Membership (Dues), Elections & Appointments, Duties of Officeholders (Oath of Office), Committees (Judiciary), Student Chapters, Records, Special Programs, Harassment Policy, Honors & Recognitions, Planning Calendar, Copyright & Licensing, Purchase of Alcoholic Beverages, Expenses, Investments, Amendments
In families with more than one NPPA member, a second membership may be purchased in conjunction with a fully paid Professional Membership at the same residential address. This membership provides both individuals with all of the privileges and benefits of a Professional Membership, but only one copy of News Photographer magazine will be mailed to the home.
Application for membership must be submitted to the national office with the first year’s dues. NPPA dues run for 12 months from the payment processing date. Qualification for membership, as well as the classification of membership, is subject to approval. Questions may be referred to the Membership Committee or Judiciary Committee as appropriate.
Domestic Professional (US & Canada) -- $110
Family Membership (US & Canada) -- $170 (1 professional + 1 family member)
International Professional -- $125 (magazine delivered by surface mail)
International Airmail Professional -- $180 (magazine delivered by air mail)
Student Member (US & Canada) -- $65
Retired Member (US & Canada) -- $65
Eligible voters include all active Professional Members, Student Members, Retired Professional Members and Life Members.
All Elected Board Members shall be elected for a term of three (3) years. Each year, two (2) positions on the Board of Directors shall come up for election. The national membership shall be notified in advance, by any suitable means including publication on the NPPA website, that nominations for these positions shall be accepted from October 1 to October 15. Nominations shall be received by the Governance Committee, who shall supervise all election activities. They shall verify the eligibility of the nominee. To be eligible for election to the Board of Directors, a member must be an NPPA Professional or Student Member in good standing prior to being nominated.
Candidates are entitled to submit a photograph and biographical material, which shall be posted on the NPPA website by the end of October.
No space in any NPPA-branded publication (website, newsletter, social media, etc.) shall be used to endorse any candidate. The NPPA will provide space for all candidates to express their qualifications and positions. Any conflict of interest, or appearance of conflict of interest, is prohibited. If the Governance Committee determines that a violation has occurred, the Governance Committee shall disqualify the candidate. Ballots cast for that candidate shall be voided. The Governance Committee shall notify the electorate and explain the disqualification.
Election of the Elected Directors shall be conducted by secret electronic ballot. Secret mail ballots shall be made available upon request by the eligible voter to the National Office. The National Secretary and National Office shall prepare and make available the ballots with the names of all eligible candidates, as well as blanks for write-in candidates. Ballots shall be available to eligible voters on November 15. To be counted, an electronic ballot must be submitted on or before November 30. Mailed ballots must be received by the National Office on or before November 30. The Executive Director shall count the ballots and notify the Governance and Executive Committees of the election results.
The two candidates receiving the highest plurality of votes cast shall be elected as the Elected Directors. Each Elected Director shall be declared elected as soon as the votes are counted, shall assume duties January 1, shall be sworn in at the next Annual Meeting, and shall hold office until a successor is elected.
Each year in November, one Student Representative shall be appointed to a one-year term by the Student Committee Chair. The appointee must be a Student Member in good standing for at least one year prior to being appointed. The Student Representative will advocate for the interests of the NPPA student chapters, visual journalism schools, and the student NPPA members to the Board of Directors. They shall be given equal opportunity to attend Board meetings, give a formal report of student matters, and participate in debate and discussion.
The National President and Vice-President, who serve one-year terms, shall be elected at the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors. The National Secretary, who serves a two-year term, shall be elected at the Annual Meeting of the Board in even-numbered years. The National Treasurer, who serves a two-year term, shall be elected on the odd-numbered year. In the event a President is re-elected, the Immediate Past President would then serve another term. Should the Immediate Past President opt not to serve another term, nominations would be opened for another Past President to serve the term instead.
Nominations for National Officers shall be accepted in writing by the Past President for thirty (30) days preceding the election until the time of the election. Nominations may come from members of the Board of Directors, or any life, professional or student NPPA member who has been in good standing for at least one year.
