Hampton Roads LEGO® User Group (HARDLUG) Bylaws
Last revised – 06/08/2026
PURPOSE
HARDLUG’s purpose, vision and mission shall be as follows:
a) To encourage friendship, fellowship, communication, and collaboration among those who enjoy LEGO®.
b) To promote the hobby of LEGO® to the public, through showcasing & outreach activities.
c) To share enjoyment of LEGO® among our Membership in all facets, including but not limited to building official sets, building MOCs, collecting, artistic expression, designing, robotics, photography, videography, organization, and anything else that would drive someone to seek membership.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION STATEMENT
HaRdLUG is welcoming and inclusive to everyone, and in no way discriminating against, denying membership to, or excluding from participation any person for reasons of race, ethnicity, age, physical ability, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, familial status, religion, or national origin.
ARTICLES
GENERAL… 1
MEMBERS… 2
BOARD OF DIRECTORS… 3
MEETINGS… 4
CONTRACTS, FUNDS, AND GIFTS… 5
MISCELLANEOUS… 6
ARTICLE 1 - GENERAL
Section 1 - Name: The name of the club is “Hampton Roads LEGO® USERS GROUP”, or “HARDLUG” for short. The club will be referred to as “HARDLUG” throughout this document.
Section 2 - Fiscal Year: The fiscal year for HARDLUG shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31 of the same calendar year.
Section 3 – Code Of Conduct: Members of HARDLUG are expected to treat each other with kindness and respect at all times. At public events, members are expected to behave as good hosts or guests as appropriate to the event.
ARTICLE 2 – MEMBERS: HARLUG is open to anyone that wants to be a member. The intent of the sections below is to provide consistent definition for accounting and not to set thresholds to exclude membership.
Attendance at a Monthly Meeting (excluding December meeting)
Publicly representing HARDLUG while in attendance at Display Events
Contribution of a build or MOC, including collaborative builds, to a HARDLUG event without being in attendance
Participation in our online communities (Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr)
Participation in a Committee, as reported by Committee Chair
Section 2 - Age of Members: All Club members must be at least eighteen (18) years old. Children of members may participate as associate members while their parent or guardian is present.
Section 3 - Membership Benefits: Member benefits include, but are not limited to:
Participation in HARDLUG meetings and events
Participation in any online HARDLUG communities
Opportunity to serve in HARDLUG Committees or act as Committee chair
Self-nominate to serve as a member of the Board of Directors
Participation in LUGBULK and Project Support
Opportunities for additional benefits extended to HARDLUG by THE LEGO® GROUP (TLG)
Section 4 - Member Dues: The HARDLUG will collect an annual $24 non-refundable membership dues from all members. Membership dues may be paid in January of the current membership year but will not be considered past due until 30 days after an individual’s second attendance. Any new member that joins after January 31 will be charged a prorated membership cost for the remainder of the year. Failure to pay membership dues each calendar year will remove that individual as a member. All dues will be used only to reimburse actual expenses of the LUG such as build challenge prizes, website maintenance, signage, annual meeting luncheon, etc.
Section 5 - Communications and Online HARDLUG Communities: HARDLUG conducts business and engages in social activities electronically. Each member over 18 must have a valid email address. All HARDLUG communications and notice of upcoming meetings and events shall be sent to members via the email address they provide. The HARDLUG Discord server shall also contain upcoming event listings and serve as an online forum for discussion amongst members. If members wish to participate in the member-only channels within the HARDLUG Discord server, they must include the name that is associated with their email address in their profile display name or nickname.
ARTICLE 3 - BOARD OF DIRECTORS: The Board is the body of volunteers that manages HARDLUG. Each member has a role that requires time and effort to keep HARDLUG running. The intent of this structure is to invest those volunteers who give their time to HARDLUG with the authority to make decisions about how HARDLUG will run.
Section 1 - Eligibility: To be eligible to serve on the Board of Directors (Board), the individual must have been a member for 365 days prior to the service.
Section 2 - Number of Directors: The Board shall consist of five elected Directors (listed in section 9)
Section 3 - Terms: Directors shall ideally serve for the calendar year upon election.
Section 4 - Election and Election Committee: The election of Directors will be held electronically and in person at each Annual Meeting, and all HARDLUG members shall be given the opportunity to self-nominate and vote. The Election Committee shall manage the collection of self-nominations of candidates, the electronic voting form, and the in-person voting forms. The Election Committee shall tabulate results and communicate them to HARDLUG membership.
Section 5 - Resignation: Any Director may resign at any time by delivering written notice of such resignation to the Board of HARDLUG. Resignation shall be effective when the notice is delivered unless the notice specifies a later effective date.
Section 6 - Removal: Any Director may at any time be removed, with cause, by a majority vote of 50 percent plus one of the members.
Section 7 - Vacancies: Any vacancy on the Board resulting from the death, resignation, removal, or disqualification of a Director may be filled until the next Annual Meeting by a majority vote of the Board.
Section 8 - Quorum: The presence of a simple majority (typically three) of the elected Directors constitutes a Quorum for the purposes of Board meetings and any actions which require a Board vote.
Section 9 – Board of Directors Roles
The HARDLUG President: The President is appointed to conduct the monthly LUG meetings and report the minutes of each meeting via email to all members. The President will conduct meetings of the Board of Directors as needed to resolve any issues that arise.
The Lego® Ambassador: The LEGO® Ambassador is appointed by the community to represent the community and its members actively on the LEGO® Ambassador Network (LAN). Consistency and experience of the Member appointed to the position are valued highly within the LAN. The role has a suggested term length of 4 years. Roles and responsibilities of the LEGO® Ambassador may be found on the LAN website here.
The LUG Support Coordinator: The Support Coordinator will administer the annual LUGBULK program as well as the Project Support LUGBULK program.
Treasurer: The Treasurer is responsible for the accounting of all funds received by HARDLUG and HARDLUG Committees, and shall maintain transparency to Members through a quarterly report of financial activities. A proposed budget for the ensuing year shall be prepared by the Treasurer and be sent to all members 1 month prior to the Annual Meeting where it will be submitted to the membership for adoption.
Communications Coordinator: The Communications coordinator will oversee the management of HARDLUG communications volunteers, including the HARDLUG website, social media, and Discord servers.
ARTICLE 4 - MEETINGS
Section 1 - Scheduling: Meetings of the Members shall be held as determined by the Board, typically the second Sunday of each month. Date, time, and location of at least one meeting per month will be provided to members at least two weeks prior to the meeting. Additional meetings and events may occur throughout the year with less than two weeks’ notice.
Section 2 - Annual Meeting: The Annual Meeting shall be held in September of each year, in conjunction with our regular monthly September meeting. The Annual Meeting shall:
Elect the Board Directors
Approve the budget
Transact such other business that comes before it
Section 3 – Attendance: Any meeting or display event of the members is counted officially for attendance reporting to TLG. If a Director cannot be present to collect attendance, the Board shall appoint a HARDLUG member.
Section 4 - Voting: Each Director shall be entitled to cast one vote on all matters which properly come before any meeting of the Board. Each Member shall be entitled to cast one vote on all matters which properly come before any meeting of the Members. Votes may be cast electronically. 25% of Members must submit a ballot to constitute a Quorum for membership votes.
Section 5 - Video, Telephone or Online Meetings: Members may participate in a meeting by means of an in-person, video, telephone, or online conference by which all persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other at the same time.
ARTICLE 6 - MISCELLANEOUS
The foregoing Initial Bylaws are hereby approved and adopted by the Members of HARDLUG effective this 17 day of June, 2026.