National Puzzlers’ League

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Governance

The National Puzzlers’ League is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. We are governed by a Constitution and Bylaws. Our Board of Directors is elected on an annual basis. Board members serve one-year terms, and may be re-elected an unlimited number of times. Our current board members may be found on the NPL Board page.

Annual meetings

The NPL holds a regularly-scheduled business meeting during each annual convention. Minutes from each business meeting are published in The Enigma and approved at the next subsequent business meeting. Minutes from past business meetings can be found in The Enigma published in August (or sometimes September) of the relevant year.

Reports

Some board members and other volunteers present annual reports during the business meeting, some of which are archived in The Enigma. These reports can be found in The Enigma published in August (or sometimes September) of the relevant year.

The Constitution of The National Puzzlers’ League

Article I. Name

The name of this nonprofit organization is The National Puzzlers’ League.

Article II. Purposes

The purposes of this League shall be exclusively literary and educational, within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, to be accomplished by bringing together any who are interested in composing and solving word puzzles (primarily in verse). The Enigma, a monthly publication, shall be the official organ of the League.

Article III. Distribution of Assets

In the event of the dissolution of the League, the disposition of any remaining assets after the outstanding bills are paid shall be determined by vote of not less than 20% of the membership at the time of dissolution, and shall take the form of a contribution to an organization or organizations exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Article IV. Membership

Any person who is actively interested in Puzzledom may become a member of this League upon payment of a subscription to The Enigma, this payment constituting annual dues. Membership shall cease if dues are not paid upon notification of expiration. A member shall be entitled to vote and to hold office, and to receive all issues of the official organ, and to contribute material thereto subject to acceptance by the Official Editor.

Article V. Officers

1 The officers of the League shall be a President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, and Official Editor (each having the powers and responsibilities usual to such titles). It shall be the responsibility of the Secretary, with the help of the Vice Presidents, to ensure that every new member receives a letter of welcome, offering help with puzzling, and to provide such help if asked. These officers shall constitute, and hold the same offices in, the Board of Trustees, which shall conduct and control the powers, property, and affairs of the League in accordance with the bylaws elected by the membership of the League. Officers shall serve for the calendar year following their election. Any vacancy between elections shall be filled by the remaining Trustees for the unexpired term. It shall be the duty each year of the officers to inform the Secretary or the Editor no later than July 25 whether they intend to run for reelection. It shall be the duty of the Secretary or the Editor to announce no later than August 1 which officers are running for reelection and to request candidates for all officer positions. Any member may send a nomination for any office to the Secretary or Editor, no later than August 25. [linkto: Constitution Amendments, text: As amended in 2023]

Article VI. Elections

Officers shall be elected by an annual vote using official ballots mailed to each member with the October issue of The Enigma. Those ballots returned to the Official Editor, to be received no later than November 1, shall constitute the official election, results of which shall be included in the December issue of The Enigma. If the post of Official Editor is contested, the board, in consultation with the competing candidates, will name a third party to count the ballots.

Article VII. Amendments

Any proposed amendment must be signed by three members and submitted to the full membership of the Board of Trustees. Those proposed amendments that are approved by at least four of the Trustees shall appear upon the next annual ballot for consideration by the full membership. A majority of votes cast shall be required for adoption.

The Bylaws of The National Puzzlers’ League

1. Additions and Amendments

A. Additions and amendments shall be made only by a majority of those voting in a mail ballot of the entire membership.

B. Any addition or amendment to these bylaws approved by a majority at the annual business meeting or a majority vote of the Board of Trustees shall be placed on the next mail ballot.

2. Board of Trustees

A. The Board of Trustees shall not add to nor amend these bylaws, nor restrict in any way the privileges herein granted to members.

B. Nothing in the bylaws shall be construed as restricting the powers of the Board of Trustees to take emergency actions on behalf of the membership.

3. Dues

3, 4 Annual dues shall include a subscription to The Enigma. The Board of Trustees may, at its discretion, alter these dues in special cases, such as to cover the cost of overseas subscriptions and to reduce dues for students and persons with limited incomes. The Board of Trustees shall not charge additional dues for subscriptions in accessible formats, such as large print.

4. Business Meetings

A. 1, 5 A business meeting shall be held each summer at the annual convention. The order of business at the meeting shall be as follows: reading of the minutes of the previous meeting; reading of the names of members who have died since the previous meeting, and a moment of silence in their honor; reports from the treasurer, and from other officers, individuals, and committees, as appropriate; unfinished business; new business, including presentation of offers to host future conventions, and commencement of the vote specified in Bylaw 6; miscellaneous announcements; adjournment.

B. 5 Members may attend the meeting in person or online. Members shall be able to participate fully in all aspects of the meeting regardless of how they attend.

C. 5 In the event of disruptions that preclude online participation or voting, including the vote specified in Bylaw 6, the business meeting shall proceed at the direction of the Board of Trustees with such modifications as they deem appropriate.

5. Rules of Order

The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order Revised shall govern the League in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the bylaws or the special rules of order of the League.

6. Conventions

A. A convention of the membership shall be held each summer. Each year, the membership will vote to select the site of the convention to be held two years thereafter.

C. The Board shall schedule the convention site vote to commence during the business meeting. The vote shall remain open until one hour before the scheduled time of the last official event of the convention. The Board shall provide notice of the opening and closing times of the vote through official League channels.

D. Voting for the convention site shall be conducted online by secret ballot using ranked choice voting.

E. The convention site ballot shall list all of the proposed sites and “None of the Above”.

F. The results of the convention site vote shall be announced at the convention and through official League channels.

G. In the event that

  • no site receives a majority of the ranked choice vote,
  • “None of the Above” is the selected choice,
  • a site is unable to be selected for any other reason, or
  • a selected site becomes unavailable,

the Board of Trustees shall become the de facto convention-site selection committee, or the Board may appoint a committee of members and delegate responsibility to them.

7. Vice Presidents

A. All candidates for the vice presidencies will be placed together on the ballot; each member will vote for at most two, and the first and second highest vote-getters will become First and Second Vice-Presidents, respectively.

B. The winning candidates may agree to switch positions after the election.

C. In the event that there are only two candidates for the vice presidencies, the assignment of offices will be made by the incoming board.

8. Code of Conduct

2 An official Code of Conduct shall be maintained and made available to the membership at any time. The contents of that Code of Conduct shall appear as Appendix A to these Bylaws and may be amended by the Board of Trustees.

Appendix A. Code of Conduct

The NPL’s Code of Conduct is available online.

Mission statement

We bring together individuals who are interested in composing and solving word puzzles (primarily in verse). Fostering a diverse, inclusive membership is part of our mission.