purchased by paying the annual dues of $60 for 2017.
• Family members - Family membership may be purchased by paying the annual dues of $100 for 2017. Inclusion criteria for family membership includes the member, his/her spouse and any children under age 18.
• Life member – Life membership is perpetual and is non-transferable. Life members have to meet all the criteria of voting members and pay a one-time dues of $1000. Life members will be bestowed upon the same benefits as general members.

At least 25% of the membership dues received will be allocated to the CAF fund for support of charitable and developmental activities in the state of Andhra Pradesh.