AIARD's Constitution and Bylaws

Revised - May 2020

Article I - Name
The name of the organization shall be the Association for International Agriculture and Rural Development.

Article II - Purpose
The purposes of the Association are to:

1. Provide a medium for exchange of ideas and information relating to programs in international agriculture and rural development and to encourage further development of scientific and educational programs directed at modernization of world agriculture.
2. Provide liaison on international agricultural education research and public service among U.S. colleges of agriculture, government agencies, the U.S. Congress, private industry groups, foundations, and international agencies.

Consistent with these purposes, the programs of the Association strive to:

1. Stimulate new ideas and scholarship.
2. Upgrade members’ abilities to implement development programs.
3. Inform members about international opportunities with a variety of donor organizations.
4. Improve education in, and foster greater understanding of, international development and related issues.
5. Promote greater interaction and cooperation among various types of organizations engaged in development assistance.
6. Achieve the mutual benefits to partner countries and partnership institutions from development assistance through trade, technical exchange and other institutional relationships.

Article III - Membership
Section 1 - Eligibility
All persons engaged in international agriculture and rural development shall be eligible for membership.

Section 2 - Membership Fee
The annual membership fee shall be determined by the Executive Committee.

Section 3 - Acceptance to Membership
Membership in the Association may be obtained by payment of dues.

Section 4 - Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of the Association shall commence on July 1 of a given calendar year and extend through June 30 of the succeeding calendar year. Annual membership dues may be paid prior to commencement of, or during, the fiscal year.

Article IV - Organization
Section 1 - Officers
The officers of the Association shall be a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. In addition, there shall be five directors, one of whom shall be the immediate past-president. This group of officers and directors shall constitute the Executive Board of the Association. All officers shall be members of the Association.

Section 2 - Election of Officers
The President shall be elected by a vote of the membership for a term of one year, to take office at the time of the annual meeting of the Association, following election.
 
The Vice President shall be elected by a vote of the membership for a term of one year, to take office at the time of the annual meeting of the Association, following election. Upon completion of the term of office as Vice President, he or she shall be nominated for the office of President for one year.
 
The Secretary shall be elected by a vote of the membership for a term of two years, without limitation on the number of terms for which he or she can be reelected.
 
The Treasurer shall be elected by a vote of the membership for a term of two years, without limitation on the number of terms for which he or she can be reelected.
 
One Director shall be elected to the Executive Board of the Association each year for a four-year term. The immediate Past-President, if not elected to another officer position, will be invited to serve for one year as a Director, concluding the end of their service as President.

Section 3 - Nominations
Nominations for the offices to be filled by membership voting shall be by a Nominating Committee of three members appointed by the President. The Nominating Committee shall submit at least one name for each office to be filled to the President and Secretary on or before March 31.
 
An official ballot, containing the list of nominees, shall be mailed by regular or electronic mail by the Secretary to each member of the Association on or before April 20. Ballots shall be returned within 30 days of mailing to the office of the Secretary for tabulation.
 
The elected officers shall be so informed by the President prior to the annual meeting at which the election results will be announced. New officers will begin their term of office immediately after the annual meeting.

Section 4 - Filling Vacancies
The Executive Board shall fill, for the unexpired terms, all vacancies in elective officers. The President shall fill all vacancies in appointive positions on committees.

Section 5 - Committees
There shall be seven standing committees of the Association, namely: Annual Meeting Planning, Future Leaders Forum, Membership, Awards, Finance, Communications, and Education and Advocacy.
 
The chair of each committee will be elected by the membership coincident with the schedule of elections for officers and directors. The chair of each committee will be elected for a term of two years, without limitation on the number of terms for which he or she can be reelected. The chair of each of the seven standing committees shall also serve as an ex-officio member of the Executive Board, with full voice and vote. The one exception will be that the Vice President of the Association will also serve as the Chair of the Annual Meeting Planning committee, for a term of one year, concurrent with the term served as Vice President.
 
From time to time, the President shall appoint such ad hoc committees as are necessary to carry out the business of the Association. 

Article V - Duties of Officers
Section 1 - President
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association and the meetings of the Executive Board and shall perform such other duties as pertain to the office. The President will have signatory authority for the Association.

