AAWMembership

1. The CAW strongly encourages (but does not require) members to join the American Association of Woodturners (AAW).  AAW membership is required (due to liability insurance requirements) for a CAW member to participate in “hands-on” at any CAW-sponsored functions, demonstrations and/or skill-enhancement workshops.
   
   
2. CAW/AAW members are encouraged to attend the annual AAW Symposium, and to volunteer time at the Symposium to assist demonstrators.

Elections

1. Election of officers is normally conducted at the October meeting of CAW, and the elected officers take office effective January 1 of the following year.  In addition to verbal announcements at meetings of impending elections, announcements of elections will be included in the club Newsletter that is delivered immediately preceding the elections.
   
   
2. A nominating committee may be appointed (but is not required) by the President prior to the October meeting.

1. Annual membership dues for CAW are $25, payable by January first of each year.  Dues are prorated for memberships starting after the first of the year by lowering the fee by $5 for each elapsed calendar quarter.
   
   
2. An additional fee of $15 is required for members receiving the CAW newsletter by mail.

1. The treasurer maintains a rooster of active members, to include addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, etc.  Members may request a copy of this list at any time.  Extracts of the rooster may be made available to vendors for the purpose of verifying eligibility for purchase discounts.

Meeting Place/Time

1. CAW meets at the Bryant Center, 2709 Popkins Lane, Alexandria, VA.  Monthly meetings are the second Saturday of each month at 9 AM.  Gathering and setup before the official meeting starts begins at 8:00 AM.
   
   
2. Members may sell or trade woodturning supplies at meetings on a space available basis.  The sales of these supplies should not interfere with the meeting or demonstration.

Standard Meeting Procedures

1. The usual procedure for monthly CAW meetings is:
1. Setup
2. Show and tell
3. President’s announcements
4. Introduction of new members and visitors
5. CAW Board Officer reports
6. Other announcements
7. Demonstration Program
8. Raffle and Silent Auction – right before lunch break
9. Cleanup and reassemble rooms

1. CAW traditionally supports three special meetings each year:  April Symposium, a June Picnic meeting and a December Party meeting.  These meetings are in lieu of a “regular” meeting during those months.

1. Only the Treasurer or the President may normally make expenditures from CAW funds.
   
   
2. Individual officers may commit to expenditures up to $200.  Any amounts in excess of $200 require approval from two additional officers.
   
   
3. The Group Buy Coordinator is authorized to spend up to $500 for
   bulk buys without board approval.  Any purchase above $500 requires a majority vote of the CAW Board of Directors. 

1. CAW maintains a library of videos related to various aspects of woodturning.
   
   
2. The rental fee for videos is $3 per month, with an equal late charge for videos not returned by the meeting immediately following the time of rental and each subsequent month.  There are a few videos that are free and others that range from $1 to $6.  All fees are listed in the master video library list.
   
   
3. Original videos may be donated to the CAW library.  CAW does not allow the duplication of any of its videos whether CAW or commercial, and will not accept copied videos for its library.
   
   
4. Income derived from video rental is primarily designated for the purchase of new videos, but is commingled with other CAW income and may be spent as otherwise determined by CAW officers.

1. CAW supports a Mentor program to assist members in a variety of woodturning techniques.  A rooster is maintained of experienced members (and their respective specialties) willing to mentor less experienced members.
   
   
2. The Mentor Program Coordinator will maintain a list of experienced mentors and their specialties willing to help out less experienced members.
   
   
3. Members wanting mentoring help should contact the program coordinator for mentor contact information.

1. Skill enhancement workshops will be conducted at the Bryant Center on the 2nd Wednesday and the last Tuesday of every month unless otherwise stated.
   
   
2. There will be a $5 charge for anyone attending the Skill Enhancement and actually using any of the equipment.  This charge is to offset the cost of new blades, tools, and repair to the equipment.
   
   
3. All participants must be current members of the AAW.

1. CAW supports a Peer Recognition Award through which CAW members who have been unusually helpful to the club and/or individual members are recognized by issuance of a CAW certificate.
   
   
2. Nominations for the Peer Recognition Award may be made by any member, and will be submitted to a CAW officer.
   
   
3. Nominations must be written, and include the nominee’s name, reason that special recognition is deemed appropriate, and nominator’s name.
   
   
4. Upon a majority vote of the CAW officers (majority is 4), a Peer Recognition Certificate will be prepared, and presented to the recipient at the subsequent CAW regular meeting.

1. CAW sponsors a silent auction of donated wood, tools and other items at each club meeting.
   
   
2. Members are encouraged to donate items of interest to the silent auction.
   
   
3. Income from the silent auction goes to the general treasury fund of the CAW.

1. CAW supports the practice of obtaining merchant/vendor discounts for CAW members through a group Purchase program, coordinated by a CAW member volunteer.
   
   
2. Members are encouraged to pick up their items when they arrive or have someone pick their purchases up for them. 
   
   
3. CAW does not fund or maintain inventory for a Group Purchase program.

1. CAW sponsors a raffle at each regular meeting.  Items to be raffled may be purchased by the club or donated to the club (paid demonstrators will sometimes donate an item that was created during their demonstration).
   
   
2. Income from the raffle goes to the general treasury fund of the CAW.  CAW buys/supplies the tickets used for the raffle.

1. The CAW typically sponsors several demonstrations/programs by paid demonstrators each year.
   
   
2. A minimum charge of $7 per member will be collected for such sessions. Non-member guests may attend the first demonstration and meeting for free.
   
   
3. For special demonstrations not part of a regular CAW meeting, the cost will be apportioned to, and borne by, the attendees.

1. CAW maintains a website at www.capwoodturners.org

1. CAW produces a newsletter, which is published and distributed to its members at least 10 days before each regular meeting.
   
   
2. A copy of the Newsletter is provided to the AAW, to honorary members of the CAW, and may be downloaded from the CAW website.

1. A variety of CAW functions and roles –listed below-- require members to volunteer time and effort on a regular and ongoing basis.
   
   
2. The CAW Secretary will maintain a current list of individuals who have volunteered to be responsible for each ongoing activity.

1. Photos of Show-and –Tell
2. Website Maintenance
3. Group Purchase Program
4. Video Library
5. Mentor Program
6. Name Tags
7. Audio Visual Committee
8. CAW Clothing
9. Peer Recognition
10. Coffee Setup
11. Meeting/Event Setup Committee
12. Demonstration Fee Collection
13. Meeting Raffle
14. Newsletter Proofreader

1. Should members have questions about procedures not laid out in this SOP, they can go to any CAW board member.  That board member will bring it up for consideration for the board to answer the member and the membership in general.