The Constitution of the PRSJ

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OF JAMAICA. (PRSJ)

ARTICLE 1 - NAME.
The name of the organisation shall be the PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OF JAMAICA (PRSJ)

ARTICLE 11 - OBJECTIVES.
The aims and objects of the Public Relations Society of Jamaica shall be:
a) To encourage the understanding and current theories and procedures in the practice of Public Relations and its role in Marketing Communications.
b) To promote the development of Public Relations practice as a profession in Jamaica.
c) To seek national acceptance and recognition of Public Relations practice as a profession
d) To establish and protect the code of professional standards which shall apply and be adhered to in the practice of Public Relations in Jamaica.
e) To act as a forum for the exchange of ideas and dissemination of information among members.
f) To publish and circulate from time to time, books, booklets, pamphlets, leaflets, monographs and other publications and periodicals of professional interest.
g) To seek recognition and affiliation with international organisations of like purpose, wherever these may exist.

ARTICLE 111 - CODES OF STANDARDS.
All members of the Public Relations Society of Jamaica shall acknowledge their responsibility to the profession and know the Society’s vision, mission and value statements. They shall also adhere to the accepted Codes of Ethics and Discipline, which shall govern the practice of Public Relations in Jamaica and shall be a condition of membership in the Society. Members are obliged to obtain these codes and any amendments duly passed in a general meeting of the Society. New members will be issued with an “Instrument of Membership” which they will be required to sign in keeping with their obligation to these codes.

ARTICLE 1V - MEMBERSHIP.
Membership shall comprise practitioners, persons with specialist and or technical skills in various areas of communication as well as students of Public Relations, Communication and Marketing in tertiary institutions, regardless of race, colour, creed, gender, or national origin. Members should be of good standing in their own professional communities wherever they are in the world.
Practitioners shall be the following persons:
1. Public Relations, Corporate Communication and Information Officers in the employ of private organisations
2. Government and Quasi Government Public Relations/ Corporate Communication/Information Officers and Managers.
3. Personnel employed to Advertising and/or Marketing Agencies in the capacity of full-time Public Relations, Corporate Communications or Marketing Communications Counselors
4. Persons who have received certified training from management development institutions and tertiary institutions leading to first and second degrees as well as other post graduate certification; and other recognized accreditation such as International Association of Business Communicators’ IABC designations.
5. Private Public Relations, Corporate Communications and Marketing Communications Counselors operating agencies recognised by the Society.
6. Persons with specialist and or technical skills in various areas of communication including web page designers, content developers, photographers, dramatists, storytellers, publishers, printers, producers, writers, movie/film-makers, and teachers.
7. Employees of overseas missions and /or organisations in Jamaica who perform the duties of Public Relations and Information officers on behalf of other respective missions and /or organisations as well as members who are based overseas.

CLASSES OF MEMBERS.
There shall be seven (7) CLASSES of members in the Society, namely: Full member, Associate member, Visiting member, Student member and Overseas member, Honorary member and Life member.

Full Member: To qualify as a Full Member, a practitioner must immediately prior to the time of application, have been engaged in the practice of Public Relations/ Corporate Communication /Marketing Communications for at least (3) consecutive years. During this time all of his/ her working time must have been devoted to the practice, and who on applying for membership is fully engaged in that area of work. The full member has a voice and a vote at meetings of the Society, and will qualify for all its membership benefits.

Associate Member: To qualify as an Associate Member a practitioner must, immediately prior to the time of application have been engaged in the practice of Public Relations/ Corporate Communication/ Marketing Communications for at least two (2) years, and who on applying for membership is fully engaged in the practice. An Associate Member has a voice and vote at meetings of the Society. An Associate member will qualify for some, but not all of the membership benefits of the Society.
Visiting Member: To qualify as a Visiting Member, a practitioner must be temporarily filling a post in Public Relations/ Corporate Communication/ Marketing Communications in Jamaica and whose tenure in the country does not allow for fulfilling the qualifications of a Full or Associate member. A Visiting member has voice but no vote at meetings of the Society and does not qualify for membership benefits.

Student Member: To qualify as a Student Member, the person must be pursuing undergraduate or graduate study in Public Relations, Corporate Communication or Marketing Communications at a tertiary educational institution, and who plans to pursue this field as a career. The Student Member has a voice but no vote at the meetings of the Society and qualifies for some, but not all the membership benefits of the Society.
Overseas member: To qualify, the Overseas Member, a practitioner, must be filling a post in Public Relations, Corporate Communication, Marketing or Marketing Communications overseas, and wishes to sustain his/her membership while there. The overseas member will continue to have voting privileges.

