Model By-laws for a Social Service Organisation

1. The council shall be known as the [name of town or district] Council of Social Service.

2. (a) The council is established for charitable purposes only.

     (b) In particular the council is established.

(i) To promote any charitable purposes for the benefit of the community in the city__________________ (borough, etc.) of _______________[name of town or district] and in particular the advancement of education, the furtherance of health and the relief of poverty, distress and sickness.

(ii) To promote and organise co-operation in the achievement of the above purposes and to that end to bring together in council representatives of the statutory authorities and voluntary organisations engaged in the furtherance of the above purposes within the city (borough, etc.) of__________________ [name of town or district].

(c) In the furtherance of the above purposes, but not further or otherwise, the council may:

(i) Assist anybody or bodies financially or otherwise.

(ii) Obtain, collect and receive money and funds by way of contributions, donations, affiliation fees, subscriptions, legacies, grants and any other lawful method, and accept and receive gifts of property of any description (whether subject to any special trusts or not).

(iii) Procure and provide information.

(iv)Procure to be written and print, publish, issue and circulate gratuitously or otherwise any reports or periodicals, books, pamphlets, leaflets, or other documents.

(v) Arrange and provide for or join in arranging and providing for the holding of exhibitions, meetings, lectures and classes.

(vi) Promote, encourage or undertake experimental work.

3. (a) Any statutory authority or voluntary organisation which is pursuing any of the said purposes may be invited by the council to participate in its work and to appoint such number of representative members as the council may from time to time determine.

 (b) The council may from time to time invite the person holding any

office to become an ex officio member of the council.

(c) The council may co-opt persons having special knowledge or experience, provided that the number of co-opted members shall not exceed one-fourth of the representative members of the council.

(d) The first members of the council shall be those indicated in the schedule.

(e) Participating authorities and organisations may appoint proxies to replace representative members who are unable to attend any particular meeting of the council.

(f) The council may invite any person to attend its meetings as an observer but without power to vote.

4. (a) At the annual meeting the council shall elect a chairman and such other honorary officers (including a president and one or more vice-presidents) as the council may from time to time decide.

(b) The chairman and the honorary officers shall hold office until the conclusion of the annual meeting of the council next after their appointment.

(c) The chairman and the honorary officers shall be ex officio members of the executive committee and any other committee.

(d) The council shall appoint a secretary and may determine his remuneration, duties and conditions of service.

(e) The council shall appoint one or more qualified auditors and may determine their remuneration _____________ (if any).

5. (a) There shall be an executive committee consisting of members of the council whose duty it shall be to carry out the general policy of the council, and, subject to any conditions imposed from time to time by the council, to provide for the administration, management and control of the affairs and property of the council.

(b) The chairmen of the finance committee and any standing or group committee shall be ex officio members of the executive committee.

(c) The executive committee shall have power to co-opt persons not being members of the council to serve on the committee: Provided that the number of such co-opted members shall not exceed one fourth of the total number of elected members serving on the committee.

d) One-third of the members of the executive committee shall retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election, the members so to retire being those who have been longest in office since their last appointment, but not reckoning ex officio members. As between members who have been in office the same length of time, those due to retire shall be chosen by lot.

(e) The executive committee may invite any official of any statutory authority to attend its meetings as an observer but without power to vote.

(f) The executive committee shall meet not less than five times a year.

(g) Any casual vacancy in the executive committee may be filled up by the executive committee and any person appointed to fill such a casual vacancy shall hold office until the conclusion of the next annual meeting of the council and shall be eligible for re-election at that meeting.

(h) The proceedings of the executive committee shall not be in validated by any failure to appoint or any defect in the appointment election or qualification of any member.

6. Nominations from members of the council for either honorary officers or members of the executive committee must be in writing and must be in the hands of the secretary at least fourteen days before the annual meeting. Should nominations exceed vacancies, election shall be by ballot. The executive committee may fill any casual vacancy occurring in the offices of honorary officers appointed by the council, and May, subject to any conditions imposed by the council, appoint any other honorary officers, but all such appointments shall be subject to confirmation by the council at its next meeting.

7. The council or, failing the council, the executive committee may appoint a finance committee and such other special or standing committees as may be deemed necessary, and may determine their terms of reference,  powers, duration and composition, provided that no committee may be given power to co-opt more than one fourth of its total membership.

8. (a) The annual meeting of the council shall, be held in each year at ________________such time (not being more than fifteen months after the holding of the preceding annual meeting) and place as the executive committee shall determine. At least twenty-one clear days? notice shall be given in writing by the secretary to the members. Other meetings of the council shall be held at such times as may be determined by the council.

(b) A special meeting of the council shall be called at fourteen clear days notice in writing upon the written demand of _____________[number] members, or by the president, or vice-president acting in his absence, or by the chairman of the council or by the executive committee.

(c) At the annual meeting the business shall include the election of a chairman and honorary officers, the election of persons to fill vacancies on the executive committee, the appointment of auditors, and the consideration of an annual report of the work done by or under the auspices of the council and of the audited accounts.

 (d) The proceedings of the council shall not be invalidated by any failure to appoint or any defect in the appointment election or qualification of any member.

9. The quorum at a meeting of the council and at a meeting of the executive committee shall be one-quarter of the council or committee, or such other number as the council may from time to time determine.

10. (a) The council shall have power to raise money by means of affiliation fees from participating authorities and organisations, subscriptions from individuals, donations or legacies, grants-in-aid from statutory authorities, loans and other sources.

(b) The income and property of the council whencesoever’s derived, shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the purposes of the council as set forth in this constitution, and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise howsoever by way of profit to any member of the council .Provided that nothing herein shall prevent the payment in good faith of reasonable and proper remuneration to any officer or servant of the council or the repayment of out-of-pocket expenses.

(c) The council may appoint and may determine the appointment of a custodian trustee or a trust corporation or not less than three persons to act as trustees for the purpose of holding any moneys or property belonging to the council.

11. The councils year shall run from April 1st to March 31st. Once at least in every year the accounts of the council shall be audited by one or more qualified auditors.

12. The council may at any time be dissolved by a resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting at a meeting of the council of which at least twenty-one clear days? notice shall have been sent to all members of the council. Such resolution may give instructions for the disposal of any assets held by or in the name of the council, provided that if any property remains after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, such property shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the council but shall be given or transferred to such other charitable institution or institutions having objects similar to some or all of the objects of the council as the council may, determine.

13. Alterations to the constitution shall receive the assent of not less than two-thirds of the members of the council present and voting. A resolution for the alteration of the constitution shall be received by the secretary of the council at least twenty-one clear days before the meeting at which the resolution is to be brought forward. At least fourteen clear days notice in writing of such a meeting shall be given by the secretary to the members and shall include notice of the alterations proposed. Provided that no alteration to clause 2 shall be made without the approval of the court or the authority having jurisdiction.