Election shall be by plurality vote on a secret ballot. All vote tallies will become part of the records of NPPA. The President shall appoint a pollster to collect and count all secret ballots at the Annual Meeting [as described in Bylaws]. This person shall not be a voting member of the Board, a National Officer or candidate for office. The ballots and results shall be presented to the National Secretary. A member of the Board who cannot be present for the balloting for National Officers may submit their ballot to the pollster by electronic means. At least 30 minutes must be reserved in the agenda for conducting the national officers election.
Regional Chairs shall be elected to a term of three (3) years. Each year, three of the nine regions shall hold elections by secret electronic ballot, as follows:
Group A (in years 2016, 2019, 2022, ad infinitum)
Central
Northwest
West
Group B (in years 2017, 2020, 2023, ad infinitum)
Midwest
South
Southeast
Group C (in years 2018, 2021, 2024, ad infinitum)
New England
New York and International
Mid-Atlantic
In election years, the regional membership shall be notified in advance, by any suitable means including publication on the NPPA website, that nominations for Regional Chair shall be accepted from October 1 to October 15. Nominations shall be received by the Governance Committee, who shall verify the eligibility of the nominee.
To be eligible for election or appointment to a regional office, a candidate must be an NPPA Professional or Life Member in good standing in that region prior to being nominated or appointed.
Candidates are entitled to submit a photograph and biographical material, which shall be posted on the NPPA website by the end of October.
The National Office shall prepare and make available the ballots with the names of all candidates, as well as blanks for write-in candidates. The ballots shall be available to each voting member in the region on November 15. Secret mail ballots shall be made available upon request by the eligible voter to the National Office. To be counted, an electronic ballot must be submitted on or before November 30. Mailed ballots must be received by the National Office on or before November 30. The Executive Director shall count the ballots and notify the Governance and Executive Committees of the election results.
The candidate in each region receiving the highest plurality of votes cast shall be declared the region’s Regional Chair as soon as the ballots are counted, and shall assume duties January 1, holding office until a successor is elected or appointed.
All Board Members and elected officials shall be sworn in by taking this oath of office:
"I do hereby pledge myself faithfully
to perform to the best of my abilities
the duties of my office
as prescribed by the governing documents
of this association."
Members who begin terms on NPPA’s Board of Directors, Executive Committee, or as regional officers after Jan. 1, 2015, and NPPA staff may not simultaneously serve as board members, directors, officers, or staff of global or national associations or organizations that compete financially or in mission with NPPA, including and limited to American Photographic Artists (APA), American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), Online News Association (ONA), Professional Photographers of America (PPA), Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI), and Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA).”
The Committee on the Judiciary shall consist of three NPPA members in good standing nominated by the president, and confirmed by a majority of the Board of Directors. The committee shall choose their Chair from among their members. Current members of the Board of Directors are not eligible to sit on the Judiciary Committee. In the event of a vacancy, the President may appoint a Committee member to serve until the next Board meeting.
The Judiciary Committee shall investigate and hear charges made against members for violations of the Code of Ethics or other activities or actions detrimental to the best interests of the Association.
Complaints made by members against other members for violations must be endorsed and signed by five members in good standing and shall be presented to the Judiciary Committee in writing, accompanied by all available facts and evidence.
Upon receipt of such complaint, the committee may reject the complaint by majority vote as inadequately supported by the accompanying evidence, or proceed with the complaint, in which case, the chair will send a copy of the complaint and the supporting data to the accused member by registered mail, within 7 business days of the receipt of the complaint. The member may file a sworn answer accompanied by evidence he/she cares to present within 15 business days. If circumstances require it, the judiciary committee may expedite or extend the above deadlines by unanimous vote.
If requested, the accused member shall have an opportunity for a personal hearing before the Committee. At this hearing, oral testimony received by the Committee shall be recorded.
If, in the majority vote of the Judiciary Committee, the charges made against the accused are justified and fully supported by the evidence, the accused member shall be disciplined in a manner deemed appropriate by the Judiciary Committee, up to and including expulsion from the Association.
A member disciplined, as described above, shall be granted the privilege of appealing his/her case to the Board of Directors in writing. The decision of the Board, by a majority vote, shall be final.