Section 2 – Vice President
The Vice President shall preside, in the absence of the President and President-Elect, at meetings of the Association and the Executive Board and shall perform such other duties as pertain to the office. The Vice President will also serve as the Chair of the Annual Meeting Planning committee, for a term of one year, concurrent with the term served as Vice President. The Vice President will have signatory authority for the Association.

Section 3 – Secretary
The Secretary shall manage administrative business of the Association in accordance with policies established by the Executive Board and the membership.
 
The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the Association and the Executive Board, maintain a list of all members, and receive applications for membership. The Secretary will work closely with the Treasurer to maintain accurate membership records of all members of the Association.
 
Section 4 – Treasurer
The Treasurer shall manage financial business of the Association in accordance with policies established by the Executive Board and the membership.
 
The Treasurer shall have custody of the books and records of the Association, keep the funds of the Association, and make disbursements as authorized in the budget approved by the Executive Board. The Treasurer will have signatory authority for the Association.
 
The Treasurer will submit an annual budget for consideration by the Executive Board on or before August 1 for the current fiscal year of the Association.


Section 5 - Executive Board

1. The Executive Board shall have full control of the business of the Association and shall report its official actions to the members of the Association at the annual meeting. If such a meeting is not held, the report of actions taken shall be mailed to the membership.
2. Other duties and responsibilities shall be:

• Adopt the annual budget;

• Act on behalf of the Association as directed by Association action;
• Plan programs and assist with all meetings held by the Association;
• Fix the amount of dues to be paid by members;

Article VI - Meetings
A meeting of the Association will be held each year at the time and place as agreed upon at the last meeting.

A meeting of the Executive Board shall be held each year prior to the annual meeting of the Association. Other meetings may be held on a call by the President, or by written request of a majority of the members of the Executive Board.

Article VII - External Proposals and Projects
External proposals which involve AIARD as the responsible entity for the execution of a project, which includes the receipt of and distribution of project funds, shall be approved by the President in consultation with the Executive Board. A multidonor/multiyear project would need to be approved only once by the Executive Board. The AIARD President and other signatory authorities for the Association may be different in different years but each has oversight responsibilities over the project during their term and ex-officio responsibility until the project is completed. The contractual documents, correspondence relating to the administration and execution of the project, and copies of all reports will be maintained by the AIARD Secretary and Treasurer.
 
Where possible, AIARD will retain a portion of the funds, which may be used for support in administering the project. The remainder will be for expenses for conducting the project to include investigator expenses, reports, publications, commodities, travel, and miscellaneous. A project budget will be prepared prior to final approval of the project. Any significant adjustments to the budget will require majority approval of the Executive Board and concurrence of the granting institution.

Article VIII - Amendments
The Constitution and Bylaws may be amended following consensus by the Executive Board. Amendments can be confirmed using either of two methods:

1. At any annual meeting of the Association by an affirmative vote of three-fourths of those members present. All amendments must be submitted for approval only after they have been presented via regular and/or electronic mail to the membership at least 30 days prior to the annual meeting.
2. Via a vote by regular and/or electronic mail. In such case, a minimum of twenty-five percent of the membership must vote and an affirmative vote by two-thirds of all voting shall be necessary for approval of amendments.

 
Members may also submit recommendations for amendments to the bylaws to the Secretary via regular and/or electronic mail for consideration and discussion by the Executive Board.


Article IX - Organizational Conditions
Conditions associated with the organization and dissolution of the Association are:
 
1. The Association is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes.
 
2. No part of the net earnings of the Association shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its Executive Board. In addition, no part of the net earnings of the Association shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article II. No substantial part of the activities of the Association shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the organization shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the Association shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on by an organization exempt from Federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or the corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).
 
3. Upon dissolution of the Association, the Executive Board shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of all of the liabilities of the organization, dispose of all of the assets of the organization exclusively for the purposes of the organization in such manner, or to  such organization(s) organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, or scientific purposes as at the time shall qualify as an exempt organization(s) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or the corresponding provisions of any United States Internal
Revenue Law), as the Executive Board shall determine.
 
AIARD Executive Board
Revised May 2020