Triangle SinC Bylaws
Effective November 17, 2025
SISTERS IN CRIME, INC.
Raising professionalism and achieving equity among crime writers
SISTERS IN CRIME, INC.
Raising professionalism and achieving equity among crime writers
ARTICLE I Name and Seal
Section 1. The name of this chapter shall be Sisters in Crime of the Triangle (Triangle SinC). Its seal shall be a design adopted by its Executive Committee, as approved by Sisters in Crime (SinC) National. Its principal location shall be Raleigh, North Carolina.
ARTICLE II Vision, Mission and Core Values of Triangle-SinC are consistent with those of SinC National:
Vision: SinC sets standards for itself, its members, and the crime writing community. Through advocacy, programming, and leadership, SinC empowers and supports all crime writers regardless of genre or position on their career trajectory.
Mission: Sisters in Crime was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers.
Core Values: SinC’s core values are intrinsic to our organization’s identity and are reflected in every decision, action, program, and communication we undertake.
SinC’s core values are:
Advocacy: Championing our mission, vision, and members.
Equity: Ensuring fair and just practices and policies that enable all members to thrive, participate, and succeed.
Inclusion: Actively, intentionally, and continually creating an environment where every member is valued, respected, and has a sense of belonging.
Community: Fostering a community where differences are valued, everyone feels accepted and free to express their authentic selves, and individual needs are acknowledged and respected. Our community embraces everyone, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, age, religion, disability, neurodiversity, national origin, citizenship, socioeconomic status, educational background, publishing path, or chosen genre.
ARTICLE III Membership: Membership in Triangle SinC is open to all persons worldwide who have an interest in crime and mystery writing and in furthering the purposes of Sisters in Crime, Inc., as defined in Article II. Members must belong to SinC, and pay chapter dues.
ARTICLE IV General Management:
Section 1. The general management, control, and direction of the affairs, funds, and property of Triangle SinC shall be vested in the chapter’s “Executive Committee.”
Section 2. No part of the net earnings of Triangle SinC shall inure to the benefit of any member, director, or officer of the organization, or to any private individual. Reasonable compensation may be paid for services rendered to, or for, Triangle SinC (subject to the provisions of Article VI).
Section 3. If there is a cash surplus at the end of the fiscal year, it shall be retained in the treasury of Triangle SinC to be used to further the purposes of the organization.
Section 4. No part of the activities of the Triangle SinC shall be the carrying on of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation. The chapter shall not participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office (including the publishing or distribution of statements).
Section 5. Triangle SinC will obtain approval for logos, anthologies, chapter name changes, and by-law changes from SinC National before moving forward with such logos, anthologies, name changes, and by-law changes.
ARTICLE V Officers (the “Executive Committee”):
Section 1. The officers of Triangle SinC shall be a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. They shall be members of both SinC and Triangle SinC. These officers shall constitute the Executive Committee. The Secretary and Treasurer may be elected or appointed by the Executive Committee as meets the needs of the chapter.
The President and Vice-President are elected for one-year terms, and may serve for two years. Triangle SinC shall make every effort to limit the terms of the President and Vice President positions to no more than two continuous years; however, if an electronic polling of the membership reveals no new candidates for these roles, Triangle SinC may exceed the two-year rule. If the same member serves in the President and/or Vice President role for more than four continuous years, Triangle SinC shall seek approval from the National Board.
Votes, which may be collected by email, shall be tabulated and recorded by the Secretary or other designated member if an election includes the incumbent secretary.
Section 2. The President shall preside at (or delegate a representative to) all membership meetings and call and preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee. The President sets goals and responsibilities, serves as an ad hoc member of any standing committees, polls members on major decisions, keeps members informed, serves as group spokesperson, acts as liaison with other Sisters in Crime, Inc. chapters or related organizations, plans special events, and performs such other duties as the Executive Committee may determine.
Section 3. The Vice President shall substitute for the responsibilities detailed in Section 2 if the President is unable to fulfill said responsibilities, attend Executive Committee meetings, and may act as chairperson for a special event.
Section 4. The Secretary shall take minutes at all general membership and Executive Committee meetings, handle correspondence in coordination with the President, keep a file of publications and publicity materials, and perform other duties as directed by the Executive Committee, including maintaining a membership roster and information on the chapter’s website. The Secretary and/or the Membership Chair, as designated by the chapter, shall be responsible for verifying and maintaining the chapter’s membership list on the SinC National website, unless the chapter becomes part of the National dues project. In that case, the chapter will receive real time updates as members renew and their membership will be immediately updated on the SinC National site. Accordingly, the Secretary and/or the Membership Chair will still need to maintain the chapter’s own updated chapter list using the information provided by National.
