Club Constitution

Version 1.1.1

1.0 Identity

Contents
Contents .................................................................................................................................................... 2 Document Control ................................................................................................................................ 2 Club Rules ................................................................................................................................................ 3 1.0 Identity............................................................................................................................................ 3 2.0 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................... 3 3.0 Membership .................................................................................................................................... 3 4.0 Club Assets ..................................................................................................................................... 3 5.0 Club Officials ................................................................................................................................. 3 6.0 Club Funds...................................................................................................................................... 4 7.0 Voting and club decisions ............................................................................................................... 5 8.0 Standards of conduct ...................................................................................................................... 6 9.0 Suspension of members .................................................................................................................. 6 10.0 Amendment of this constitution .................................................................................................... 7

Document Control
Author Christopher Sparke Christopher Sparke Christopher Sparke Christopher Sparke Initial Version 1.1 1.0.1 1.0 1.0 New Version 1.1.1 1.1 1.0.1 1.0 Date 02 April 2013 27 March 2013 22 March 2013 22 March 2013 Change Summary Added Child Protection Policy Reference Changes made after first committee meeting Amendment of wording of sections following initial review Creation of constitution

1.0 Identity

Club Rules
1.0 Identity
1.1 1.2 The club will be called Poole Gaming Society The club will be based at Poole Day Centre, 12A Commercial Rd, Poole, Dorset,

2.0 Purpose
2.1 To provide the opportunity for members to participate in the hobby of collecting, painting and gaming with tabletop miniatures and game systems.

3.0 Membership
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Membership of the club is gained by paying an annual fee. This allows you to pay reduced attendance fees and lets you vote in AGMs Club meetings are open to non-members who can make use of the club facilities upon payment of the non-member attendance fee. A record of attendance will be kept every week. Club Officials and signatories must be 18 years or older. Members and guests must be 18 years old or more to attend the club or become a member, except in the case(s) listed below 3.4.1 Although the club attendance is for persons aged 18+ we accept that some members may wish to bring along a family member who is under 18 years old. This is fine providing they are supervised by the member they are the guest of. (this doesnt affect the obligations of the club as written under sub section 8.4).

3.5

Membership entitles you to vote at AGMs and allows you to raise any issues or concerns that you have at any time with any committee member, who is obliged to pass this concern on to the rest of the committee if appropriate. As a voluntary organisation, the club is not bound by the Data Protection act providing any information we hold is only used for maintaining our members. Any personal information held about members (name, contact numbers, etc.) shall only be used to keep a record of membership of the club and to contact these members if required. Upon the cancelling of membership all held details will be destroyed securely.

3.6.

4.0 Club Assets

4.1 4.2 The assets of the club (gaming equipment, cash in hand and cash at the bank) belong to the committee. If the club ever closes then assets that remain after the Club has met all of its obligations will be distributed at the discretion of the committee, with preference given to like minded organisations within the local area. If such an organisation cannot be found then the assets shall be split fairly between the members of the club.

5.0 Club Officials

5.1 The club committee shall at all times consist of a minimum of 3 Officials: a President, a Treasurer and a Secretary. These positions shall be elected at a club AGM or, if co-opted, they shall offer themselves for election at the first AGM after their appointment. The committee may co-opt and appoint further members to the committee as they see fit for good governance of the club. These extra positions may be dissolved by the committee upon the resignation of the official who holds the post, or at an AGM. All club officials shall act in concert and use their knowledge for the furtherance of the club and its activities not withstanding role description in the following subsections.

5.2

6.0 Club Funds

5.2.1

President - Responsible for: 5.2.1.1 Chairing committee AGM and all general meetings that they are attending in person 5.2.1.2 Encourage and support the volunteer effort of the rest of the committee 5.2.1.3 Encourage co-operation and compromise during disputes within the committee

5.2.2

Treasurer - Responsible for: 5.2.2.1 Managing the clubs financial assets in accordance with this constitution and the constitution and requirements of the GCN 5.2.2.2 Manage the club's day to day financial details 5.2.2.3 Maintain the club's bank accounts and ensuring that records of assets and liabilities are available if required by any party

5.2.3

Secretary - Responsible for: 5.2.3.1 Calling, organising and minuting any committee meetings 5.2.3.2 Arranging the agenda for all committee meetings 5.2.3.3 Calling, organising and minuting all club AGMs, notifying all members of nominations and ratifications. 5.2.3.4 Exercising all proxy votes at all committee meetings 5.2.3.5 Causing the preparation and submission of any non-financial returns required by any party 5.2.3.6 Maintaining good channels of communication between committee members and between the committee and the members of the club.

