Formal Rules of the Society as approved at the General Assembly on May 27, 2012:

§ 1: Name

 

The name of the Society is: The International Rasmus Malling-Hansen Society

 

§ 2: Foundation

 

On the sixth of May, 2006, Count Adam Knuth af Knuthenborg (Denmark), Christian Barnholdt (Denmark), Sverre Avnskog (Norway), Dieter Eberwein (Germany), Uwe H. Breker (Germany), Jan William Rasmussen (Denmark), Mogens Bang (Denmark), Henning Eriksen (Denmark), Carsten Erik Noe (Denmark ), Lars Mathiesen (Denmark), Jacob Erlangsen (Denmark), Elsebet Erlangsen (Denmark), Sally Salminen (Denmark), Stefan Beck (Switzerland), Jos Legrand (the Netherlands), Fritz Niemann (Germany) founded “The International Rasmus Malling-Hansen Society” in Copenhagen, Denmark.

 

§ 3: Purpose

 

Rasmus Malling-Hansen and his inventions and discoveries deserve to be known by a much larger audience world-wide. The Society therefore has the following purposes:

 

a) to collect, research, register, archive and translate all available information about Rasmus Malling-Hansen, his life, activities and achievements;

 

b) to publish such material on The Rasmus Malling-Hansen Society website;

 

c) to exchange such information and material with individuals, associations, societies, museums, journalists, institutions, libraries as well as companies and private collectors on a world-wide scale;

 

d) to prepare and supply information and teaching materials, related to these purposes;

 

e) to organize exhibitions;

 

f) to identify areas where more research is needed;

 

g) to seek financial support from all possible sources in order to finance the activities of the Society.

 

The Society exclusively and directly pursues its purposes for the benefit of the public.

 

Financial means can be used only for purposes in compliance with the rules.

 

Membership of the Board is honorary and free of charge. Board members shall not receive any financial contributions from the Society’s funds. No person or institution shall be favoured by re-imbursements for expenses which contradict the purposes of the Society.

 

§ 4: Admission of Members

 

1. Any individual or corporate body can join the Society provided they pay the annual fee and support the purposes of the Society.

 

2. Persons or corporate bodies who have rendered outstanding services to the Society can be granted honorary membership, exempt from paying the fee, if a majority of the members present at the General Assembly so decides. The Management Board reserves the right to grant other distinctions. Such distinctions, as granted by the Board, must be decided unanimously by all Board members.

 

3. The annual fee is decided upon by the General Meeting. It is claimed and valid for a calendar year.

 

§ 5: Exclusion of Members

 

If serious evidence can be presented, the exclusion of a member can be decided by and executed by the Management Board in writing to the member in question. Reasons for exclusion are behaviour seriously detrimental to the Society and/or violation of its rules, interests and decisions.

 

§ 6: Bodies of the Society

 

The Society is constituted by:

 

a) The General Assemblyb) The Management Board.

 

§ 7: Register of Members

 

The Treasurer must keep and maintain up-to-date a register of paying members, containing:

 

1) the name and e-mail address of each member, as well as a postal address, if possible;

 

2) the date on which each member’s name was entered in the register.

 

3) membership payments.

 

§ 8: The Management Board

 

1. The Management Board consists of seven members with equal rights, charged with the management of the Society, research, translations, publishing, contacts, auditing and accounting. The Management Board nominates candidates for the posts of President, two Vice-Presidents and a Treasurer. Candidates nominated by the Board must be elected by the General Assembly and by majority vote by those present, or by proxy, or by prior postal vote. In the case of necessary alterations in terms of tasks and areas of responsibility in between the bi-annual General Assemblies, the Management Board will decide, register such decisions in open records and inform the members accordingly.

 

2. The Management Board is elected for two years by the General Assembly and by postal votes. Re-election is possible. In case of a tie, election is decided by lot.

 

3. No later than three months before the General Assembly the Management Board must contact all members and ask them to suggest candidates for election to the new Management Board. The Management Board must be notified of the suggestions within 30 days, counting from the date of the receipt of the letter or e-mail.  The invitation to the General Assembly must include a list of the proposed candidates who have agreed to be put up for election. A list of all candidates putting their names forward for election must be prepared by the Management Board.

 

§ 9. The General Assembly

 

1. The General Assembly must be summoned every two years by letter and/or e-mail as well as information on the website at least 30 days before the Assembly. The summons must include the agenda of the meeting, as prepared by the Management Board.

 

2. The General Assembly shall take place in Copenhagen, at the School for the Deaf-Mutes at a week-end in the month of May or June, unless otherwise decided by the Board or by the General Assembly.

 

3. The President, or in the absence of the President one of the Vice-Presidents, shall preside as the Chairperson and suggest a Secretary for recording the minutes of the meeting.

 

4. The General Assembly is entrusted with the following tasks and spheres of competence:

 

a) Election of Board Members and, if necessary, relieving the Management Board or its individual members of duty;

 

b) Decisions regarding amendments of the formal rules;

 

c) Approval of the activity report regarding activities and progress since the previous General Assembly, as well as of the financial report, the budget and the fee level;

 

d) Dissolution of the Society.

 

5. The General Assembly shall have the following agenda:

 

a) Opening the meeting; formalities in terms of summons in due time; appointing a Secretary and an Auditor for the meeting; presentation and adoption of the agenda;

 

b) Approval of and follow-up on the minutes from the previous General Assembly.

 

c) Management Board report on main activities and achievements since the last meeting; approval of the report.

 

d) Financial report, presented by the Treasurer; approval of the report.

 

e) Fixing of the membership fees.

 

f)  Election of the new Management Board.

 

g) Any Other Business. Issues to be discussed under this point should be sent to the President by e-mail at least 5 weeks before the General Assembly. However, time permitting, such issues may also be put forward spontaneously at the meeting.

 

§ 10. Quorum

 

1. Each General Assembly convened according to the rules has a quorum.

 

2. The passing of a resolution to dissolve the Society requires at least the consent of 2/3 of the members. If a member is unable to attend, he or she must pass a postal vote prior to the meeting.

 

3. Amendments of the rules require the consent of 2/3 of the members attending the meeting, or having made their views known by mail prior to the meeting.

 

4.  If nothing else is specifically stipulated, resolutions are decided by means of majority vote by members present at the meeting.

 

§ 11: Financial Year

 

The financial year is from January 1 until December 31.

 

§ 12. Dissolution and Liquidation

 

In the case of the Society being dissolved, it goes into liquidation. If the General Assembly does not decide otherwise, liquidation is executed by the Management Board in office. All remaining assets in terms of funds, texts, illustrations and items which have been purchased by the Society must be transferred to a public institution (e.g. museum) as decided by the General Assembly.

 

§ 13. Record of Decisions at General Assemblies

 

All important decisions must be recorded, signed by at least one member of the Management Board and must be included in the minutes from the General Assembly. The minutes must be distributed to all members of the Society.