Bylaws of the Boaz Charter

ARTICLE I – Organization

The organization shall be known as the Boaz Charter of the Ruffians Motorcycle Club, henceforth known as the Charter, Charter, or Boaz.  The Charter shall be incorporated as a non-profit in the state of Maryland as “Boaz – Ruffians MC” and shall be registered with the IRS as a not-for-profit entity known as “Boaz – Ruffians MC”.

ARTICLE II – Objective

Charitable Activity

The charter shall operate as a charitable organization by contributing annual financial support to non-profit masonic, veteran, or children’s organizations, annually.  Each donation will be a minimum of $500 and will be presented and/or sent to the recipient organization prior to the end of November of the same calendar year.  The recipient organization will be chosen by a majority of members present (or virtually present) at the June meeting each year. 

ARTICLE III – Membership

DUES and FEES

Fees and Dues are non-refundable except where explicitly described in the bylaws, despite any change in status with the club, whether by choice or by vote.

Full Patch Members

  • In 2025 dues are $20/month.  Starting in 2026, dues are $26/month, increasing each year by $1/month.
  • A member paying 11 months of dues at any one time will get credit for 12 months.
  • Dues include up to $200 per member per calendar year to be spent on a Club or Charter event as determined by the Charter.

Prospects

  • Application fee shall be $100.00 and is non-refundable.
  • Monthly dues are the same as members’ dues and are refundable if the Prospect does not make Full Patch status.
  • Club or Charter event expenses shall be paid by the Prospect during the prospect period and for six months after being patched.

Hang-Arounds and Guests

  • No fees are required.
  • No dues are required.
  • Club or Charter event expenses shall be paid by the attendee.

ARTICLE IV – Officers

Terms of Office

The terms of office for the elected officers of the Charter shall be two years. The President and Vice President cannot serve in the same position for consecutive terms except when they have served less than one year filling in for someone who resigned or was removed.

  • Exemption – The President can only be removed by a vote of no confidence or a resignation of his office. In either case the current Vice President will become the President.
  • Multiple terms can be served by P or VP by a unanimous vote of ALL charter members.

Upon full charter status, elections will be held for all offices and those serving during the probationary period will be deemed interim and can stand for office again.

ARTICLE V – Meetings and Runs

Meetings

At a minimum, meetings shall be the first Sunday of every month. The time of the meetings shall be 10am ET.  The location of the meeting shall be determined by the Charter at the end of the regularly scheduled meeting for the next month. The date and time of a regular Charter meeting may be adjusted by a vote of the Charter no later than the prior regular meeting.

Virtual attendance does not count towards attendance requirements to maintain membership without unanimous approval by the Charter’s Executive Committee for each occurrence.

Moose Run

Moose run will be attended by at least 1 member in accordance with Article IX of the Ruffian MC Constitution.

Charter Runs

At least three Quarterly Runs will be held in a destination that will allow as many members to attend as possible. These runs will be decided by the executive committee and will be highly encouraged for all members of the Charter that can attend. Destination will be announced 3 months prior upon executive decision.

ARTICLE VI – Conduct and Discipline

Failure to meet the expectations of a patched member results in:
1st occurrence – counsel by the Charter’s Executive Committee.
2nd occurrence – discipline of member including center punched cut (removal of center patch) and loss of voting privileges in church until resolved to Charter’s Executive Committee satisfaction
3rd occurrence – expulsion from the club – refer to Constitution Article VII

ARTICLE VII – Apparel and Regalia

(No Charter Specific Bylaws for this Article)

ARTICLE VIII – Charters

(No Charter Specific Bylaws for this Article)

ARTICLE IX – Combined Executive Committee

Combined Executive Committee

The Charter will participate in the Combined Executive Committee of all Ruffian Charters by the following officers (or their proxy) participating:

  • Founding + 1 charter / Founding + 2 charters: President and Vice President 
  • Founding + 3 or more charters: President

ARTICLE X – Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended by the charter by a majority vote of the members.

Proposed Amendment Process

Proposed amendments to these bylaws may be made by any member of the charter in good standing.

Consideration of Amendments

Proposals for amendments to the bylaws will be considered at a regular monthly meeting or during a special meeting of the charter.  Proposed amendments may not violate the Constitution of the Ruffians Motorcycle Club.  In any conflict between the Constitution and these bylaws, the Constitution will govern.

Submission Requirements

Proposals should be submitted in writing at least 30 days prior to a scheduled monthly meeting for consideration.  If all members cast a vote (not via proxy) and the vote is unanimous, an amendment may be accepted without a 30-day waiting period.

Bylaws Committee

The charter president may appoint a Bylaws Committee comprised of at least three patched members, empowered to periodically review the bylaws, propose amendments, and review proposals for amendments.

ARTICLE XII – LIABILITY

This Charter of the Ruffians Motorcycle Club accepts no responsibility or liability for the actions of any of its members or the actions of any other Charter or organization.

Article XIII – Dissolution

Dissolution of the Charter

In the instance that this Charter is entirely disbanded, by decision of unanimous vote of this Charter or unanimous vote of the Ruffians Combined Executive Committee, all the Charter’s assets remaining after the resolution of any outstanding debts or other financial obligations shall be surrendered to the “Founding Charter” as explained in the Ruffians MC Constitution.

Initial bylaws of the charter

(Editor’s Note: These bylaws are to be followed in conjunction with the Constitution of the Ruffians Motorcycle Club)