Approved July 14, 2005; Amended 10/11/07 

I. Name

The name of the organization shall be Minnesota Cancer Alliance ("the Alliance").

II. Purpose of the Alliance

1. PURPOSE of the Alliance is to support the implementation of Cancer Plan Minnesota.

2. The VISION of the Alliance is for Minnesota to be a place where:
a. Preventable cancers will not occur.
b. Those individuals who develop a cancer are diagnosed in the earliest stage of the disease possible.
c. Those individuals with cancer are given the highest quality, state-ofthe-art care available to maximize their survival and quality of life.
d. The preventable disparities in prevention of cancer, and the quality, experience and outcomes of care for patients with cancer are eliminated.
e. Full support is given to research directed toward understanding the causes of cancers and toward improving prevention, early detection, treatment, quality of life and palliation.

3. The MISSION of the alliance is to reduce the burden of cancer for all people living in Minnesota by working together to implement Cancer Plan Minnesota.

4. The ROLE of the Alliance is to provide leadership in an advocacy for implementation of Cancer Plan Minnesota.

5. The GUIDING PRINCIPLES of the Alliance are:
a. We believe that by seeking and acting on opportunities for collaboration we can accomplish more together than we can accomplish alone to reduce the burden of cancer in Minnesota.
b. We support science-based and evidence-informed approaches to address cancer control across the continuum of cancer care.
c. We value reaching out to and engaging all people living in Minnesota regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, geography, education, language, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.
d. We respect cultural wellness practices and traditions and support the delivery of cancer services to all people living in Minnesota in a context of cultural values.
e. We believe that patients and their families must be empowered to make decisions based on information presented and shared in a manner they can understand.
f. We support equal access to cancer services for all people living in Minnesota.
g. We support the elimination of fragmented care for cancer patients.
h. We support efforts to more effectively and equitably use public and private resources to continuously, transparently and measurably decrease suffering from cancer.
i. We believe in using population-based approaches, system changes, and individual level strategies to help reduce the burden of cancer.
j. We believe that moving this plan to action will require strong leadership, adequate resources, and broad-based commitment.

III. Alliance Membership

1. Alliance membership is open to any organization or individual that meets the requirements set forth by the Steering Committee. There is no limit on the number of years an organization or individual may be a member of the Alliance as long as the requirements established by the Steering Committee are satisfied. The requirements for membership shall include, at least, the following:
a. Be a legally operating entity within Minnesota (e.g., non-profit organization, for-profit corporation, governmental agency) OR an individual (e.g. advocate, cancer survivor, concerned citizen, or employee/director of an organization member for which the individual does not serve as the official representative under (2) below) that is interested in working towards reducing the burden of cancer in Minnesota.
b. Submit a membership application, which for an organization seeking membership must also designate an official representative.
c. Endorse the mission of the Alliance.
d. Agree to be identified as an Alliance member organization or individual member in publications, lists, or other appropriate contexts.

2. Official representatives of member organizations of the Alliance have the following rights and responsibilities:
a. Attend Alliance member meetings, including Steering Committee meetings.
b. Serve on the Steering Committee (if nominated by the Nominating Committee and elected to serve) or on other Alliance committees.
c. Communicate their organization's viewpoints to the Alliance through the Steering Committee and inform their organization of decisions and activities of the Alliance.
d. Disseminate the Alliance's Cancer Plan appropriately throughout the organization and support implementation of the Plan by taking specific action within the organization or in collaboration with other members or member organizations to help achieve one or more of the Alliance's priorities on a regular basis.
e. Agree to support and participate in efforts to evaluate implementation activities and to assess effectiveness in achieving Plan objectives and goals.
f. Retain the right to resign their membership at any time.

3. Individual members of the Alliance have the following rights and responsibilities:
a. Attend Alliance member meetings, including Steering Committee meetings.
b. Serve on the Steering Committee (if nominated by the Nominating Committee and elected to serve) or on other Alliance committees.
c. Represent their individual views to the Alliance through the Steering Committee.
d. Support implementation of the Alliance's Cancer Plan.
e. Retain the right to resign their membership at any time.

IV. Meetings of the Alliance

1. Alliance members will meet in person at least annually.

2. The Steering Committee chair and vice chair will lead Alliance members meetings.

3. Notice of meetings (date, time, and location) will be provided by State comprehensive cancer control program staff to Alliance members at least 30 days prior to the meeting. The agenda will be distributed no later than 15 days prior to the meeting. Minutes will be recorded, filed, and distributed to Alliance members by State comprehensive cancer control program staff.

