Constitution

A – DESIGNATION AND OBJECTIVES

The club shall be called The Dover Amateur Radio Club (or abbreviated to DARC).

The object of the club shall be to encourage and stimulate an interest in amateur radio and provide facilities for the members to follow such interests.

The club may be affiliated to other organisations as considered meaningful in the pursuance of its objectives.

The club shall be non-sectarian and non-political.

B – OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE

The club shall be managed by the following officers: –

  • Chair
  • Vice Chair
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer

The Committee will consist of up to eight members but not less than the four Committee members referred to above.The above shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting (See Rule H). After such election, the Chair may remain in office (if they wish) for three consecutive years. At the end of that term they may stand for re-election or be offered the office of Vice Chair. The Chair may, at their discretion, attend and vote at Annual General Meetings, Extraordinary General Meetings and Committee meetings. Honorary members may be appointed by the Committee upon their names being put forward by the Chair. Such appointments shall be in recognition of outstanding service to amateur radio at a national level and ratified at the following Annual General Meeting. Honorary members have the same voting rights as ordinary members.

MEMBERSHIP 

C – Ordinary Members

  1. Membership shall be open to any person with a genuine personal (and not solely commercial) interest in amateur radio. Application for membership shall be ratified by the Committee who shall have the power to veto any such application without necessarily stating their reason. Any subscriptions paid by an unsuccessful candidate shall be refunded.
  2. The period of membership shall be from 1st January to 31st December inclusive in any one year. In the case of new members, the period shall at first be from the date of payment of their first subscription to the following 31st December.
  3. Membership shall be terminated through resignation, non-payment of the subscription within the stipulated time (see Rule F3), or through the following action by the Committee.
  4. The Committee shall have the power to terminate the membership of any individual if their actions are considered to be prejudicial to the interests of the club or the generally accepted spirit of amateur radio. In such event the Committee shall deliver a written statement to the member, setting out the reason why the termination of their membership is being considered. The member shall then be given the opportunity to select a date within the following thirty days, convenient to both themselves and the Committee, on which date a meeting shall be held to discuss the matter. At this meeting, the member shall have the right to invite a third party to assist in the presentation of their case. They shall also have the right to call witnesses and, through the Chair, question those initiating the complaint. At the end of the meeting, the Committee shall hold a secret ballot on whether they should remain a member and the Chair shall advise the member privately of the outcome of that ballot.
  5. Any member who has terminated membership without paying the full annual subscription for that year can only be considered eligible to re-join the club if the period of backdated subscription is paid for the remainder of the year of termination.

D – Associate Members

1. The purpose of an Associate membership of DARC is to enable a person to maintain an associate link with DARC without being a regular visitor or ordinary member, subject to the following conditions: –

a)  An Associate member may make a maximum of five visits to the club per year, including participation in any external club events, when they will be a guest of the Chair or Vice Chair. At such times, the Associate member will comply with the rules of the DARC and those of the organisation where meetings are held.

b)  Associate members may attend Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings if they so wish but will not have the right to vote at such meetings.

c)  Associate members will have access to all such routine documentation as is made available to ordinary members. Where possible, this will be provided by electronic means.

d)  An annual subscription, as determined by the committee and due on 1st January of each year, will apply to those Associate members domiciled in the UK.

e)  Rules C3 and C4 shall apply concerning the termination of Associate membership.

The Committee of the DARC reserves the right to ask an Associate member to apply for ordinary membership if the maximum permitted number of visits is exceeded, or if it believes that in other ways their membership is outside the spirit of the Associate scheme.

E – Honorary Members

Honorary members are presented with lifetime membership without payment in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the formation or progression of the club. Any proposal for a member to be made an Honorary member must be made in writing to the Committee at least 30 days before the AGM. This award is only considered in recognition of exceptional services given to the club.

