By-Laws

The name of the Association shall be Florida Association of Child Life Professionals Inc. (FACLP).

Florida Association of Child Life Professionals seeks to foster and promote the health and well-being of children and their families in health care settings by the following means:

1. Education of child life professionals, health care workers, and students relating to all aspects of clinical and administrative responsibilities.
2. Educating physicians, hospital administrators, health care providers, and significant community organizations about the purpose/goals of the child life profession.
3. Providing a formal means of networking between child life professionals.

Membership shall be open to child life professionals, students, and anyone seeking or affiliated with the child life profession in agreement with the purpose of this Association. Membership will be for a period of 1 calendar year (beginning the date of sign-up).

Section I         Criteria for Membership

1. Professional Member: An individual that is employed, seeking employment as a child life specialist, or works as an educator of child life students (community college/university level).
2. Student Member: An individual who is currently enrolled either part-time/full-time in undergraduate or graduate programs or those enrolled in a child life internship.

Section II        Benefits of Membership

Member benefits will be determined by the Executive Board and listed on the Assocation website. Each member is entitled to one (1) vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the membership.

Section III      Membership Dues and Fee Structure

Member dues will be paid annually. The membership year will begin the date dues are received. Membership dues will be paid directly to the Florida Association of Child Life Professionals (FACLP) and money received will be used for operating costs and for fulfilling the purposes of the Association. The Executive Board of FACLP shall determine yearly dues and its effective date.

Section I         Executive Board Members

1. Composition: The Executive Board of FACLP shall consist of a President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Webmaster, Outreach Development Coordinator, Past-President and Student Member-at-Large.
2. Qualifications: All Executive Board Members shall be members of the Association, be in good standings, have served on the planning committee one or more years. All members of the executive board must be a Certified Child Life Specialist.
3. Student Member-at-Large: The Student Member-at-Large is exempt from Certified Child Life Specialist and one year planning committee experience requirement. The Student Member-at-large must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and provide 2-reference letters (1-professor and 1-personal). The Student Member-at-Large will serve a 1-year tearm and does not have Executive Board voting privileges.

See below for listing of duties by officer for Article IV: Section II

1. Preside over Executive and Association meetings.
2. Appoint committee chairs as necessary.
3. Share joint responsibility with the President-Elect for organizing educational programs sponsored by the Association.
4. Ensure that all other Executive Board Members are discharging their duties faithfully.
5. Inform, the President-Elect of all matters pertaining to the discharge of Presidential duties and any other matters which might have bearing on the conduct of FACLP business.
6. Shall fill, by appointment and with consent of the Executive Board members of any vacancy created by resignation or new position deem necessary. In no event, shall the appointee serve for a period longer than the remainder of the term for which the appointment was made unless he/she is elected in accordance.

:A. Preside over Executive and Association meetings in the absence of the President.
B. Share joint responsibility with the President for organizing educational programs sponsored by the Association.
C. Count, immediately following each election and at a location selected for the convenience of all qualified observers, all votes cast at an Executive Board meeting.
D. Submit a balance sheet to the current President and Treasurer for proposed expenses, donations, etc., for the upcoming year/conference.
E. Performs other duties as assigned.

1. Record minutes from the Executive Board and Planning Committee meetings and distribute to members accordingly.
2. Responsible for routine correspondence, through FACLP email and other mass communications.
3. Maintain/track all membership data. Shall serve as membership chairman of the Association.
4. Solely responsible for answering and sending out emails on behalf of FACLP.
5. Maintain record of Association account passwords, membership, planning committee contracts, and phone tree.
6. Make available, at the direction of the President and at the expense of FACLP, copies of all or some of the entries in the electronic files.
7. Performs other duties as assigned.

1. Record and report all financial transactions of the Association
2. Collect dues for the Association
3. Notify any Member whose dues payment has not been received
4. Notify Executive Board of any Executive/Planning committee member’s dues who are unpaid and who have fallen into delinquency
5. Authorize, at the request of the Executive Board and at the expense of FACLP, an accountant, nominated by the President and approved by a majority of the Executive Committee, to audit annually all accounts containing FACLP funds and report to the President the finding of that audit.
6. Provide the President copies of FACLP records, accounts, and/or funds that may be requested by any Member at the expense of FACLP.
7. Advise the Executive Board of any conditions or facts which constitute or indicate irregularities with or unauthorized use of FACLP funds. This advice shall be written, shall bear the Treasurers signature, and shall be issued without delay.
8. File all required tax forms on behalf and at the expense of FACLP.
9. Maintain all records for the Annual Conference, including registration forms and balance sheets.
10. Performs other duties as assigned.

1. Oversee FACLP Website, social media outlets and produce the FACLP newsletter “The Clip”.
2. Assign tasks and correspond with members/Executive Board /Community on a routine basis to process a quarterly newsletter.
3. Correspond with the Secretary to publicize activities of the Association and receive current membership list.
4. Distribute FACLP information/updates via social media and quarterly newsletter to all members.
5. Shall maintain an electronic file in an orderly manner containing website information, social media postings, and quarterly newsletters.
6. Performs other duties as assigned.

