Society Rules

1. Name.
The Society shall be called ′The Channel Islands Specialists′ Society′ with the sub- description “For the study of stamps, postal history, ephemera and postcards of the Channel Islands”.
The Society is a non-profit organisation. Any surplus funds are applied to the benefit of the membership through the publication of Journals, monographs and books covering the studies of stamps, postal history, ephemera and postcards of the Channel Islands.

2. Membership.
Membership shall be open to all persons interested in the stamps, postal history and postcards of the Channel Islands and shall be of the following classes:

a) Ordinary members: those members who are under 65 years of age (UK and Channel Islands members only) or those European/Rest of World members aged 18 years or over.

b) Junior members: those members who shall be under 18 years of age, or be under 24 years of age and in full time education studying at an UK Institute of Further Education.

c) Senior citizens/ Registered Disabled: those members over 65 years of age within the UK or Channel Islands or Registered Disabled in the UK.

3. Application for Membership.
Applicants for membership may be received via a completed on-line application form returned to the membership Secretary along with their annual subscription payment, or a request in writing to the Membership Secretary requesting an application form and returning same to the Membership Secretary along with their annual subscription.

4. Resignation.
Any member may resign from the Society by giving one month′s notice in writing to the Membership Secretary and shall upon the date of such notice cease to be entitled to the benefits of membership but shall, however, remain liable for any unpaid subscriptions or other dues owing to the Society.

5. Termination of Membership.
The Committee shall in its absolute discretion have the power to terminate the membership of any Member and such decision shall take effect from the date of dispatch of a notice of this, by recorded delivery post, to the Member at their last known address. A Member whose membership has been terminated under this Rule shall be refunded a due proportion of their subscription, at the discretion of the Executive Committee.

6. Subscriptions.
The annual subscription shall be subject to amendment by the Executive Committee as and when conditions require. Subscriptions shall, as provided in Rule (3), be paid in full on first election to membership and subsequently on 1stJanuary each year. When members join the Society, they will receive copies of all Journals published during the current year unless they have opted for electronic copies of the Journal, whereby they can access current and past copies of the Journal via the Society’s website. Subscriptions shall be paid to the Honorary Membership Secretary. Members joining after 1st November of any year will automatically receive free membership for the following year. However. such members will only receive the December Journal after joining together with all the Journals for the following year. All members who receive the Journal by post can also access back copies of the Journal via the Society’s website.

7. The Society′s year.
The Society′s year shall be a period of twelve months ending on 31st December. The accounting year for the auction/packet accounts shall run from 1st September to 31st August, so that any money in these accounts belonging to the Society ( and not the individuals ) may be paid over to the Honorary Treasurer before 31st December in that year.

8. Management.

a) The day-to day management of the Society shall be vested in an Executive Committee which shall consist of the Honorary Officers who are:- The Chairman, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Journal Editor and the Auction Secretary, who shall meet twice a year at a time and date determined by said Executive Committee. The services of all these shall be honorary.

b) There will be a Full Committee consisting of those Honorary Officers of the Executive Committee, the Membership Secretary, the Packet Secretary, Competitions Secretary and the Advertising and Press Officer, who will meet once a year at a time and date agreed prior to the date of the Channel Islands Specialists’ Society Annual General Meeting.

c) All Honorary Officers of the Full Committee, as stated in Rule 8(b) above, will retire each year, and those members to fill these places shall be elected at the time of the Annual General Meeting. All members of the Full Committee shall be eligible for re-election.

d) The President of the Channel Islands Specialists’ Society shall hold a non-executive role within the Society and shall be entitled to attend any of the Executive or Full Committee meetings as a non-voting member. At an Annual General Meeting, where there is a tied vote, the President will be afforded a casting vote. The President shall serve for a maximum of five years before re-election.

e) The Chairman shall chair meetings and be responsible for the working of the Executive and Full Committees. In the absence of the Chairman the said Committee will appoint one of their Officers as temporary Chairman. In the event of a tied vote at an Executive or Full Committee meeting the Chairman, ,will have the casting vote. In the event of a tied vote at an Annual General Meeting the President will have the casting vote

f) The Secretary shall convene all meetings of the Society and shall keep minutes of all business sessions of General meetings, Special General Meetings, Executive and Full Committee meetings; and if from time to time Sub Committees or Regional Committees are formed, they shall appoint Committee Secretaries who shall keep such minutes and provide copies to the Society Secretary.

g) The Treasurer shall, under the Authority of the Executive Committee, manage the financial affairs of the Society and, at the Annual General Meeting each year shall submit an unaudited statement of Income and Expenditure for the previous financial year, upon which there is an independent Financial Review Report.

h) The Membership Secretary shall collect the annual subscriptions which may be owing to the Society and, on receiving the same, shall be responsible for the proper disposal of the money.

i) The Executive and Full Committees shall have power to fix their own quorum.

j) The Executive Committee shall have the power to arrange such services (including the publication of books and monographs) as may seem beneficial to the Membership. It shall further have the power to make the rules and regulations for the operation of these services and appoint Members to run them.

k) The financial arrangement for these services shall be under the control of the Treasurer, even though separate accounts may be opened and administered by those operating these services.

l) The Full Committee shall be responsible for the proper custody of the property of the Society.

m) The subscription (and any variants for overseas Members) shall be fixed by the Executive Committee subject to the approval by the Members at the next Annual General Meeting.

n) The Full Committee may permit at each meeting of the Society up to four members to organize a bourse. This bourse may not be in operation during the presentation of displays by Members or Guests of the Society.

9. Annual General Meeting.
An Annual General Meeting shall be held once in every year, and included in the business of any such meeting, a financial statement should be presented by the Treasurer, followed by the election of Honorary Officers for the Executive and Full Committees of the Society. The Secretary shall give 14 days notice, either in writing, via email and/or through a notice in the Society′s Journal to each Member of The Society of the intention to hold an Annual General Meeting. The quorum necessary for the transaction of business at an Annual General Meeting shall be ten, including Committee Members and non-committee members present, and any member attending via Zoom or other conferencing medium.

10. Extraordinary General Meeting.
An Extraordinary General Meeting may be requested by a minimum of five Members who must state clearly the business to be transacted at the meeting. The Honorary Secretary will then convene a meeting at the earliest possible date after giving notice, either in writing, via email and/or the Journal.

11. Alteration of Rules.
No alteration of these rules shall be made, except at an Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting specifically for that purpose. The proposed alterations shall be clearly set out in the notice convening the meeting.

Ratified 8th July 2023