It shall be the duty of members of the Board of Directors to support and enforce the Bylaws, these Policies & Procedures, and the Standing Rules of the NPPA. In addition to discipline procedures listed above, a board member who willfully fails in their dut(ies) or who is guilty of conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the association may be impeached.
Complaints made by members against a Board member for violations must be endorsed and signed by five members in good standing and shall be presented to the Judiciary Committee in writing, accompanied by all available supporting facts and evidence.
Upon receipt of such complaint, the Committee may reject the complaint by majority vote as inadequately supported by the accompanying evidence, or proceed with the complaint, in which case, the chair will send a copy of the complaint and the supporting data to the accused member by registered mail, within 7 business days of the receipt of the complaint. The member may file a sworn answer accompanied by evidence he/she cares to present within 15 business days. If circumstances require it, the Judiciary Committee may expedite or extend the above deadlines by unanimous vote. The Judiciary Committee must meet to consider the charges within 30 days of receipt of the sworn answer.
Whenever, in the majority vote of the Committee on Judiciary, the evidence presented justifies the charges made, the Committee may suspend the Board Member from office and recommend to the Board of Directors that the member be removed from office. In making such recommendation it shall be the duty of the Committee on Judiciary to present to the Board a complete record of the charges, and all evidence, both against and in support of the accused.
Upon weighing facts presented by the committee on judiciary, the Board of Directors can remove a member from office by two-thirds (2/3) vote.
Special Subcommittees of the Standing Education Committee or the Standing Program Committee may be established to run specific workshops and programs of the NPPA. The Chairs of said Subcommittees must sign the Conflict of Interest Disclosure. They must also be NPPA members in good standing or sign the NPPA Code of Ethics annually, and shall serve on the designated Standing Committee as appropriate. Said Subcommittees may establish Standing Rules for the conduct of their business, as long as the Standing Rules are consistent with the NPPA Bylaws and NPPA Policies and Procedures.
The Chairs of said Subcommittees will be responsible for maintaining a file containing the minutes of each meeting that will be available upon reasonable request to committee members and the Board of Directors, including the Executive Committee. The Chair of each Subcommittee shall submit a written report of Subcommittee activities, in conjunction with the Standing Education Committee or Standing Program Committee, to the Board of Directors prior to the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors.
All Subcommittees that are empowered to handle NPPA monies are required to submit a financial report at the conclusion of each project and at the request of the Executive Director. All unbudgeted expenses incurred by any Subcommittee must have previous approval from the Executive Committee.
Subcommittee Chairs shall ensure that the NPPA name and logo appear on all published matter under their control. Subcommittee Chairs shall also ensure that information about how to become an NPPA member shall be included in all NPPA-generated promotional materials and be made available at all NPPA-sponsored events.
Regional Committees shall perform duties within the Regions comparable to the duties of the corresponding national and program Committees and under the direction of the Chairs of the corresponding national committee. Chairs of Regional Committees shall make a report of their activities to the Regional Chair upon request.
Student Chapters may be formed on college and university campuses by a minimum of five (5) NPPA Student Members in good standing. Chapter activities and elections shall be under the direction and guidance of an advisor who is a Professional Member or Retired Professional Member in good standing. All members of a Student Chapter must subscribe to NPPA’s Code of Ethics.
Student Chapters in good standing shall receive a stipend of $100 plus $20 per NPPA Student Member to a cap of $400 per Student Chapter. Funds will be distributed upon receipt of a satisfactory annual report. The report, with funding request, is due to the National Office by Dec. 1 each year. Stipends must be spent in accordance with NPPA’s policies regarding “Purchase of Alcoholic Beverages.”
Student Chapter offices shall be President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Chapter Presidents and Vice Presidents must be NPPA Student Members in good standing. Other offices may require NPPA membership if the chapter so chooses.
An annual report of progress and activity of each Student Chapter must be received by the Executive Director by Dec. 1 of each year in order for a Student Chapter to remain in good standing. This report must also include a list of officers and their terms in office; the name(s) of Student Chapter advisor(s); and the names of all Student Chapter members (to be cross-referenced with with NPPA membership rolls by the National Office to determine the chapter’s stipend).
