
Pirate Code
Please read through the pirate coded of conduct, at the bottom of page, you will be redirected to take the plunge
ARTICLE I. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board is responsible for the policies and direction of the Krewe, and to delegate the responsibility of day-to-day operations to the Krewe committee chairs and At Large. The Board will not receive any compensation other than reimbursement of reasonable expenses associated with Krewe business. All board members are required to fulfill their position responsibilities as well as work closely with the person holding their backup position to be able to fill in as needed.
1. BOARD POSITIONS
A. Captain (aka President)
The Captain is responsible for general leadership of the Krewe for the term of his/her duties. The Captain shall convene members for all scheduled Board meetings and Krewe meetings and shall preside over or arrange for another member of the Board to chair each meeting in the following order: First Mate, Purser, Quartermaster, and Jolly Roger. The Captain will provide leadership and ensure performance of the Board of Directors and be responsible for Krewe functions. In voting matters, the Captain will remain neutral, unless in the event of a tie, then they will determine the ruling. The Captain is responsible for assisting and supporting the Navigation committee leader. If the Captain is unavailable, the First Mate will serve as backup.
B. First Mate (aka Vice President)
The First Mate will preside over meetings during the absence of the Captain and is the second in command of the Krewe. The First Mate is responsible for assisting and supporting the Parade committee leader and for new member
orientations. If the First Mate is unavailable, the Quartermaster will serve in their place.
C. Purser (aka Treasurer)
The Purser shall prepare the annual budget, help develop fundraising plans, and make financial information available to Board members upon request. The Purser is required to produce an annual financial statement and have the report ready for review at least 7 business days prior to the Annual meeting. The Purser will also give a financial report/budget update at all meetings to keep members informed of how the Krewe funds are being utilized. Purser and Quartermaster are responsible to ensure all due payments are collected and recorded. Captain, First Mate and Purser shall be authorized signers on Krewe accounts. If the Purser is unavailable, the Captain will assume these duties.
D. Quartermaster (aka Secretary)
The Quartermaster is responsible for keeping records of Board actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes and agenda to each board member, and assuring that corporate records are maintained. Quartermaster must maintain a current membership roster as well as membership applications. The Quartermaster is responsible for assisting and supporting the Boatswain (Membership/Recruitment) committee leader. The Purser will serve in this role if the Quartermaster is unavailable.
E. Jolly Roger (aka Marketing Director)
Responsible for building Krewe identity awareness, maintaining and enhancing Krewe brand image by ensuring consistency across all marketing materials, platforms, and products. They will provide oversight on all Krewe public positioning and messaging. Jolly Roger will assist and support Marketing/Social Media and Squad committee leaders. The First Mate will assume these duties in the absence of the Jolly Roger.
F. Founding Souls
The Founding Souls shall consist of the creators of the WhoDah Krewe. These are the few visionaries that gave birth to the ideology, vision, and values that formed the Krewe. If a founding soul should choose to leave the Krewe, their seat on the advisory board will be considered forfeited. The Founding Souls shall have a single consensus vote that can be counted toward any new amendment or removal of Krewe or Board Member.
2. BOARD ELECTIONS AND TERM LIMITS
The election of any member to the Board of Directors will be the first item of business at the Annual Meeting of the Krewe. Cut off for nominations will be one week before the annual meeting. Positions will be elected by a majority vote of current members. To be considered for the role of Captain of the Krewe, you must currently hold, or have previously held a position on the Board.
1. Inaugural season (2024-2025) board members will be appointed by Founding Souls.
2. Captain, First Mate, Purser shall be voted on every 3 years, beginning 2025.
3. Quartermaster, and Jolly Ranger shall be voted on every 2 years, beginning 2026.
3. QUORUM
A quorum will exist with at least 3 members of the Board. No business may be transacted without a quorum.
