Statutes for Irish Culture
Association Denmark (ICAD)
Statutes are the foundational document for the Irish Cultural Association, and form the backbone of how the association is run.
§1 Name and Headquarters
The name of the association is the “Irish Culture Association Denmark” (ICAD).
The association’s registered base is in the municipality of Copenhagen.
§2 Purpose
The purpose of the association is to:
- Celebrate Irish culture and heritage.
- Organise the annual Copenhagen St. Patrick’s Day parade.
§3 Membership
Individuals, clubs, societies, or corporate entities who support the purpose of the association, agree to abide by these statutes and pay the subscription fee may become members.
§3.1 Membership is activated upon payment of the registration fee and is valid for 12 months from the date of registration. New members can join at any time by paying the full membership fee. The membership fee is determined at the General Assembly.
§3.2 ICAD reserves the right to refuse admission to the association. In such instances, at least two-thirds of the board members must vote to uphold or refuse the decision.
§3.3 Members who have been refused admission to the General Assembly by the board due to non-adherence to ordinary membership conditions may only be allowed to participate if the members at the General Assembly vote in favour of this. It must be a two-thirds majority.
§3.4 Members who no longer adhere to these statues, including failure to pay the membership fee within 3 months of the due date, will be automatically deregistered from the association.
§3.5 The board may exclude a current member from the association if they do not adhere to membership conditions or if they act in a way that is harmful to the association. The decision should be made by the board with a two-thirds majority.
§3.6 A board member may be removed from their position at an ordinary or extraordinary general assembly if they do not adhere to membership conditions or if they act in a way that is harmful to the association. A proposal for removal outlining the justification for such an action must be submitted, in writing, to the board no later than 14 days before the assembly.
The decision to remove a board member must be made by a two-thirds majority of the voting members present. The board member in question has the right to address the assembly before the vote takes place.
§3.7 ICAD is committed to fulfilling all obligations and requirements under the European regulation on the protection of personal data (GDPR).
§4 General Assembly
The highest authority of the association is the General Assembly, which is held annually in May. The General Assembly is convened in writing with at least 3 weeks’ notice, specifying the agenda. The meeting invitation is to be sent to all members.
§4.1 The agenda of the General Assembly must include as a minimum the following items:
- Election of Chair for General Assembly meeting
- Election of Secretary for General Assembly meeting
- Annual report – Chairperson presents
- Presentation of audited accounts and approval
- Determination of membership fees
- Approval of budget
- Election of board members and alternates
- Election of Auditor(s)
- Submitted proposals
- Miscellaneous
The minutes of the meeting are to be approved and signed by the Chairperson and the Secretary.
§4.2 Proposals and candidates for the board
Proposals to be considered at the General Assembly must be received by the Chairperson electronically no later than 14 days before the General Assembly. All proposals will be acknowledged by the recipient and redistributed to the members no later than 7 days before the General Assembly. Only matters specified in the agenda or proposals that have been sent out prior to the assembly and adhere to the deadline can be addressed and voted upon at the assembly.
Members, or incumbent board members, who wish to stand for election to the ICAD board or as alternates must submit their candidacy statement to the Chairperson electronically no later than 14 days before the General Assembly. The statement must include the position the candidate is standing for (Chairperson, Treasurer, board member or alternate). Furthermore, the statement must include the candidate’s background and outline the competencies that the candidate would bring to the ICAD board.
All candidacy submissions will be acknowledged by the recipient and redistributed to the members no later than 7 days before the General Assembly. Only candidates that have adhered to the deadline and whose candidacy statements have been sent out prior to the Assembly can stand for election at the General Assembly.
§4.3 Extraordinary General Assembly
An Extraordinary General Assembly may be held when a majority of the board deems it necessary or when at least 25% of the association’s voting members submit a written request specifying the agenda. If the latter occurs, the extraordinary assembly must be held no later than 6 weeks after receiving the letter. The Extraordinary General Assembly is convened in writing with at least 14 days’ notice.
Proposals to be considered at the Extraordinary General Assembly must be received by the Chairperson electronically no later than 8 days before the Extraordinary General Assembly. All proposals will be acknowledged by the recipient and redistributed to the members no later than 4 days before the Extraordinary General Assembly.
§4.4 Voting
Each fully paid member is entitled to one vote. Unless otherwise specified in the statutes, decisions are made by a simple majority. Members wishing to vote by proxy must inform the Board in writing at least 14 days before the General Assembly, stating their full name, personal membership number and the full name and membership number of the person they are authorising to vote on their behalf. In the event of a tie, the Chairperson will cast the deciding vote.
§4.5 Changes to the statutes
The statutes may be changed as long as the decision is taken by a two-thirds majority of the association’s members who are present at the General Assembly. Changes to the statutes agreed by the membership at the General Assembly come into effect immediately upon ratification.
§5. The Board
The association is managed by a board consisting of a Chairperson and no fewer than four, and no more than six, Board Members.
- The Chairperson is elected for two years by the General Assembly.
- The Treasurer is elected for two years by the General Assembly.
- Other board members are elected for one to two years at a time, on a staggered basis, by the General Assembly. To achieve this staggered effect, it will be decided at the first ICAD General Assembly which Board Members will be elected for one year, and which for two years.
- The General Assembly can elect up to two alternates, ranking as 1st and 2nd alternate. These are elected for one year at a time by the General Assembly.
- Board meetings are held at least 3 times a year. Minutes are kept of all board meetings.
- The Board can assign tasks to members who are not on the board. If necessary, external help can be sought and paid for by the association.
- If the Chairperson is unable to fulfil their duties or resigns, the Treasurer will temporarily take on the Chairperson’s responsibilities until the Chairperson can return to their role or a new Chairperson is elected at the next General Assembly.
§5.1 Signing Rule
The association is bound by the signatures of the chairperson and the treasurer jointly. In the event of either or both being unable to sign, the board has the right to delegate authority to sign to two other board members.
§6 Finances
§6.1 The association’s fiscal year runs from 1 Jan to 31 Dec.
§6.2 The accounts are audited by 2 auditors if possible. The auditor(s) will be elected for one year at a time and are proposed by the board and elected by the General Assembly.
§6.3 Reimbursement
- The Treasurer will make sure that the association reimburses all Board-approved business expenses within 4 weeks of receiving the reimbursement request.
- Costs under 1,000 DKK can be approved at the discretion of the Treasurer with subsequent written confirmation (text, email or in writing) from the Chairperson. Any expenses over this amount must be approved by the Board via email or at board meetings.
- Reimbursement can be requested from the Treasurer only with a receipt of the
incurred cost (either a digital or physical copy) and a description of the cost. Any such requests must be made via email or in writing. - Reimbursement will be sent to the members bank account through bank transfer only, requiring the member’s account details.
- All reasonable charges and fees related to bank transfers for reimbursements will be borne by the Association.
§7 Dissolution of the Association
§7.1 Decision to Dissolve
A decision to dissolve the association must be approved by a 2/3 majority vote of the members present at two consecutive General Assemblies. The decision must be submitted for a second vote no later than at the next General Assembly, where it must be confirmed by a 2/3 majority vote of the members present.
§7.2 Failure to Confirm Dissolution
If the decision to dissolve the association does not obtain a 2/3 majority at the subsequent Extraordinary General Assembly, the dissolution shall be considered null and void, and the association shall continue to exist.
§7.3 If there are any funds left after the closure, these must be transferred to a charity supporting the association’s purpose.