Statutes of the civic association
The Association of Friends of the Protestant Theological Faculty
Article I: Introductory provisions
1. Title of the civic association: Spolek přátel Evangelické teologické fakulty o.s.(Association of the Friends of the Protestant Theological Faculty civic association). Abbreviated: Spolek přátel ETF o.s. (Association of the Friends of the PTF civ.ass.). (Hereafter referred to as the Association).
2. Registered address of the Association: Černá 9, 11555 Praha 1, Czech Republic
Article II: Legal status of the Association
1. The Association shall be a voluntary and independent association, whose members come together on the basis of a common interest. The Association shall be a non-governmental, non-profit organisation.
2. The Association shall be a legal entity registered with the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic.
Article III: Aims of the activities of the Association
1. The Association shall be an organisation bringing together people who take an interest in the development and maintenance of contacts with the Protestant Theological Faculty on an academic level. The Association is intended to be an association serving as a platform for meetings between current and former Czech and foreign students, teachers, and staff of the PTF, and other interested parties. It will work through conferences on specific themes, seminars, discussion meetings, publishing activities, etc.
2. The principal objectives of the Association shall be:
· Providing a forum for exchanging experiences and information between theology students.
· Developing and maintaining contacts between former theology students.
· Disseminating information about current events, perspectives, and theological developments at the PTF.
· Reflecting on contemporary social issues (ethical, cultural, political and spiritual) in relation to the study and calling of theology.
· Strengthening ties with other theological faculties and churches in the Czech Republic and other countries on the basis of the ecumenical movement.
The Association will lay emphasis on being informed, on open dialogue, and on a sense of community.
3. The principal tasks of the Association shall be:
· Organising an annual meeting for all members of the Association.
· Publishing an information bulletin.
· Establishing, maintaining and developing cooperation and partnership with institutions that have a similar orientation, and working with them on joint projects.
Article IV: Membership
1. Those eligible to become members shall be individuals and legal entities who are in agreement with the statutes and aims of the Association and who are connected with the PTF, in particular former and current members of the academic community of the PTF. It shall be a condition of membership that members express in writing their agreement with the statutes and aims of the Association and pay their membership subscriptions.
2. Individuals or entities shall become members once the executive committee has agreed and they have fulfilled the conditions stated in Article IV, point 1. Members shall receive confirmation of their membership from the executive committee.
3. Membership shall come to an end:
a) when a member declares in writing his or her resignation
b) when a member dies
c) in the case of legal entities, when the entity is wound up
d) by terminating membership at the decision of the executive committee of the Association when the conditions stated in Article IV, point 1, are not fulfilled
e) when the Association is dissolved
Article V: Rights and duties of members
1. Members shall have the right, in particular,
a) to take part in the activities of the Association
b) to be elected to the representative bodies of the Association (if aged 18 or over)
c) to elect the representative bodies of the Association (if aged 15 or over)
d) to address ideas or complaints to the representative bodies of the Association and ask them for their reaction
2. Members shall have the duty, in particular,
a) to observe the statutes of the Association
b) to conscientiously carry out the functions entrusted to them in the representative bodies of the Association
3. Members shall be obliged to pay their membership subscriptions by the end of the first quarter of each calendar year.
Article VI: The representative bodies of the Association
The representative bodies of the Association shall be:
a) the conference of members
b) the executive committee
c) the auditing committee
Article VII: The conference of members
1. The conference of members shall be the supreme representative body of the Association.
2. The conference of members shall be made up of all the members of the Association.
3. The executive committee shall convene an ordinary conference of members once a year. Should the need arise, it shall convene an extraordinary conference of members. The executive committee shall also convene an extraordinary conference of members whenever at least one third of the members request this.
4. Should the executive committee not be functioning, then at least one third of the members shall have the right to elect a substitute body which shall convene an extraordinary conference of members.
5. The conference of members shall, in particular:
a) decide on changes in the statutes of the Association
b) decide on changes in the internal rules of procedure of the Association
c) determine and approve the tasks of the Association for the relevant period of time, and approve the annual report of the Association, the budget of the Association, and the annual statement of accounts of the Association
d) approve the amount of the membership fee
e) elect the president and the members of the executive committee and the auditing committee for a period of two years
f) decide to wind dissolve the Association if necessary
6. All the details relating to the convening, procedures and decision-making of the conference of members shall be laid down in the internal rules of procedure, which shall be approved at the second meeting of the conference of members at the latest.
