(With amendments proposed at Constitution Sub-Committee Meeting 1/5/13)
1. NAME
The name of the organisation shall be “Amnesty International Jersey Group” (hereinafter “the Group”).
2. AIMS
The aims, objectives and methods of the Group shall be those of the UK Section of Amnesty International (“the AIUK Section”) and in particular to promote the mailing of campaign letters from Jersey.
3. POWERS
For the purpose of carrying out the objects, the Group shall have the following powers:
(a) To accept subscriptions and donations;
(b) To raise funds on behalf of the AIUK Section;
(c) To take such lawful steps by appeals, public meetings or otherwise as may, from time to time, be deemed expedient for the purpose of procuring contributions to the funds of the Group in the form of donations, subscriptions or otherwise;
(d) To print and publish, or procure to be printed and published, or to circulate or procure to be circulated (whether gratuitously or not) any newspapers, periodicals, magazines, books, pamphlets or other documents that may be deemed necessary or desirable for the promotion of the objects of the Group or any of them;
(e) To deposit the moneys of the Group not immediately required for its purposes in or upon such interest-bearing accounts as may be thought fit;
(f) To establish and support, or aid in the establishment and support, or become a member of or co-operate with any charitable association or institution, whether incorporated or not and whether in Jersey or elsewhere, and to subscribe or guarantee money for charitable purposes in any way connected with the purposes of the Group or calculated to further its objects;
(g) To employ or contract such persons or companies as may be necessary in the carrying out and general implementation of these rules and to provide for, arrange and implement the training of such persons;
(h) To do all such things as are incidental to the attainment of the above objects or any of them.
4. MEMBERSHIP
(a) Members are those who have agreed to have their name and preferred contact details held on the Group’s membership database, having completed and lodged the Group’s approved form of membership with the member specifically appointed at the Annual General Meeting as the Membership Co-ordinator.
(b) If a group subscription is fixed in accordance with Clause 5 below, only members who have paid their subscription shall be entitled to vote at any meeting of the Group (“Voting Members”). If a subscription is not fixed, then the term Voting Members shall include all Members of the Group.
(c) Membership of the Group shall terminate either on the resignation of the member from the Group, or withdrawal of membership by the Group under Clause 9 below.
5. GROUP SUBSCRIPTIONS
(a) The Group shall fix the amount of any subscription payable by members, which shall be due on such date in each year as the Group at its Annual General Meeting shall determine.
(b) The Group may only remit part of a member’s Group subscription by reference to the fact that he or she is a student or a member of any other class which in the opinion of the Group merits remission.
6. MEETINGS
(a) The Group may hold Group Meetings, Annual General Meetings (AGMs) and Extraordinary General Meetings (EGMs).
(b) The activities of the Group shall be determined by Group Meetings, which shall be held monthly, whenever possible, and which shall be open to all members.
(c) Five Voting Members shall constitute a quorum at a Group Meeting and ten Voting Members at an AGM or EGM.
(d) For a meeting to be valid, at least two of the members holding the office of Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary or Treasurer shall be present.
(e) The Chair or, failing the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall preside, if present, at all meetings, and failing this the meeting shall elect its own Chair.
(f) Minutes of each meeting shall be kept by the Secretary (or by another member deputising for the Secretary).
(g) An AGM shall be held within two months of the end of the financial year and at least twenty-one days’ notice shall be given to all members by their preferred contact method in accordance with each member’s approved form of membership. The main purpose of the AGM shall be to elect officers and to receive reports from the Chair and the Treasurer.
(h) A Group Meeting or an AGM may decide to call an EGM for the purpose of conducting certain items of business of which it considers all members of the Group should be notified. At least four Voting Members may also, by written notice setting out with sufficient particularity the issue they wish to be considered and sent to the Vice-Chair at the official Jersey Amnesty Group address, requisition an EGM. The Secretary shall, within fourteen days, give notice to all members of the meeting and the matter to be discussed. Not less than ten days’ prior notice by their preferred contact method shall be given of any EGM to all members of the Group.
(i) Subject to Clauses 9 and 11 below, voting at all meetings shall be by simple majority of Voting Members personally present.
7. SUB GROUPS
(a) Sub Groups may be formed and dissolved by a Group Meeting. Their remit, composition (to include co-opted non-members), and quorum shall be determined by the Group Meeting and they shall be accountable to the Group.
(b) Each Sub Group shall report on its plans and activities to at least each alternate Group Meeting.
(c) All moneys received by Sub Groups shall be paid into the Group’s bank account as soon as practicable.
8. OFFICERS
(a) The Group’s Officers shall be a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer (“the Officers”) who shall be elected from the Voting Members annually at the AGM. Should a vacancy occur during the course of the year, an EGM has the power to appoint a replacement to hold office until the next AGM. Nominations for candidates for the Officers shall be received by the Chair and by the Secretary either in writing or by email not less than four days before the relevant AGM or EGM, and shall name the candidate, proposer and seconder, all of whom shall be Voting Members.
(b) The election of members to hold specific responsibilities shall also be held annually at the AGM. Where a vacancy occurs during the course of the year, a Group Meeting has the power to appoint a replacement until the next AGM.
9. WITHDRAWAL OF MEMBERSHIP
(a) A Group Meeting, by a majority of two-thirds of Voting Members present, may resolve to suspend membership of the Group from any Member, such resolution to have immediate effect. A duly convened EGM shall be held as soon as convenient following such suspension, at which a resolution to withdraw membership of the suspended Member from the Group shall be put. Such resolution must be passed by a simple majority of Voting Members present. Upon such resolution being put, the suspension shall be automatically cancelled, and the membership in question either withdrawn or reinstated.
(b) During the suspension of an Officer or Member holding specific responsibility under Clause 9(a) above, their duties and functions shall be undertaken by the Chair or, failing the Chair, by the Vice-Chair.
10. GROUP FUNDS
(a) The funds of the Group shall only be used for promoting the Group’s objects.
(b) The financial year shall end on 31st December in each year or on such date as the AGM shall determine.
(c) The Treasurer shall keep proper books of account of all income and expenditure and shall present the accounts to the AGM for approval. All accounts can be inspected by a member on request.
(d) The bank account(s) shall be in the name of the Group and withdrawals shall be made in the name of the Group on the signature of any two of the Officers, or any one Officer and a Voting Member specifically authorised by a Group Meeting for the purpose.
(e) Claims for reimbursement of expenses must be submitted to the Treasurer in writing.
(f) The Treasurer’s accounts shall be audited by such person(s) who shall be appointed at the AGM. The auditor may not be an Officer nor a member appointed to hold other specific responsibility in the Group.
11. AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION
A proposal to amend this Constitution must be submitted in writing by at least two Voting Members of the Group, and the Secretary shall give not less than ten days’ notice to all members by their preferred contact method before the AGM or EGM which shall consider the proposal.
Amendments require a two-thirds majority of the members personally present and voting.
12. DISSOLUTION
The Group may be dissolved by the procedure provided in Clause 11 above for the amendment of the Constitution, or in the event that at three successive Meetings (each being an AGM or EGM called under the procedure above) no quorum is formed.
Whereupon, subject to the provisions of the Trust (Jersey) Law 1984 as amended, all remaining funds shall be transferred to the AIUK Section.
