Our statutes

Community Forge Association Statutes

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Name and Headquarters (Articles 1, 2)

Purpose (Articles 3, 4)

Resources (Articles 6-8)

Members (Articles 9-12)

Organs (Article 13)

General Assembly (Articles 14-19)

Committee (Articles 20-25)

Audits (Article 26)

Dissolution (Article 27)

Name and Headquarters

Article 1.

The name of the organization shall be Community Forge abbreviated CF and referred to as “The Association” in these statutes. Community Forge is a non-profit association governed by the present statutes and, secondarily, by Articles 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code. It is neutral politically, and non-denominational. This shall neither be a profit making nor a political organization.

Article 2.

The Organization's headquarters are located in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. Purpose

Article 3.

The association's vision, mission and core vales shall be: Vision: To help communities connect to their own abundance. Mission: To design and provide complementary currency systems and tools. Core Values: Localization, Appropriate Scale, Diversity, Transparency, Collective Intelligence, Holistic Solutions, Adaptability, Solidarity.

Article 4.

The aims of the association are to: I.design, develop, promote and distribute open-source software and tools for Complementary Currencies (CC) systems; II.advise and collaborate with communities interested in CC; III.promote and enhance information sharing between its members and the world on CC issues; IV.enhance cooperation and collaboration between various CC efforts; V.identify, create and share CC best practices; VI.develop and support Community Forge Chapters in other countries; VII.provide training for individuals and communities seeking to implement CC systems. Resources

Article 5.

The Association shall obtain resources from the following sources: I.donations; II.volunteer work; III.fund raising through; hosting special events, exhibitions, and talks;CC related projects; contracts with Associates. IV.sponsorships; v.any other resources authorized by the law.

Article 6.

The Association’s funds shall be used in conformity with the Association's aims to fund the Association’s activities as per the management plan and annual work plans, including: 1.office running costs; 2.staff salaries; 3.volunteer stipends; 4.promotion (training, conferences, travel); 5.project development; 6.third party fees.

Article 7.

The association shall use a complementary currency which shall be called “Beads” and 1 bead represents 1 hour of voluntary contribution. “Beads” are exchangeable between members for voluntary services and will be used in accordance with these statutes.

Article 8.

The difference between best and worst paid employees of the Association will not be more than a factor determined by the general assembly. Members

Article 9.

Any organization or natural person may request to join: (i) if, through their commitment or actions, they have proved their commitment to the aims of the Association, and (ii) they are not salaried by the Association. Requests to become a member must be addressed to the Committee. The Committee admits new members and informs the General Assembly accordingly. Persons whose membership request are rejected by the Committee are granted a right to address the General Assembly at which time her/his fate will be determined..

Article 10.

The recognized categories of membership as follows: I.Subscribing Member These are individuals, businesses, associations or groups interested in supporting CF's mission. Must pay a registration fee. The amount of this registration fee in Swiss Francs will be determined by the General Assembly. Must pay annual membership dues. The amount of this annual membership due in Swiss Francs will be determined by the General Assembly. II.Contributing Member These are individuals, businesses, associations or groups interested in giving of their expertise and/or resources to the association Must contribute a minimum number of hours a year toward the Association's aims. These hours must be registered and confirmed on the Community Forge website. This minimum number of hours will be determined by the General Assembly. III.Honorary Member Honorary membership shall be bestowed on an individual through a consensus by the General Assembly for her/his contribution to the development and promotion of Complementary Currencies and any other deserving recognition approved by members at General Assembly.

Article 11.

The rights and privileges of members shall be as follows: I.All Members: receive a copy of the association's publications, earn and exchange “Beads”, right to present CC related issues at general meetings. II.Contributing Members have the: right to be nominated for activities; right to vote; right for a representative of their organisation be nominated to vote and be voted for.

Article 12.

Withdrawal of membership shall be handled in the following cases: I.Any member desiring to resign from the Association shall submit his/her resignation to the committee, which shall take effect from the date of receipt by the committee of such notice. II.Any member may be suspended from membership by the Committee on the grounds that his/her conduct has adversely affected the reputation or dignity of the Association, or that person has contravened any of the provisions of the statutes of the Association. The Committee meeting following such suspension shall grant a right to the suspended member to address the General Assembly at which time her/his fate will be determined. The General Assembly of the Association shall be resolved by a two-thirds majority of the members present that such member may remain suspended for a specific period of time, lift the suspension or be expelled. III.Any member who resigns or is expelled from the Association shall not be entitled to a refund any moneys or labour contributed by the person at any time. IV.Any member who falls into arrears with their annual subscription for more than two years shall automatically cease to be a member of the Association and his/her name shall be struck off the registration of members. The Committee may, however, at its discretion, reinstate such a member on payment of a fine of 50% of the member’s annual subscription fees and the total amount of the outstanding arrears. V.Only the assets of the Association may be used to meet the Association's commitments. Members have no individual responsibility. Organs

Article 13.

The administrative structure of the Association will comprise of: The General Assembly The Executive Committee The Auditor General Assembly

Article 14.

The General Assembly is the Association's supreme authority. It is composed of all the Contributing Members. It shall hold an Ordinary Meeting once each year. It may also meet in extraordinary session whenever necessary, by decision of the Committee or at the request of one-fifth of the Contributing Members. The General Assembly shall be considered valid regardless of the number of members present. The Committee shall send notice of the meeting to contributing members at least six weeks in advance. The invitation, including the proposed agenda, shall be sent to each member at least 10 days prior to the date of the meeting. Members shall be allowed to be present using Skype.

