Article 1: Name

The name of the organization shall be: The Democratic Republic of Congo Community of Arizona.

Article 2: Main Office

The mailing address of the main office of the Democratic Republic of Congo Community of Arizona is P.O. Box Phoenix, AZ.

Article 3: The Purpose

Section 1

The community shall be a non-profit organization in virtue of the provision of the Arizona Non-profit organization act, title 10-140, Chapter 1 to 17.

Section 2

The community shall be organized, and always operated exclusively for public, charitable, educational, and cultural uses and purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Section 3

In furtherance of such purposes, the organization shall have full power and authority to:

• Serve as a forum for social and moral supports among people of Congolese heritage;
• Promote the cultural exchange with people of non-Congolese heritage;
• Encourage and promote the educational, professional, social and economic welfare of its members;
• Serve as a worldwide forum for collection and retribution of charitable contributions destined to needy populations living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
• Perform all other acts necessary or incidental to the above, and to do whatever is deemed necessary, useful, advisable, directly or indirectly, to carry out any of the purposes of the organization.

Article 4: Bodies

The Congolese Community of Arizona has three main bodies:

1. The General Assembly
2. The Board of Directors (The Council of Elders) referred to as the Board
3. The Executive Committee

Section 1: General Assembly

Section 1.1: The supreme body of the organization. It is constituted of all effective members of the organization, as defined in Article number 5.

Section 1.2: The General Assembly shall meet two times a year. The date, time and location of the meeting of the general assembly shall be determined by the Board and Executive Committee.

Section 1.3: Decision of the General Assembly shall be made by vote and affirmed by a simple majority of the members present in the meeting.

Section 1.4: Decision of General Assembly on critical issues shall be affirmed by the majority vote of the members in attendance at the meeting.

Section 2: The Board of Directors

Section 2.1: The Board of Directors is a body of control, management and conflict resolution. In addition, it is the socio-cultural guarantor of the authenticity of the community.

Section 2.2: The general management of the affairs of the community shall be vested in the Board members. It shall be the duty of the board to ensure oversight and control on the property and assets of the organization.

Section 2.3: The Board is composed of 27 members.

Section 2.4: The term of each Board member is not limited, but their selection should reflect the diversity and values of the community.

Section 2.5: In case of resignation, the resigning Board member shall hold the office until their successor has been elected and installed.

Section 2.6: Vacancies occurring before the election must be filled by the Board.

Section 3: The Executive Committee

Section 3.1: The Executive Committee is the coordinating body of the organization. Their duty is to carry out the purpose and functioning of the community through execution of the strategic plan created for the community and developed by the Executive Committee and the Board.

Section 3.2: The members of the Executive Committee shall be:

1. President
2. Two Vice Presidents
3. Secretary
4. Two Treasurers

Section 3.3: The members of the Executive Committee cannot have other functions in the Board while in office, except the President.

Section 3.4: The Executive Committee members shall be elected amongst the “Effective Members” of the community as defined in the Article 5 section 1.

Section 3.5: The Executive Committee members shall be elected by the General Assembly for 3 years by simple vote of the voting members present at the General Assembly.

Section 3.6: The election of the Executive Committee members, by ballot, shall be scheduled in the month of May prior to the Independence Day of the last year of each term of the Executive Committee.

Section 3.7: One individual may not hold more than one office in the Executive Committee.

Article 5: Membership

Section 1 - Member: Any individual born of a Congolese father and mother, father or mother, spouses of Congolese nationals, Congolese through naturalization, who resides in Arizona, and the honorary members.

Section 2: Effective member is defined as a Congolese who resides in Arizona, adheres to the organization, pays his or her dues, and is actively involved in the community.

Section 3: Honorary member: Any organization, firm or institution, or any individual that is willing to join the organization, who contributes financially to the realization of the objectives of the organization, or performs all other necessary acts, under the provision of the Bylaws and Arizona nonprofit act title 10-140, chapter 1-17 within and subject to the limitations of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Article 6: Dues

Section 1: Membership dues are individual.

Section 2: Membership dues are payable in advance on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis.

Section 3: The dues shall be received on a periodical basis and revised by the General Assembly or the Board of Directors, as needed.

Section 4: The monthly membership fee is 10 U.S. Dollars.

Article 7: Duties of Officers

Section 1: The President of the Executive Committee shall conduct most of the meetings of the community. He or She will carry out the policies established by the Board and the general assembly.

Section 2: Any member of the Executive Committee and members of the community may be invited to participate in the Board meetings.

Section 3: The Executive Committee may appoint any members of the community to provide formal liaison to other organizations and/or serve as an official representative at their meetings.

Section 4: In the absence or inability of the President, the President’s duties shall be assumed by one of the Vice Presidents. If neither can serve due to certain circumstances, the Board will call a special meeting of the General assembly to organize a special election.

Section 5: The treasurers shall collect membership dues, and in coordination with the President, implement all collection of funds relative to charitable contributions as determined by the Board.

Article 8: Assets

All DRCCAZ assets are the sole property of the community and managed by the Board.

Article 9: Dispute and Misunderstanding

Disagreement between members of the community will be subject to arbitration by the Board members.

Article 10: Amendments

These Bylaws are subject amendments by the Board, serving as the General Assembly Proxy.

Article 11: Publicly Supported Tax-Exempt Nonprofit Organization

The Executive Committee shall have power and authority to compensate any person for reasonable services rendered to the community in accordance to Article 4, section 2.2.

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Phoenix, Arizona, United States
DRCCAZ Review Committee