Article VIII: The executive committee
1. The executive committee shall be the executive representative body of the Association, and shall be responsible for its activities to the conference of members.
2. The executive committee shall have a minimum of five and a maximum of eleven members. When electing it, representation of various countries should be taken into account.
3. The executive committee shall direct and arrange for the activities of the Association during the period between the meetings of the conference of members. The president, or in his or her absence the vice-president, shall convene a meeting of the executive committee at least three times a year.
4. The executive committee shall, in particular:
a) elect from among its members a vice-president, secretary and treasurer
b) coordinate and arrange for the activities of the Association
c) convene the conference of members
d) draw up an annual report of its activities and documents to assist the conference of members in its decision-making
e) accept new members of the Association
f) decide to terminate membership
5. The president shall represent the Association externally and shall act in its name in all matters independently. With the president's agreement, the vice-president or another member of the executive committee delegated by the president may deputise for the president.
6. The circumstances in which the president, vice-president and treasurer shall have the right to sign documents on behalf of the Association shall be laid down in the internal rules of procedure.
7. The executive committee may appoint a working committee from among the members of the Association to arrange for certain activities.
8. The executive committee shall be quorate if at least one third of its members is present. In matters deserving of consideration it shall be possible to take decisions without holding a meeting of the executive committee by setting down the decision on a document, to which all the members of the executive committee attach their agreement to the decision in writing.
Article IX: The auditing committee
1. The auditing committee shall be the monitoring body of the Association, and shall be responsible for its activities to the conference of members.
2. The auditing committee shall have at least two members. Members of the auditing committee cannot be members of the executive committee at the same time.
3. The auditing committee shall monitor the financial management of the Association, draw the attention of the executive committee to any shortcomings it may discover, and propose ways of correcting them. It shall carry out a review at least once a year.
4. The auditing committee shall draw up a report on the results of its monitoring and auditing activities and submit it to the conference of members.
5. The authority of the members of the auditing committee and the extent of their monitoring activities shall be laid down in the internal rules of procedure.
Article X: Principles of financial management
1. The Association shall manage both movable and immovable assets.
2. The sources of its assets shall be, in particular:
a) membership subscriptions, and donations and contributions from individuals and legal entities
b) revenue from assets
c) income from activities when fulfilling the aims of the Association
d) subsidies from public funds and other subsidies, grants, etc.
3. The executive committee shall be responsible for the financial management of the Association, and shall submit a report each year to the conference of members on the financial management of the Association, including the annual statement of accounts.
4. The financial management shall be undertaken on the basis of the annual budget approved by the conference of members.
5. All the assets of the Association shall be managed in accordance with generally valid legal regulations, in particular those governing the financial management of non-profit organisations.
Article XI: Dissolving the Association
1. The Association shall be dissolved:
a) by voluntary disbanding or merger with another association, at the decision of the conference of members
b) at the decision of the Ministry of the Interior
2. Should the Association be dissolved by voluntary disbanding, the conference of members shall decide at the same time on the form of settlement of the Association's assets and on the transfer of any assets remaining after liquidation. It shall further decide on the appointment of a liquidator and shall fix the amount of the liquidator's remuneration.
Article XII: Final provisions
1. The Association shall publish and revise internal rules of procedure, which shall regulate more precisely the functioning of the Association, in conformity with these statutes.
2. The Association shall have the right, in accordance with the aims of its activity, to address petitions to the state authorities.
3. This Association shall come into being once it is registered by the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic.
Internal rules of procedure of the Association of Friends of the PTF
Section A. Election procedures
Article I. Election of the executive committee and auditing committee of the Association of Friends of the PTF
1. The voting assembly shall be identical to the conference of members.
2. The term of office of all elected members of the executive committee and of the auditing committee shall be two years and shall commence from the time they are elected (see Statutes, hereafter referred to as St., VII, 5).
3. The president and the members of the executive committee and of the auditing committee shall be elected by secret ballot.
4. The conference of members shall determine in advance the number of members of the executive committee (St. VIII, 2) and of the auditing committee (St. IX, 2). Each voter shall vote for the maximum number of members that has been determined on for both the representative bodies mentioned. A candidate may not be entered more than once on one ballot paper. The candidates who receive the largest number of votes shall be elected. If two or more candidates receive the same number of votes, a second ballot shall take place, with each voter voting for only one of the candidates.
Article II. Election of the president
1. For the election of the president a two-thirds majority of all those present who are entitled to vote shall be required.
