Constitution
CONSTITUTION OF JERSEY ARTHRITIS ASSOCIATION
Being an association incorporated by Act of the Royal Court under Article 4 of the Loi (1862) sur les teneures en fidéicommis et l'incorporation d'associations.
1.Name:
The name of the Association (hereinafter called the "The Association") is "JERSEY ARTHRITIS ASSOCIATION".
2. Objects:
The objects of the Association (the "Objects") shall be all or any of the following:
2.1To support the alleviation and suffering (both physical and psychological) of people with arthritis and associated conditions
2.2To promote care, support research and disseminate information into treatments, cures and prevention of arthritic conditions for people in the island of Jersey
2.3Promote and press for facilities in Jersey for diagnosis, treatment, convalescence and rehabilitation of sufferers from arthritic conditions
2.4Educate, inform, raise awareness and understanding of arthritic conditions to people in Jersey
The income and property of the Association shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the Objects.
3. Powers:
For the purpose of carrying out the Objects, the Association shall have the following powers:
3.1To accept subscriptions, raise funds, invite and accept donations, contributions, grants and legacies from third parties and organisations,whether on an unconditional basis or subject to any conditions imposed by the donor. In so doing the Association must not undertake any taxable permanent trading activity and must comply with any relevant statutory regulations
3.2To enter into any one or more service level agreements with any Minister of the Government of Jersey or any other body or person providing funding to the Association
3.3To take such lawful steps including but not limited to public appeals, direct approaches to individuals or otherwise as may from time to time be deemed either by the Association of the Board of Trustees to be necessary, expedient or desirable
for the purpose of procuring contributions to the funds of the Association in the
form of donations, subscriptions or otherwise
3.4To borrow or raise money for the Objects of the Association on such terms and on such security as may be thought fit
3.5To receive gifts and legacies of movable and immovable property and to sell,let, exchange,mortgage or hypothecate any of the property of the Association as shall be deemed expedient to raise funds for its Objects.
3.6To develop any immoveable property acquired by the Association and by preparing the same for building purposes, construction, demolition, decorating, maintaining, furnishing, fitting up and improving buildings or any immoveable property acquired by the Association
3.7To obtain and pay for such goods and services as are necessary for conducting the work of the Association
3.8To invest the money of the Association not immediately required for its Objects in or upon such investments, securities or property as may reasonably be thought fit, subject nevertheless to such conditions (if any) and such consents (if any) as may for the time be imposed or required by law and subject also as hereinafter provided
3.9To create, maintain, improve and amend a website to inform the general public, Members and prospective Members of the Association's aims, membership, activities, grants and anything else relevant to the Association's Objects
3.10To co-operate with other charities, voluntary bodies and statutory authorities and to exchange information and advice with them
3.11To employ such persons as may be necessary in the conducting and general implementation of this constitution and to provide for, arrange and implement the training of such persons
3.12To organise training, informative talks, presentations, volunteering fairs, events and other functions, meetings or tuition to further any of the Objects
3.13To form sub-committees of members, under the chairmanship of a Trustee. to carry out such functions as the Board of Trustees deems appropriate in furtherance of the Objects
3.14To open and operate such bank accounts and other accounts as the Board of Trustees considers necessary
3.15 To set aside income as a reserve against future expenditure
3.16To do all such other lawful things as are incidental or necessary to the achievement of any of the Objects.
4. Membership:
4.1Membership of the Association is open to all individuals.
4.2An application for membership may be refused or an individual's membership terminated if the Board of Trustees considers such refusal to be in the best interests of the Association. The Member has the right to be heard by the Board of Trustees before a decision to terminate a membership is made and can be accompanied by a friend
4.3The privileges of membership shall not be transferable and shall cease on death or on receipt of written notice of resignation
4.4The Chairman and Secretary must keep a register of names and addresses of members.
5. Annual General Meetings:
5.1There shall be an Annual General Meeting of the Members of the Association held within 6 calendar months after the end of each financial year and no more than 15 months after the preceding Annual General Meeting
5.2The Annual General Meeting shall be called with at least 21 days' notice in writing. The notice shall:
specify the date, time and location of the meeting
(b)name the retiring trustees and call for nominations
call for nominations for a Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary for the following year
(d)detail any proposed amendments to this constitution, duly proposed and seconded;and
(e)include a copyof the chairman's annual report, the treasurer's accounts and report and the secretary's report
5.3Members shall elect Trustees from amongst the members of the Association for a term of 4 years to fill any vacancies, including those arising by virtue of clause 9.3, and including Trustees to fill the positions of Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Treasurer and secretary.