F – SUBSCRIPTIONS

  1. The rate of subscription shall be determined by the Committee following a recommendation for any change put forward by the Treasurer.
  2. The Committee shall determine any changes to the rate of club subscription for the following financial year based upon information put forward by the Treasurer at a Committee meeting to be held during October/November of the current financial year.
  3. The rate of Club subscriptions shall be announced to the membership of the club as early as possible thereafter but no later than the first club meeting in December of the current financial year. Subscriptions shall then fall due for payment on 1st January next and must be paid by the following 28th February unless otherwise agreed by the Committee.
  4. The following categories of Membership are available:
    • a) Ordinary membership – one single payment
    • b) Ordinary membership – two 6-monthly payments
    • c) Ordinary membership – nine 1-monthly payments
    • d) Associate membership – one single payment
    • e) New members joining before 1 April
    • f) New members joining after 1 April
    • g) Honorary membership – lifetime membership free of payment
  5. With reference to Rule F2, concessions will be given where the member is a person under the age of 18 years.

G – VISITORS TO THE CLUB

  1. Members shall be encouraged to sponsor visitors to the club.
  2. Whenever possible, the member sponsoring the visitor shall introduce them to the officers of the club present and ensure that every endeavour is made to make them feel welcome.
  3. No charge will be made for the visitor’s first attendance but subsequent attendances by the same individual will be charged at a nominal sum set by the Committee.
  4. A member sponsoring an overseas visitor may apply to the Committee for that person to become an Associate member of the club.

MANAGEMENT
H – Annual General Meetings

  1. An Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held on the date of the first club meeting after 31st March in each year.
  2. At least fourteen days’ notice of the meeting shall be given to members on social media platforms.
  3. The following items of business shall be transacted: –
    • Apologies for Absence.
    • Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting and, if appropriate, the minutes ofany interim Extraordinary General Meeting.
    • Matters arising from H3.2 .
    • Chair’s Report and/or Secretary’s Report.
    • Treasurer’s Report and Statement of Account for the financial year.
    • Proposed changes to the club Constitution.
    • Election of the following: –
      • Chair (if applicable under the three-year rule (see Rule B)).
      • Vice Chair.
      • Secretary.
      • Treasurer.
      • Up to eight, but not less than four Committee members (inclusive of above).
    • Ratification of Committee-approved appointments of Honorary Mmmbers.
    • Appointment of two Auditors.
    • Appointment of an EMC Advisor.
    • Nomination of a club charity or charities.
    • Any specific items of business not listed herein but deemed necessary for inclusion by the Committee.
    • Any other business.
  4. Written statements in respect of H3.2, H3.4 and H3.5 together with a list of members as at the date of the meeting shall be made available to all members present.
  5. Such matters under the heading of any other business as may require further research before resolution shall, at the discretion of the Chair, be placed on the agenda for the next Committee meeting. The findings of the Committee on such matters shall be published on social media.
  6. A list of candidates for election as officers and members of the Committee shall be displayed on social media at least two weeks prior to the meeting. The names of the proposer and seconder shall be shown together with the candidate’s signature to indicate that they are prepared to stand for election.
  7. Only those members present at an Annual General Meeting shall be allowed to vote.
    In the event of a tied vote the Chair shall have the casting vote.
  8. Twenty-five per cent of the membership listed under Rule H4 shall form a quorum. In the event of this not being obtained the Chair shall announce a date on which the postponed meeting will take place, this date to be within thirty days of the original meeting date. Should a quorum not be obtained at this second meeting the Committee shall meet to consider the winding up of the Club.

I – Extraordinary General Meetings

  1. An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) shall be convened by the Secretary within twenty-one days of having been directed to do so by the Committee, or upon receipt of a written request for such a meeting signed by fifteen members and stating the reason for the meeting.
  2. At least fifteen days’ notice of the meeting and the business to be conducted shall be given to the members on social media.
  3. No business other than that for which the meeting has been called shall be discussed.
  4. Rules H4 and H5 as applicable to Annual General Meetings shall apply toExtraordinary General Meetings.
  5. Twenty-five per cent of the membership at the time of the meeting shall form aquorum. In the event of this not being obtained, the Chair shall decide whether to postpone the meeting to a later date or carry the matter forward to the next Annual General Meeting, providing that this falls within the following three months. If a quorum is not obtained at a second meeting the matter shall be carried forward to the next Annual General Meeting.
  6. Change of permanent venue to another proposed permanent venue can only be carried out on the result of an EGM. A transfer from a temporary venue to a permanent venue can be carried out by the Committee acting under their duties for the benefit of the club.

