C1

Name

The name of the club shall be The Probus Club of Newport-on-Tay, herein after referred to as The Club.

C2

Purpose

The activities of The Club shall mirror those of the worldwide Probus movement. Namely, to offer members a regular programme of invited guest speakers and social activities, in a general atmosphere of friendship and camaraderie.

C3

Governance

The management and operation of The Club shall be the responsibility of an Executive Committee, herein after termed The Committee, and subject to its Constitution and Rules.

C4

The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall consist of the following Officers of The Club:

The President

The Vice-President

The Secretary

The Treasurer

The Equipment Officer

The Newsletter Editor

The Web Master

In addition, the immediate Past President shall be an ex-officio member,

and one elected Ordinary Member

Committee meetings shall be called by the Secretary upon the request of any member of The Committee, and a quorum shall be five members.

The Committee shall have the power to co-opt further members as required, and to set up sub-committees for special purposes.

Membership of The Committee shall be determined by election at the Annual General Meeting according to the Rules of The Club.

C5

Independence

The Club shall be independent of any other organisation and shall be non-profit making.

C6

General Meetings

An Annual General Meeting shall be called by The Secretary, who shall normally give members two weeks notice of this in writing, or by email.

A Special General Meeting shall be called by The Secretary upon the request of at least five members of The Club, giving members two weeks notice of this in writing and specifying the reason for calling the meeting. A member wishing to add any other item to the agenda should inform the Secretary of this in writing or by email with due notice prior to seven days prior to the meeting.

C7

Changes to the Constitution

Changes to this Constitution may be made by a vote at a General Meeting, providing at least 75% of those attending give their assent and provided not less than 60% of the membership are in attendance.

C8

Changes to the Rules

The Rules may be changed by a vote at a General Meeting, providing at least 60% of those attending give their assent.

A temporary change in the Rules may be made at any time by The Committee, as circumstances may dictate, provided the change is notified to members at the next meeting of The Club. The first provision of C8 will still apply to these ad hoc changes.

C9

Dissolution of The Club and Disposal of Assets

A decision to terminate the existence of The Club may be taken only at a General Meeting, and providing at least 80% of those attending give their assent. Proposals for disposal of Club assets shall then require approval by a majority of those attending.

R1

Membership

Membership of The Club shall be open to all professional and business men aged over 55 years.

Applications from new members shall be supported by two existing members. The Secretary shall assist new applicants in finding supporters if necessary. New applicants shall have attended at least one meeting of The Club as a guest

All existing members shall be assumed to be applying for continuing membership at the start of the new session.

Decisions on applications shall be taken by at least two of the Committee and endorsed at the next Meeting by a majority vote. An application may be declined if it is felt that an applicant might bring the Club into disrepute or create friction with existing members. The Secretary will inform an applicant so declined, without giving a reason for the decision.

R2

Date of the  Annual General Meeting

The AGM shall normally be held on the Wednesday that is the second meeting of the Club in February. This will mark the start of the new session.

R3

Meetings

Meetings will be held every fortnight on a Wednesday morning starting at 10.15am.

R4

Voting

Other than as specified in C7 and C8, voting at meetings shall be by a show of hands, or, if requested a secret ballot. A quorum shall be 1/3 of the membership and a simple majority shall be required. In the event of a tie, the President shall have a casting vote.

R5

Terms of Office

The President shall serve for one year, and will then be an ex-officio member of The Committee for the following year. The President normally shall not be eligible for immediate re-election in that capacity.

The Vice-President shall serve in that capacity for one year, and shall normally be confirmed by the members at the AGM as the incoming President.

All other members of The Committee shall demit office at the AGM, but shall be eligible for re-election.

R6

Duties of the President or his Depute

The President shall preside at all meetings of The Club or in his absence the Vice-President,  In the absence of both the other Committee members  may appoint a suitable depute on any occasion as required.

The President or his depute shall acquaint himself with the current Constitution and Rules,

and ensure that these are being correctly applied to the running of The Club.

The President shall generally look after the fortunes of The Club, proposing innovations and changes for its wellbeing as appropriate, and take overall responsibility for health and safety policy at all meetings.

R7

Duties of the Vice-President

The Vice-President shall support and deputise for  the President, and prepare himself to take over that role at the next AGM. He shall collaborate with other Committee Members in organising the meetings of The Club for the following session. He will also welcome guest speakers and explain our policy about expenses and charitable donations in appreciation of the speaker giving their talk.

R8

Duties of the Secretary

The Secretary shall:

Maintain records of membership and attendances.

Take or arrange for a depute to take the minutes of all types of meetings.

Give written notice of General Meetings, and produce an agenda for each of these.

Attend to communications sent to The Club by any means, and reply to them as directed by The Committee or one of its Officers.

Maintain all of the documents, both past and present, relating to the running of The Club.

Circulate the minutes of the last AGM together with the papers calling the next AGM.

Act as the first point of contact in respect of public relations matters with due reference to the President and Committee.

R9

Duties of The Treasurer

The Treasurer Shall:

Collect subscriptions from members at the rate approved by members at the preceding AGM.

Pay all dues for which The Club is liable.

Protect the funds of The Club and monitor its bank account.

Prepare an income and expenditure statement for the twelve months ending on December 31st each year and submit this for approval to the Club Examiner.

Submit this statement to members along with the papers calling the AGM.

Generally to alert the Committee to any financial obligations or developments that are likely to impact on the financial operation of The Club.

To secure the agreement of a member who will act as Examiner of the accounts. This appointment is to be submitted for approval at the AGM

Manage the ordering of regalia such as the Chain of Office name badges etc.

R10

Duties of the Equipment Officer

The Equipment Officer shall:

Ensure that the Club’s equipment is fully operational, or that necessary arrangements for repair are made, and that all relevant Health and Safety issues are met.

Maintain an archive of relevant user instruction booklets.

Arrange for any necessary annual testing by an outside agency.

Advise on future equipment requirements, improvements, changes in technology, etc.

Draw up a schedule of helpers for each meeting, having a sensitive regard to any known health issues.

R11

Duties of the Newsletter Editor

The Newsletter Editor shall co-ordinate the production of The Club’s Newsletter on a reasonably frequent basis and send copies electronically to members.

Ensure that copies are available at meetings to members who have no email to receive paper versions.

Generate publicity material for the purpose of attracting new members.

R14

Duties of the Web Master

The Web Master shall:

Ensure that the Club Website displays up-to-date information about the club and its activities.

Display the current Newsletter, and Syllabus.

Display, for the benefit of members,  the Constitution and Rules.

Display any material designed to attract new members.

R15

Combination of duties

The Committee shall have the power to have two or more of the roles of its Officers undertaken by a single member of The Committee.

R16

Membership Fees

Prior to the AGM, the Treasurer shall advise The Committee on a proposed level of membership subscription to be charged for the next session. Subject to its approval at the AGM, this will be introduced and members will be expected to pay soon thereafter. Members who were unable to attend the AGM will be notified by the secretary, giving details of payment methods.

Members in default at the end of June will be reminded by the secretary, and a member who has not paid by the end of July will have his name removed from the membership.

R17

Examiner

The Examiner shall check the accuracy of the income and expenditure statement prior to its circulation for the AGM and certify on the statement that this is the case. In the event that any doubt exists, he will discuss this with the treasurer to secure clarification.

R18

Guests

Members are encouraged to invite guests to the normal meetings of The Club, and members of Rotary International are especially welcome. However, an individual may not attend as a guest more than three times per session.