1. Collaborate with the Board and Planning Committee in identifying possible vendor sponsors for conference and FACLP programs.
2. Maintain a database of Partner contact information and promised benefits.
3. Facilitate/oversee donation requests to help secure partnership for specific events.
4. Research, write and submit applicable grant proposals.
5. Reach out to potential sponsors and maintain relationships with current sponsors to retain and increase funding, as well as vendor and member satisfaction.
6. Work with the Board to ensure that sponsorship levels have adequate funding to support conference and FACLP events, and that the vendors will be satisfied with events they sponsor.
7. Work with the Treasurer to ensure vendor sponsors are invoiced and submit funding for correct monetary amounts.
8. Work with the communications committee and Webmaster to ensure that sponsors and logos are correctly identified and listed.
9. Ensuring that Partners receive promised benefits including thank-you letters.
10. Act as host and accommodate vendors at events.
11. Work with the Board to ensure that FACLP programs and services appropriately address the needs of the members.
12. Work with the Board to improve member benefits that continually strengthen the value of the membership.
13. Organize and maintain a list of organizations with similar goals and work to develop partnerships and coalitions for members to enhance education opportunities and member benefits.
14. Performs other duties as assigned.

1. Serve as a liaison between Executive Board and student membership with current issues.
2. Serve as a resource to community college/universities student child life organizations.
3. Serve as a resource to the Webmaster.
4. Performs other duties as assigned.

1. Shall be filled without an election by the person who has most recently completed a term as President, and who shall not have been removed from office.
2. Serve as a resource to the current President and President-Elect upon request.
3. Performs other duties as assigned.

1. Ballot: A nomination ballot will be sent to all Members each year to be returned to the President-Elect within forty-five (45) days of the annual conference. If less than one (1) Member is nominated for an office, the President will call together a nominating committee consisting of a minimum of two (2) Executive Board members to complete the slate.
2. Slate of Nominees: The President-Elect will then develop a slate of nominees to be voted on and returned within fifteen (15) days of the annual conference. The slate of nominees may consist of one or more nominees for each of the Board members to be elected.  In addition, the slate so prepared, will provide each voting Member the option to write-in candidates.
3. Voting: The Board shall designate the address, location, or system to which votes may be electronically transmitted, in an executed electronically transmitted record. Members shall have no less than a one week period in which to submit a vote.

The term of office for each Executive Board member shall be two years for the following: Secretary, Webmaster, Treasurer, and Outreach Development Coordinator. The Student Member-At-Large will be one year term. President-Elect will be a three-year term that rolls up to President, then Past-President. No Executive Board member shall be eligible for immediate re-election to the same office after two (2) consecutive terms. All executive board members shall serve until their successors have been elected, or appointed, and assume office. All contracts are to be signed after each election.

The Executive Board shall meet a minimum of twice a year; the first meeting shall be following the induction of newly elected Board Members after the annual conference meeting has concluded. The President shall calendar the remainder of the meetings within two (2) weeks concluding the annual conference meeting.

Any member of the Executive Board may be removed by a majority vote of the remaining executive board officers whenever, in their judgement, the best interests of the Association would be served thereby.

Board members must respond to e-mails sent by the President, other members of the board, members of their assigned committees, and general members within 48 hours.

Board members shall attend regular board meetings and regularly participate in Association activities.

The organization shall hold an annual educational conference.  The annual conference meeting will follow procedures set forth in the policy manual.

All association business issues to be voted on shall be decided by a quorum of 10% of the voting membership present, except amendments to the bylaws outlined in Article VII.  

Section I         Amendment Procedures

Written notice of the proposed amendment shall be presented to all members at least ten (10) days in advance of the vote.

Section II        Voting Process

The amendment will be adopted if two-thirds (2/3) of the Members of the Association return a favorable vote within seven (7) days.

***(Clause: If two-thirds (2/3) of the Members do not meet a majority of cast a vote, the President reserves the right to take the vote to the Executive Board.  The Board will then take the votes submitted into consideration and cast a vote with all Executive Board Members.  If a majority vote is favorable, the Amendment will be adopted.)

Section I         Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of this Association shall be January 1 through December 31.

Section II        Contracts

The board may authorize any officer, member, or agent of the organization to enter in to any contract or execute and deliver any instrument in the interest of and on behalf of the organization, and such authority may be general or confined to specific instances.

Section III      Checks, Drafts, and Payments

All checks, drafts, or payments issued in the name of the organization shall be signed by the President or Treasurer. All expenditures must have specific prior authority granted by the board and duly in the minutes or their proceedings. In no event, shall the board, individually or collectively, incur any expense in excess of the uncommitted and liquid general operating funds available in the name of the organization.

Section IV       Annual Budget

To facilitate and orderly and practical fiscal policy, the President shall submit to the board and annual budget for the normal, routine and ongoing administrative expenses of the organization at the first board meeting of the fiscal year. If approved by the board, all expenses falling within the approved budgetary guideline will be granted de facto authority.

No part of the net earnings of FACLP shall insure to the benefit of, or be distributed to its Members, trustees, Executive Board Members, or other private persons, except that the Association shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered, and to make payments, and distributions in furtherance of the purpose set forth in Article II.