ÌÇÐÄVlog

Once the above requirements are satisfied, the proposed-SIG will then have a face-to-face interest meeting at the next annual ÌÇÐÄVlog Convention, where the proposed mission and scope will be finalized and approved by a two-thirds majority of those present. If approved, SIG will then be open for members to join following the Convention. An online call for elections would occur in December, with new Officers on-boarding in January.To ensure sustainability and saliency, the SIG will hold candidate status for a period of 6 months, at the end of the candidate period, the ÌÇÐÄVlog Board of Directors will vote on permanent status for the SIG. (That approval may only be delayed or rescinded if the SIG does not meet the minima criteria for SIG status.) A majority vote by the Board of Directors is required for final approval.

III. SIG Responsibilities

In order to be vital components of the ÌÇÐÄVlog membership services, SIGs need to facilitate information and knowledge sharing throughout the year among the SIG members both online and in-person. The following minimum expectations are established for SIGs, but activities beyond these are encouraged:

1. Maintain an up-to-date written mission statement consistent with ÌÇÐÄVlog’s mission statement.
2. Facilitate continuous networking and information sharing among SIG members. (See section on Allowable Expenditures below for more information)
3. Conduct a virtual annual business meeting every fall.
4. Provide a copy of the annual business meeting minutes to ÌÇÐÄVlog and upload to the SIG Community within sixty (60) days of the meeting
5. Elect Officers according to the stated process (see SIG Election for the election process)
6. Create and distribute a minimum of 2 newsletters per year
7. Identify and find a presenter and schedule a minimum of 1 webinar per year
8. Officers will assist to fill open positions during each election through outreach and nominations
9. Solicit, organize, and select presentations for the annual convention
10. Provide up-to-date SIG-related content for the ÌÇÐÄVlog website and The Language Educator magazine
11. SIGs may not undertake or participate in any outside projects without ÌÇÐÄVlog’s approval and any participation must be listed as ÌÇÐÄVlog [SIG NAME] SIG
    • SIGs may not collaborate or enter into a partnership with outside organizations without ÌÇÐÄVlog’s approval and knowledge
    • The SIG and ÌÇÐÄVlog logo and name may not be used without ÌÇÐÄVlog’s approval and permission
    • SIGs may not create social media accounts or external websites on behalf of the SIG. Any such existing accounts must be deleted.
12. All SIG officers must be current active members of ÌÇÐÄVlog and members of the SIG for the entire duration of their term. Those who do not maintain an active membership will be asked to step down, and a special election to fill the spot will occur.

IV. SIG Officers and Duties

1. Chair
   1. Term: One-year
   2. Duties: Solicit, organize and select presentations for the annual convention, assist the SIG in articulating and disseminating its issues and concerns to ÌÇÐÄVlog, chair the SIG’s annual business meeting and act as the liaison between the SIG and ÌÇÐÄVlog staff. The Chair will roll into Past-Chair after one-year.
2. Vice-Chair
   1. Term: One-year
   2. Duties: Coordinate communication efforts (via email/Community, etc.), assist the Chair, as appropriate. The Vice-Chair will roll into Chair after one-year.
3. Secretary
   1. Term: Two-year
   2. Duties: Prepare the minutes of the SIG Annual Business meeting, receive the session proposals and manage the proposal review process for the SIG. Officers in the Secretary position may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms.
4. Past-Chair
   1. Term: One-year
   2. Duties: Solicit nominations and prepare a slate of officers (Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary) from within the SIG membership. Responsible for preparing the required information to conduct the online elections as noted in the Election Guidelines.

SIG officer nominations will be held annually for the following positions:

1. Secretary
2. Vice-Chair

After the period of one year, the Vice-Chair will automatically assume the role of Chair, and then past-Chair (serving a total of three years as an Officer) This will bring the total number of officers up to a minimum of 4 officers per group

The role of Secretary will not automatically roll into Vice-Chair, those wishing to apply as Vice-Chair would need to do it once their term is over. The roll of Secretary will be on a two-year basis as currently.

SIG Election Guidelines

To reach the widest audience of SIG members, a mandate of holding SIG Officer Elections online went into effect on 1/1/2013.

• Calls for nominations for candidates will be posted on each SIG Community and emailed out to members.
• Each candidate must submit a bio/vision statement of 250 words or less and describe their connection to the SIG’s mission. For example, have they attended a SIG webinar, have they been to Convention, what SIG activities have they taken part of (outside of being a member).
• ÌÇÐÄVlog will set up and send out a voting link to SIG members, and will monitor and provide the current Officers with the submitted nominations.
• Elections will be open for online voting for a two-week period.
  • If there is a vacant position and no nominations submitted:
    • A post-convention online election can be conducted.
    • Solicit nomination at the business meeting.
    • Provide ÌÇÐÄVlog with candidate bio/vision statements: 250 words or less. Submissions must be received any time between post-convention and December 15. This allows for the online election to occur and the newly elected officer(s) to take office on January 1.

