2023 Bylaws

The Bylaws of the National Fantasy Fan Federation

I. Authority

Under the authority implied in Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution of the National Fantasy Fan Federation, the Directorate shall establish certain Bylaws to regulate the affairs of the organization, such Bylaws to be effective when approved by a majority vote of the Directorate as set forth in Article II, Section 4, of the Constitution. The secretary of the N3F shall keep a permanent record of the Bylaws, and current Bylaws shall be published in the Official Organ of the N3F not less often than once a year.

II. The Directorate

  1. The Chairman of the Directorate shall report to the membership all measures passed by the Directorate. The Chairman of the Directorate shall maintain updated copies of the Bylaws, distribute them to the Directorate, President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Official Editor of The National Fantasy Fan(TNFF), at the beginning of the year and whenever changed, and turn them over to his/her successor.
  2. Copies of all official Directorate correspondence shall be sent to the President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
  3. Each Directorate shall adopt standing rules of procedure, which shall remain in force for the Directorate of the following year, until such time as the new Directorate shall vote to accept them or adopt new rules.
  4. A Director who has not voted or participated in Directorate discussion or correspondence in any period of three consecutive months may be declared inactive by the Directorate, and may be removed by the President for this cause only, without prejudice.

III. The Secretary & Treasurer

  1. The Secretary may bill the Treasury, as needed, for expenses incurred in the discharge of the office, including the purchase of supplies for new members, the sum not to exceed $100 per year.
  2. The Secretary will maintain a current membership roster, and will report new memberships, renewals, and changes of address to the President, Treasurer, Official Editor, Chairman of The Welcommittee, and such other officers as the President may direct, not less often than once a month.
  3. The Treasurer will prepare a yearly report of all income to the N3F Treasury and an itemized list of expenditures. Also included in this report will be a listing of items which will require additional outlays, in the forthcoming year from the Treasury, and have been approved by the Directorate, but have not yet been paid. This report will be prepared for the first issue of TNFF to appear in the year following the year which the report covers.
  4. The President shall not hold the office of Secretary or Treasurer, except on a temporary basis not to exceed 4 weeks – due to vacancy or emergency. If the president fails to appoint a replacement within three weeks of an office vacancy or either the Secretary or Treasurer, the Directorate shall move on its own to appoint a replacement for the vacant office.

IV. Elections

  1. A dues-paying member becomes a candidate for President or for the Directorate by self-nominating or by being nominated by another dues-paying member. The nominee must accept the nomination to be placed on the ballot. Self-nominations are acceptances.

  2. Nominations are made by sending the nomination to the Official Teller and to the Editor of The National Fantasy Fan. Nominations must be received by the Official Teller and the Editor by October 31.

  3. Each candidate may place a statement of up to 500 words in The National Fantasy Fan. Statements shall appear in the November National Fantasy Fan, or an earlier issue if submitted in a timely way and the candidate so requests.

  4. The election ballot shall appear in the November issue of the National Fantasy Fan. The ballot shall include a list of the candidates for each office and a space for write-in votes. Each dues-paying member may vote for one candidate for President and up to five candidates for the Directorate. Each ballot shall include a space in which the voter must sign and date the ballot.

  5. Votes may be cast by sending the ballot or a facsimile to the official teller, or by sending the official teller an email ballot. The email ballot must come from the electronic address of record of the voter. Ballots for Constitutional amendments and member referenda are cast using the same process.

  6. In addition to the regular candidates listed on the ballot, voters may write in the name of any dues-paying member as a vote for any elective office. Any candidate so elected must submit a written statement of his willingness to serve. In the absence of this statement, the candidate receiving the next highest number of votes for that office will be declared the winner.

  7. The Official Teller is a dues-paying member appointed by the President. The appointment must be approved by Directorate vote before the Official Teller takes office. The Official Teller serves until he resigns or until the Directorate approves a new Official Teller.

