HSMG Management

The Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild is a membership organization. As such, the membership has the ultimate say over the management of the HSMG through the election of officers, approval of policies and application of the bylaws.

Bylaws

The HSMG Bylaws are the senior principles which guide the management of the HSMG and are secondary only to state and federal law. They outline how the management is to be undertaken, who is responsible, what the President, Board of Directors and Executive Committee are responsible for, how the nominations and elections are carried out, and what the committees are to do.

The bylaws can be amended by majority vote of the membership, providing notification of a proposed revision is made to the membership at least 60 days in advance.

President

The President is elected by the membership and serves for a two-year term.

The President is responsible for oversight of the day-to-day operations of the HSMG and generally seeing to it that what needs to get done does get done. The President also serves as the spokesperson for the HSMG.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors consists of 6 members who are elected for two-year terms, along with the President. The terms are staggered, so three seats are up for election each year.

From within the Board, the Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer are appointed (by majority vote of the Board).

In additional to Board duties, each Board Member is also the Chairman of a Standing Committee. Generally the Board meets every 4 to 6 weeks.

Executive Committee

The President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer make up the Executive Committee, which is responsible for taking care of things in between board meetings (but only to the extent authorized by the Board). Generally the Executive Committee meets twice a month.

Administrative Services

To handle the day-to-day activities (answering the phone, receiving mail, paying bills, processing memberships, etc), the HSMG has hired an Administrative Services Company. While not employees of the HSMG, they are contracted to take care of the general necessary administrative duties. The company is bonded and insured and is paid for their services by the HSMG.