Fast Tracks Organizational Rules

Text Version of Membership Form

FAST TRACKS is a women's running club designed to promote health, fitness, education, recreation and support through the celebration of running.

Membership in FAST TRACKS is open to any female with an interest in running regardless of age or ability. A yearly membership fee of $15.00 is required for official membership. Discounted memberships of $9.00 will be available September 1 through December 31. All dues must be renewed in January to maintain membership. A member of FAST TRACKS is entitled to the monthly newsletter, a membership list and may hold any elected or appointed office.

Men may join FAST TRACKS as associate members. Associate membership fees shall be the same as regular membership fees. Associate members are entitled to the monthly newsletter and membership list. Men may not hold elected office, however, and have no vote in club elections or any club decisions determined by any vote.

FAST TRACKS shall meet year round for informal runs on Saturday mornings at 8:30 at the Betzwood side of Valley Forge National Park and for formal track workouts on Wednesday evenings April through October at 6:30 at the Valley Forge Intermediate School. Babysitting will be available for track workouts; reservations are required. Informal runs through Chesterbrook will take place during the winter months on Wednesday evenings. All runs shall be open to any runner regardless of membership in FAST TRACKS.

FAST TRACKS shall celebrate its birthday and recognize the contributions of its members at a special meeting in February; the Susan B. Anthony birthday party dinner is currently used for this purpose.

FAST TRACKS shall publish a monthly newsletter to inform the membership of the speaker for the program meeting, upcoming track workouts, the performance accomplishments of its members and general information of interest to the membership. FAST TRACKS shall maintain a current membership list and as needed publish this list in the newsletter. This membership list shall not be used for any solicitation of goods or services.

FAST TRACKS shall organize and carry out other programs of interest to the membership as desired. These programs might include: Marathon 101, Potluck Dinners, Race Tailgating, Race Water Stops.

Job Positions at Fast Tracks

Here is a list of our various volunteer responsibilities at our club.

Officers of FAST TRACKS shall consist of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Track Coordinator and Newsletter Editor. Any full member of FAST TRACKS may nominate another full member for consideration. Nominations shall be announced in the December and January newsletters. Elections of officers will occur each year at the January business meeting. A term of office is 2 years and there shall be a limit of 2 consecutive terms for any one office. An office vacancy shall be filled by the president and must have the approval of the majority of the remaining elected officers. The appointed position shall be held until new elections in January. The following are the duties of the elected officers:

PRESIDENT: The president shall appoint all committee chairpersons. She shall preside over all business meetings. The president shall assist and support officers and committee chairpersons as the need arises. She shall make announcements concerning club business at the Saturday and Wednesday runs or appoint a representative for this purpose. She shall help to settle any disputes within the club if asked to do so. The president shall promote FAST TRACKS as its official spokeswoman.

VICE PRESIDENT: The vice-president shall take over the duties of the president in her absence. She shall help to settle any disputes within the club if asked to do so. The vice-president shall promote FAST TRACKS whenever possible.

TREASURER: The treasurer shall receive all dues and distribute all money (under the direction of the club). She shall report on the finances of the organization at the monthly business/program meetings.

SECRETARY: The secretary will take notes and write a summary of each business/program meeting to be published in the newsletter.

TRACK COORDINATOR: The track coordinator shall administer the Wednesday evening program. She shall determine the workouts and see that they are published in the newsletter each month. She shall determine the number of official track timers/pacers needed and organize their participation.

NEWSLETTER EDITOR : The newsletter editor shall oversee the layout and production of a monthly newsletter. The newsletter editor shall ensure, to the best of her ability, that the regular features of the newsletter are included each month (i.e., FAST TRACKS Meets, Track Workouts, Meeting Notice, Race Results, Meeting Minutes), that it is sent out in a timely fashion so as to notify the membership of important events and that the publication be of sufficient scope to address the various interests of FAST TRACKS members. She shall have two assistants to help gather and write material for the publication. The assistants shall be appointed by the editor with the approval of the president. All items published in the newsletter are at the discretion of the editor (i.e., space availability).