Life Member : To qualify as a Life Member, the person must have been a former member of the Society, who is deemed to have made outstanding contributions to the Society, as well as to the growth of the Public Relations Profession in Jamaica. The Life member will continue to have voting privileges and qualify for all membership benefits of the Society.
Honorary Member:To qualify as Honorary Member, the member must have recorded outstanding levels of achievement in the society in the field of communication or allied disciplines. These persons need not have previously been members of the PRSJ, and may include non-Jamaicans. Honorary members will not have voting privileges, but will qualify for some membership benefits.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
Membership in the Society shall be by application on a prescribed form. Applications for membership must be endorsed by two Full Members of the Society in good standing, and must be approved by the Executive/ the decision will be communicated to the applicant. Applications for membership must be accompanied by the set application fee, which will be non-refundable.

ARTICLE V - FEES OF THE SOCIETY.
Fees for the Society will be set at each Annual General Meeting. The fees for Full and Associate members will be 40% higher than that of the Visiting Member and 60% higher than that for Student members.
The annual subscription fee is payable in advance and falls due on January 1 of each year. Fees must be paid by March 31 of each year. Members, whose fees are not paid by that time, shall be dropped from the Register of the Society for that year.
The fee structure shall be reviewed bi-annually (every two years.)

ARTICLE VI - OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY.
The Officers of the Society shall be President, First Vice President, Vice President Special Events, Vice President Recruitment and Membership, Vice President Finance, General Secretary, and Assistant General Secretary. The Election of Officers shall take place at the Annual General meeting (AGM). The duly elected officers shall assume their duties of office immediately following the AGM.

DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS.
The President:
- Presides at all Membership and Executive Board meetings- Appoints all Committees- Delegates responsibilities of officers and committees- Directs overall operations of the Society- Recommends and establishes goals and objectives for the Society- Coordinates the functions of all officers and committees; recommends and directs the execution of policies and procedures, together with the specific programmes in the interest of the Society and with the approval of the membership- Secures accurate information on the financial status of the Society.- Maintains contact with Past Presidents, Founders and Advisors and other important stakeholders as determined form time to time.
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First Vice President:
- Is elected to shadow and assist the President- Is entitled to full executive board memberships and voting rights and privileges- Is responsible for the Public Relations of the Society including publications such as the newsletter and accordingly, chairs the Society's Public Relations and Issues Management Committee- Is responsible for duties as described/designated by the President- Is unable to hold another executive board position concurrently- If unable or unwilling to complete the designated term, a resignation letter must be submitted to the President and the Society shall elect a successor as soon as practicable

Vice President Special Events:
- Chairs the Special Events Committee- Supports the Professional Development Committee in planning seminars, workshops, conferences etc- Organises luncheons/dinners and other special events of the Society; including securing keynote speakers, venue, menu choices, coordinating programme, producing invitations etc.- Contacts speakers for General meetings- Obtains meeting rooms, refreshments, gifts for speakers, and introduces speakers at meetings- Makes copies of biography sketches- Maintains and updates the Speakers' List- Fosters relations through PRSJ events with Student/Alumni members.

Vice President Recruitment and Membership:
- Chairs the Recruitment and Membership Committee- Recruits and maintains membership- Creates "new-member packets"- Writes "Member of the Month" articles- Updates and recommends upgrades of members from one category to another based on years of membership- Spearheads the membership benefits programme- Maintains an updated e-mail chain- Keeps track of members’ contact and other pertinent information.

Vice President Finance:
- Coordinates, organises and oversees all fundraising for the Society in conjunction with the Chair of the Special Events Committee
- Works directly with the President and Executive Vice President and heads of all other Committees involved in the handling of funds on behalf of the Society (including the Special Events, Fundraising and Professional Development Committees)
- is responsible for securing accurate information on the financial status of the Society for feedback to the President
- Keeps accurate records of Fundraising activities- submits a monthly financial report- submits an annual financial report- works with designated auditors of the Society in producing the annual financial report of the Society - Collects dues from members once per year- Plans a budget for each Executive Board member- Keeps records of all the Society's spending/billing- Makes deposits in the PRSJ account- Oversees the Budget.

General Secretary:
- Records minutes for all Executive Board Meetings and General meetings,- E-mails minutes, agendas, reports timely to all members,- Gives due notices for members' and Executive meetings- Develops and circulates agendas for meetings to members prior to their being held- Assists in managing the direct mail out and marketing communications programmes of the Society- Manages the e-mail and PO boxes of the Society- Responds to requests communicated via the website.- Keeps PRSJ files organised and updated and where possible using the latest technologies- Purchases the necessary supplies for the organisation,- Keep attendance records.- Requests reports from all committees and assists the President in the compilation and dissemination of the annual reports for the Society.

Assistant General Secretary:
- Assists the General Secretary in his/her duties.- Assumes the duties of the General Secretary in his/her absence.- Is responsible for the website - creates, and maintains the website layout, design and content,- Responds to feedback from the website,- Corresponds with website users.

THE EXECUTIVE
The Executive of the Society shall be comprised of the Officers of the Society, together with up to three Past Presidents inclusive of the Immediate Past President of the Society. The Executive shall have powers of co-option.