6. Extraordinary General Meetings:
6.1All general meetings other than the Annual General Meetings shall be called Extraordinary General Meetings
6.2The Board of Trustees may at any time convene an Extraordinary General Meeting by giving at least 14 days' notice in writing to all members, such notice detailing the
date, time and place of the meeting and the general nature of the business to be
discussed.
6.3The Board of Trustees must at any time convene an Extraordinary General Meeting within 28 days if requested to do so by 10 or more members.
6.4The Trustees shall cause minutes to be kept in relation to all meetings of members
7. Quorum:
No business shall be transacted at any General Meeting unless a quorum is present. The quorum shall be 10 or more members.
8.Votes
Each Member is entitled to one vote. In the event of an equality of votes the Chairman of the meeting shall be entitled to a casting vote in addition to any other vote he or she may have.
9. Trustees
9.1The Association and its property shall be managed and administered by a Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees shall consist of the following officers:
Chairman
(b)Deputy-chairman
(c)Treasurer
(d)Secretary
and between 2 and 6 Ordinary Trustees
No Trustee shall hold more than one office at the same time.
9.2There shall be a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 10 Trustees on the Board of Trustees.
9.3The term of office of a Trustee shall be 4 years. They may be re-elected once before a break of at least one year.
9.4No person may be elected as a trustee at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting, unless prior to the meeting, the Secretary is given a notice that
is signed by a member entitled to vote at that meeting
(b)states the Member's intention to propose the appointment of a person as a Trustee
(c)is signed by the person who is being proposed to show his or her willingness to be appointed.
9.5The Board of Trustees shall have the power to fill casual vacancies among the elected members of the Board of Trustees, provided that the person or persons co-
opted shall hold office until the expiration of the term of the office of the person or
persons whom they have replaced.
10.Removal of Trustees:
Any Trustee shall cease to hold that office:
10.1if they cease to be a Member of the Association
10.2if they fail to attend three consecutive Board Meetings except by leave of the Chairman or Deputy Chairman (save that a Trustee may not grant themselves such leave)
10.3if by notice in writing addressed to the Secretary, they resign their office
10.4if the Board of Trustees by a majority of two-thirds of such of the Trustees as shall be present at a meeting duly convened for the purpose shall resolve that such Trustee be removed.
10.5if they are guilty of misconduct or otherwise act in a manner deemed to be detrimental to the Objects of the association.
10.6if in the written opinion, given to the Association, of a registered medical practitioner treating that person, they have become physically or mentally incapable of holding their office and may remain so for more than three months;or
10.7if they suffer their goods to be declared “en désastre” or commit any act of bankruptcy or indicative of insolvency or make any arrangement or composition with their creditors or suffer any distress or execution to be levied on their goods.
11.Proceedings of the Board of Trustees
11.1The Trustees may regulate their proceedings as they think fit, subject to the provisions of this constitution
11.2Any Trustee may call a Board Meeting (a "Board Meeting") and such meetings shall take place at least quarterly
11.3With direction from the Chairman or Deputy Chairman, the Secretary will produce the Board Meeting agenda, stating the general nature of the business to be dealt with at the meeting, the place and time of the meeting. The Agenda shall be circulated to every Trustee no less than 14 days before the date of the meeting at which the agenda is to be discussed and considered
11.4No business shall be transacted at any Board Meeting unless a quorum is present, The quorum shall be a minimum of three of whom one must be the Chairman or Deputy Chairman
11.5The Chairman, or failing him or her, the Deputy Chairman, shall preside if present at the Board Meeting and failing this the meeting shall elect its own chairman
11.6All Trustees shall be entitled to vote at all proceedings of the Board of Trustees. All decisions of the Board of Trustees will be binding provided they are achieved
through a simple majority of those Trustees attending a properly constituted
meeting
11.7The Board of Trustees may not commit the Association to any contract or expense or make decisions on behalf of the Association without having first been decided by a majority of votes at a Board meeting. In the case of an equality of votes the person chairing the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.
11.8The Secretary must keep minutes of all:
appointments of Trustees
(b)meetings of the Members and Board of Trustees of the Association including the names of the Trustees present at the meeting, the decisions made at the meetings and where appropriate the reasons for the decisions.
12. Conflicts of interest:
12.1A Trustee must:
declare the nature and extent of any interest, direct or indirect, which he or she has in a proposed transaction or arrangement with the Association or in any transaction or arrangement entered into by the Association which has not been previously declared; and
(b)absent himself or herself from any discussions of the Trustees in which it is possible that a conflict will arise between his or her duty to act solely in the interests of the Association and any personal interest (including but not limited to any personal financial interest)
12.2Any Trustee absenting himself or herself from any discussions in accordance with this clause must not vote or be counted as part of the quorum in any decision of the Trustees on the matter.