In addition to the elected offices, FAST TRACKS shall maintain a number of standing committees. Committee chairpersons shall be appointed by the president for a one-year term and affirmed at the January elections. Chairpersons may be appointed at the discretion of the president during the course of the year. Chairpersons shall hold their position for two consecutive terms (2 years) only; they may form a committee to assist them in fulfilling their duties as necessary. The following are descriptions of current chairperson positions:

BABYSITTING: The babysitting chairperson shall take reservations for the child care needs at Wednesday night track workouts and hire the necessary number of babysitters. She shall be responsible for making sure that members who use the service make reservations in advance and follow the designated rules (i.e., if reservations are not canceled, the money is still owed to the babysitter).

HALF-MARATHON 101: The half-marathon 101 chairperson shall coordinate long runs done in accordance with the half-marathon training schedule. She shall implement any scheduled training meetings and help to facilitate the half-marathon training program.

MARATHON 101: The marathon 101 chairperson shall coordinate long runs done in accordance with the marathon 101 training schedule. She shall also implement any scheduled training meetings and help to facilitate the marathon 101 program.

MEMBERSHIP: The membership chairperson shall be responsible for ensuring visitors and new members feel welcome at Fast Tracks. When notified by the Treasurer of a new member, she will make sure they receive a new member packet (which might include a copy of the latest newsletter - if available - the organizational rules, a current membership list, and a note of welcome). In addition she shall appoint several members to work as "greeters" to assist at FAST TRACKS functions. These greeters might help new members find running partners, follow-up with phone calls to invite new members to social events, and call new and current members who have been absent and encourage them to rejoin the group. The membership chairperson shall also be responsible for providing profiles ("Spotlight On") of each new member for the newsletter.

MERCHANDISE: The merchandise chairperson shall purchase and sell FAST TRACKS clothing to the membership as the club, by general consensus, authorizes.

NEWSLETTER CIRCULATION: The newsletter circulation chairperson is responsible for newsletter distribution. This involves picking up the newsletters from the printer, obtaining the mailing labels from the phone list/labels chairperson and buying the postage. Newsletters may be distributed at the meetings of the membership and/or delivered to the post office. This should be done in a timely fashion so that members are notified of important events. All bills should be submitted to the treasurer for reimbursement.

PHONE LIST/ LABELS: The phone list/labels chairperson shall be responsible for maintaining and updating the membership list, including names, addresses, phone and e-mail numbers as provided to her by the Treasurer. Updates shall be submitted to the newsletter editor for publication in the current month's newsletter. New membership lists shall be submitted to the newsletter editor several times a year as determined by the officers. In addition the phone list/labels chairperson shall provide labels for the newsletter and other official mailings.

PHILANTHROPY: The philanthropy chairperson shall collect items such as but not limited to clothing, shoes, and toys from club members at various times during the year to donate to charity organizations of the club’s choice.

PHONE/E-MAIL CHAIN : The phone/e-mail chain chairperson shall send e-mails and or organize a committee to call all members when necessary (i.e., as a reminder of the upcoming business/program meeting).

PROGRAM : The program chairperson shall invite appropriate speakers to the business/program meetings. She shall write an announcement introducing the speaker and his/her topic for the newsletter and make the necessary arrangements for the upcoming meeting. She shall preside over the program portion of the monthly meeting.

PUBLICITY: The publicity chairperson shall provide a description of FAST TRACKS and its activities to local newspapers. She shall encourage members to advertise for the club in company newsletters. She shall produce FAST TRACKS flyers and distribute them where appropriate.

RACES/RACE RESULTS : The races/race results chairperson shall collect applications of upcoming events and distribute them to interested members. She shall gather race results from members participating in various events and report these to the newsletter editor for publication.

SATURDAY MORNING REFRESHMENTS: The refreshment chairperson shall maintain a sign-up system for members to volunteer to provide refreshments on Saturday mornings. She shall make sure that the names of those responsible for upcoming Saturdays be printed in the newsletter and provide a system of reminding each member of his/her designated turn.

SOCIAL: The social chairperson shall coordinate the planning of all official social events, sanctioned by the club. These events may include but are not limited to potlucks, race tailgates and a holiday party. The official birthday party will not be included in the duties of the social chairperson.

SUSAN B. ANTHONY BIRTHDAY PARTY: The birthday party chairperson shall be responsible for finding an appropriate sight for the dinner and making the necessary arrangements including menu selection, prices and reservations from the membership. She shall write a description of the party for the newsletter and handle the reservations and finances. She shall work with the president and membership to determine award recipients, speakers and other activities for the evening.