Constitution of the Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain
Name
The Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain. Also to be known as the Cartoonists’ Club (referred to throughout this document as the Club)
Aims and objectives
The Club is formed to encourage friendship and interaction between cartoonists.
2.2 Through such interaction it is hoped that individual cartoonists may improve their professional standing.
2.3 The Club will endeavour to improve the prestige of cartoonists and the occupation and business of cartooning.
Membership
The Committee will be responsible for considering any application for Membership and will decide if the application should be accepted.
Membership of the Club will be divided into three categories:
Full Membership, Associate Membership, Honorary or Guest Membership
Full Membership:
Application for Full Membership will be open to all full-time and part-time cartoonists of all types whose work had been published or commissioned on a paid basis and which meets the criteria of the Club.
Submissions of application: Applicants will be required to supply relevant personal and professional
details in a formal manner. Artistic quality, humour, wit and sales history will be taken into consideration and applicants will need to provide evidence of these. Artwork submitted for this purpose may be hard-copy or digital. Applicants may alternatively supply the address of a website where their work may be viewed. In the case of caricaturists, photographic references should also be provided where subjects not known to the Committee are portrayed.
Associate Membership:
Application for Associate membership will be open to those who are involved or associated with cartooning on a professional full-time or part-time basis and who would be, in the opinion of the Committee, an asset to the Club.
The Committee will decide whether or not an application for Full or Associate Membership is successful, based upon the criteria specified. The Committee’s decision will be final.
Guest Membership:
This category will be awarded by invitation only, at the discretion of the Committee. Guest Membership is intended for supporters of the Club or spouses of deceased members who wish to retain contact with the Club. Guest members will have no voting rights.
Applicants must be aged 18 or older
Conditions for exclusion
Offensive or inappropriate material
Lack of, or inappropriate, humour
Poor artistic merit
Insufficient quality or quantity of commissioned work or publication
Re-applying
An applicant who has been rejected should be given the reasons for rejection, and given the opportunity to re-apply at a future date. All members will be subject to the constitution, and by joining the Club will be deemed to accept the Club’s regulations and codes of practice, which may change from time to time.
Membership fees
Membership fees will be determined according to the type of Membership (Club Membership, or Associate Club Membership). Fees for Guest Membership (which may be a reduced rate, or nothing) will be determined by the Committee on a case by case basis
Members will pay an annual Membership fee.
For members joining after April 1st 2010, the membership fee will be current in the twelve months from the date of their acceptance into the Club and is renewable annually.
For members who joined before 1st April 2010 the Membership period will run from 1st April to 31st March and is renewable annually.
Members will pay a one-off joining fee in addition to an annual Membership fee.
Members will be able to pay Membership fees by standing order, cheque, Paypal or Google or other by methods that may become available from time to time.
If, after 3 months from the due date, a Member has not paid the appropriate Membership fee, their Membership will normally lapse unless, in the Committee’s opinion, special circumstances apply, such as hardship and/or adverse circumstances. Action will not be taken without the Member being advised beforehand.
Officers
The Officers of the Club will be:
- President
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Membership Secretary
- Events Coordinator
- PR/Recruitment/Marketing Officer
- Jester Editor
- Webmaster
The Officers of the Club will be elected at the Annual General Meeting and hold the position for two years. Officers will be eligible for re-election at the end of their term of office.
Candidates for election to the Committee at the Annual General Meeting will have their names given to the secretary at least six weeks prior to the Meeting and will have the support of at least two members of the Club. No nomination will be valid without the consent of the nominee. No nominations will be accepted from the floor of the Meeting.
If at any time not less than one third of the existing Membership wish to censure any or all of the Club’s Officers, it will be the Secretary’s duty to call a General Meeting to address such grievances by notifying all Club Members on receipt of a petition from the disaffected Members.
Committee
The Club will be managed by the Committee, which will consist of the Officers of the Club in the positions named.
Officers of the Club must be paid-up Full or Associate Members of the Club
Only the Officers of the Club will have the right to vote at Committee Meetings.
Committee business will be conducted via face-to-face meetings, Email, the Committee Forum on the Club Website, phone calls, phone, and internet conferences. Communication will be carried out as required to provide the best service to the Club, while enabling the Officers, wherever they reside, to participate in the fullest and most efficient way possible.
The quorum required for business to be agreed will be five out of the eight Members of the Committee.
The Committee will have the power to fill vacancies in the Committee that arise unexpectedly. These new appointments will be valid only until the next General Meeting when election of Committee Members will take place as usual.
The Committee will have the power to appoint sub-committees as necessary, and to appoint advisors to the Committee as necessary to fulfil its business.