J – Committee Meetings

  1. The day-to-day administration of the club shall be undertaken by the Committee. It shall meet as often as necessary in the interests of the club but not less frequently than four times per annum.
  2. Four Committee members including at least two officers of the club shall form a quorum.
  3. At the first Committee meeting following an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting the Secretary shall make available the minutes of that meeting and any matters arising from it shall be deliberated.
  4. At the first Committee meeting following an Annual General Meeting the Committee shall elect from within itself the following: –
    • Training Manager
    • Membership Secretary
    • Station Manager
    • QSL Manager
    • Events Manager
    • Examination Manager
    • Manager for any other areas of responsibility as may arise where individualcontrol and organisation is required.
  5. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt additional members to the Committee and appoint sub-committees for special purposes. The Chair, Secretary and Treasurer shall be members of all such sub-committees in addition to those appointed.
  6. At each Committee meeting an agenda, the minutes of the previous meeting and a Statement of Account to date shall be promulgated.
  7. The Committee shall have the power to deal with any matter concerning the management of the club for which provision is not made elsewhere in these rules.

K – FINANCE

  1. The financial year shall be from 1st January to 31st December inclusive.
  2. The club funds shall be held in an account with a recognised bank. All financial transactions shall be authorised by any one of the following club officers: Chair, Treasurer or Vice Chair.
  3. In the event of the Treasurer not being available for an extended period (period to bedetermined by the Committee at the time of the absence) the accounts shall be managed by the Chair, Vice Chair or the Secretary until such time as the Treasurer is available or a replacement has been appointed. The decision to appoint a new Treasurer shall be made at a meeting of the committee and ratified through a vote by a quorum of the club membership.
  4. The internal accounting system of the club shall be as agreed with the Auditors and be such that all monies held in connection with major projects such as rallies, equipment and other special activities as directed by the Committee shall be identifiable.
    • Annually at the AGM, or an appropriate time, the club shall use a membership vote to nominate a charity (or charities), as proposed by an ordinary member, to support through voluntary fund raising.
    • Should a special situation arise at any time an additional or different charitable cause may be nominated after being voted upon by the membership.
    • The proceeds raised from such voluntary fund raising shall be allocated in full to the charity or charities less any direct costs incurred by the club.
    • Funds raised, and any direct costs in raising these funds, will be documented and audited in accordance with the club’s established procedures.
  5. The Treasurer shall present a Statement of Account to date at each Committee Meeting and make available a Statement of Account, together with all supporting documents, at least thirty days before the Annual General Meeting for inspection by the Auditors.
  6. Any use of the club funds involving a total expenditure of £250 or over in connection with any one project shall be put to the members for ratification at a club meeting where at least twenty-five per cent of the membership is present.
  7. In the event of the dissolution of the club, the Committee shall be responsible for realising the assets of the club and their fair disposal as agreed with the remaining members or their transfer to a new club having the same objectives as the Dover Amateur Radio Club.

CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION

Changes to this constitution shall only be made at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting called for that purpose. The wording of the proposed changes, together with the signatures of the Proposer and Seconder, shall be in the hands of the Secretary not later than thirty days before the meeting. Any motion to change the constitution may only be carried if the number of votes in favour is at least double those against.

LIBRARY & LOAN EQUIPMENT

A library of books and range of loan equipment shall be made available for use by ordinary members. Such items may be loaned for a period of time under terms and conditions as set by the Committee. A person borrowing such items will be responsible for their safe keeping and condition at all times. DARC reserves the right to recover any costs associated with non- return or damage of such items.

CLUB STATION

A club station shall be provided for the use of appropriately licensed members and appropriately licensed visitors. The station shall be operated within the terms and conditions of the licence held and be the responsibility of the Station Manager.