standing orders 2017 (gf removed) - your beautiful garden · 2 in european fellowship the yearly...

Chairman Juhana Malme | C/O SODE, Soukantie 13, 02360 Espoo, Finland

Mobile: +358405337808 / +358505908989 | [email protected] | www.europeanfellowship.org

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STANDING ORDERS (MARKED are 2017 tabled changes) The Constitution 1 The standing orders shall be read in conjunction with the Fellowship’s constitution. The yearly session 2 In European fellowship the yearly session starts the 1. January and ends 31. December. A

new organization admitted will start to be an official member the next yearly session after the AGM.

Members 2 Membership of the Fellowship shall be open to organisations that: 2.1 are deemed to be members by virtue of clause 7 of the constitution; or 2.2 accept the fundamental aims and objectives set out in clause 6 of the constitution, 2.3 have a corporate identity or symbol by which the organisation and its members are

identified, 2.4 are organised on a national basis or have the intention and capacity to be a national

organisation, and 2.5 accept the responsibilities of membership of the Fellowship. 3 Applications for membership shall be considered at the annual meetings and in normal

circumstances, the details of the application will be circulated to all members and organisations in touch with the notice of the meeting as required by clause 26.

4 Admission to the membership shall be by a unanimous decision of the full member

organisations in attendance at the annual meeting. 5 Where a country is a large union or federation where an organisation operates at a sub-

national level, or where a national organisation operates wholly or substantially at sub-national level, the Fellowship may admit the sub-national organisation to membership. Such an organisation will be required to have a total membership spread over a number of units broadly equivalent to the organisation already in membership and is unlikely to be smaller than the smallest national organisation in membership. Where more than one national or sub-national organisation from one country is admitted, such organisation must recognise that for the purposes of activities supported wholly or partly by external funding, the Fellowship may be required to impose restrictions on participation on such organisation so as to comply with funding constraints.

6 Subject to clause 7, the committee will have power to revoke an organisation’s membership

of the Fellowship by unanimous decision of the member organisations present at an annual meeting if:

6.1 the organisation carries on its activities in a manner that is wholly inconsistent with the aims and objectives of the Fellowship as stated in clause 6 of the constitution, or



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6.2 the organisation has not had any communication with the Fellowship and its secretariat for more than 30 months, and

6.3 the matter may only be considered by an annual meeting, and 6.4 the action has been notified in the notice of the annual meeting, and 6.5 the resolution of the annual meeting must be unanimous with the exception of the

organisation that is the subject of the vote. 7 The committee has no power to revoke an organisation’s membership of the Fellowship if

the particular organisation is also a member of the Global Fellowship. 8 An organisation may resign its membership by giving written notice to the Chairman.

Associated members 9 The Fellowship may admit organisations to be in association with the Fellowship as

associated members (known in this document as members or associated members to distinguish from full members).

10 Admission as an associated member of the Fellowship shall be open to organisations that: 10.1 accept the fundamental aims and objects set out in clause 6 of the constitution, and 10.2 accept the responsibilities of constitution of the Fellowship, and 10.3 have a corporate identity or symbol by which the organisation and its members are

identified, and 10.4 are organised on a national basis or have the intention and capacity to be a national

organisation, or 10.5 are organised on a sub-national basis in accordance with clause 5, and 10.6 have the intention to apply for membership of the Fellowship. 10.7 Organizations admitted as associated members can have a maximum of 5000

members. 10.8 The 5000 member limit does not apply for international umbrella organizations nor

organizations who are members of one or several of our partner organizations. 10.9 The membership fee is fixed, and decided on a yearly basis in the Annual General

meeting. Organizations in touch 11 The Fellowship may admit organisations to be in association with the Fellowship as

members in touch. 12 Admission as an associated member of the Fellowship shall be open to organisations that: 12.1 accept the fundamental aims and objects set out in clause 6 of the constitution, and 12.2 accept the responsibilities of constitution of the Fellowship, and 12.3 have a corporate identity or symbol by which the organisation and its members are

