a. The Purpose & Mission of the Organisation

i. To provide essential goods such as food, toiletries, clothing, furniture or other domestic necessities to

  • Those leaving refuges for victims of abuse to move to a residence
  • Those moving to a residence from being homeless
  • Those leaving long term medical care, to go to a new residence
  • Those who have need of further assistance following one of the above situations

ii. To raise donations of funds, services, and/or items of use, to assist those listed above

iii. To work with other organisations to provide the best support for the client, and their New Life

b. The Council

The Council is the electoral body, which supports work in the

Organisation. It is the body to which the Board of Trustees is

accountable.

i. Membership of the Group Council is open to:

  • All Donors of good, or finances to the Organisation
  • All recipients of good or finances from the Organisation
  • All staff and/or volunteers working for the Organisation
  • All contractors working on the behalf of the Organisation
  • All Members,who have up to date memberships

ii. Representative of any regulatory body overseeing the Organisation

iii. Membership of the Group Council ceases upon:

  • the resignation of the member;
  • the dissolution of the Council;
  • the termination of membership by the Board of Trustees following a

motion to remove, carried by a majority vote.

iv. The Group Council must hold an Annual General Meeting within six

months of the financial year end to:

  • approve the Annual Report of the Board of Trustees,

including the annual statement of accounts;

  • approve the nomination of the Organisation’s

Chairman;

  • elect a Group Secretary and Group Treasurer;
  • elect certain members of the Board of Trustees where required;
  • appoint an auditor or independent examiner or scrutineer as

required.

c. The Board of Trustees

i. The Board of Trustees exists to support the the Organisation in meeting the responsibilities of their appointment.

The Board is responsible for: 

  • the maintenance of the Organisation’s property and equipment; 
  • the raising of funds and the administration of the Organisation’s finance; 
  • the insurance of persons, property and equipment; 
  • Organisation’s public occasions; 
  • assisting with the recruitment of staff, volunteers & subcontractors.

ii. The Board of Trustees consists of:

Ex offico members 

  • The Organisation Chairman; 
  • The Organisation Vice Chairman;
  • The Organisation Secretary; 
  • The Organisation Treasurer; 
  • The Organisation Heads of Department; 

iii. Nominated Members: 

  • persons nominated by the Board of Trustees 
  • the nominations must be approved at the Annual General Meeting 
  • the number of nominated members must not exceed the number of current members.

iv. Elected Members: 

  • persons elected at the Annual General Meeting 
  • these should normally be no more than four to six in number 
  • the actual number must be the subject of a resolution by the Board of Trustees

v. Co-opted Members: 

  • persons co-opted annually by the Board of Trustees 
  • the number of co-opted members must not exceed the number of elected members.

d. Conduct of Meetings

i. Only members as defined above may vote in meetings of the Organisation Council and the Board of Trustees.

ii. Decisions are made by a majority of votes cast by those present at the meeting. In the event of an equal number of votes being cast on either side the chairman does not have a casting vote and the matter is taken not to have been carried.

iii. The Organisation Council must make a resolution defining a quorum for meetings of the Organisation Council and the Board of Trustees and its sub-Committees (if any).

iv. In the case of Annual General Meetings and General Meetings, all present will be entitled to vote

v. Members/Attendees must remove themselves from any vote concerning themselves, or any matter in which they have a vested interest, to prevent any conflict of interest occurring.

vi. Discovered failure by any person to declare any conflict of interest, in a matter to be voted on, will be seen as gross misconduct, and may (following a vote by the Board of Trustees) result in the removal of the person from The Organisation Council, The Board of Trustees, and/or attendance at any future Annual General Meeting or General Meeting.

Vii. All meetings of the Organisation Council, Board of Trustees and Annual General Meetings. Or General Meetings must be documented, and made publicly available, via the Organisation Website, within 14 days of the meeting taking place.

e. Adoptions & Amendments of Governing Documents

i. The adoption of this document, or any other governing document, must be made initially by majority vote of the Board of Trustees during a Formation Meeting

ii. Any required amendments to this or any other governing document, must be adopted by majority vote at either an Annual General Meeting, or an General Meeting

iii. Initial election of roles within the Organisation will by the founding members, during the Formation Meeting. The adoption of the individuals, into all positions elected, will then be agreed by a majority vote of the newly formed Board of Trustees.

f. Payments to Board of Trustee Members & Staff

i. Any member of the Board of Trustees, or Volunteer Staff, may receive payments only for out of pocket expenses, and no personal income of goods, services, property, or money.

ii. The Board of Trustees may deem it necessary to hire paid staff members to carry out specific roles, where a volunteer may not be sufficiently available and/or skilled for the role. These decisions would require a vote to be passed at an Annual General Meeting, or an General Meeting

g. General Meetings

If the Trustees consider it is necessary to change the constitution, or wind up the charity, they must call a General Meeting so that the membership can make the decision. Trustees must also call a General Meeting if they receive a written request from the majority of members. All members must be given 14 days notice and told the reason for the meeting. All decisions require a majority vote. Minutes must be kept.

i. Winding up – any money or property remaining after payment of debts must be given to a charity with similar purposes to this one.

ii. Changes to the Constitution – can be made at Annual General Meetings or General Meetings. No change can be made that would make the organisation no longer a charity. A two thirds majority would be required in these cases

iii. General Meeting – called on written request from a majority of the Organisation Council members.

iv. The Board of Trustees may also call a General Meeting to consult the membership

h. Money, Services & Property

i. Money, Services and property must only be used for the charity’s purposes.

ii. Trustees must keep accounts. The most recent annual accounts can be seen by anybody on request, and must be posted to the Organisations website within 14 days of adoption at an Annual General Meeting.

iii. Trustees cannot receive any money or property from the charity, except to refund reasonable out of pocket expenses.

iv. Money must only be held in the Organisation’s bank account. Money may be held in the Organisation’s PayPal or Just Giving account until such time as it may be transferred to the bank account, but no longer than 14 days. All cheques, standing orders, and Direct Debits must be signed by 2 trustees.

i. Memberships

The organisation shall have a membership. People who support the work of the charity and are aged 18 or over, can apply to the trustees to become a member, with a fee to be charged towards the work of the Organisation. Once accepted by the Board of Trustees, membership lasts for 1 years and may be renewed. The Board of Trustees will keep an up-to-date membership list.

j. Liability of members to contribute to the assets of the Organisation if it is wound up

If the Organisation is wound up, the members of the Organisation have no liability to contribute to its assets and no personal responsibility for settling its debts and liabilities.