The Statutes of the Gunter Grass Society of Gdansk

Chapter 1:  General Provisions

§  1
The association named the Gunter Grass Society of Gdańsk henceforth referred to as the Society is a voluntary, self-governing and permanent association.

§  2
The Society has its headquarters in Gdansk.

§  3
The Society acts on the basis of the provisions of the Law of Associations (unified text of the Journal of Laws, no 79, item 855, dated 2001) as well as on the basis of these statutes and, by so doing, acquires legal status.

§  4
The Society acts within the borders of the Republic of Poland.  In the pursuit of its aims, the Society may, at its discretion, function outside the borders of the Republic of Poland .

§  5
The Society will function without time limit.

§  6
1. The Society may join national and foreign organizations.
2. Such Membership in national and foreign organizations shall be decided by a resolution of the Society’s General Assembly.
3. Representatives to such national and international organizations shall be chosen by a resolution of the Society’s General Assembly in numbers to be determined by the resolution.

§ 7
The Society’s use of seals and logos shall be consistent with the applicable laws and regulations.

§  8  
The Society’s objectives are:
1. Creating a Gunter Grass Documentation and Communication Center as a division of the Museum of the History of the City  of Gdansk and, after its creation, support and develop its activities.
2. Undertaking and supporting initiatives aimed at the collection, documentation and presentation of literary, critical, journalistic, graphic, cinematic and photographic materials related to Gunter Grass’s works and to his ties to the city of Gdansk.
3. Promoting initiatives and accomplishments grounded in the spirit of Gunter Grass’s works.
4. Supporting the commemoration and documentation of Gdansk’s multinational history.
5. Undertaking and supporting dialogue between nations, most particularly between Poland and its neighbors.
6. Commemorating and creating biographical sketches of citizens of Gdansk whose achievements have been integrated into European and world history.
7. Exchanging information and cooperation with other Gunter Grass organizations.

§ 9
The Society accomplishes its objectives by:
1. Obtaining and gathering documents and literary materials.
2. Organizing exhibits, conferences, symposia, training sessions and meetings to make the Society’s aims more widely known.
3. Publishing, with particular attention to new hi-tech media.
4. Seeking multi-source funding to support its objectives.
5. Supporting activities of other societies, institutions and groups whose aims are parallel to those of the Society.
6. Seeking funding for the Society’s statutory objectives.
7. Carrying out multi-lingual information campaigns aimed at acquainting others with materials available through the Society via publishing and the running of a web-site.
8. Representing the Members of the Society in front of the national and local authorities as well as in their contacts with other organizations.
9. Carrying on such economic activities as shall be required to support the statutory activities of the Society.
10. Supporting new creative initiatives.
11. Documenting, most particularly through the use of new hi-tech media, existing creative achievements grounded in the spirit of Gunter Grass’s works.
12. Gathering historical materials.
13. Initiating and organizing meetings, conferences, exhibitions, publications and competitions etc.
14. Revitalizing streets and sites either directly related to the life of Gunter Grass or those described in his works.
15. Creation of the theme walking trials dedicated to Gunter Grass, particularly targeting foreign lovers of Grass’s oeuvre.
16. Procuring scholarships, grants and prizes for outstanding creative works.
17. Undertaking publishing initiatives to support the Society’s statuary aims.

§ 10
The realization of the above objectives of the Society is based on the volunteer work of the Society’s Members.  The Society may employ personnel to realize its objectives.

§ 11
The Society may perform economic activity according to principles defined in separate provisions. Income from such economic activity will serve to realizwe the Society’s statutory objectives. Income thus earned may not be divided among the members of the Society.

Chapter II
Members of the Society – Their Rights and Obligations

§  12
The members of the Society are divided as follows
1. Ordinary Members
2. Supporting Members
3. Honorary Members

§  13
1. All the founding members of the Society become ordinary members upon the registration of the Society.
2. Ordinary Members of the Society may be
a. Adult citizens of the Republic of Poland competent having full capacity to enter into legal transactions and not deprived of their civic rights regardless of their place of residence.
b. Adult foreigners regardless of their place of residence, provided that they present recommendations from at least two members of the Society, file a membership application, pay the registration fee and, are accepted by the board of the Society.                                                              

§  14
1. Supporting Members may be physical persons (either Polish citizens or foreigners), and Polish or foreign legal persons or other entities regardless of their legal and organizational form, which shall present declarations of will to the Board of the Society, and shall declare material or organizational support on behalf of the Society's activities, and shall have been accepted by resolution of the Board of the Society.
2. The forms and types of support for the society are established by its supporting Members jointly with the Board of the Society.

