Constitution
1. Name
The name of the organisation will be Rochdale Borough Women’s Enterprise Network
2. Aim
The Organisation aims to promote independence and self-belief amongst women entrepreneurs in Rochdale borough.
3. Objects
- To provide Networking opportunities for women entrepreneurs
- To provide motivational support structures and activities for members
- To provide signposting to support services for women entrepreneurs
- To raise the profile and awareness of women’s entrepreneurship in Rochdale Borough and in general
- To support and represent the membership.
4. Powers
- Appoint an accountant
- Raise funds in a legal manner
- Open a bank account
- Manage the finances of the organisation
- Procure resources including - Materials, Premises, Employing people
- Hold personal information about members in line with the Data Protection Act.
- Consult with the membership
- Devise, and commission activities on behalf of the membership
- Undertake paid work on behalf of the organisation
- Commission services to further the capacity of the committee to manage the organisation
- Take out appropriate insurance to indemnify the organisation and its committee.
- To pay committee members out-of-pocket expenses when on the organisation’s business.
5. Membership
- Eligibility
- Membership will be open to:
- All female clients of WEI (in whatever form it takes)
- All women of any age, resident or trading in the Rochdale Borough, who are planning or running a business.
Associate Membership
The organisation may decide from time to time to invite other stakeholders to become non-voting members; providing it further the aims and objectives of the organisation.
Group Membership
Any group whose work is supportive of the organisation may be invited by the management committee to become a non-voting group member.
Membership Fee
- Membership will be free for the 1st year
- After the first year there will be £5 per annum basic membership fee
- Members may make Voluntary Contributions
Ceasing to be a member Membership ceases if:
- Residence and business relocates out of the Rochdale Borough
- Membership fee is not paid within 3 months of due date
- Members may resign at any time either verbally or in writing.
The management committee may unanimously and for good reason terminate the membership of any individual. The individual concerned will have the right to be heard by the management committee, accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made.
6. Officers and Committee
- Maximum of 9 on the Management Committee
- The Inaugural Committee of founder members will be self elected for 12 months
- The first AGM will elect nine Management Committee members from the membership to serve for a period of three years.
The officers of the Committee will be elected by the Management Committee from among their number at the first meeting following the AGM:
- An Honorary Chair, who will chair both general and committee meetings
- An Honorary Deputy Chair who will shadow and stand-in for the Chair as necessary
- An Honorary secretary, who will be responsible for the taking of minutes and the distribution of all papers;
- An Honorary treasurer who will be responsible for maintaining accounts.
- An Honorary Communications Officer who will be responsible for public relations, publicity and promotion.
All Honorary Officers will be full members of the organisation and elected members of the management committee.
The Management Committee may from time to time elect other officers for specific purposes. In the event of an Officer standing down during their term a replacement will be elected by the Management Committee. Any Committee Member not attending a committee meeting without apology for six months will be deemed to have resigned.
7. Meetings
Annual general meetings
- An Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held within fifteen months of the previous AGM.
- All members will be notified in writing at least two weeks before the date of the meeting.
- Items for the agenda, or motions to the meeting, must be given in writing to the Chair of the meeting no less than twenty one days before the meeting date.
- Nominations for the committee must be given in writing to the Chair of the meeting no less than twenty one days before the meeting date.
- The quorum for the AGM will be 10% of the membership or 10 members, whichever is the smaller number.
General Meetings
- A General Meeting open to all members will be held quarterly at network events
- The quorum for a General Meeting will be 10 members. In the event of the meeting failing to achieve a quorum business may be discussed and proposals put to the next meeting for ratification.
- In the event of two consecutive meetings being inquorate the second meeting may call a Special General Meeting. Such a Special General Meeting will be deemed to be quorate.
- The secretary will call a Special General Meeting if asked to do so, in writing, by ten members. Members will be given one week’s notice of such a meeting, and notice may be by telephone.
Committee meetings
- The Management Committee will be responsible for running the organisation and will be responsible to General Meetings.
- The Management Committee will meet quarterly between quarterly Network Events at a date and time to be agreed by the committee.
- The Secretary will, if requested by three or more Members of the Committee, call a special committee meeting. Such a meeting will be called within a week of the request.
- Notification to committee members may be by telephone.
- Members of the organisation may be invited to attend Committee meetings as observers but will not be entitled to speak, unless invited to do so, or to vote.
- The committee may co-opt members. Only a third of the committee members at any one time may be co-opted members.
- Co-opted members do not need to be members of the organisation.
- Co-opted members of the committee will not be entitled to vote
- Quorum for committee meetings will be 4
Rules of procedure for committee meetings;
- With the exception of changes to the constitution all questions that arise at any meeting will be decided by a simple majority of those present and entitled to vote.
- If the number of votes cast on each side is equal the chair of the meeting will have an additional casting vote.
- Any motion must have a proposer and seconder before it is discussed or voted on.
- There will be a regular agenda for committee meetings
- Extraordinary items to be included in agenda must reach the chair no less than 21 days before the meeting date
- Any motion must be an agenda item before it is voted on
- Committee Members must declare any conflict of interest at the beginning of the committee meeting
- In the event of a conflict of interest the committee member concerned will be asked to leave the meeting whilst the agenda item concerned is discussed and decided upon.
8. Finances
- An account will be maintained on behalf of the organisation at a bank agreed by the committee.
- Signatories to the account will be the officers of the committee.
- Each cheque will require two signatures one of whom will be the Treasurer and the other one of two nominated signatories.
- Records of income and expenditure will be maintained by the Treasurer and a financial statement given to each meeting.
- All money raised by the Organisation will be spent solely on the objects laid out above.
9. Amendments to the Constitution
- Any proposal to amend the constitution must be given to the Secretary in writing at least a week before the notice of the general meeting at which it is to be discussed is due to be circulated.
- The proposal to amend the constitution must then be circulated with the notice of a general meeting.
- Amendments to the constitution may only be made at the Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting with the specific purpose of amending the constitution. Proposed amendments will be distributed with the agenda for the meeting
- Any proposal to amend the constitution will require a two thirds majority of those present and entitled to vote.
10. Dissolution
- If a meeting, by simple majority, decides that it is necessary to close down the Organisation it may call a special meeting to do so.
- The sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve the Organisation.
- At least 21 days notice of a meeting to dissolve the organisation will be given to members.
- If three consecutive General Meetings are inquorate members at the third meeting may agree to call a special meeting to discuss dissolving the group.
- If it is agreed to dissolve the Organisation all remaining money, once outstanding debts have been paid, will be donated to a local women’s voluntary organisation. The organisation to be agreed at the meeting which agrees the dissolution.