Student Chapters that fail to carry our membership requirements shall be declared not in good standing by the Executive Director.
The Executive Director shall compile the information in the Student Chapter reports into a summary report to the Board of Directors. If a Student Chapter is declared not in good standing and wishes to appeal that declaration, the Student Chapter must notify the Executive Director, and decision on that appeal will be made by the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting.
Dues charged by any Student Chapter will be in addition to NPPA dues.
Regional Chairs, Executive Committee Members, Program Chairs and Committee Chairs shall send a copy of any lease agreement, rental agreement or purchase order to the Executive Director with any request for payment of NPPA property.
Regional Chairs, Executive Committee Members, Program Chairs and Committee Chairs shall prepare and maintain a log of all property (non consumable) purchased, leased or rented for NPPA use or with NPPA funds, which shall include all original documentation and be filed with the Executive Director and updated on an annual basis.
The Executive Director shall be empowered to establish procedures necessary for the accountability and insurability of said property. Such procedures shall not inhibit the discretionary use of regional funds by Regional Chairs or committee funds by committee chairs, but shall be created solely for the purpose of accountability.
All expenditures from all budgets, officers, regions and committees must be submitted to the Executive Director within 90 days of the purchase, lease or rental date, with proper NPPA voucher approval, except that the 90 day time limit may be waived, but only under extraordinary circumstances, by appeal to the Executive Committee. No more than two waivers per person may be granted in a year.
All records shall be governed by the following rules.
All outgoing Officers of the NPPA must turn over records of their office to their duly elected or appointed successor within twenty-one (21) days from the day of succession. Failure to comply shall result in the offending officer's membership in NPPA being terminated. In addition, a civil action may be instituted at the discretion of the national Executive Committee to recover the records in question and the offending officer shall be responsible for the cost of such action.
All National Officers, National Directors, Committee Chairs and Task Force Chairs shall submit an annual report to the Secretary for proper distribution to the Board of Directors prior to the annual meeting. Regional Chairs shall submit their reports to the Regional Chairs Representative.
All National Officers, National Directors, Committee Chairs and Task Force Chairs shall submit an annual report to the Executive Director for proper distribution to the Board of Directors prior to the annual meeting. Regional Chairs shall submit their reports to the Regional Chairs Representative.
The Special Programs and Projects of NPPA are:
News Photographer Magazine
The Best of Photojournalism Competitions
The NPPA website
The NPPA Student Clip Contest
The NPPA Monthly News Clip Contest
The NPPA Monthly Multimedia Contest
The NPPA (Norman, Oklahoma) News Video Workshop
The NPPA Northern Short Course in Photojournalism
The NPPA Picture Editing Quarterly Contest
The NPPA Television Quarterly Clip Contest
The NPPA Women in Photojournalism
The NPPA Multimedia Immersion
The NPPA Advanced Storytelling Workshop
During initial planning stages of any NPPA event, a regional officer in the region concerned must be contacted by the Program Chair.
The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) is committed to providing its employees, directors and officers, volunteers, members, independent contractors, event participants and event faculty (collectively, “covered persons”) with settings that are free from harassment, in any form.
Harassment takes many forms, and may be, but is not limited to: words, signs, jokes, pranks, intimidation, physical contact, unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, stalking, other verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature, vulgar or abusive language, or violence as it relates to race, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation or any other classification protected by local, state or federal laws.
NPPA will not tolerate harassment of or by these individuals. Any conduct by a covered person towards another covered person that is intimidating, hostile, offensive and/or specifically prohibited by law is prohibited. Any covered person engaging in such conduct will be subject to disciplinary action, which may include termination of NPPA employment or as a contractor; revocation of NPPA membership; immediate expulsion from NPPA-sponsored events; removal as a director, officer, volunteer or faculty member; or other actions as may be deemed appropriate.
The covered person(s) who believe that they have been the subject of any form of harassment should immediately report such conduct to the NPPA Executive Director, any member of the NPPA Judiciary Committee or the chair of the NPPA-sponsored event at which the harassment allegedly occurred. Any covered person submitting a complaint must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a violation of this policy. Any allegations that prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense.