13.Finance:
13.1The Association's financial year shall end on the thirty-first day of December in each year.
13.2The Treasurer shall cause proper books of account to be kept with respect to:
all sums of money received and expended by the Association and the matters in respect of which such receipts and expenditure take place;
(b)all sales and purchases of goods by the Association; and
the assets, credits and liabilities of the Association.
13.3Proper books shall be kept giving a true and fair view of the affairs of the Association and to explain the transactions.
13.4All funds of the Association shall as soon as possible after receipt be paid into the bank accounts to be maintained in the name of the Association.Such accounts shall be under the control of the Board of Trustees which shall from time to time provide
for their method of operation but so that the signature of at least two Trustees,one of whom shall be either the Treasurer or the Chairman or Deputy Chairman shall at all times be required.
13.5All payments of money to be made on behalf of the Association shall be applied towards the Objects as set out in its Constitution and shall be approved by the Board of Trustees except that when it is not practicable to obtain the Board of Trustees' prior approval payment may be made on the written authority of two of the Trustees and the payment so made shall be submitted for approval at the next meeting of the Board of Trustees.
13.6The accounts of the Association shall be examined annually by professional accountants, appointed by the Trustees, who shall issue a limited assurance report in accordance with professional accountancy standards as prevail from time to time.
13.7The Board of Trustees shall make adequate arrangements for the security and safe custody of all monies and books belonging to the Association.
13.8The books of account shall always be open to inspection by the Trustees
13.9The notice of the AGM will include the Chairman's report, The Treasurer's report and accounts and the Secretary's report.
14. Dissolution:
If the Association resolves by a simple majority of those present and voting that the
association shall be dissolved any assets remaining after the satisfaction of all proper debts
and liabilities shall be given to such other association or charities preferably having objects
similar to those of the Association, or transferred to the Association of Jersey Charities for its
general charitable purposes, subject to the consent of the Royal Court under Article 10 of
the Loi (1862) sur les teneures en fidéicommis et l'incorporation d'associations, and provided
that no resolution to dissolve the Association shall be considered unless notice in writing
setting out the terms of the resolution shall have been sent to every Member of the
Association not less than 8 weeks before the date of the meeting at which it is to be
considered.
15. Rules:
15.1The Board of Trustees may from time to time make rules or byelaws for the conduct of their business
15.2The byelaws may regulate the following matters but are not restricted to them:
the admission of Members of the Association and the rights and privileges of such members and the entrance fees, subscriptions and other fees or payments to be made by Members
(b)the conduct of Members of the Association in relation to one another and to the Association's employees and volunteers
(c)the procedure and general meetings and Board of Trustees meetings in so far as such procedure is not regulated by this constitution
(d)the keeping and authenticating of records
(e)all such matters as are commonly the subject matter of this constitution of any unincorporated association
15.3The Association at the Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting has the power to alter or repeal its byelaws or rules
15.4The Board of Trustees must adopt such means as they think sufficient to bring this constitution and byelaws to the notice of the Members.
15.5The constitution or byelaws shall be binding in all Members of the Association.
15.6No rule or byelaw shall be inconsistent with or shall affect or repeal anything contained in this constitution.
16. Alteration to this Constitution:
This constitution may be altered by a resolution passed by a simple majority of those
present and voting at the Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting of
Members of the association provided that no such resolution shall be considered unless
notice in writing setting out the terms of the resolution shall have been sent to every
Member of the Association not less than 2 weeks before the date of the meeting at which it
is to be considered and provided that no alteration to this constitution shall be effective
until approved by the Royal Court of Jersey in accordance with the law.
17. Representation:
The Chairman or Deputy Chairman duly authorised by a resolution of the Trustees of the Association shall represent the Association before the Royal Court of Jersey for the purposes of the Loi (1862) sur les teneures en fidéicommis et l'incorporation d'associations and before all tribunals
18. Patron:
18.1A Patron may be appointed or removed from that office by the Trustees of the Association
18.2The position of the Patron shall be of an honorary nature and shall not carry with it the right to vote at any meeting of the Members or Trustees.
19. Disputes:
If a dispute arises between a Member of the Association about the validity or propriety of anything done by the Member or Trustees under this constitution and the dispute cannot be resolved by agreement, the parties to the dispute must first try in good faith to settle the dispute by mediation before resorting to litigation.