Section 5. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all financial matters of Triangle SinC, including the collection of dues and other income and payment of expenses, maintaining bank account(s), keeping accurate financial accounts, handling IRS filings, and preparing and submitting a financial statement whenever requested by the Executive Committee or general membership. The Treasurer, or any person designated by the Executive Committee, may make disbursements from the treasury as authorized by a majority vote of the Executive Committee and/or general membership.
Section 6. Should there be a vacancy in the Presidency at any time, the Vice President shall succeed to the Presidency and shall serve until the next annual election. Any other vacancy of an office shall be filled by a vote of the Executive Committee. The successor shall hold office until the next annual election.
Section 7. None of the officers of Triangle SinC or any other members of the Executive Committee will receive a salary or compensation for services rendered except for reasonable reimbursement of expenses incurred with their service on behalf of the chapter.
Section 8. EXPULSION OF OFFICERS. Officers can be impeached locally for dereliction of duty or malfeasance by a majority vote of the general membership.
If it is alleged that the officer is in violation of the SinC Code of Conduct, the protocols of SinC National will be followed. See Article VI, Section 9 of SinC National Bylaws, Expulsion of Officers, 2022_sinc_national_bylaws.pdf.
For local dereliction of duty or malfeasance, a general membership vote can be taken in person or by proxy at a regularly scheduled or special meeting, provided that at least 10 days’ notice of the matter under consideration has been sent to the membership. The expulsion process includes the following steps:
- Notification: The officer will be notified in writing of the local dereliction of duty or malfeasance charge(s) and by whom the charges were made. A copy of the charge(s) will also be filed with the Executive Committee.
- Investigation: A committee of three or more members, none of whom are on the Executive Committee, chaired, if possible, by a former president or other officer of Triangle SinC, will investigate the charges. This committee will be selected by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.
- Hearing: If the investigation committee finds merit in the charge by a majority vote, a hearing will be held. The hearing will be conducted in a manner that allows the accused officer(s) ample opportunity to present a defense.
- Recommendation: If the investigating committee recommends expulsion by a two-thirds vote, notification of the call for expulsion will be sent to all members, along with a statement summarizing the investigating committee’s recommendations.
- Final Vote: The membership will vote on the impeachment of the officer(s) at the next membership meeting, after a full and open hearing of both sides.
ARTICLE VI Committees:
Section 1. Standing Committees shall be established by the Executive Committee as needed. Chairs of the Standing Committees shall be appointed by the Executive Committee from the membership. Chairs shall serve at the pleasure of the Executive Committee.
Standing committees and their chairs may include:
- Membership Committee: This committee is responsible for keeping a computerized spreadsheet or list of all members or maintaining a member management system. Duties may include ensuring the payment of annual chapter dues, updating current contact information, confirming membership in SinC National, and maintaining the chapter’s group listing on the SinC website if necessary. Duties may include ensuring the payment of annual chapter dues, updating current contact information, and confirming membership in SinC National. A Membership Committee member or the Secretary, as designated by the chapter, shall maintain the chapter’s group listing on the SinC website. If the chapter elects to participate in a SinC National dues collection program, the chapter will receive real time updates as members renew and their membership will be immediately updated on the SinC National site. Accordingly, this committee will still need to maintain its own updated chapter list using the information provided by National.
- Program Committee: This committee works in conjunction with the chapter’s President and/or Executive Committee to plan the chapter’s program meetings, workshops, and speaker or author-support at book signing events.
- Publicity/Media Committee: This committee submits chapter news to the SinC National newsletter, writes a chapter newsletter on an ad hoc basis if desired, conducts media outreach and/or responds to media inquiries, keeps a record of member authors’ published work, updates information on the chapter website, maintains chapter information on social media websites, assists with advertising chapter meetings, and maintains the chapter website.
ARTICLE VII Meetings:
Section 1. Triangle SinC shall meet at a designated location or online on a schedule as determined by the Executive Committee. Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with the parliamentary procedure prescribed by the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order or by any other generally accepted procedure agreed upon by the Executive Committee and announced to the members.
Section 2. Executive Committee meetings may be held when and where the Executive Committee determines, either in person, by proxy, or by conference call or other media access. A quorum of at least three-fourths of the Committee members must be present.
ARTICLE VIII Elections and Nominations:
Section 1. Officer election will take place at a specifically designated time each year. Triangle SinC will conduct its election in December and change chapter governance by installing new officers in January. The vote can be conducted by secret ballot, by a show of hands, or by electronic voting. The votes will be tabulated by someone who is not up for election. Only members may vote. In the event of a tie, a run-off election will be held.
Section 2. There are two ways to gather candidates:
- Members can suggest candidates to the Executive Committee, which will prepare a slate of nominees.
- The board may form a nominating committee of one to three people, none of whom would appear on the ballot, to recruit nominees.
ARTICLE IX Dues:
Section 1. Every member shall pay chapter dues annually. The amount of chapter dues is determined by the Executive Committee. If a member joins in the tenth calendar month or later, dues will also cover the following year.