NPPA will promptly investigate all reports of harassment and will keep the identity of the covered person(s) making the report and all aspects of the report and investigation confidential to the greatest extent possible. NPPA will take appropriate action(s) to remedy substantiated complaints.
It is contrary to the values of NPPA for anyone to retaliate against any covered person who in good faith reports an alleged violation of this policy. A covered person who retaliates against someone who submits a complaint is subject to discipline, up to and including termination of NPPA employment/engagement, loss of position and/or revocation of NPPA membership.
**N.B. Complaints alleging a violation of this policy by the NPPA Executive Director shall be made to the NPPA National President or to the chair of either the Judiciary or Ethics Committee.
The honors and recognitions of this association are:
The Joseph A. Sprague Memorial Award is the highest honor in the field of photojournalism. It may be granted to not more than two individuals each year and granted only if achievement is a sufficiently high standard in the opinion of the Committee. Two awards may be given:
(i) To an individual who is not a working visual journalist: a citation for unusual service or achievement beneficial to visual journalism or for an outstanding technological advance in equipment or processes of visual journalism.
(ii) To a working visual journalist: a citation for the advancement, elevation, or unusual recognition for the profession of visual journalism by his/her conduct, initiative, leadership, skill and devotion of duty.
The Joseph Costa Award consists of one award each year given to an individual for outstanding initiative, leadership, and service in advancing the goals of NPPA in the tradition of Joseph Costa, founder, first President, and Chair of the Board until his retirement.
The NPPA Alicia Calzada 1st Amendment Award is given to an individual, group or institution in recognition of First Amendment advocacy work. It is given annually or as seen fit by the Honors and Recognitions chair.
The J. Winton Lemen Fellowship Award may be presented to those giving continual outstanding services in the interests of visual journalism and for outstanding technical achievement in photography.
The Kenneth Paul McLaughlin Award of Merit may be presented to those individuals giving continual outstanding service in the interests of visual journalism whether or not they are members of the craft.
The Burt Williams Award shall be given to visual journalists who have completed forty years of service in visual journalism whether or not they are members of NPPA. This award has been established to honor the memory of Burt Williams, founder and first National Secretary of the NPPA.
The Robin F. Garland Educator Award is presented to an individual who has given outstanding service and leadership in advancing visual journalism through education of the photojournalist.
The Editor of the Year Award is given annually to a newspaper or magazine editor for outstanding service to the profession of visual journalism, and to the progress and ideals of NPPA.
The President's Medal is awarded at the discretion of the President for special services to NPPA.
The Regional Publication Award is given annually to the editor of a regional or chapter publication who has contributed the most to communicating news and information about visual journalism to the membership.
The Morris Berman Citation shall be given to individuals or organizations for special contributions advancing the interests of visual journalism.
The Samuel Mellor Award was established in 1958 to honor the memory of NPPA's second National Treasurer, who set an example of devotion to NPPA ideals. It is presented to an Associate Regional Chair at the discretion of the Honors and Recognition Committee. The award need not be given every year.
The Humanitarian Award is given to a working visual journalist who has saved a life or made an effort to do so, rather than continue to take pictures when confronted with a lifesaving situation. The award shall be given at the discretion of the Honors and Recognition Committee and the President at any time of the year and is not be restricted to NPPA members.
The Outstanding Student Chapter Award is given to the student chapter whose activities are of superior quality in furthering the education and professional goals of its membership and NPPA.
The John Durniak Mentor Citation is given to an individual who has served as an outstanding mentor, either to a specific individual or to visual journalism in general. Nominations for his/her award are to come from working visual journalists. The recipients of the award may have, but need not have, any formal connection to visual journalism.
The Legion of Honor Award is created to honor and eternalize the memory of visual journalists who have given their lives while performing their duties. The Recipient need not be an NPPA member, but a star will be placed by the name of NPPA members. He or she must have been working as a staff member or a clearly defined free-lance member of a recognized news media organization to be eligible for this honor. Any person or organization may submit a candidate for consideration. A special "Legion of Honor" certificate of the NPPA showing the name of the individual and proper wording to honor the person and his/her dedication to news photography, along with the proper basic facts, will be presented to closest surviving relative.