2. The minimum number of candidates shall be two.
3. Should the president not be elected in the first round of voting, a second ballot shall be held immediately, in which there shall be only two candidates, namely the two candidates who received the most votes in the first round of voting.
4. Each voter shall vote for only one of the two most successful candidates in the first round of voting.
5. A simple majority shall be required for the election of the president. If the two candidates receive the same number of votes, a further ballot shall take place with the possibility of further candidates taking part.
6. The president's mandate shall come to an end when the term of office comes to an end, if the president resigns, or if the president is dismissed.
7. A proposal to dismiss the president must be submitted in writing to the vice-president by at least one quarter of all the members of the Association. The vice-president shall inform all the members of the Association of the proposal. Should at least three quarters of the members be in favour of the president's dismissal, the vice-president shall inform the president, who shall be obliged to convene a meeting of the executive committee. The meeting shall then formally dismiss the president and appoint an acting president.
8. Should the president resign voluntarily, the president's powers shall pass to the vice-president. The executive committee shall appoint a further candidate to the post of vice-president at its next meeting.
Section B. Other rules of procedure
Article III. The conference of members (see St. VII)
1. The conference of members shall be convened by the executive committee, which shall inform all the members in writing at least two months before the appointed date.
2. The quorum of the conference of members is given if the members has been invited regularly. If there is any doubt about this the question shall be raised as soon as possible.
3. The conference of members shall normally vote by a show of hands, with the exception of elections, dismissals (Internal rules of procedure, hereafter referred to as IRP, II:5), and cases when a simple majority of the conference of members is in favour of a secret ballot. A two-thirds majority of all those present shall be required to dismiss the president.
4. Unless stipulated otherwise, a simple majority shall be required to pass a motion or resolution.
5. At the start of the meeting, the conference of members shall elect a moderator, one minute-taker and at least two vote-counters.
6. Minutes must be taken of each meeting of the conference of members; these minutes must be accessible to all members of the association.
Article IV. Membership (see St. IV)
1. Applications to become a member shall be submitted in writing to any member of the executive committee.
2. Applications shall include written agreement with the conditions of membership of the Association and payment of membership subscriptions (see St. IV, 1).
3. Members shall receive confirmation of their acceptance as members from the treasurer.
4. Membership subscriptions shall be collected by the treasurer of the Association.
5. If a member of the association has not paid any membership subscriptions the last 3 years this has to be seen as resignation (according to the statutes Article IV paragraph 1 and 3a). The membership could be renewed by paying the subscriptions.
6. Members whose membership has been terminated by the executive committee may appeal against the decision of the executive committee to the conference of members. They shall notify the auditing committee in advance of their appeal, and the auditing committee shall investigate the whole affair. The conference of members may reverse the decision of the executive committee and renew the membership of the member in question.
Article V. Membership subscriptions
1. The amount of the membership subscription shall be limited between a lower limit and an upper limit (see minutes of conference of members).
2. Each member shall contribute an amount depending on his or her possibilities.
3. The amount of the membership subscription, and the date and method of its payment, shall be determined by the conference of members (see St. V, 3).
4. Cases where these provisions are not respected shall be dealt with by the executive committee; they can lead to expulsion from the Association.
Article VI. The executive committee (see St. VIII)
Article VI:1. General
1. The executive committee shall be responsible for the activities of working groups it appoints under article VIII, point 7 of the Statutes.
2. The quorum of the executive committee is given if the members has been invited regularly. If there is any doubt about this the question shall be raised as soon as possible. At least 3 members should attend the meeting.
3. Unless stipulated otherwise, decisions shall be taken by the executive committee if a simple majority of the members present is in favour.
4. Should a meeting of the executive committee be inquorate (see St. VIII, 8), then the president (or the vice-president delegated by the president) shall act as follows: He or she shall send his or her proposals in writing to all members of the executive committee for them to vote on in writing. Every member of the executive committee shall react to the proposals in writing and send their reactions back to the president, and that without delay. The president shall evaluate the results of the written vote in accordance with IRP, Section B, IV:1:2. The members of the executive committee must be informed of the results of the voting.
5. One of the duties of the president (or the vice-president) shall be to collect ideas and prepare a draft programme for meetings.
6. Minutes shall be taken of each meeting, and they shall always be discussed at the following meeting.
7. Unless indicated otherwise, the president shall be responsible for carrying out decisions.
8. Should the number of members of the executive committee fall below the lower limit stipulated in Article VIII, point 2 of the Statutes, it shall be necessary to convene an extraordinary conference of members, which shall resolve the situation.
