Association Rules approved 07 January 2004
§1. Name and Domicile of the Association
The name of the association is: "International English Speakers' Association of Finland ry".
The association can use an unofficial abbreviated name in its operation, the . ry.
The domicile of the association is the city of Helsinki.
§2. Purpose and Charter of Activity
The International English Speakers' Association of Finland ry is a volunteer organization, whose purpose is to make Finland and circumstances of life in Finland known by distributing information of the various walks of life to people who have an interest in Finland. The purpose of the association is to create with its members a network that supports immigrants and aims to help people understand the local circumstances, to educate people about Finnish nature, history, achievements in science and culture and in all ways further mutual understanding, equality and tolerance in Finland, Europe and the whole world.
The association is politically non-aligned.
The association carries out its purpose:
- By organising informational lectures, artistic and other presentations and, according to its resources, promoting mutual interaction on different fields of the social life.
- In an appropriate manner and, according to its resources, promoting especially the members' and their families' trips to and from Finland,
- By practising publishing activity according to its resources.
- By maintaining a scholarship fund if necessary, to facilitate study opportunities.
- By maintaining connections to other similar organisations.
- By collecting funds for the association by charging a membership fee, by organising with appropriate permits raffles, parties and sales, and offering for sale merchandise representing the association such as printed materials, miniature flags, pins and such similar items.
§3. Members
Anyone who accepts the rules of the association can join as a permanent member. Also legal entities can join as full members. The Association Committee of the Association decides who shall be approved as a member.
Full members will pay upon admission an admission fee, and annually a membership fee, The Annual General Meeting shall decide on the amounts payable by individuals and legal entities.
The Association Committee of the Association can nominate a person who has made a substantial donation to the association as a Donor Member. The Donor Member is freed from paying the membership fee.
The General Meeting can invite according to a nomination by the Association Committee, Honorary Members and Honorary Chairs. The Honorary Member and Honorary Chair are freed from paying the membership fee.
The member is obliged to inform the Association Committee of their address and any changes of address, which will be kept in a membership list.
The Association Committee accepts an application for membership.
§4. The Resignation and Expulsion of a Member
A member has the right to resign from the Association by informing this in writing to the Association Committee or President of the Association Committee or by informing this in a General Meeting to be noted in the minutes.
The Association Committee can expel a member if a member has forfeited paying the membership fee or in some other way not fulfilled the obligations to which they agreed on joining the Association, or by his actions either within the Association or outside it caused the Association harm or no longer fulfils the prerequisites for membership as stated by law or the association rules.
If an expelled member sees their expulsion as unfair, they are entitled to petition an Association General Meeting to decide on the case. The petition must be made within thirty (30) days of the expulsion in writing to the Committee of the Association, which must submit the question to be assessed in an association meeting within sixty (60) days of the petition.
A resigned or an expelled member has no claim to any of the assets of the Association. [ed.note: e.g. membership fees are non-refundable.]
§5. Admission and Membership Fee
The Annual General Meeting decides the amount of the admission- and annual membership fee for individuals and legal entities.
§6. Association Committee
The association has an Association Committee consisting of a President, Vice-President and minimum two (2) and maximum nine (9) other members, whose term of office is the time between Annual General Meetings.
The Association Committee shall choose from within its ranks a Vice-President and choose from its ranks or from outside a secretary and a treasurer and other officials. When any officer is not an elected member of the Association Committee, they have the floor but no vote in Association Committee meetings.
The Association Committee comes to session by the invitation of the President, or when he is incapacitated the Vice-President, when they see it fit, or when at least half of the Association Committee members demands an assembly due to an issue they represent.
The Association Committee is quorum when at least half of its members, including the President or Vice-President are present. Matters shall be decided on a simple majority rule vote. If the votes are tied, the President has the deciding vote, however in the case of a tied election, the outcome shall be determined by the drawing of lots.
The tasks of the Association Committee are:
- To lead the actions of the Association according to the charter and the decisions of the General Meetings.
- To approve applications for membership and keep a membership list.
- To manage the Association funds.
- To prepare an annual report and a plan of action and a budget plan.
- To direct the possible association subdivisions.
- To call up the General Meetings.
The signatories for the Association are President of the Association Committee, Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer, any two together.
§8. Accounting Period and Audit
The fiscal year of the Association is a calendar year.
The financial statement with its supplements and the annual report by the committee must be given to the auditors at least before three weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting. The auditors must give their written report of the audit at least three (3) weeks before the Annual General Meeting to the Association Committee.
§9. Meetings of the Association
The Annual General Meeting shall be held yearly on a date set by the Association Committee between January and May.
An Extraordinary General Meeting can be called, when an Association General Meeting so decides or when the Association Committee sees it fit or when at least one tenth (1/10)of the voting members of the Association so demand in writing for a specific issue. The meeting shall be held within thirty (30) days of it being demanded from the Association Committee.
In Association General Meetings every full member shall have one vote. If a member cannot due to distance or some other appropriate reason is present in the meeting, they may give a written power of attorney to another member to the meeting. The power of attorney must be presented before the meeting is started and its copy attached to the minutes.
The decision of the association meetings shall be, unless otherwise stated, the opinion that has received over half of the given votes. Matters shall be decided on a simple majority rule vote. If the votes are tied, the President has the deciding vote, however in the case of a tied election, the outcome shall be determined by the drawing of lots.
§10. Summoning the General Meetings of the Association
The invitation to Association General Meetings shall be informed to the members either by mail to a given address or by email to a given email address, as agreed with the member, or by an announcement in at least two daily morning papers at least two weeks before the meeting. A letter or a message sent as agreed with the member to the address marked into the member list shall be regarded as been received by the member. The members are themselves obliged to keep the Association updated of their contact information.
Other member bulletins shall be delivered in a similar manner.
§11. Annual General Meeting
In the Annual General Meeting the following agenda shall be followed:
- Opening of the meeting.
- The chairman, secretary, two examiners of the minutes and if needed two ballot counters shall be chosen.
- The legality and quorum of the meeting are stated.
- The working order of the meeting is accepted.
- The financial statements, annual report and the auditors' statement are presented.
- A decision shall be made on the approval of the financial statement and on discharging the committee and other accountable from accountability.
- The Plan of Action, Budget and the amount of admission and membership fees shall be ratified.
- The President of the Association Committee and other committee members shall be chosen.
- The auditor or two auditors shall be chosen, and their deputies.
- Such issues brought forth by the Association Committee or a member at least fourteen (14) days before in writing, which must have been mentioned in the meeting invitation will be dealt with.
- Other possible issues are dealt with.
These rules can be changed in a General Meeting, if a proposal to change the rules has been outlined in the meeting invitation and if the change proposal is approved by at least three quarters (3/4) of the given votes in two consecutive Association General Meetings, which are separated by no more than thirty (30) days. The meeting invitation must include a note of a proposal of change to the rules, or dissolution of the Association.
A decision of dissolving the Association shall be done in a similar manner as has been stated above regarding the change of rules. When the Association is dissolved the assets shall be distributed as decided by the Association General Meeting deciding on the dissolution. If the association is annulled, its assets shall be distributed in the same manner.