4. BOARD VACANCY
In the event of a Board position vacancy, the Quartermaster will take nominations from members to fill the seat. Once nominations have been received, there will be a special meeting to hold an election for said position(s). Until the position is filled with new member, the backup board member will be responsible to fulfill the responsibilities of the position.
5. RESIGNATION
Resignation from the Board must be in writing and delivered to the Quartermaster. A Board member can be dropped for excess absences from the Board. If he or she has three unexcused absences from Board meetings in a year, a Board member may be removed or for other reasons by a majority vote of the remaining Founding Souls.
6. BOARD MEETINGS
Board meetings will be open to “All Hands-on Deck” except for some executive Board Member meetings for confidential conferences. Each meeting will have an agenda item opening the floor for any hand to address the board with any concerns. The concern may result in an action item and not resolve in the meeting.
A. ANNUAL MEETING
The date of the annual meeting shall be on or before April 30th of each year. The date, time, and location shall be set by the Board of Directors at least 30 days prior to the meeting. Each member shall attend this meeting to receive all available information for the upcoming year.
B. MONTHLY MEETINGS
The Board shall schedule monthly Krewe meetings to conduct the business of the Krewe. Members in good standing are strongly encouraged to attend all meetings and take an active part in making decisions with the Krewe.
C. SPECIAL MEETINGS
Special meetings may be called by the Captain of the Krewe or a majority of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE II. COMMITTEE STRUCTURE
The Board shall create committees as needed. The committee leader will be voted on by the Board. The leader will be responsible for providing status reports at Board meetings each month. Committees report directly to the assigned board member as defined in these bylaws and as indicated on the organizational chart.
1. PARADE
The Parade Chairman reports to the First Mate. This leader is responsible for the Krewe float, parade registrations, communication to Quartermaster on parade logistics, and Swashbuckler management. They will be responsible for securing a driver to pull the float. The Parade committee will organize maintenance of the float, including but not limited to construction maintenance, speakers and sound system and paint. The Parade Chairman is also responsible for scheduling float workdays to ensure that the float is ready for the parade.
2. FUNDRAISING
The Fundraising Chairman reports to the Purser. This leader is responsible for the planning and execution of all fundraising events to help raise money for the Krewe. They will work directly with the Marketing & Social Media committee.
3. MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
The Marketing and Social Media chairman reports to the Jolly Roger. This leader is responsible for the creation and upkeep of website, social media sites and product marketing of the Krewe. They are also responsible for collecting and organizing all Krewe images and videos on the Krewe drive.
4. SQUAD (Community Service & Events)
The Squad Chairman reports to the Jolly Roger and is responsible for planning and organizing all Krewe community service projects and Krewe parties. They will ensure Krewe connections are made with each member of the Krewe at least once per month.
5. NAVIGATION (Choreography)
The leaders of this team will report to and work in conjunction with the captain. Navigation Committee duties include musical choices, design of dance routines, hold practices, management of audio equipment. The music chosen will be presented to the board for final voting. The Costume Committee will report to Navigator and shall collect information on approved costumes items to be distributed to members.
6. BOSUN (Membership and Recruitment)
The Bosun reports to the Quartermaster and is responsible for proposing and organizing all recruitment events. In conjunction with Quartermaster, they will maintain a new recruitment roster and current membership roster.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
Membership period is August 1st – July 31st. Anyone that is 21 years of age or older shall be eligible to apply for membership. All interested individuals will apply for membership through our website (www.whodahkrewe.com). All individuals that accept the tenets and credence of the krewe will be accepted.
1. MEMBERSHIP RANKS
A. Old Salt- all krewe members in our debut season (2024-2025).
B. Privateer- Years 0-2
C. Buccaneer- years 3-5
D. Corsair—Years 6+
2. SWASHBUCKLERS
These folks are our parade helpers and support crew. All persons participating as Swashbucklers must receive approval prior to parade participation. Swashbucklers are volunteers who participate by assisting with parade logistics and the overall needs of the members. They must wear the approved costume at all parades and public performances. Additional duty expectations will be disseminated prior to all parades and/or public performances. Swashbucklers will be coordinated through the Parade Committee, which will designate a lead Swashbuckler to manage all parade coordination and communication.