ARTICLE VII -THE ETHICS AND DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE
The three Past Presidents named to the Executive shall also serve on the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee. The President shall appoint one of the three Past Presidents from the Executive to serve as Chairman of the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee. This Committee shall be convened as necessary and promulgate such rules and regulations as it deems appropriate for the codes of ethics and discipline for the Society to be upheld. Should a disciplinary or ethical issue arise involving any member of the Committee then the affected member will be required to demit office pending the investigations and/hearings. The President or Committee Chairman who-ever is applicable under the circumstances shall then co-opt another Past President to the Committee.

ARTICLE VIII - MEETINGS.
A.) Regular Meetings.
Regular meetings of the Society shall be held monthly. Meetings may be held physically (all at one venue, face to face) or electronically, using the available technologies.
B) Annual General Meetings.
The Annual General meeting of the Society shall be held in January and no later than March of each year. At least 21 days notice shall be given in writing, prior to the holding of an Annual General Meeting. Meetings may be held physically (all at one venue, face to face) or electronically, using the available technologies.
C) Special General Meeting.
The Executive shall be duty bound to summon a Special General meeting within twenty-eight (28) days following receipt of a request for the holding of a Special General meeting. The request must, however be signed by at least 2/3rds of the total voting membership of the Society. All members signing the request must be in good standing. Requests for the holding of the Special General Meeting must contain the matters to be discussed. The General Manager/Secretary shall communicate to members the matters to be discussed at a Special General Meeting. No matters other than those specified in the notice of the Special General Meeting shall be discussed at a Special General Meeting. However, a Special General Meeting may also be called by the Executive to elect officers to fill vacancies on the Executive, which may occur during the current term.
Meetings may be held physically (all at one venue, face to face) or electronically, using the available technologies.

D) Executive Meetings.
The Executive Committee of the Society shall meet at least once per month. Members of the Executive missing three (3) consecutive meetings of the executive committee without acceptable excuses shall automatically lose their seat on the Executive for the current year.
Meetings may be held physically (all at one venue, face to face) or electronically, using the available technologies.

QUORUM
a) For the Annual General and Special General Meetings. The quorum for these meetings shall be at least twenty percent (20%) of total membership in good standing.
If after 45 minutes a quorum is not attained then the meeting shall be adjourned for another date giving due notice. If at that meeting after half an hour the quorum is not obtained, the meeting shall be duly constituted.
b) For Regular Meetings. The quorum shall be at least 20% of total membership.
If after half an hour the quorum is not obtained, the meeting shall be duly constituted.
c) For Executive Committee Meetings. The quorum for Executive Committee Meetings shall be four (4) persons; at least two of whom shall be officers.
If at after half an hour the quorum is not obtained, the meeting shall be duly constituted.

VOTING.
Proxy Voting: Each member of the Society in good standing shall be entitled to one vote either in person, by proxy or electronically. Any member entitled to attend and vote at a meeting of the Society shall be entitled to appoint another member in writing as his proxy to attend and vote instead of him. The proxy appointed to attend and vote instead of a member shall also have the same right as a member to speak at the meeting.

Electronic Voting: Voting may take place electronically providing that the voting can be authenticated. Voting at all meetings shall be either by a show of hands or may also be by ballots if a motion requesting voting by ballots is passed, on a simple majority by members attending a particular meeting.

All matters excepting amendments to the Constitution shall be passed on a simple majority. The Chairman of all meetings shall have an original and casting vote. Full, Associate, and Student Members shall have a vote at meetings of the Society.

ARTICLE IX. - AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.
The Constitution may be amended only at an Annual General Meeting, or a Special General Meeting called specifically for that purpose. Amendments may be ratified by a simple majority of the members present provided that the amendment shall have been proposed and circulated at least one month (4 weeks) prior to the time of voting.

ARTICLE X - THE FUNDS OF THE SOCIETY.
The Funds of the Society shall be lodged to the account of the Society in a recognised financial institution. Funds are disbursable on the joint signature of the Vice President Finance and either the President, First Vice President or General Secretary of the Society. The Executive may from time to time invest the funds of the Society in short-term securities. Long -term investments must be previously approved at a General Meeting of the Society.

Financial Statement: An audited financial report shall be presented to the Annual General Meeting. Auditors shall be appointed at the AGM.
ARTICLE XI - TRUSTEES.

Two trustees shall be appointed from the general membership of the Society. Trustees will serve initially for a period of three years, but may be re-elected to serve for up to five consecutive years. The trustees will be given control or powers of administration in trust to administer it for the purposes specified by the elected Executive of the Society.


ARTICLE X1I- DISSOLUTION
The Society can be dissolved at a special general meeting by a majority of ¾ of the members present in good standing. Surplus funds of the Society should be used to settle all outstanding debts. Any surplus funds remaining will be donated to a charity to be determined by a majority vote of ¾ of the members present in good standing.
First drafted: September 9,1980. Redrafted: November -December 11,2002. EC/ec/acb.Redrafted December 29, 2002- acbRedrafted January 8, 2002-acbRedrafted February 17, 2003-acb