Rules of Pohjois-Savon Seta ry
- Name and residence
- Purpose of activities, their different forms and subsidies
- Members
- General meetings
- The board
- Authority to sign the name of the organisation
- Accounting period and inspection of operations
- Changing rules and disassembling the organisation
- Rules of procedure
1. The name of the organisation is Pohjois-Savon Seta ry.
The organisation resides in Kuopio city and operates in the northern Savonia area.
The organisation is politically non-aligned.
2. Purpose of activities, their different forms and subsidies
The organisation is a human rights and non-governmental organisation and its purpose is to further all humans being equal regardless of their sexual orientation, gender-identity or gender-expression.
The organisation aims to gather and distribute information about the diversity of different forms of sexual orientations, gender-identities and gender expressions. It also aims to prevent different prejudices and both direct and indirect discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as well as eliminate inequality brought on by culture, language and the mainstream structures and values of the society to make it possible for people to be of an equal social status regardless of their sexuality, gender identity or gender expression.
In order to achieve these purposes the organisation can:
- hold meetings, discussions, publicity, counseling and training events
- organise courses and guidance as well as educational or hobby or culture related activities
- pursue publishing activities
- keep in contact with and be a member of the national and local parties of its choosing
- make propositions, and motions, state its position and release statements in matters related to the organisation
- further its goals of promoting the development of equality and related research when it comes to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in other corresponding ways as well
To support its operations the organisation can without the aim of gaining a margin of profit collect membership fees, receive donations, wills, grants and after having obtained a appropriate permission hold fundraisers and raffles. It can also organise parties and other events, cafés and fairs, publish things and do other such financial activities. The organisation can also purchase and own necessary pieces of real estate and other properties and assets.
3. Members
Anyone approving of the organisation’s rules and operations can become an actual member. Actual members of the organisation have to pay a membership fee, the amount of which is decided in the fall meeting. The membership fee can be of a different amount for different member groups.
Private persons, companies, associations, foundations, congregations and other such competent organisations can become non-voting support members. A support member has to pay a support membership fee, the amount of which is decided in the fall meeting.
The organisation can invite persons having furthered its purposes in an outstanding way as its honorary members. The persons having signed the organisation’s founding documents are its founding members. Both honorary and founding members are exempt of membership fees and are members until further notice unless they resign from their membership or are suspended from the organisation. Honorary and founding members have the same rights as actual members.
Actual and support members are approved by the board and honorary members are invited by it.
The board can suspend a member from the organisation if they have by their actions in the organisation or outside of it caused harm to the organisation or if they have neglected the obligations they have agreed to by joining the organisation. The decision to suspend a member is done in the next general meeting and a reason for the suspension has to be noted in the decision.
Board members of the organisation and persons mandated in a board meeting have rights to the membership register information.
Achieved membership rights are preserved.
4. General meetings
In general meetings, every person who has paid the membership fee for the present year as an actual member as well as honorary members have one (1) vote. In general meetings one cannot vote with a mandate. Supporting members have a right to be present in general meetings and state their opinions. If a support member is an association, it can send a maximum of two (2) persons to the meetings as delegates.
Decisions in general meetings are done by simple majority votes using open votes, unless at least one of the present members having a voting right ask for a closed vote. If votes are divided equally the president’s vote is used to solve the situation.
With a decision of the general meeting other persons participating the meeting can also be granted the right to be there and speak. By a proposition of the board the right to be present in general meetings via electronic channels can also be granted.
The organisation holds two (2) general meetings during a calendar year.The spring meeting will be held in january-may and the fall meeting in september-december on a day appointed by the board.
The following matters are to be handled during the spring meeting:
- Electing a president, secretary, two transcript proofreaders and two vote counters
- Presenting the financial statement, annual report and the statement from the performance auditor
- A decision about confirming the financial statement and granting the board and other accountable persons the freedom of responsibility
- Other matters mentioned in the meeting invitation
The following matters are to be handled in the fall meeting:
- Electing a president, secretary, two transcript proofreaders and two vote counters
- Deciding an amount for the membership fees and manners of payment as well as discounts for certain groups of people
- Deciding rewards and other reimbursements of board members
- Confirming the next year’s budgetary estimates
- Confirming the next year’s plan of action
- Election of the president of the board
- Election of other board members (3-9)
- Election of a performance auditor and a backup performance auditor
- Other matters mentioned in the meeting invitation
An invitation to the general meeting must be announced at least seven (7) days before the meeting. The meeting invitation must be sent through a provable electric channel of the board’s choosing.
Additional general meetings can be held when needed by the board’s invitation or when at least 10 members or 1/10 of all members with voting rights demand it from the board in written form to address a certain matter announced in the demand. The board must after having received the demand assemble a meeting without delay.
5. The Board
The board which consists of the president and three to nine (3-9) members appointed by the fall general meeting is responsible for the operations of the organisation. The board members have to be actual members of the organisation.
The board chooses from among them a vice-president and decides how other responsibilities are divided amongst it. The board can invite a secretary and treasurer from outside of it.
The term of the organisation’s president and board members is one calendar year.
The board assembles by the invitation of the president or in the case where they are prevented from doing so the vice-president or when at least one board member demands it in written form from the president or vice-president. The invitation to a board meeting must be sent at least three days prior to the meeting.
The board is allowed to make decisions when at least half of the board including the president or the vice-president is present. In a board meeting each board member, the president and vice-president each have one (1) vote. If the votes are even the vote of the president is used to solve the situation.
6. Authority to sign the name of the organisation
Two members of the board have the authority to sign the name of the organisation together.
7. Financial year and performance auditing
The financial year of the organisation is a calendar year.
The organisation has one (1) performance auditor and one (1) backup performance auditor.
Both the performance auditor and backup performance auditor are chosen in the fall general meeting and their term is one calendar year.
8. Changing the rules and disassembling the organisation
The decision about changing the rules and disassembling the organisation has to be done in two consecutive general meetings that are at least fourteen (14) days apart from each other. The decision needs at least a three thirds (3/4) majority vote to pass. The change of rules or disassembly of the organisation must be announced in the meeting invitation.
In the case of the organisation disassembling its funds and assets are to be donated to activities furthering the organisation’s purposes. The meeting ending the organisation’s operation decides about the distribution of said funds and assets.
9. Rules of procedure
Rules of procedure which complement these rules can be used to specify instructions concerning the board’s operations and duties and other matters that are important to the organisation. The rules of procedure are in effect for the time being unless the general meeting specifically decides to set a time limit to them. The decision about accepting and putting rules of procedure into action are made in general meetings. The rules of procedure cannot contradict these rules or the Finnish law or its decrees.