9. Members of the executive committee shall hand in their resignation to the president.
10. In the case of the resignation of a member of the executive committee who has a function defined in the Statutes (with the exception of the president), the next meeting of the executive committee shall elect someone to take over that function.
11. The executive committee shall provide regular information about its activities in the bulletin of the Association and shall make sure that proper records are kept of all members.
12. The executive committee shall set up petty cash arrangements and a bank account so as to facilitate financial transactions.
Article VI:2. The president
1. The president shall be the head of the Association and of the executive committee of the Association (see St. VIII, 5).
2. The president shall have disposal of the Association stamp. The vice-president shall also use the stamp, with the president's agreement.
3. The president shall have the right to sign in the name of the Association all documents concerning the Association. He or she can delegate this right to the vice-president. The president shall deal with financial matters together and in consultation with the treasurer.
4. Both of them shall have the right to sign documents relating to the bank account independently of each other.
5. The president shall be responsible for convening the executive committee and for executive committee meetings (se St. VIII, 3).
6. The president shall be obliged to inform the members of the executive committee in writing of the date of the next meeting of the executive committee at least two weeks in advance. When doing so, he or she shall attach a draft programme for the meeting, thus making it easier for the members of the executive committee to prepare for the meeting.
7. The president shall be able to deal independently with financial matters. He or she has to inform the treasurer about this transactions and shall submit receipts for money spent to the treasurer at least one month before the annual meeting and to the end of January. ..If the president and the treasurer are discordant in financial matters the executive committee should decide as soon as possible.
Article VI:3. The vice-president
1. The vice-president shall take over the duties of the president (see IRP, Section B, IV:2) should the latter be
a) absent
b) ill
c) incapable
2. The vice-president shall be responsible for the logistics of meetings of the Association.
Article VI:4. The treasurer
1. The treasurer shall be responsible for keeping the Association's accounts and jointly responsible for the Association's bank account (see St., VIII, 6 and IRP VI:2,3). He or she shall also be responsible for completing tax returns in accordance with the laws currently in force.
2. The treasurer shall collect membership subscriptions, issue confirmation of their receipt, and deposit money in the bank account. The executive committee shall, on the treasurer's demand, appoint another three people (preferably members of the committee) which can collect membership subscriptions and issue confirmation of their receipt.
3. The treasurer shall issue members with confirmation that they have been accepted as members.
4. The treasurer shall administer the Association's petty cash, the amount of which shall be determined by the executive committee.
5. The treasurer shall be able to deal independently with financial matters. He or she has to inform the president about transactions for more than 9000 Kč or 300 €. If the president and the treasurer are discordant in financial matters the executive committee should decide as soon as possible. The treasurer shall keep receipts for money spent and file them in the accounts.
6. The treasurer shall prepare a report on all financial operations for each meeting of the executive committee.
7. The executive committee shall, on the treasurer's demand, appoint a person to assist the treasurer especially in keeping the accounting records.
Article VI:5. Rules for accountancy
1. The Association's accounting year lasts from October 1 of the respective year till September 30 of the next year.
2. The Association's expenditures must be released in exchange for a confirmation. No financial amount can be drawn without a confirmation.
3. Numbered accounting receipts shall be issued if a financial amount is received in cash. For incomes received by a bank transfer special (unnumbered) confirmations should be issued, and on a request only. Accounting receipts and confirmations are valid with a stamp and a valid signature (see Article VI: 4. paragraph 2).
4. Incomes and expenditures shall be sorted in accordance to their categories (positions) and recorded and archived in a ledger book. Last year's balance shall be transferred to next year (plus or minus). In addition, a balance of expenditures shall be created by every financial year's end, so the sum of expenditures and incomes is equal. This balance shall be taken for an income (positive or negative).
5. Two years in a row should not be closed with a negative balance.
6. The ledger book shall be run in Czech currency.
7. All documents of every position shall be numbered in the course of the one year's period. For incomes collection the respective confirmation's number shall be recorded.
8. The ledger book shall be kept by the treasurer, who is responsible for its conduction.
Article VI:6. The secretary
1. The secretary shall be responsible for keeping minutes of the meetings of the executive committee. Once they have been signed by the president, the minutes become valid as an official document. The minutes must be written up and approved within two weeks of the date a meeting takes place, at the latest.