§ 15
1. Honorary Membership shall be awarded by the General Assembly to persons particularly eminent for their work on behalf of the Society or for distinguished merit in service of the Society’s objectives, or for distinguished academic research, artistic works and the promotion of Gunter Grass’s works.
2. The awarding and depriving of honorary Membership shall require a resolution of the General Assembly, taken on the recommendation of the Board of the Society.


§  16
1. Ordinary or Supporting Membership in the Society is acquired after acceptance of candidacy under a resolution passed by simple majority vote of the Board of the Society.

§  17
1.    The Ordinary Members of the Society are obliged:
a. To promote the role and the significance of the Society through their conduct and actions.
b. To support and to actively realize the Society’s objectives.
c. To respect laws currently in force as well as the Society’s Statutes and the resolutions of the Board of the Society.  
d. To pay membership fees regularly.

2. Ordinary Members have the right to:
a. Passive and active participation in elections.
b. File a petition in all matters relevant to the aims and function of the Society.
c. Use the Society’s badge and official logo as may be relevant, at the request of the interested party with the consent of the Board of the Society and within the limits established by the Board, and to use the title “Member of the Gunter Grass Society of Gdansk”.
d. To enjoy the Society’s recommendation, guarantees and assistance in their work.
e. To enjoy other possibilities as may be offered to the Members of the Society.

§  18
An Honorary Member has the same rights as an Ordinary Member – with the exception of active and passive participation in elections – and is free of the obligation to pay membership fees.

§  19
A Supporting Member has the same rights as an Ordinary Member – with the exception of active and passive participation in elections – and is obliged to pay membership fees.

§  20
Membership in the Society is terminated by:
1. written resignation directed to the Society
2. being excluded by a resolution of the General Assembly of Members, which may occur in the event of
a. failure to pay membership fees for a period longer than 12 months, following a prior written admonition
b. conviction by a valid sentence of a civilian court to an additional penalty of the loss of civic rights.
3. the death of the Member
4.    exclusion by the General Assembly’s resolution taken on the basis of a valid sentence by the Peer Tribunal:
a. for activities in conflict to the provisions of the statutes or the resolutions of the Society
b. for the unjustified evasion of accepted responsibilities in the work of the Society
c. for activities which are detrimental to other Members of the Society.

4. loss of the status of a legal person by a Supporting Member who is a legal person or in the event of the end of activity by the Supporting Member who is not a legal person or in the event of the withholding of the declared assistance to the Society.

Chapter III
Authorities of the Society

§ 21
The Authorities of the Society are:
1. The General Assembly
2. The Board
3. The Audit Commission
4. The Peer Tribunal

§   22
Terms of office for all authorities of the society are 3 years.  Election of these authorities takes by either open voting or secret ballot according to the decision of the General Assembly.

§  23
In the event of a decrease in the membership of the authorities of the Society named above at § 21, items 2, 3 and 4, during the term of office, supplementing of their ranks may take place by co-option. Such co-options are made by the remaining members of the given body, whose ranks have diminished. No more than half of the members of a given body may be so named.

§  24
Unless the statutes provide otherwise, resolutions of all the Society's authorities are normally passed with a simple majority of votes with a quorum defined as half the members of the given body.

§  25
1. The highest authority of the Society is the General Assembly of Members.
2. All Ordinary Members having decisional votes may take part in the General Assembly, while Honorary and Supporting Members may participate in an advisory capacity.
3. A General Assembly is convened at least once during a calendar year by the Board during the first quarter of the year, notifying the Members of the dates and place of, as well as the agenda for such meetings by registered letter or  any other effective method for such notification at least 14 days prior to the beginning of such an Assembly.
4. At least half of the Members having voting rights should participate in the General Assembly in the first deadline.  In the second deadline, which may be set for 30 minutes later on the same day, the General Assembly may meet and debate matters without regard to the number of Members present, the actual number of Members present being regarded as a quorum.
5. Each Member is entitled to one vote.

§  26
1. Extraordinary General Assemblies are called by the Board
a. On its own initiative
b. Upon a motion passed by ¼ of the total number of the Ordinary Members of the Society
c. Upon a motion of the Audit Committee.
2. Extraordinary General Assemblies shall be called by registered letter or by any other effective means at least one month after the date of the receipt of the relevant motion and such General Assemblies shall consider the matters for which they were convened.