Conflicting dates can be catastrophic to an otherwise well-planned NPPA event. Vendors and registrants can't go to two events at the same time. It is therefore crucial that NPPA events not conflict with one another and with events outside our organizational control that may have a major impact on our programs. To this end, NPPA has established a planning calendar that is maintained by the Executive Director and the National Program Committee Chair and is available on the NPPA website.
The National Program Committee Chair assigns events on a first-come, first-served basis. Tentative dates (within reason) may be reserved. The Executive Director will contact key individuals (such as key vendor representatives, fellow journalism organizations, journalism education organizations, etc.) outside our organization on a routine basis to ensure that the calendar contains timely information.
Those planning NPPA events should consult with the National Program Committee Chair when selecting a date for the event in order to avoid scheduling conflicts. No contract should be signed on behalf of the NPPA without first consulting with the Executive Committee and the Executive Director.
Because much of the material published by various committees, regions and offices of NPPA, including the NPPA Code of Ethics, is seen by people outside the organization, a notice should be included in all substantial printed materials such as regional publications and informational booklets. Such notice should be similar to the following:
“The National Press Photographers Association is an educational and advocacy organization dedicated to the advancement of visual journalism. Membership is open to professional visual journalists, students and others who have a direct relationship with visual journalism. Material contained in this publication may not be reprinted, recreated or electronically distributed without written permission from the Executive Director. For more information, contact the NPPA at 3200 Croasdaile, Suite 306; Durham, NC 27705; [email protected]. ©20XX NPPA”
The NPPA shall not pay for, nor reimburse, the costs of alcoholic beverages except where such cost is reimbursed to the NPPA.
Reasonable travel, lodging and meal expenses are normal to conducting the business of NPPA. Individuals submitting travel expenses, however, should use the utmost care to get the lowest prices practical when arranging travel itineraries, hotel accommodations and meals.
NPPA will not pay for expenses not directly related to the travel itself, including but not limited to fares above economy/discounted class, seat or class upgrades, onboard drinks, room service, laundry, entertainment, in-room mini-bar services, and in-room movies. NPPA will not pay for duplicate travel tickets or upgrades. NPPA will not pay for last-minute changes without appropriate approval in advance. Intercity car rental cost is acceptable only if it is less than or equal to the cost of a discounted air or train fare to the same destination. In the case of a car rental that exceeds such a discounted fare, NPPA will pay no more than the cost of the discounted fare. Intra-city car rentals must be approved by the Executive Director in advance. Use of a personal vehicle for NPPA business will be reimbursed at the “business” mileage rate established by the Internal Revenue Service for the year in which the travel occurred.
Taxicab fares are allowed, though lower-cost travel (such as shuttle buses) is encouraged. Voucher submissions for group ground transportation must include the names of all members of the group.
It is acceptable for regional officers to travel within their Region to regional seminars or to other functions on strictly NPPA related business, such as combined regional seminars in which their region is a cosponsor. Travel outside their own Region will not be paid except with advance approval of the Executive Committee.
NPPA will reimburse for hotel rooms and tax only. Volunteers and staff traveling at NPPA expense should endeavor to keep hotel costs to a minimum. Additional room costs for a spouse, significant other or child on the trip (who is not officially there on NPPA business) are the personal responsibility of the NPPA member or guest. NPPA will not pay for charges incurred by officers, members or guests for hotel or airline telephone or data connections unless such services are necessary to complete time-sensitive NPPA business.
The NPPA will reimburse meals eaten on official NPPA business trips up to the per-meal limits established by the latest General Services Administration’s Meals and Incidental Expenses Breakdown for the location in which the expense was incurred (Refer to www.gsa.gov/mie). A skipped meal or meal provided by the NPPA (e.g. through a registration fee, a catered meeting or hospitality room), a hotel (e.g. free breakfast) or other entity shall not result in any increase to the limits for prior or subsequent meals, and shall not allow a duplicate meal to be taken (e.g. a provided or skipped lunch does not increase the breakfast or dinner limit, and does not allow a second lunch to be reimbursed). NPPA encourages those traveling at NPPA's expense to keep meal costs down. NPPA’s policy regarding “Purchase of Alcoholic Beverages” applies to all meals, and ideally, such beverages should be billed separately for personal payment.