identified, and 12.4 are organised on a national basis or have the intention and capacity to be a national

organisation, or



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12.5 are organised on a sub-national basis in accordance with clause 5. 12.6 The organization can only remain in this category for three terms. 12.7 An organization in touch has no voting rights 12.8 An organization in touch can not apply funding from the EF 12.9 No membership fee is collected from the organizations in touch 11 Applications for associated member and member in touch status shall be considered at the

annual meetings and in normal circumstances, the details of the application will be circulated to all members with the notice of the meeting as required by clause 26.

11 All member organizations can apply for a reduction in the membership fee for financial

reasons yearly. The decision is made at the AGM by full members. 12 The committee may revoke an organisation’s status as associated member or member in

touch if the procedure in clause 6 is followed. 13 An associated member may resign its membership by giving written notice to the Chairman. 14 Associated member status is not transferable. The Committee 15 The member representatives attending an annual or general meeting convened under clauses

16 and 20 shall be recognised as the Committee. Annual General Meetings 16 The Fellowship shall hold an annual general meeting each year in addition to any other

meetings in that year. The period of time between one annual meeting and another shall not be more than fifteen months.

17 The business of the annual general meeting shall include, but not be limited to, the

following: 17.1 admission of new organisations as full members, 17.2 admission of new organisations as associated members 17.3. admission of new organisations as members in touch 17.3 consideration of the Fellowship’s accounting statements, 17.4 setting an action plan for the activities and operations that are planned for undertaking by the

Fellowship, 17.5 annual reports from members 17.6 report of the chairmanship, and 17.7 representatives to the Global Fellowship Committee, 17.8 election of chairmanship, the Chairman, the Training Facilitator and the Activity

Coordinator are elected for three year terms, but only one of the roles change pr. year on a rotation basis.



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18 Each organisation may have up to three representatives as part of the Committee for the

purposes of clause 15. 19 The Committee shall determine the time and place of the meetings in advance at the prior

annual or general meeting. The place of the meeting shall rotate by agreement of the Committee.

General Meetings 20 In addition to the annual meeting, the Fellowship may convene a general meeting. 21 For the purposes of general meetings, clauses 18 and 19 shall apply. Policy Meetings 22 In conjunction with an annual or general meeting, the members of the Fellowship may

convene a policy meeting to discuss matters relating to: 22.1 the Global Fellowship, 22.2 constitutional changes to the Fellowship, or 22.3 matters of significant relevance to the Fellowship. 23 Any policy meeting shall take place immediately prior to an annual or general meeting. 24 The policy meeting only has the power to make recommendations to the annual or general

meeting and any resolution or ratification that is required must be made by the annual or general meeting acting in accordance with clauses 15 and 20.

Meeting Arrangements 25 The committee shall approve the dates and venues of annual and general meetings in

advance. This shall apply in all cases except emergencies when the chairmanship may arrange a meeting or where the procedure under clause 47 applies.

26 The chairmanship shall be responsible for giving a minimum of one months written notice

of the meeting. All notices shall be sent to recognised head offices of members and to known participants.

27 The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting, or non-receipt of the notice to any

organisation shall not invalidate the proceedings at the meeting. 28 No business shall be transacted at an annual or general meeting unless there is a quorum

present. The quorum shall be a committee of representatives of no fewer than three member organisations.

29 The chairman of the meeting shall be the person identified under clause 39.



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30 In the course of the meeting and any resolutions that may be made, nothing shall force a member to do, or to participate in anything which that organisation objects to.

31 Each organisation shall bear the costs of its representation at meetings and its participation

in events. Where this is not possible and other sources of funding are available, a contribution may be made to cover meeting representation costs.

32 Where expenses are to be incurred on a shared basis then the sharing arrangements must be

mutually agreed in advance. 33 Any disputes that arise in the course of a meeting shall be referred to the chairman and his

decision will be final. Voting at Meetings 34 The committee shall aim to reach agreement by consensus. 35 If a vote is required, full member organisations present shall have one vote per organisation.