§  27
The powers of the General Assembly include, especially:
1. Adopting the work program of the Society
2. Reviewing and approving the reports of the Board, Audit Commission and Peer Tribunal.
3. Adopting the standing orders of the General Assembly and the regulations governing the authorities of the Society
4. Giving vote of approval to the Board leaving office
5. Election and recall of the President and other members of the Board, Audit Commission and Peer Tribunal.
6. Approving through resolution changes in the statutes
7. Deciding on the Society’s logo and on its badges.
8. Granting Honorary Membership.
9. Making resolutions upon the motions of the participants in the General Assembly
10.  Deciding on dissolution of the Society and on disposition of its assets as well as on the matter of a possible merger with another society.
11.  Review of appeals against decisions taken by the Administration filed by the members
12.  Review of appeals against rulings of the Peer Tribunal
13.   Review of Members' complaints about the work of the Board
14.   Setting of Membership fees and member registration fees for Ordinary Members
15.  Passing of resolutions concerning the basis of the Society’s financial functioning and on the principles of the running of economic activities by the Society.
16.  Deciding on all important matters which are not covered in the statutes.

§  28
1. The Board is the executive body of the Society.  The goal of its functioning is securing of the correct and effective functioning of the Society.
2. The Board consists of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and one general Member.  The members of the Board are elected by the General Assembly.
3. The President of the Board is elected by the General Assembly in a separate election.
4. The Board is constituted at its first post-election meeting, when the members of the Board elect a Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary from among their ranks.
5. Assignment of functions to the members of the Board as well as granting of required powers of attorney on behalf of the Society to the members of the Board in matters involving the Society’s assets and finances is made by the elected Board at its first meeting.
6. The powers of the Board include:
a. Accepting or removal of members of the Society
b. Representing the Society and acting on its behalf
c. Directing the ongoing work of the Society
d. Calling General Assemblies
e. Managing the Society’s assets

§  29
1. The Board’s resolutions are passed by simple majority with at least half of the members of the Board present.  In the event of a tie, the President’s vote shall be determining.
2. The Board meets at least once every quarter.

§  30
1. The Audit Commission is the internal control body of the Society.
2. The Audit Commission consists of three members chosen by the General Assembly.
3. The Audit Commission elects from its membership a Chairperson, a Vice Chairperson and a Secretary.
4. The Audit Commission’s duties include supervision over the work of the authorities of the Society.
5. The rights and obligations of the Audit Commission include
a. Control over the Society’s current activities
b. Issuing post-control recommendations and supervision of their execution
c. Filing motions concerning votes of approval during the General Assembly.
d. Filing motions for calling a General Assembly
e. Selecting of auditors who will examine the financial statements of the Society in accordance with accounting regulations.
f. Presenting a statement on its activities to the General Assembly.
g. Preparing an annual assessment of the Society’s activities and announcing this assessment to the Members.

§  31
The Peer Tribunal is composed of 5 Members of the Society who are not members of the Board or Audit Commission.

§  32
1. The powers of the Peer Tribunal include the reviewing of written motions of the Board and Audit Commission concerning the violation of the statutory regulations by the members.
2. The Peer Tribunal also settles disputes between Members upon written motion from the interested parties.
3. The Peer Tribunal shall consider motions within no more than one month from their date of filing.
4. The Peer Tribunal exercises the proceedings and may issue admonitions, reprimands, the temporarily suspend membership rights for a period of up to 6 months, and may recommend the exclusion of a member from the Society to the General Assembly.
5. The Peer Tribunal concludes its proceedings with the giving of a ruling which it announces to all of the members.
6. The parties to the dispute  are entitled to appeal against the ruling of the Peer Tribunal during the next General Assembly within a month of the announcement of the ruling.

Chapter IV
Funds and Assets of the Society

§  33
1. Funds and assets of the Society are created through member registration fees, membership fees, donations, inheritances, bequests income from the Society’s economic activity, income from the Society's assets, and from public donations and government subsidies.
2. Assets of the Society include movables and real estate.
3. The funds and assets of the Society are managed by the Board.
4. Acquisition and transfer of real estate requires a resolution of the General Assembly.
5. For the purposes of filing declarations of will concerning proprietary rights and obligations two signatures are required: the signature of the President of the Board and a member of the Board jointly, or the signatures of two members of the Board jointly.
6. Income from the Society’s economic activities shall serve to support the Society’s statutory objectives and may not be divided among the members of the Society.

§  34
Resolutions regarding change of the Statutes or dissolution of the Society shall be passed by the General Assembly of the Members of the Society by a 2/3 majority, with at least half of the Members present in the first instance, in the second instance, by a 2/3 vote of the Members present.

§  35
In the event that the Society is dissolved, the General Assembly shall resolve issues related to the assets of the Society, and shall appoint a Liquidation Commission.  Resolution of issues related to the assets of the society shall require a 2/3 vote, at least half of the Members being present in the first deadline, and, in the second deadline, by a 2/3 majority of the Members present.