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Constitution

Name
The Name of the Society shall be the Amateur Entomologists' Society. The address of the Society shall be such as the Council may decide from time to time.
Objects
The objects of the Society shall be the promotion and dissemination of entomological knowledge by every means possible and the encouragement among the younger generation of an interest in entomology.
Membership
1. Membership of the Society shall be open to any person paying the annual subscription as provided in clause 3 (iii). There shall be five types of membership: Ordinary, Junior, Affiliate, Life and Honorary.
  
  Ordinary and junior members shall pay the annual subscription on or before 1st January each year as provided in clause 3(iii).
  
  Junior members, who shall be persons who have not attained the age of eighteen years by 1st January of the subscription year, shall pay the annual subscription reduced by Council to the greatest extent permitted by the financial strength of the Society.
  
  Scientific Societies, museums, libraries, schools, juvenile organisations and the like may become Affiliate members upon payment of the annual subscription at the same rate as Ordinary members.
  
  Life members may compound annual subscriptions on conditions to be decided by the Council from time to time.
  
  The Council may also admit to Honorary membership any other person who in their opinion has rendered services to entomological science or to the Society. Such persons shall enjoy the privileges of membership for life without payment of subscription, but no more than two such persons shall be admitted in any one year and the number of such members at any one time shall be decided by Council.
2. Application for Membership
  A person seeking membership shall apply on the Society's Application Form and address it to the Registrar. Acceptance into membership shall be at the discretion of the Registrar. In the event of the Registrar deciding to refuse an application, he shall lay before Council such application and the decision of the Council shall be final.
3. Subscription
  The annual subscription shall be such an amount as may be resolved by the Council to be necessary. The Society shall have the power to accept donations and legacies for any purposes not inconsistent with its objects and may make special appeals for funds to be used in connection with any such purposes.
4. Termination of Membership
  Any member may terminate his or her membership at any time by notice in writing to the Hon. Secretary.
5. The Council may at its absolute discretion and, on a resolution passed by three- quarters of the members thereof, discontinue the membership of any member of the Society.
6. A member shall be entitled to receive the benefits of membership of the Society when the Society receives his or her current subscription, but if the arrears on payment of such subscription exceed 12 months, he or she shall be deemed to have terminated his or her membership subject to reinstatement on payment of at least one year's subscription.
Council
1. The management of the Society shall be vested in a Council consisting of not more than eighteen members, provided that the Council may co-opt members to fill casual vacancies.
2. The members of the Council shall take office at the end of the meeting at which they are elected and shall hold office for a period of three years, six members retiring by rotation each year. All members of the Council may be re-elected for a further term or terms of office.
3. The Society shall at its first meeting and at every Annual General Meeting elect an Honorary Treasurer, Honorary Secretary, Bulletin Editor, General Editor, Meetings and Exhibitions Secretary, Advertising Secretary and other Honorary officers that the Council may deem necessary for the management of the Society, from among the Councillors elected under clause 4(ii) for the ensuing year. Such Councillors shall act as Officers of the Society.
4. The Society shall at the Annual General Meeting elect a President who shall hold office for not more than three consecutive years, and during that time he shall be an ex-officio member and chairman of the Council and an Officer of the Society.
5. With the notice of the Annual General Meeting the Hon. Secretary shall, on behalf of the Council, circulate nominations for vacancies upon it. These nominees will be formally elected by the Annual General Meeting unless other names are put forward before or at the meeting by two members with the consent of the nominee. In that event the election of Council members shall be by secret ballot at the meeting.
6. The Council shall meet as often as necessary, but not less than four times a year.
7. Six members of Council shall constitute a quorum.
8. At the first meeting of the Council held after the Annual General Meeting the Council shall elect a member who shall take the Chair in the absence of the President during the following year.
9. The Council may co-opt a member to meet a casual vacancy, but such temporary Council members shall be subject to election by the Annual General Meeting and shall act only for the unexpired term of service of the person whose place he takes.
10. The Council may delegate power to a Committee of not less than three members thereof for specific action. The powers and procedures of any such Committee shall be at the discretion of the Council at all times.