V. ÌÇÐÄVlog Responsibilities

To support SIGs throughout the year ÌÇÐÄVlog staff supports the SIG Officers as they perform the duties of their office. This support includes, but is not limited to the following requirements:

• Designate a staff member to act as the liaison with each the Officers and provide staff support to the SIG activities.
• Maintain all SIG membership and budget records.
• Provide the Officers with a regular membership roster and budget reports.
• Establish and maintain continuous communication vehicles for each SIG.
• Provide space in two (2) issues per year of The Language Educator for SIG information.
• Post SIG information to the ÌÇÐÄVlog website as needed throughout the year.
• Conduct a yearly SIG officers meeting at the Annual Convention.
• Invite SIG officers to the Assembly of Delegates.
• Facilitate information sharing between ÌÇÐÄVlog and SIG leaders throughout the year.
• Distribute, as directed, SIG information to SIG members (by printed and electronic means).
• Provide, as available, space at the ÌÇÐÄVlog Annual Convention for SIG activities.
• Provide SIGs with all logos, templates, and graphics for use in connection with SIG activities. SIGs are not allowed to generate their own graphic look and feel distinct from that which ÌÇÐÄVlog Marketing provides.

VI. Budgets

Special Interest Groups are allocated an annual budget based on the number of total SIG members on July 1 as follows:

• 250 members or less - $500
• 251-400 members - $750
• 401-500 member - $1,000
• More than 500 members - $1,500

Fiscal Year

ÌÇÐÄVlog operates on a July 1-June 30 fiscal year. SIG budget funds not expended during the period for which they were approved will return to ÌÇÐÄVlog’s general fund; funds may not be held over for use in a subsequent year.

Allowable Expenditures

Below is a list of acceptable ways to spend SIG funds. To avoid any confusion, no commitments for the expenditure of funds should be made by the SIG until approved in advance by ÌÇÐÄVlog. If you have a question about something that is not on this list, contact membership@actfl.org.

Annual Convention

1. Invited Speaker honoraria/travel – not to exceed $500 per speaker; original receipts are required in the case of travel reimbursement. ÌÇÐÄVlog members do not qualify for travel reimbursement/honoraria.
2. Convention Stipends – limited to five $100 awards per Convention ($500 maximum). Recipients of an ÌÇÐÄVlog First-Timer, BIPOC or, New Teacher stipend award are not eligible to receive a SIG Convention Stipend. Recipients must be first-time Convention attendees and may win a maximum of one stipend per year. SIGs must verify attendee status with ÌÇÐÄVlog prior to notifying applicants.
3. Raffles – for ÌÇÐÄVlog membership and ÌÇÐÄVlog Bookstore certificates; not to exceed a total of $500 per convention.
4. Special recognition plaques – ÌÇÐÄVlog will present each outgoing SIG Chair with a special recognition plaque. The cost of this plaque will not come out of individual SIG budgets. If a SIG would like to order additional officer plaques, these will need to come out of the budget.

Special Projects/Other

1. Purchase of reports and/or publications – pertinent and beneficial to the SIG and its members; must be approved by ÌÇÐÄVlog staff.
2. Research stipends – ÌÇÐÄVlog SIGs may offer honorariums or grants for completed research. Any funding of future or current research would need to be in conjunction with ÌÇÐÄVlog Research Priorities. SIG officers are not eligible for research stipends.
3. Webinar honorariums – SIG officers may offer an honorarium of up to $500 per webinar, total. Current ÌÇÐÄVlog board members and current SIG Officers are not eligible to receive honorariums.
4. SIG specific awards – SIGs may create their own awards with guidance and approval from ÌÇÐÄVlog. SIG awards may not conflict with the ÌÇÐÄVlog Professional Awards, all criteria and eligibility must be approved by ÌÇÐÄVlog prior to announcement. Award winners should contribute a tangible benefit for the group, such as a newsletter article or webinar.

Expenses that fall outside of one of the above categories must be submitted along with a short explanation of the expense and how it will help the SIG achieve its goals.

VII. SIG Dissolution

To avoid dissolution, SIGs must maintain the following criteria:

1. SIGs that fail to maintain one hundred (100) members for the FY will also enter probationary status for one (1) year. If after one (1) year the SIG does not have one hundred (100) members, the SIG will be dissolved.
   • With the exception of SIGs in candidacy status –SIGs cannot have fewer than 100 members for 2 consecutive years after their candidacy period is complete
2. Officer Vacancies
   • If a mid-year vacancy occurs for one of the following positions (Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary), the SIG has one (1) month to fill the position. This may be done either by:
   1. A current officer assuming the vacant position, in addition to their current position (for a total of no more than two (2) positions)
      1. With the exception of the same individual holding both the Chair and Vice-Chair positions
   2. By holding a special election

• If no nominations are received during annual elections for any position, the role may be filled either by:

• i. A current officer assuming the vacant position, in addition to their current position (for a total of no more than two (2) positions)
  • With the exception of the same individual holding both the Chair and Vice-Chair positions
• ii. By holding a special election

• If an officer position is left vacant for more than one (1) month, the SIG will be dissolved.

3. SIGs must provide the below each year. If any of the below are not provided, the SIG will be dissolved.

• Distribute two (2) newsletters
• Host one (1) webinar
• Hold one (1) business meeting
• Provide a copy of the annual business meeting minutes to ÌÇÐÄVlog staff within sixty (60) calendar days
• Submit an annual report