2. The secretary shall maintain and update records of Association members and an index of members' addresses in liaison with the treasurer.
3. The secretary shall be responsible for VI:1.11.
Article VII. The auditing committee (see St. IX, 5)
1. The members of the auditing committee shall be given access to all the Association's documents, should they request this of the president. The president must comply with this request. When the documents are examined, at least one member of the executive committee shall also be present.
2. The auditing committee may ask for a copy of any of the Association's documents. This request must be complied with. Should the auditing committee work only with copies of documents, a member of the executive committee does not have to be present when they are examined.
3. All members of the executive committee shall be obliged to reply to questions from the auditing committee about the Association, if they are asked.
Article VIII. The Ecumenical Fund
1.The Ecumenical Fund (hereafter referred to as the EF) was founded in 1995 by Mgr. Adelheid Reininghaus. The EF shall be administered separately from the budget and accounting of the Association of Friends of the PTF (hereafter referred to as the Association) and its funds. Funds donated by donors specifically to the EF shall be deposited in a special bank account for the EF.
2.Collecting funds for the EF:
The funds of the EF shall consist primarily of:
a) Voluntary donations by international students of the Protestant Theological Faculty of Charles University in Prague (hereafter referred to as the PTF).
b) Voluntary donations by foreign organisations, groups and individuals who visit the PTF.
c) One-off donations, usually made to finance a particular purpose.
3.Use made of the funds of the EF:
The funds of the EF are intended primarily for:
a) Financial assistance or scholarships for students from the former Eastern bloc and from the Third World who study theology at the PTF
b) Providing loans to students of the PTF to cover additional expenses connected with studying theology abroad (for example, travel costs).
c) Financing international and ecumenical student activities, such as participation in seminars and conferences, or financing meetings, seminars and conferences held at the PTF.
d) Partially covering expenses connected with the study programme for students from abroad.
e) Covering expenses connected with the administration of the EF.
4. Disposing of the funds of the EF:
a) The staff of the Office for International Relations shall be authorised by The executive committee of the Association to dispose of the funds of the EF. The Vice-Dean for International Relations of the PTF shall be informed about the use made of the funds of the EF, as proposed by the Office for International Relations.
b) The Office for International Relations shall enter into an agreement with a person (hereafter referred to as the EF accountant), whereby he or she shall be responsible for keeping accounting records of the income and expenditure of the EF, and whereby the remuneration for this work done by the EF accountant shall be covered out of the funds of the EF.
c) The Association shall receive once a year a written report on the use made of the funds of the EF during the previous year.
d) The report shall be drawn up by the EF accountant, who is responsible for keeping accounting records for the funds of the EF. The Vice-Dean for International Relations of the PTF shall also receive a copy of this report.
e) The EF accountant shall be responsible for filling in a tax return form and handing it in, on the basis of all the financial documents of the Association.
f) The Executive Committee of the Association (in conformity with the statutes of the Association, article VIII), the Auditing Committee on the basis of its competence under article IX of the statutes of the Association, or some other body elected ad hoc by the Conference of Members of the Association, shall be entitled to examine all financial transactions and accounting documents of the EF at least once a year, and that after the submission of the written report on the use made of the funds of the EF, drawn up by the responsible person (see point 4.c). This report shall form part of the annual report submitted by the Executive Committee of the Association to the Conference of Members.
g) Changes to this article shall be approved by the Conference of Members of the Association after the prior consent of the Office for International Relations of the PTF and the Vice-Dean for International Relations of the PTF.
h) On the basis of a decision by the Office for International Relations of the PTF and the Vice-Dean for International Relations of the PTF, the funds of the EF, after a statement of account has been presented to the Executive Committee of the Association and with the agreement of the Executive Committee, may be transferred to another account, set up for this purpose. In such a case the account for the EF with the Association shall be closed, with all expenses connected with the transfer of this account being covered out of the funds of the EF.
i) Should the Association be dissolved, the Office for International Relations of the PTF and the Vice-Dean for International Relations of the PTF, after presenting a statement of account to the Executive Committee of the Association, shall transfer the funds of the EF to another account, set up for this purpose. The account for the EF with the Association shall be closed, with all expenses connected with this being covered out of the funds of the EF.
Approved by the conference of members on: 6 November 1999 and came into force on: 6 November 1999.
Revised version approved by the conference of members on: 3. November 2007 and came into force on: 3. November 2007.
These Internal Rules of Procedure are an appendix to the Statutes of the Association of Friends of the PTF
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