5.3

All committee positions may be given alternative names that all fit within a common theme that is suitable for the club's activities. The presence of these alternative names does not change what the official title of the role is or what responsibilities that official undertakes. Any decisions about the alternate naming of committee positions must be ratified by the committee. Decisions involving expenditure in excess of 50 or which involve a change to the Club Rules will be made by majority vote of club members at an AGM or EGM. Club Officials may make decisions on day to day running and expenditure of up to 50. A record of accounts must be kept by the treasurer and this can be viewed by club members at any time. Officials must be members of the club to be considered for election or re-election. A minimum of two officials will be present at each club meeting. Any documents, checks or training that is required for an official shall be paid out of club funds.

5.4

5.5 5.6 5.7

6.0 Club Funds

6.1 6.2 6.3 Club funds will be administered through a bank or building society account which is designed for this purpose. There will be three signatories to the club bank account, one of whom will be the club Treasurer. Any two of the signatories must sign club cheques and make cash withdrawals. A receipt will be obtained for all club expenditure, checked by the Treasurer and retained for audit purposes. If the Treasurer commits expenditure then the receipt will be checked by a different signatory. A record of the transactions containing credits, debits and the current balance must be maintained at all times and will be available for inspection by any club member.

6.4

7.0 Voting and club decisions

6.4 6.5

The club year will run from the 1st of October to the 30th of September. At the end of the year a suitably qualified independent person will inspect the financial records. Hall hire costs, public liability insurance and GCN membership are always the highest priority use of funds and funds will be put aside for these purposes. These costs are considered standard costs for the club and do not require approval at an AGM to ratify. The club is a not-for-profit organisation and any profit made may only be invested back into the club or used as a cash reserve for the club.

6.6

7.0 Voting and club decisions

7.1 Any decisions made by the committee may only be made at a committee meeting, which is defined as any meeting in which the majority of the committee is present including at least one of the 3 core officials (President/Treasurer/Secretary). Meetings may be held in person or online and any committee member may vote by proxy on any matter. Committee meetings will take place during the year as called by the secretary under authority of the committee. Members of the club have the right to request to attend any committee meetings, in a non-voting capacity. Decisions for any issue at any meeting will always be made by simple majority vote of all in attendance in person or by proxy who are eligible to vote. Decisions may not be made on topics that fall within the remit of a particular official unless that official is present in person or by proxy except at an AGM. The Secretary will keep a record of decisions taken at club meetings. The record will be available for inspection by any club member. Nominations for elections must be notified to the secretary at least 14 days before the vote takes place. There will be an Annual General Meeting held within 2 months of the end of the club year as set out below: 7.6.1 The AGM shall be held at a time and venue as decided by the committee in accordance with this constitution. A minimum of one months notice shall be given for the AGM along with details of any proposed constitutional changes and how members may register votes by proxy. The club President shall present a review of the club's activities and of the club's performance since the last AGM and present any plans for the coming year. The club Treasurer shall present a review of the club finances since the last AGM and comment on events as necessary to allow members to gain a full understanding of the club's financial position. The AGM shall elect and ratify the appointment of all club officials into the committee. The AGM shall contain an opportunity for any members to raise any issues, ask any questions or voice their views.

7.2

7.3

7.4 7.5 7.6

7.6.2 7.6.3

7.6.4 7.6.5 7.7

Any club member or official who has the backing of another club official has the right to call an EGM. The EGM must be held within a month and at least one weeks' notice must be given along with details of any proposed constitutional changes and how members may register votes by proxy. In all regards the EGM is otherwise treated as an AGM and all references to AGMs in this constitution also apply to EGMs unless otherwise noted in this section. 7.7.1 7.7.2 The agenda for the EGM shall always include the issue that lead to it being called. EGMs do not require performance summaries from the President or Treasurer unless it is relevant to the issue being discussed.