V. Steering Committee Composition

1. The Steering Committee will consist of between 10 and 22 persons, with the specific number of positions determined by the then current Steering Committee.

2. The Steering Committee is the governing body of the Alliance and is responsible for the ongoing development, implementation, and evaluation of the Alliance's Cancer Plan. A Chair and Vice-Chair will lead the Steering Committee.

3. The Steering Committee will be comprised of representatives of organization members and individual members. Diversity will be achieved through encouraging the election of broad-based representation from a variety of organization members (e.g., government, private, non-profit, advocacy, and research organizations) and individual members with expertise regarding various focus areas (e.g., gender, populations served, geographic, social-economic, health disparities).

4. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), by virtue of holding the cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to fund Comprehensive Cancer Control and serving as the lead agency in Minnesota, is a permanent organizational member of the Alliance with representation on the Steering Committee. The MDH's official representative to the Steering Committee and any other committees may not be a state comprehensive cancer control program staff member. State comprehensive cancer control program staff shall be non-voting attendees at meetings of the members, Steering Committee, and any other committees.

5. The Interim Steering Committee, as comprised on July 1, 2005, shall appoint the Initial Steering Committee of 10-20 members in two classes, with roughly half of the members appointed to one year terms and half of the members appointed to two year terms. Thereafter, the members of the Steering Committee shall elect their successors.

VI. Steering Committee Responsibilities

1. The Steering Committee is responsible for providing leadership and policy direction for the Alliance, establishing the process and criteria for determining implementation priorities from the Cancer Plan, establishing all committees, and communicating statewide priorities and recommendations. The Steering Committee will not make personnel decisions or day-to-day management decisions.

2. The Steering Committee is responsible for establishing the process for updating the Cancer Plan as changing conditions warrant (e.g. advances in science, shifts in the burden of cancer in Minnesota, etc).

3. The Steering Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving all committee recommendations.

4. The Steering Committee is responsible for periodically reviewing and approving applications from organizations or individuals who seek to be Alliance members.

5. The Steering Committee is responsible for periodically reviewing the membership rolls and removing inactive members.

6. The Steering Committee is responsible for periodically reviewing the bylaws, amending the bylaws, and ensuring the Alliance is operating in compliance with the bylaws.

VII. Term of Office for Persons Elected to the Steering Committee

1. The persons elected to the Steering Committee will serve three-year terms. Persons elected to the Steering Committee may serve up to two consecutive three-year terms if organizational or individual membership requirements continue to be met and if re-elected to the position.

2. In the case of a vacancy occurring on the Steering Committee, the Steering Committee Chair and Vice Chair may nominate a representative of an organizational member or an independent member to serve the remainder of the term. The nomination must be ratified by a majority vote of the Steering Committee.

3. In the case of a vacancy occurring in the Steering Committee position reserved for a representative of the Minnesota Department of Health, the MDH will appoint its new representative to the Steering Committee.

VIII. Meetings of the Steering Committee

1. The Steering Committee will meet at least quarterly each year or, more frequently, as determined by the Chair.

2. Persons elected to the Steering Committee are expected to be present at each Steering Committee meeting. Attendance at less than fifty percent of meetings in a one year period may be grounds for removal from the Steering Committee. In the event that a member of the Steering Committee is unable to attend a Steering Committee meeting, he/she may designate only one individual to attend the meeting (and this same designated individual is expected to attend any subsequent meetings the Steering Committee member is unable to attend) on his/her behalf. This designated individual is not a voting member of the Steering Committee.

3. At least one Co-Chair from each committee established by the Steering Committee is expected to be present or represented by another committee member at each Steering Committee meeting.

4. Any functional committees established by the Steering Committee will report on activities to the Steering Committee at meetings, as appropriate.

5. Notice of meetings (date, time, and location) will be provided to the members of the Steering Committee by State comprehensive cancer control program staff at least 30 days prior to the meeting. The agenda will be distributed no later than 15 days prior to the meeting. Minutes will be recorded, filed, and distributed to members of the Steering Committee and Alliance members by state comprehensive cancer control program staff.

6. A quorum of Steering Committee members must be present in person, or by a means which allows all individuals to contemporaneously hear one another and participate in the meeting, in order to take official action at a Steering Committee meeting. A quorum shall be comprised of at least 50% of Steering Committee members. A majority of the quorum must vote in the affirmative for an action to pass.

7. If the Steering Committee chooses to take action without a meeting, such action may be taken in writing - including by use of electronic means of communication - if at least 70% of all Steering Committee members affirm the action in writing within a predetermined period of time.