3. DUES
A. Krewe member annual dues are $185 (includes t-shirt, sword and krewe earring) and are due by August 1st of each year for returning members and Sept 1st of each year for new members. A copy of these bylaws will be presented to any member prior to their making the dues payment.
B. Annual dues cover the cost of music equipment rental, practice facility rental, parade beads, annual website hosting fees, parade banners, and additional items as determined by the Board.
C. Member dues do NOT cover costume costs, food and/or beverage (including alcohol).
D. Dues are non-refundable – except on a case-by-case basis to be determined by a Board vote.
ARTICLE IV. CODE OF CONDUCT
1. PROHIBITED ACTIONS
A. Transportation, possession, or use of any illegal drugs or substances.
B. Any action that could cause physical harm to other Krewe members, guests, or spectators. (ANY KREWE MEMBER WHO PARTICIPATES IN A PHYSICAL ALTERCATION IN WHICH THEY ARE NOT DEFENDING OR PROTECTING THEMSELVES WILL HAVE THEIR MEMBERSHIP TERMINATED.)
C. Possession of any items deemed dangerous, including but not limited to, fireworks, firearms of any kind, ammunition or other weapons that could be deemed hazardous or harmful to other persons.
D. Any action considered to be an offense under Federal, State or Local
laws/ordinances.
E. Violations of the specified policies, regulations, and/or procedures defined in the bylaws of WhoDah Krewe. It is the responsibility of the individual Krewe member to be familiar with all applicable policies, regulations, and
procedures.
F. Lewd, vulgar, or distasteful conduct which is deemed inappropriate.
G. Physical or verbal intimidation of any person.
These rules extend to all Krewe members and their conduct during activities related to and associated with any WhoDah Krewe event in which you participate. These rules also extend to non-active members. These rules also apply to all social media activity, on any platform, related to and associated with WhoDah Krewe. Lewd, vulgar, distasteful, or otherwise inappropriate posts or comments are strictly prohibited. Any form of threat, intimidation, or defamation of character to any person(s) on any social media platform related to WhoDah Krewe, regardless of the relationship with WhoDah Krewe, will not be tolerated. Such actions, upon discovery, will be subject to Board review and possible disciplinary action or even termination of membership. If a member of WhoDah Krewe has their membership revoked because of a decision made by the Board of Directors, it is understood that this decision will not have a negative impact on WhoDah Krewe itself. The terminated member understands they cannot post, comment, or display anything negative, insulting or damaging to any person(s) related to WhoDah Krewe or to WhoDah Krewe itself for the sole purpose of defamation. These actions, upon discovery, will result in the pursuit of legal action against terminated member. Future acceptance of application to WhoDah Krewe once terminated is left up to the discretion of the Board.
2. KREWE EVENT CODE OF CONDUCT
Members (and Swashbucklers if applicable) are prohibited from the following during the parade route:
A. Intoxication affecting performance quality and/or the representation of the Krewe.
B. Breaking formation to throw beads.
C. Smoking of any kind while in formation
D. Conducting herself/himself in any way that detracts from the Krewe Mission/branding.
E. Inviting non-members to participate unless serving/dressing as a swashbuckler.
3. COSTUME
Krewe colors are black, merlot, sand, brown, silver, or gold. Materials used should look appropriate to pirate character. Agreement to adhere to the costume requirements is assumed when the member makes their annual dues payment. While we want the costume to be as affordable and individual as possible, we also want to portray a unified and cohesive vision and brand. Failure to follow costume requirements may result in removal from parade(s).
4. REHEARSAL
Members must learn the routines. Failure to demonstrate basic competency of the choreography may result in exclusion from parade participation. Practice schedule expectations and attendance will be distributed by the Navigation Committee and are subject to change as needed.