11. Council business may also be carried out via electronic media such as e-mail and teleconferencing, whenever appropriate and necessary, and any decisions to be ratified and recorded in the Minutes of a subsequent meeting of the Council'
The Society's Property
1. The property of the Society shall be vested in two Trustees who shall be elected at the first Council meeting held after the Annual General Meeting from among the membership of the Society as the Council may in their absolute discretion see fit. Cessation of membership of the Society shall terminate Trusteeship.
2. A Trustee may be removed from Trusteeship by a resolution of the Council.
Meetings
1. Council meetings shall be held as provided in clause 4(vi).
2. The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held once each calendar year. A notice thereof shall be sent to every member who has paid his or her current subscription and having an address in Great Britain at least 14 days before it is held. At this meeting there shall be read a report from the Council on the activities and progress of the Society and the Hon. Treasurer shall present an annual report and balance sheet for the previous financial year. The Auditor shall, if necessary, also be called upon to report. Ten members shall constitute a quorum.
3. A Special General Meeting shall be called to approve or reject by majority vote any proposed alteration or addition to these Rules, provided that no alteration may be made to clauses 2 or 3(i) or this clause. Notice shall be given as for the Annual General Meeting and shall include the full text of proposals. Twenty members shall constitute a quorum.
4. The President of the Society for the time being shall also be Chairman of any Special or Annual General Meeting, or, in his absence, the Council member appointed under clause 4(viii) to take the Chair.
5. Voting at all meetings shall normally be by show of hands, the Chairman abstaining except when the voting for and against a resolution is equal. Nevertheless, the Chairman, or at least six members present together, may demand a secret ballot and the Chairman shall then decide when and how such a ballot shall be taken provided that it shall be taken within three months of the date of the meeting. A declaration by the Chairman of the result of a ballot shall be final.
6. A quorum as described in clauses 6(ii) and 6(iii) may include members voting by proxy, provided that such members have full prior access to all meeting documentation in good time and have appointed the Hon. Secretary or other member present at the respective meeting to vote as directed on their behalf.
Finances
1. The financial year of the Society shall be the calendar year.
2. The Hon. Treasurer shall keep accounts of all monies received and expended on account of the Society and shall present such accounts and balance sheet at the Annual General Meeting of the Society.
3. The Council shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to the preparation of an annual return and its transmission to the Charity Commission. In addition, a copy of the accounts and balance sheet shall be sent to each member in or with the Bulletin each year.
4. All income shall be paid into the Society's bank account. Cheques shall be signed by two out of three Council members empowered to do so.
5. The Trustees shall invest in their names any monies not required for the immediate purposes of the Society in securities in which trust money may by law be invested, with power from time to time to transpose such investments.
6. Any property purchased by the Society shall be vested in the Trustees.
7. The Trustees shall with such consent as is by law required deal with the property so vested in them by way of sale, mortgage, charge, lease or otherwise howsoever as directed by the Society. Such direction shall be given by a resolution of Council and when so passed shall, in favour of a subsequent purchaser, mortgagee, chargee, lessee or grantee, be binding upon all members of the Society. A certificate purporting to be signed by the Hon. Secretary for the time being of the Society shall, in favour of a purchaser, mortgagee, chargee, lessee or grantee, be conclusive evidence that such direction was duly given.
8. The rates of subscription shall be decided as provided in clause 3(iii). The initial subscription of a new member who joins after 31st October shall cover the whole of the ensuing year. Any such member attaining the age of 18 years on or before 1st January following the date of joining shall pay as an Ordinary and not a Junior member. The subscription covers one calendar year only.
9. If upon the dissolution of the Society there remains after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities any property whatsoever, the same shall not be paid to or distributed among the members but shall be given or transferred to some other charitable institution having objects similar to those of the Society.
10. No part of the funds of the Society, however acquired, shall be used in making any distribution of any kind to any member; but this shall not preclude the Council from awarding a prize, or making a presentation to any member in appreciation of some special service rendered to entomological science or to the Society.

Revised 2019, 2003, 1992, 1974