Sub-committees and advisors must report to a nominated Club Officer who will be responsible for keeping the Committee informed.
Advisors and Members of sub-committees will not have voting rights on Committee business.
Records
The Committee will keep minutes of Committee Meetings.
The Committee will keep minutes of General Meetings and make them available to the Membership after the event.
Finance
All Club money will be banked in an account held in the name of the Club
All cheques drawn by the Club will be signed by two Officers of the Club.
An Audited statement of annual accounts will be presented by the Treasurer at the Annual General Meeting.
With the exception of the Jester Editor, the Officers of the Club will not be entitled to any remuneration for their services but they will be entitled to be reimbursed for any expenses incurred by them wholly and exclusively for the purposes of fulfilling their obligations as of Officers of the Club. The Officers of the Club will have the right to demand payment by the Club of all expenditure fees or salaries incurred by the Club on their instructions, provided such expenditure was sanctioned either by those present or by a General Meeting.
Any Officer claiming expenses must submit copies of the receipts for retention by the Treasurer.
The Jester Editor will receive an amount determined by the Committee, for services involving the production of the Jester Magazine.
The financial year of the Club will end on the last day of March.
The Committee will have the right to employ professional or secretarial services as may be reasonably necessary to carry on the affairs of the Club in a proper and business-like manner.
Assets invested by any Committee Member are to be protected where possible and should the Club cease to exist, investment should be refunded from the Club’s assets if funds are sufficient.
Government
The Management of the Club will between General Meetings be the responsibility of the Officers of the Club.
The Committee may, with the agreement of a simple majority of the Committee, fix the annual subscription payable by Members, and arrange functions or meetings by or in name of the Club. For this purpose they may use any Club funds which will reasonably be required.
Vacation of Office
Any Officer not wishing to stand for re-election should advise the Secretary of this intention at least two months before the date of the Annual General Meeting.
General Meetings
The Club will hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM). The Club may additionally hold Extraordinary General Meetings (EGM). Procedures for AGMs and EGMs will be the same.
An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club will be convened on a resolution of the Committee, or within two months of receipt by the Secretary of a resolution signed by no less than one fifth of the total number of Full Members. At least one month’s notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting will be given to all Members. Only the business for which the Meeting was convened may be conducted at an Extraordinary General Meeting. Further special Meetings may be convened for purposes concerning finance or important transactions of the Club, consisting of a
majority of the then acting Committee plus at least twenty (20) Members of the Club.
The Committee will convene an Annual General Meeting at least once in every twelve calendar months and will give at least two months notice in writing of the date, place and hour of such Meeting to all Members, specifying the business intended to be transacted at the Meeting, and inviting nominations for the Officers of the Club.
Members wishing to raise business to be dealt with at a General Meeting, in addition to the published business, should do so at least one month before the date of the General Meeting. This business will then be incorporated in the agenda. No other business will be transacted at a General Meeting.
Approval by at least two-thirds of those present and voting will be required to carry any resolution in respect of the Constitution of the Club. Other resolutions will be decided by simple majority, and in the event of a tie, the person chairing the Meeting will have a second or casting vote.
Each Member will have one vote. No person will be permitted to vote in more than one capacity.
Any person who had not paid their Membership fees for the current year will not be permitted to be present or vote at a General Meeting of the Club, or to propose any resolution unless otherwise decided by the Meeting.
Normally, all matters will be decided by a show of hands of those Members present and eligible to vote. In exceptional circumstances the vote may be taken by secret ballot.
Members unable to travel to a General Meeting should be given the opportunity to vote for Officers of the Club nominated in the notice of the General Meeting, and for business specified in the notice, by post or by specified electronic means.
The quorum for votes taken at General Meetings will be 20 people. This number will include votes cast formally by post or electronic means as described above.
The Treasurer will circulate two weeks before each General Meeting a balance sheet and profit and loss account of the Club activities since the last General Meeting.
If at any Committee Meeting the President will be absent it is the duty of the secretary to preside. In the absence of the President and the Secretary another Member of the Committee will be elected to preside.
Discipline and appeals
The Committee will be responsible for disciplinary hearings of Members who infringe the Club constitution. The Committee will be responsible for taking any action of suspension or discipline following such hearings.
Amendments to the constitution
All elections, resolutions and proposals to amend the constitution at General Meetings will be declared to have been duly passed if the majority of votes (by Members present, and voting formally by post or electronically), are in favour, AND a quorum is reached.
Dissolution
In the event of the Club ceasing to exist, any assets at the time of dissolution will be sold at a private member’s auction. The resulting funds and any Club finances will be donated to a charity selected by the Members.
