Constitution
1. NAME
The name of the society shall be ‘The Braund Society’.
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2. OBJECTS
The objects of the society shall be:-
a) To promote and encourage the study of the family history, biography and genealogy of the Braund family, together with the study of relevant local history and the history of associated families where appropriate.
b) To promote the preservation, security and accessibility of archival material.
c) To encourage friendship and fellowship between members through meetings, social activities and the issue of a regular newsletter.
d) In furtherance of the above objects, but not further to or otherwise, the Society shall have the following powers:-
i. to hold meetings and discussions for Society members and interested members of the general public.
ii. to encourage the collection of information and resource material in connection with the pursuance of 2 a) above.
iii. to support the activities of and/or pursue collaborative actions with, other bodies or societies whose objects are similar or related.
3. MEMBERSHIP
a) Full membership of the Society shall be open to all persons bearing the surname Braund and those descended from, or married to, a Braund, who show genuine interest in the support of the Society’s objects excepting those who have been suspended for membership under clause 3d). Associate membership shall be available to all other interested parties or institutions, at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
b) Classes of membership shall be determined by the Executive Committee of the Society and may include such categories as the Executive Committee consider appropriate.
c) Subscriptions shall be payable at the time and at the rate determined by the Executive Committee of the Society subject to the approval of members at a general meeting.
d) The Executive Committee of the Society may suspend from membership any member whose activities, in their opinion, are determined to be prejudicial to the Society. Such members will have the right of appeal to the next following Annual General Meeting of the Society or an Extraordinary General Meeting convened in accordance with the procedure outlined in Clause 5 b) below.
4. ADMINISTRATION
a) The Society shall be administered by an Executive Committee consisting of not less than 6 and not more than 12 members. The Honorary Officers of this Committee shall be the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. A quorum of the Executive Committee shall consist of 5 members, Associate members must not comprise more than 25% of the Executive Committee.
b) The Committee members shall be elected annually by the membership and their terms of office shall commence with the declaration of the election results at the Annual General Meeting. The Officers of the Society shall be elected by the Executive Committee at the first committee meeting following the Annual General Meeting. Nominations should be submitted in writing not less than 28 days before the Annual General Meeting is to take place. If insufficient nominations have been received to fill the vacancies, the chairman of the meeting may, at his discretion, take nominations from the floor.
c) The Executive Committee shall have the power to co-opt members to fill casual vacancies or for any other purpose.
d) Only fully paid-up members of the Society shall be entitled to vote at the General Meeting. The Executive Committee shall determine specific voting rights of different classes of membership.
e) All Executive Committee members shall be eligible for re-election upon completion of their term of office.
f) One or more financial scrutineers shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting to carry out the audit duties referred to in Clause 7 below.
5. GENERAL MEETINGS
a) An Annual General Meeting shall be held in North Devon during the first week in May, or as near as possible to this time, when the Officers shall present their reports. Notice in writing of this meeting shall be given to members at least 28 days prior to the event. A quorum at such a meeting shall consist of not less than 20% of the membership (or 20 members) whichever is the smaller.
b) An Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened at the request of six members, with prior written notice furnished to the members at least 56 days before the meeting, setting out the business to be discussed. A quorum at such a meeting shall consist of not less than 20% of the membership (or 20 members) whichever is the smaller. Except as specified in Clause 8 below, decisions at the meeting shall be by simple majority. An Extraordinary General Meeting must be held in North Devon.
6. CONSTITUTION
The Constitution can be altered or amended only at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Society at which proper notice has been given. Proposals for constitutional amendments shall be submitted to the Society Executive Committee at least 56 days prior to the first day of the month in which the General Meeting is to be held.
7. FINANCE
The Society is a non-profit making association.
a) All income and property of the Society shall be applied solely towards the promotion and execution of the objects of the Society as defined in Clause 2 above, and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly in any manner by way of profit to any member of the Committee or the Society providing that nothing herein shall prevent reimbursement of reasonable and proper out-of-pocket expenses incurred on behalf of the Society.
b) The Executive Committee shall cause proper books of account to be kept with respect to all sums of money received and expended by the Society and the matters in respect of which such receipts and expenditures take place.
c) The Society’s accounts shall be scrutinised annually by one or more scrutineers. A copy of the scrutinised accounts shall be available to all members of the Society.
8. DISSOLUTION
The Society may be dissolved by a resolution passed by not less than three- quarters of those present with voting rights at either an Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting called for the purpose and for which twenty eight days prior notice has been given in writing. Such a resolution may give instructions for the disposal of any assets held by the Society after all debts and liabilities have been paid, the balance left to be transferred to some other charitable institution or institutions having objectives similar to those of the Society.
9. TRUSTEES
The Executive Committee may appoint not less than three persons (and not more than six persons) to hold any property held by or in trust for the Society.