Voting will be on the basis of a simple majority unless a unanimous or other decision is required under another clause of these standing orders or the constitution. There shall be no proxy voting at annual or general meetings.

36 Associated members do not have any voting rights, except in the case of chairmanship

position elections. 37 In the event of an equality of votes, then the chairman shall have one casting vote. The chairmanship 38 The duties of the chairmanship shall rotate between organisations that are a member of the

Fellowship providing that such organisations have the resources to undertake these duties. The chairman is elected by and amongst full members, the activity coordinator and training facilitator are elected by and amongst all members.

39 The chairmanship will comprise of a chairman, a training facilitator and an activity

coordinator. The chairmanship will be responsible for the day to day management of the Fellowship.

40 The chairman, the training facilitator and the activities coordinator shall be elected by an

annual meeting to serve for a period of three years, and attend meetings in the year prior to taking office. If the period of office is to be extended then a re-election must take place at annual general meeting. An organisation in the chairmanship can be elected for the same role in the chairmanship for a maximum of 2 consecutive periods.



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41 Each person in the chairmanship is expected to hold office for three years. In the event that there is a change to the personnel then the member organisation must arrange for suitable replacements.

Duties and Powers of the Chairmanship 42 The chairmanship shall be responsible for: 42.1 effectively managing and developing the Fellowship in accordance with the aims and

objectives, 42.2 the management of projects undertaken by the Fellowship, 42.3 supporting applications for grant assistance for activities of the Fellowship, 42.4 the agenda and arrangements for annual and general meetings including the last annual

meeting of their term of office prior to the transfer of responsibility, 42.5 presentation of the financial report to each annual meeting, 42.6 ensuring that the necessary notices are issued to convene meetings, and 43 The Fellowship shall be managed by the chairmanship and they shall act in accordance with

the constitution, standing orders, resolutions and decisions made by annual and general meetings.

44 The chairman shall have the following powers: 44.1 to expend the funds of the Fellowship in such manner as they shall consider most beneficial

for the achievement of the aims and objectives, and 44.2 to enter into contracts on behalf of the Fellowship in order that activities authorised by

annual and general meetings may take place. Chairmanship Expenses 45 The member organisation represented in the chairmanship is responsible for necessary

arrangements to secure funding for any salaries and administration. The funding may arise through direct grant assistance to the Fellowship for administration or sponsorship from the member organisation or other suitable sources.

46 The chairmanship may be paid all reasonable travelling, hotel and other expenses properly

incurred by them in connection with their attendance at meetings of the Fellowship or otherwise in connection with their duties.

Removal of the elected persons in the chairmanship 47 In the event of fraud, gross mis-management or other exceptional matter, an emergency

general meeting may be convened by at least three member organisations jointly giving at least one months written notice of a general meeting at which the removal of one or more people in the chairmanship is to be discussed. The notice should be given to all members.

48 The notice convening the meeting must contain a joint statement of the chief executive

officers of the three (or more) member organisations convening the meeting giving full details as to why the action is being taken. Furthermore, the notice must set down a full



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proposal detailing which member organisation will assume interim management of the Fellowship for the remainder of the term of office.

49 The chairmanship shall be given notice of the meeting and should attend to give a full

account of their management. 50 The quorum for a meeting to discuss the removal of the elected persons in the chairmanship

will be four member organisations. 51 The action to remove the elected persons in the chairmanship and install an interim person in

the chairmanship must be by unanimous vote on a one vote per member organisation. The member organisation behind the elected person in question are excluded from voting when action is being taken to remove elected person in the chairmanship, associated members will not have a vote.