Article 15.

The General Assembly, shall: I.approve the admission and expulsion of members settle the memberships requests refusals and the membership exclusions ; II.appoint the members of the Committee and elect, at a minimum, the President, the Secretary and the Treasurer; III.note the contents of the reports and financial statements for the year and vote for their approval; IV.approve the annual budget of the following year and the remunerations for the Association; V.supervise the activity of other organs, which it may dismiss, stating the grounds therefore; VI.appoints an auditor for the Association’s accounts; VII.decides on any modification of statutes; VIII.decides on the dissolution of the association; IX.fixes the range of pay scales for employees of the association; X.fixes the registration and annual membership dues for subscribing members; XI.fixes the amount of hours a contributing member must make per year.

Article 16.

The General Assembly is presided over by the president of the Association or Vice President if the President is not available.

Article 17.

Decisions of the General Assembly shall be taken by a majority vote of the members present. In case of deadlock, the President shall have the casting vote. Decisions concerning the amendment of the Statutes and the dissolution of the Association must be approved by a two-third majority of the members present.

Article 18.

Votes are by a show of hands. If requested by at least one third of members present, they take place by secret ballot. During the election of committee members, each attending voting member will have one vote for each committee member. Committee members will be voted for separately, in a sequence agreed by the General Assembly.

Article 19.

The agenda of the ordinary annual session of the general assembly must include: I.approval of the record of the previous General Assembly; II.the Committee’s annual report on activities; III.report of the treasurer and of the auditor; IV.setting of membership dues; V.approval of the budget; VI.approval of reports and accounts; VII.election of Committee members and auditor; VIII.other business;

Committee

Article 20.

The Committee is authorized to carry out all acts that further the purposes of the association. It is authorized to manage the Association's business.

Article 21.

The committee of the association will comprise of: I.President II.Vice President III.Secretary IV.Assistant secretary V.Treasurer Each member's term of office shall last for five years and is renewable three times. The Committee meets as often as required.

Article 22.

The Committee members act voluntarily and can only be compensated for their effective and travel costs. For activities exceeding the usual function, each committee member can receive appropriate compensation. The paid employees of the association have only a consultative vote in the committee.

Article 23.

The Committee shall have the following functions: I.To take all measures to attain the aims of the Association; II.to convene General Assemblies; III.to take decisions with regard to admission of new members, and resignations of members, and to their possible expulsion; IV.to ensure the Statutes are applied, to draft rules of procedure, and to administer the assets of the Association; V.to be responsible for making all major decisions of the Association and to communicate the same to the members and/or other stakeholders at the appropriate time; VI.to provide financial management of the association and authorize all expenditure of the association; VII.to co-opt members for specific assignments; VIII.to appoint working groups to deal with specific assignments and report back to the Association. Such working group will be dissolved once their roles are completed and their report submitted to the committee; IX.to appoint Associates to take part in implementing CC projects and/or fund-raising activities. The agreement between Associates and Community Forge will be specified in an MoU. X.to prepare budgets for the Association for approval by the General Assembly; XI.to assess personnel needs of the Association; XII.Hire personnel as necessary, such as the Association's Secretariat; XIII.to set remunerations for the Association bearing in mind the financial status of the Association; XIV.to monitor and review the financial management of the association quarterly, through returns submitted by the Association; XV.to propose a review of membership dues for approval by the General Assembly; XVI.to manage conflicts among the Association membership and any external conflicts that may arise in the course of Association’s activities.

Article 24.

The association shall be validly bound by the joint signature of the President and one other Committee member among the Treasurer and the Secretary.

Article 25.

The books of accounts and all documents relating thereto and a list of the members and summary of activities of the Association shall be available for inspection by any officer or member of the Association on giving not less than 14 days notice in writing to the Committee of the Association. Audits

Article 26.

I.An auditor shall be appointed for each financial year during the General Assembly. The entire Associations’ accounts and records shall be opened for inspection by the auditor at any time. The Treasurer shall produce an account of receipts and payments and a statement of assets and liabilities made up to date to the General Assembly. The auditor shall examine such annual accounts and either clarify that they are correct, duly vouched and in accordance with the Swiss law and International standards of accounting or report to the Association in what are found to be incorrect or not in accordance with the Swiss law. II.A copy of the auditor’s report on accounts and statements together with such audited accounts and statements shall be furnished to all members at the same time as the notice convening the General Assembly is sent out. III.No auditor shall be a member of the committee of the Association. Dissolution

Article 27.

Dissolution of the Association shall be handled in the following manner: I.The association shall be of unlimited duration. II.The Association shall not be dissolved except by a resolution passed by the General Assembly by a vote of two thirds of the members present. III.When the dissolution of the Association has been approved, no further action shall be taken by the committee or any office bearer of the Association other than to get in and dispose off all the assets of the Association, in such manner as may be resolved by the meeting at which the resolution for dissolution is passed. IV.In the case of the association being dissolved, the assets should be allotted to a non-profit organisation, pursuing aims of public interest similar to those of the Association. The assets cannot be returned to the founders or members, nor be used to their own profit. V.No member will be responsible for more than one year's membership dues in the case of the association being liquidated with debts. The present Statutes have been approved by the Constituent General Assembly of Community Forge 11 November 2014 Ces statuts remplacent les statuts du 20 Avril 2009. Genève 11 Novembre 2014