Reasonable office expenses directly related to the business of NPPA are allowable.
Normal office supplies such as pens, pencils, paper, file folders, paper clips, computer paper, toner cartridges, etc. are allowed. Unusual, specialty items must be approved by the Executive Committee in advance. Printed stationery and envelopes are not allowed, as these are provided by the National Office.
Normal, routine postage costs, such as stamps and metered postage are allowed. Postage for personal NPPA election campaign material will not be paid.
Reasonable use of delivery services, whether the U.S. Postal Service or private delivery firms are allowed. Though it is up to the discretion of the Officer or Chair to determine the most efficient method of delivery, each should keep in mind that the lowest cost for the purpose as opposed to the highest convenience should always be chosen.
Members are encouraged to use the most effective and cost-effective means of communication available to them. Long-distance and other phone charges, as well as data charges, should be avoided. Communication charges deemed excessive by either the Executive Director or the Finance Committee must be approved by the Executive Committee before they are reimbursed.
The sponsorship of a workshop or seminar to educate and professionally stimulate members is a very important activity, both within a region and on the national level. Expenses for workshops can encompass a wide variety of areas and these guidelines are by no means all inclusive.
Program and Event Chairs are the sole individuals empowered to work with the National Treasurer and Executive Director to authorize expenditures at their event. This will ensure all requests for complimentary registrations, hotel rooms, meals and other fees associated with NPPA activities are cleared according to the guidelines of the local event committee. Expenses made by program or event staff members must be approved in advance by program or event chair. These advance approvals may not necessarily be for specific amounts, but the intended use of the funds must be approved. All staff and guests should be informed of these guidelines before making a commitment to attend.
All contracts for facility rentals must be drawn up with the cooperation and approval of the Executive Director.
Travel, lodging and meal expenses of core workshop staff, appropriate speakers and others deemed necessary by the program chair must conform to the guidelines described above in these Policies & Procedures.
Reasonable miscellaneous expenses not mentioned here and directly related to the workshop/seminar will be approved at the discretion of the Executive Committee in coordination with the program or event chair.
Registration fees for those volunteers who provide substantial service to the event, or who serve as invited program speakers, may be waived or reimbursed by NPPA. The program chair determines who qualifies for a complimentary registration through substantial service. Program chairs may not exempt volunteers from registration fees for service in previous years. Registration fees for national NPPA officers will be waived or paid by a local program when the officers are attending an event on official NPPA business.
For the NPPA Annual Meeting, the Executive Committee shall determine which of the national committee chairs may attend the Annual Meetings with expenses paid from national funds.
All program chairs shall provide a complete accounting of the event within 60 days of the event's end date. All expenses and income, including those yet to be billed, paid or collected, shall be included in the reports. Any expenses not yet billed by a vendor shall be noted in the report along with an estimate of that expense.
For reimbursement of acceptable expenses as explained above, expense reports must be submitted to the National Office within 30 days after the expense is incurred. Any expense submitted after 30 days may be approved by the National Treasurer if the amount to be reimbursed is less than $500 and falls within the budget. Otherwise, the reimbursement must be approved by the Executive Committee. A rejected expense reimbursement may be appealed to the Executive Committee. Any expense report submitted after 90 days shall not be paid without a 2/3 vote by the Board of Directors.
For sizable authorized expenses, officers and program chairs should, whenever possible, have vendors submit an invoice made out to NPPA. Invoices should be forwarded without delay to the Executive Director who will pay the invoice directly. When this is not possible, an advance is available to officers and program chairs to mitigate the hardship of making out-of-pocket payments. Those in need of an advance should make their request to the Executive Director and National Treasurer for approval. All monies advanced are subject to all above policies and procedures regarding acceptable expenses. A signed expense voucher must be submitted to the National Treasurer detailing the expense(s) paid with the advance. Any unspent balance of an advance shall be returned to NPPA upon submitting the expense voucher. Additional advances will not be issued until a full accounting of the original advance is submitted.