8.0 Standards of conduct

8.0 Standards of conduct

8.1 8.2 8.3 Club members and visiting non-members will at all times adhere to the following standards of behaviour. There will be no verbal or physical abuse of any other or visiting non-member. There will be no discrimination of any kind by any member or visiting non-member towards any other person at the club meetings. This includes but is not limited to discrimination on grounds of: 8.3.1 8.3.2 8.3.3 8.3.4. 8.3.5 8.3.6 8.3.7 8.4 8.5 Class; Ethnic origin, nationality (or statelessness), or race; Gender; Age; Martial or sexual status; Mental or physical ability; Political or religious belief

No visiting minor under the age of 18 years will be left unattended by less than two adults over the age of 18 years at any time. It is the responsibility of all persons to ensure that: 8.5.1 they do not endanger the health and safety of themselves or others;

8.5.2 they observe the rules established for the safety of those involved in club activities. These are defined as required by the club committee. 8.6 Disagreements between club members 8.6.1 8.6.2 8.6.3 8.6.4 Any disagreements between members in a Gaming Club must be referred to the President. If the President is unable to resolve the disagreement, or if personally involved, the matter must be referred to a GCN Knight. The following procedures are to be used only if informal efforts to resolve disagreements have been made and failed. Disagreements between any of the following must be referred to the GCN Council: 8.6.4.1 Two or more clubs from different areas. 8.6.4.2 Clubs and the GCN Council. 8.6.5 8.7 All the parties to the disagreement must be given reasonable opportunity to state their case.

The club has adopted the Gaming Club Network Child Protection Policy in full

9.0 Suspension of members

9.1 Suspension of membership ensures that no situation in the Gaming Club arises which could cause further concern and that no member is placed in a position which could cause further compromise. Such action may be necessary in the following cases: 9.1.1 When an allegation is made that a Member has committed a serious criminal offence. In this case the Member must be suspended until police inquiries and any legal proceedings have been concluded. When a disagreement between adults cannot be resolved quickly. In this case the suspension is to be for a period of not more than 90 days in the first instance. Suspension for further periods of not more than 90 days may follow. When the action of an individual could seriously harm the reputation of the Gaming Club Network.

9.1.2

9.1.3

10.0 Amendment of this constitution

9.2

In every case membership may be suspended only by the appropriate authority with approval from the other appropriate authority as defined in the following table:

Person to be suspended Member of club Club Official Club President GCN Knight GCN Council Member

Authority to suspend

Authority to approve suspension ClubPresident GCN Knight GCN Council Member High Castalain Majority vote of GCN Council

Club Official Club President GCN Knight GCN Council Member High Castalain

9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 9.10 9.11

The suspended member must not participate in any activity connected with the Gaming Club Network and must not wear uniform or badges. Any appointment held will be regarded vacant. Suspension in the case of disagreement must be followed as soon as possible by conciliation and such further steps as are necessary. hen a persons membership is suspended or the nature of the suspension changes, the appropriate official must inform the GCN Council. Any Gaming Club Network member who is dismissed has the right of appeal (with the aid of a friend if so desired) to the next highest tier of authority. If so requested by the person dismissed, the official asked for appeal may appoint a committee to hear the appeal. Reasonable opportunity must be given for the dismissed person to attend the meeting of such a committee to state a case against dismissal. Following any incident of a suspension of membership to an individual censure will not be lifted without the agreement of both the officials who issued the censure, as outlined in 9.2. Records of all suspension and disciplinary actions must be maintained by all officials involved and be available for examination by the police authorise should they be required.

10.0 Amendment of this constitution

10.1 This constitution can only be amended or altered at an AGM or EGM called under sections 6 and 7 with the exception of any area listed below. 10.1.1 10.1.2 10.2 The description of the roles of officials as listed under section 5.2 may be created or amended as required when roles are created or dissolved. Individual responsibilities may be transferred between officials as required.

All proposed changes to the constitution must accompany the notice of the AGM or EGM sent to members.