  8. Before taking office, a candidate must have paid dues to cover the year of his or her term of office.

V. Publication

1. The N3F publishes The National Fantasy Fan (TNFF), whose purpose it is to carry news of N3F activities to all members, and such other appropriate stfnal material for which there may be space. The National Fantasy Fan shall be published monthly. The N3F shall from time to time publish other fanzines in accordance with the interests of the members.

2. A printed issue of The National Fantasy Fan shall be sent by paper mail to each Regular and Life member, and by electronic mail to all members who have provided electronic mail addresses. All other N3F fanzines shall be distributed by electronic mail to all members who have provided electronic mail addresses.

3. Special Publications may be issued upon approval of the President.

4. The Editor and Publisher of each N3F fanzine and each special publication are appointed by the President.

5. In the event The National Fantasy Fan does not appear as scheduled, the President shall appoint a Stand-by Editor and/or Publisher as needed to produce TNFF. The Stand-by Editor and Publisher shall be reimbursed for their expenses if the magazine is mailed within two months after the appointment by the President.

6. Required Notices: TNFF shall contain a list of the names of new members and renewing members in each issue.

7. Submission Deadlines: Deadlines for material to each N3F Fanzine shall be announced in that fanzine.

8. Reimbursement. The treasury shall reimburse expenses for printing and mailing the National Fantasy Fan. Total annual reimbursement per Regular and Life member from the Treasury for printing and postage shall not exceed $14 for 12 issues. No single issue of the National Fantasy Fan may exceed a reimbursed printing cost of one dollar per issue, unless the Directorate has approved in advance. All other publication reimbursements require Directorate approval.

9. Advertisements in N3F publication are free, restricted to N3F members, and are subject to space limitations in the judgment of the editor.

10. The N3F Roster, the list of members with all contact information, is made available to the President and the Directorate, and with the approval of the Directorate to individual N3F Bureau Heads. Contact information for N3F members may only be used for N3F business.

11. Neffer Amateur Press Alliance. All N’APA members must be dues-paying members of the N3F.

12. Exchange Agreements. The President may authorize exchange agreements with other publishers, who will receive all N3F publications, and the President or other designated person will receive all their publications, at the expense of the President.

13. Standing Rule. Fandom rests on honest recognition of the creative works of others. If in an N3F-sponsored activity there are reasons to believe that nominally creative works claimed to be by a person appear to be copied from creative works of others, the person suspected of having copied without appropriate attribution will be presented by the President or Chair with the evidence and invited to explain the similarities.  The President or Chair will report the person’s response to the Directorate, which will choose an appropriate action, up to and including finding the person exonerated or returning dues and severing all connection between the N3F and the person.

VI. Rescissions

Directorate motions in the nature of Bylaws passed prior to the original compilation and publication of these Bylaws and not included among them, are rescinded.

VII. Amendments

Amendments to these Bylaws may be made with approval of a majority of the Directorate.

VIII. Dues

  1. Membership dues are payable annually and include receiving one copy of the Official Organ (paper or electronic). Individual memberships are $18 per year. Additional memberships at the same household address, with no additional copies of the Official Organ, are $4 per year per person.
  2. The number of Life or Honorary members created by Directorate vote may not exceed 5 memberships or 1 percent of the total membership of the N3F, whichever number is greater. This rule shall not operate to reduce the number of existing Life memberships at any time

IX. Member Benefits

  1. The following membership benefits are reserved solely to dues-paying members (“paid members”): holding, running for, or being appointed to any elected office; holding the office of Secretary, Treasurer, Publisher or Official Editor; voting for elected office; receiving printed copies of club publications paid for by the treasury; and representing the organization in any official capacity.
  2. Life Members appointed by the Directorate are granted the same membership benefits as Paid Members, regardless of whether they pay dues or not.
  3. Members of the general public may fully participate in all N3F activities except for those reserved solely to paid members.