Capital expenditures are for property such as computer hardware and software, fax machines and copiers, and generally are not an acceptable expense. However, capital expenditure requests may be submitted to the Board of Directors as part of an annual report. Such requests are due to the Finance Committee chair 90 days prior to the close of the NPPA fiscal year and must include a detailed breakdown of proposed costs and a full justification for the proposed purchase. Emergency cases may be appealed to the Executive Committee for consideration.
To keep track of NPPA-owned equipment in the field, the Executive Director maintains a property book containing the original invoice of all NPPA-owned, leased and/or rented property. Any NPPA member wishing to use NPPA equipment (either purchased originally or transferred from another member) must sign a property transfer form available from the Executive Director. This form shall be filled out and sent to the national headquarters for insertion in the NPPA property book. As part of their annual report, members of the Board of Directors and committee chairs shall review property book listings as provided by the Executive Director and shall update all property transfer forms under their control.
Program and Committee Chairs are charged with the responsibility of making sure any equipment in use at a workshop is properly insured. Individuals using non-NPPA equipment, even when on official business, are solely responsible for their equipment. NPPA does not insure personal equipment nor does it pay for the repair of personal equipment. If the use of personal equipment is deemed absolutely necessary for a workshop, the Program Chair will be charged with making sure that equipment is insured at NPPA expense and will include the cost of that insurance as part of the budget expense for the Program.
The necessity for event and liability insurance policies shall be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Executive Director.
The NPPA Investment Policy protects the financial stability of the organization by setting guidelines that balance the investment of restricted funds with those funds needed to ensure ongoing operations.
Funds available for investment shall be defined as those not required for immediate distribution or working capital to fund NPPA’s daily operations. The funds will be reflected in financial records (Statement of Activities, etc.) as “Non-Operating Income” (current account code 506000). “Reserves” for the purpose of this policy will be funded through surplus unrestricted operating funds, gains realized from the investment of existing funds and/or the receipt of funds that are specifically earmarked by the funding source for restricted purposes. The Board of Directors may, at its discretion, designate certain funds that are generated as part of specific fundraising efforts to be held as separate and distinct from general reserves and/or operating funds.
The Board of Directors seeks preservation of capital with a consistent positive return for the funds.
The goal of the Investment Policy will be to maintain funds equal to or greater than six months of actual annual operating expenses. The amount of the fund goal or target will be calculated each year after approval of the annual budget.
As fiduciaries of NPPA, the Board of Directors ultimately is responsible for the investment fund. The board delegates the following responsibilities to the NPPA Finance Committee:
In keeping with the Investment Policy objective (stated above), the primary emphasis is to strike a balance between portfolio stability and portfolio appreciation. The Board of Directors and Finance Committee, as fiduciaries of the funds, understand and accept the assumption of a moderate level of volatility and the risk of loss of principal with this strategy.
The guidelines do not preclude the use of a single depository bank or major financial institution for the investment of funds, although at times the funds in a financial institution may temporarily exceed federally-insured limits.
Investments will be diversified with a minimum of 60% of portfolio assets in marketable fixed-income securities and a maximum of 40% in equity securities. Except for Treasury Agency and U.S. Government insured securities, no more than 15% of a portfolio shall consist of securities of a given issuer as measured by market value. Ratings for all fixed-income and equity securities are based on ratings given by Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Value Line. Where an equity security is not rated by Moody's or Standard & Poor's, Value Line may be used. This service rates securities as to investment quality and financial strength.
Marketable fixed-income securities that fall into one of the following categories are allowed under this Investment Policy:
Although, as noted in the Definition section above, funds subject to this Investment Policy are not designed to be used for NPPA’s daily operations, there are circumstances under which use of the funds will be allowable. Such decisions will be made at the recommendation of the Finance Committee and subject to approval of the Board of Directors. These uses may include, but not necessarily be limited to:
Unless unavoidable, the objective should be to replenish, within one year of expenditures, the investment funds that are used in order to restore the fund to the target minimum (see Goal above) or the threshold at which the fund existed prior to the use of the funds.
These Policies & Procedures may be amended by a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Any member in good standing may propose amendments by submitting a resolution to the Board of Directors.