IX. Steering Committee Chair and Vice-Chair

1. The Steering Committee will elect its Chair and Vice Chair. The Chair and Vice-Chair will serve two-year terms of office. The Chair and Vice Chair may not be affiliated with the same organization. No more than one of them may represent a governmental agency.

2. The Chair will provide leadership to the Steering Committee, with the support of the Vice Chair. The Chair's responsibilities include the following:
a. Carry out the responsibilities of leadership for the Steering Committee and the Alliance.
b. Serve as spokesperson for the Alliance.\
c. Convene and preside over meetings of the Steering Committee and the Alliance according to Robert's Rules of Order.
d. Establish ad hoc committees or work groups on an as needed basis upon approval of the Steering Committee.
3. The Vice Chair will support the Chair and lead meetings at which the Chair is not present. The Vice Chair is expected to succeed to the position of Chair.

4. At the conclusion of his/her term, the Chair will become the Immediate Past Chair. The Immediate Past Chair will serve as an ex-officio member of the Steering Committee for one year, with no voting rights. The Immediate Past Chair is expected to provide transitional support to the new Chair, and will lead the nominating committee of the Steering Committee.

5. A vacancy occurring in the Chair or Vice Chair positions will be filled by a vote of the Steering Committee. The newly elected Chair or Vice Chair will serve the remainder of the vacant term.

X. Committees

1. The Steering Committee shall establish such committees as it deems necessary to accomplish the mission and purposes of the Alliance. Each committee shall be comprised of at least one member of the Steering Committee and may include volunteers from among the Alliance membership who are not Steering Committee members. Each such committee shall select two co-chairs who shall report the work and recommendations of the committee to the Steering Committee.

2. Notice of committee meetings (date, time, and location) will be provided by state comprehensive cancer control program staff to committee members at least 30 days prior to the meeting. The agenda will be distributed to the committee members no later than 15 days prior to the meeting. The co-chairs of each committee will be responsible for ensuring that minutes are recorded, filed, and distributed to the members of the committee and to state comprehensive cancer control program staff. State comprehensive cancer control program staff will distribute minutes as appropriate.

XI. Nominating Committee

1. The Nominating Committee will be constituted at the beginning of the calendar year and will make recommendations by August 31.

2. The Nominating Committee will solicit recommendations and self-nominations from the members of the Alliance annually for openings on the Steering Committee due to expired positions. The Nominating Committee will review and develop nominations with the intention of maintaining broad-based diversity of participating organizations and individuals on the Steering Committee. The Nominating Committee will evaluate nominations and develop and report to the Steering Committee a slate of recommended candidates. The Steering Committee will elect new Steering Committee members from among the nominees.

3. The Nominating Committee will consist of the Immediate Past Chair and at least one, but no more than two, members of the Steering Committee, and three Alliance members selected by the Immediate Past Chair who are not members of the Steering Committee. If the Immediate Past Chair is unable or unwilling to lead the Nominating Committee, the Steering Committee shall elect a person who is not on the Steering Committee to lead the Nominating Committee.

4. Meetings of the Nominating Committee will be held on a frequency determined by the Immediate Past Chair as deemed necessary to develop nominees for Steering Committee elections.

XII. Conflict of Interest

1. On any matter brought to a vote of the Steering Committee, or any other committee, a member of the Steering Committee, or any other committee, respectively, with a personal or organizational financial conflict of interest between the interests of the Alliance and the individual or member or other organization will be responsible to declare such conflict.

2. The Steering Committee Chair or Co-Chairs of any other committee will decide whether the member should vote on the issue about which the conflict has been declared.

XIII. Amendments to the Bylaws

1. The bylaws may be amended by the Steering Committee with the approval of at least 70% of all Steering Committee members.

2. The Steering Committee must review these Bylaws within 3 years of the initial approval of these Bylaws to determine whether any substantial changes are needed to more fully engage Alliance members in the operation of the Alliance and implementation of the Cancer Plan.

XIV. Role of state comprehensive cancer control program staff

1. The state comprehensive cancer control program staff will have the following responsibilities within the Alliance:
a. Committee meetings - attend Steering Committee and other committee meetings.
b. Operational support - Provide administrative support necessary to facilitate the effective operation of the Alliance. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to, working with the Chair, Vice Chair, and other committee co-chairs to prepare meeting agendas; facilitate internal communication; develop action plans to address priorities; coordinate implementation activities; and monitor and track the Alliance's overall comprehensive cancer control activities.
c. Technical support - Provide and/or facilitate the provision of technical support for assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Facilitate updating plan data, content, goals, objectives, and strategies as necessary.