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City of London Organ Society Rules

OBJECTS OF THE SOCIETY

The City of London Organ Society exists to encourage an appreciation of the organ and its repertoire in Central London. Activity includes, but is not limited to, arranging visits to organs of interest, educational initiatives, concerts and events where members can meet socially.

MANAGEMENT OF THE SOCIETY

• The management of the Society shall be vested in the Committee consisting of four officers and up to four elected members of the Society. 
• An Annual General Meeting will be held for all the members of the Society. At the AGM, members will:
• Receive and approve accounts (which have been previously approved by the Committee and the Independent Examiner)
• Receive reports from the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer
• Confirm the appointment of a President (every three years)
• Elect officers and members of the Committee
• Confirm the appointment of an Independent Examiner
• Conduct such other business as may be appropriate for the effective management of the Society.
• Minutes approval, accounts approval, elections and rules updates will require a proposer, seconder and be agreed by majority.
• The AGM may be conducted in person or virtually by video conference as decided by the Committee.

OFFICERS

The Officers of the Society will be the:

• Chairman - responsible for: overseeing the management of the Society, protecting its long-term health, ensuring that the Committee operates effectively and representing the interests of the Society with external organisations.
• Vice-Chairman - responsible for: providing support and guidance to the Chairman as appropriate and to deputise for the Chairman as necessary.
• Secretary - responsible for: arranging Committee meetings and the AGM, ensuring that decisions and actions are recorded and completed as appropriate, distributing regular communications to members outlining the Society's activities, handling correspondence received, arranging publicity as directed by the Committee, reviewing and approving membership applications, managing the City of London Organ Society’s relationship with the IAO and other affiliated organisations, completing the IAO annual return. 
• Treasurer - responsible for: maintaining the accounts of the Society, providing advice to the Committee on the best use of the City of London Organ Society's financial resources and the management of its funds, maintaining the Society's bank accounts and handling financial payments and receipts as appropriate, monitoring subscription payments and events receipts.
• All Officers will be elected annually at the AGM and shall be eligible for re-election without restriction on term, except for the Chairman who shall be eligible for re-election for up to a maximum period of three years continuously. Any member may be nominated for an Officer role. If more than one person is nominated for any role, the AGM will elect by a secret ballot held at the meeting. Nominated candidates will be permitted to vote for themselves at the election.

COMMITTEE

• All members of the Committee will be elected or re-elected (as appropriate) annually at the AGM.
• The Committee may co-opt to fill vacancies during the year. The co-opted member can then seek election to the Committee at the following AGM. 
• At any meeting of the Committee, four members will be required to form a quorum. 
• Members of the Committee can also be nominated to fill the following (non-officer) roles:
• Assistant Secretary - responsible for: providing administrative assistance to the Secretary as required including help with member communications, website content, social media posts, events, maintenance of membership records, welcome communications with new members and liaising with the IAO regarding the addition of new members.
• Events secretary – responsible for overseeing the Society's events programme and liaising with venues/organisations as appropriate to deliver the programme.
• Membership secretary - responsible for maintaining membership records, arranging initial welcome communications with new members, liaising with the IAO regarding the addition of new members
• Committee meetings may be conducted in person or virtually by video conference as decided by the Committee.
• Committee decisions will be agreed by majority.
• The full Committee shall meet at least quarterly or more regularly as decided by the Committee. The Officers may meet between Committee meetings as they feel appropriate.
• A Committee member will not be entitled to receive remuneration for work undertaken on behalf of the Society. 
• Committee members must declare any other appointments that might cause a conflict of interest.
• In cases of emergency, the Officers collectively may take executive action to protect the best interests of the Society. This includes the suspension of a member whose conduct or participation places the Society or its Members in disrepute. Any action must be agreed by a majority of the officers. In all cases where executive action is taken, a report must be given to the Committee. 

PRESIDENT 

• The Committee may nominate the appointment of a President who will be someone of suitable standing to be a figurehead for the Society. The nomination will be offered for approval by the membership at an AGM. The term of the appointment is unlimited, but will be reviewed by the Committee and at the AGM every three years.
• The President shall have free membership of the Society.

MEMBERSHIP

• Membership is open to any person of any age who is interested in the organ and furthering the objects of the Society. Any applicants under the age of 18 must have parental consent to join and be accompanied by an approved adult (i.e., a parent/guardian or an adult nominated by a parent/guardian) when attending events.
• Those wishing to apply for membership must complete an application form which is available from the Secretary or the City of London Organ Society website. The completed form should be sent to the Secretary or submitted online. The Secretary shall have the discretion to approve membership applications. If the Secretary wishes to refuse an application or is unsure about making a decision, he/she must refer the matter to the Committee. 
• Once an application is approved, the first subscription payment will be requested. The applicant will not be considered a member or receive any membership benefits until the subscription is paid.
• Members will usually be allowed to bring guests to events. The Committee may decide to charge a guest rate for certain events. At playing events, only members will be permitted to play unless a specific dispensation is given by the Committee.
• Any person giving outstanding service to the Society can be recognised by election to honorary life membership. This election will take place at the AGM on the recommendation of the Committee. Honorary members are not required to pay a subscription.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

• Every member (except an honorary life member) is required to pay an annual subscription at a rate which will be agreed annually by the Committee. Rates will be set for two classes of membership: Individual and Student. To qualify for the student rate, applicants must be enrolled in full time education at a school, college, or university.
• The subscription is payable on 1st January each year. Members will be sent a request to pay their annual subscription at the beginning of each year, and will subsequently be issued with up to two following reminders. Members who have failed to pay their subscription by 1st September, will be considered for removal from the membership list by the Committee. The Committee will make the final decision to cancel memberships. 
• Applications for membership must include a payment covering the appropriate class of membership subscription in full. This will be refunded if the application is refused. For members whose application is received after October 1st, their subscriptions will cover the following year. 

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

• The Committee will agree the most appropriate financial services products and providers for the Society on the recommendation of the Treasurer. 
• The Treasurer, Secretary and up to one further Officer will be invited to be signatories for The City of London Organ Society’s accounts. The banking mandate will be ‘any one to sign’. However, for the prudent management of The City of London Organ Society’s financial affairs, any payment in excess of £250 must be pre-approved by the Committee or two of The City of London Organ Society’s Officers. The budgets for all events will be agreed in advance by the Committee. 
• The official banking correspondence address will be that of the Treasurer. The Treasurer will also be nominated as The City of London Organ Society’s ‘Primary User’ for online banking and therefore the only signatory able to access The City of London Organ Society’s accounts using the bank’s internet banking service. 
• An Independent Examiner will be appointed by the AGM to conduct an annual review of the Society's published accounts. The Independent Examiner must not be a member of the Committee.

WINDING UP 

In the event of the Society being wound up, any balance of monies after meeting liabilities shall be donated to any such charitable organisation as the Committee may determine. 

VARIATION 

The Committee shall have discretion to deal with any matters arising that are not covered by these Rules. Any amendment to these Rules must be approved by the AGM or a specially convened Extraordinary General Meeting. 

July 2024 

• to administer membership records; 
• to promote the interests of the association; 
• to maintain its own accounts and records;
• to inform members of news, events and activities of The City of London Organ Society and the IAO to which it is affiliated.

• the right to request a copy of your personal data which The City of London Organ Society holds about you; 
• the right to request that The City of London Organ Society corrects any personal data if it is found to be inaccurate or out of date;  
• the right to request your personal data is erased where it is no longer necessary for The City of London Organ Society to retain such data;
• the right to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time;
• the right, where there is a dispute in relation to the accuracy or processing of your personal data, to request a restriction is placed on further processing;
• the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.