Annual Report of the chairmanship 52 The chairman shall prepare an annual report for presentation to the annual meeting covering

the activities and operations of the Fellowship in the period since the last annual meeting. Minutes 53 The chairmanship shall keep minutes of all proceedings of meetings of the Fellowship

including annual and general meetings. 54 The chairmanship shall ensure that the minutes are circulated to participants and head

offices of members as soon as is practicable after the meeting. 55 The minutes of meetings are to be resolved at the subsequent annual meeting. Financial Management and Accounts 56 The chairman shall be responsible for the financial management of the Fellowship. 57 The chairman shall prepare the financial accounts of the Fellowship in respect of the

immediately preceding financial period and present them to the annual meeting for approval. 58 Financial records shall be maintained and accounts prepared in accordance with financial

regulations and standards of the country in which the chairman is based. 59 The Fellowship shall maintain a bank account that shall be administered by the chairman,

who will ensure that a full and proper examination of the accounts is undertaken annually. Annual Member Return 60 The chairmanship shall arrange for annual returns to be collected from member

organisations. The returns will include details of matters including: correspondence arrangements, management and statistics relating to the number of member participants in the organisation.



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Membership Fees 61 Any membership fees that are levied on members will be in accordance with the policy that

is resolved at an annual meeting of the Fellowship. 62 All members can apply for a reduction of the fee for financial reason yearly. The decision is

made at AGM by full members. The Global Fellowship 62 The Fellowship is a regional fellowship of the Global Fellowship – A Family of Christian

Youth Organisations. 63 It is necessary to be a member of the Fellowship prior to being nominated for membership

of the Global Fellowship in accordance with the Global Fellowship constitution. 64 It is not necessary to be a member of Global Fellowship to be a member of the Fellowship. 65 Representatives of members of the Fellowship who are also members of Global Fellowship

shall elect from nominations submitted by their organisations when required, representatives to the Global Fellowship Committee.

66 Voting shall be on the basis of one vote for each organisation that is a member of Global

Fellowship. 67 The number of representatives shall be determined by the constitution of Global Fellowship.

If there are two or more representatives, then only in exceptional circumstances would a member of the Fellowship have more than one representative.

Liability and Risk 68 When the committee is considering projects, it must always make the necessary enquiries to

ensure that sufficient and adequate financial arrangements have been made to support and cover the costs that are involved. Furthermore, the chairmanship must be informed in advance of all planned expenditure on Fellowship projects.

69 Where a project is owned and managed by the Fellowship, the Fellowship shall bear full

liability for any losses that are incurred. 70 Where a project is owned and managed by a member and the Fellowship participates by

invitation, the member organisations shall bear full liability for any losses that are incurred. 71 Where participants are expected to contribute to the costs of an event or project, the

participants must be notified in advance of the extent of the contribution that may or will be required.



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72 In the event that the Fellowship ceases to operate and is in the process of being or has been

dissolved, the following shall apply: 72.1 Where assets exceed liabilities then all liabilities shall be discharged and after a clear period

of three months any residual assets and surpluses shall be distributed to the Global Fellowship and shall be applied to European youth work.

72.2 Where liabilities exceed assets then all liabilities shall be discharged and any deficit shall be

funded by the member organisation responsible for the chairman 72.3 Clause 30 shall not apply in relation to clause 72. 73 In the event of a member organisation resigning their membership of the Fellowship whilst

they are responsible for the chairman and the Fellowship dissolves due to a deficit, then that organisation will remain bound by clause 72 for three months after the date that the resignation was received by all other member organisations.

Changes to the Standing Orders 74 Any changes that are to be made to these standing orders shall be tabled for discussion at an

annual or general meeting. Prior to any changes being made to the standing orders, the matter shall be tabled for consideration and confirmation at a subsequent annual or general meeting.

The standing orders are supplemented by the document “European Fellowship - An active and

dynamic umbrella organisation” adopted at the extraordinary annual general meeting 28.-29. August 2009 and with accounting principles specified at the AGM in April 2013.



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standing orders 2017 (gf removed) - your beautiful garden · 2 in european fellowship the yearly...

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