Section 2. Members of Triangle SinC are also required to be members of SinC. SinC’s organizational dues are collected directly by SinC. Collection of these dues is not the responsibility of the chapter, but the chapter is responsible for confirming that SinC dues have been paid before an individual can be deemed a member of Triangle SinC.
ARTICLE X Discipline:
Section 1. NON-PAYMENT OF DUES. Chapter membership may be terminated if National dues have not been paid as required and if chapter dues have not been paid when the chapter payment is due.
Section 2. MISCONDUCT. "Misconduct" is defined as conduct inimical or harmful to the purposes and/or good repute of Sisters in Crime, Inc. An allegation of misconduct must be submitted to SinC National to be handled according to SinC National protocols. See Article XIV, Section 2, Misconduct, in SinC National Bylaws, 2022_sinc_national_bylaws.pdf.
ARTICLE XI Bylaws and Amendments:
Section 1. These bylaws shall constitute the bylaws pro tem of Triangle SinC upon approval by the Executive Committee and shall continue as bylaws pro tem until amended and/or approved by a majority of the membership at a regular meeting or by electronic voting. Bylaws shall be distributed to the members of Triangle SinC thirty (30) days prior to a chapter meeting, accompanied by an announcement that a vote on the bylaws will take place at that meeting. Approval of the bylaws require an affirmative vote of a majority of the members participating in the vote.
Section 2. Proposals to amend the bylaws must be authorized by the Executive Committee or be presented to the Secretary over the signature of 20 percent of the membership. To be effective, an amendment to the bylaws must be distributed to all members and follow the voting approval process outlined above.
Section 3. The amended bylaws must be approved by SinC National before the members vote on approval.
ARTICLE XII Dissolution:
Section 1. Triangle SinC will be dissolved only after such a proposal has been accepted by three-fourths of the Executive Committee and notice has been distributed to the membership and to SinC National. Voting on the proposal shall take place at a monthly meeting or at a special meeting called by the Executive Committee. Such voting shall be done by the members in person, electronically, or by proxy. Approval to dissolve the chapter requires a two-thirds affirmative vote by the members who participate in the voting.
Section 2. Upon dissolution of Triangle SinC, its property and assets shall be distributed as follows:
- All liabilities and obligations of the chapter shall be paid, satisfied, and discharged, or adequate provision made hereafter.
- Assets held by the chapter requiring return, transfer, or conveyance, which condition occurs by reason of the dissolution, shall be returned, transferred, or conveyed in accordance with such requirements.
- Any remaining assets shall be distributed to tax-exempt entities whose mission is compatible with those of Triangle SinC. These institutions may be proposed by the Executive Committee but must be approved by two-thirds (2/3) vote by those members present in person or by proxy at a special meeting held for the purpose, and with approval by national SinC.
Section 4. If Triangle SinC is not in compliance with SinC National requirements (e.g., the annual chapter survey, maintaining communication with SinC National through email or other direct communications, meeting the minimum standards of being a chapter in good standing as per the SinC Chapter Handbook), SinC National may revoke their chapter charter. If that happens, Triangle SinC, through its members and/or Executive Committee, has thirty days to appeal the decision.
ARTICLE XIII Rules of Procedure and Parliamentary Authority:
Section 1. Any policies or procedures not contrary to law or to these bylaws may be approved or amended by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. A record of such policies and procedures will be kept by the Secretary or the Secretary’s designee. Notification of policy or procedural changes will be sent to members in the next regular mailing, announced at the next regular meeting, or published in the chapter’s newsletter.
Section 2. All meetings of Triangle SinC and its Executive Committee will be conducted in accordance with the parliamentary procedures described in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, or by another generally accepted procedure agreed upon by the Executive Committee and announced to the members.
ARTICLE XIV Repeal of Prior Bylaws
These Bylaws constitute the entire Bylaws of Triangle SinC. All previous Bylaws adopted by the chapter are hereby repealed.
ATTACHMENT TO THE BYLAWS
In the event of misconduct as described in Article X, Section 2 of these bylaws, the following confidentiality agreement will apply.
CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT ATTESTATION
I, ________________________, hereby attest to my understanding that all information, communication and/or documentation obtained in the course of the investigation of __________________________ shall be considered STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. I further agree I shall not disclose, distribute or discuss to/with anyone other than the _________________ Committee members and/or legal representatives specifically involved in the investigation, or as required by a Court or other appropriate legal process, any information, communication and/or documentation provided, received and/or otherwise associated with the investigation.
I further agree and attest to my understanding that in the event that I fail to abide by the terms of this Confidentiality Agreement, that such disclosure would be, in and of itself, a material and serious violation of the Code of Conduct and that I may be subject to disciplinary action by Sisters in Crime for such improper disclosure.
SIGNED this _____ day of ___________________, 20___.
Signature: _______________________________
Printed Name: _______________________________
Address: _______________________________
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