Estonian Aikido Federation Board Statutes
STATUTES OF THE NON-PROFIT ASSOCIATION (ASBL) ESTONIAN AIKIDO FEDERATION
§ 1 General Provisions
(1) ASBL ESTONIAN AIKIDO FEDERATION is a voluntary public non-profit association of Aikido (hereinafter Federation), which unites practitioners of Aikido, supporting the Federation to practice and develop Aikido, and contribute to it. The Federation acts in Tallinn, the Republic of Estonia.
(2) The Federation is a non-profit legal person governed by private law with activities focused on the main idea and using revenues only for achieving the objectives specified in the articles of the association. The Federation has its own insignia, and exclusive right to use and dispose of it.
(3) In foreign-language texts the name is used as follows:
1) English: ”ESTONIAN AIKIDO FEDERATION”
2) Russian: ”федерация аЙкидо эстонии”
(4) The main idea of the Federation is to develop knowledge and skills of akido, and advocate healthy lifestyle.
(5) The objectives of the Federation are the following:
1) Developing Aikido and coordinating activities connected with Aikido in Estonia;
2) Participating in international Aikido movement;
3) Organizing social life events;
4) Developing cooperation with cultural organizations of Japan and other Orient countries;
5) Helping the members in communicating with other associations in Estonia, as well as in Russia;
6) Helping the members in organizing events.
(6) The Federation acts on the basis of valid legislation and the Federation’s statutes.
(7) The Federation’s business year (financial year) is considered to be a calendar year – from January 1 to December 31.
§ 2 Federation Members
(1) The member of the Federation (hereinafter Member) can be a physical person, an association of physical persons or a legal person, who corresponds to requirements of the Federation’s statutes.
(2) Legal person as a Member is an association in conformity with Non-profit Associations Act, registered in Estonia, practicing Aikido (hereinafter Club).
(3) A Member in the meaning of physical person is a partnership containing of at least three physical persons practicing Aikido (hereinafter Partnership). Every Partnership has a name.
(4) Application to be accepted as a Member should be submitted in written form to the Board of the Federation (hereinafter Board)
(5) Decision on whether or not a person will be accepted as a Member is made by the Board.
(6) The Member has the following rights:
1) To participate in the activities of the Federation in order to help to execute the objects and tasks of the Federation;
2) To participate in the events organized by the Federation;
3) To recommend, according to valid procedure, candidates to Federation Board and working committees;
4) To get information on the activities of the Federation;
5) To be free and independent in activity and choice of teachers, unless it contradicts with the principles of the Federation;
6) To leave the Federation or stop the membership status up to one year;
7) To use the Federation’s assets and symbols according to the Federation’s policy;
8) To participate in exams and trainings according to the Federation’s policy;
9) To receive benefits and possibilities for self-realization according to the Federation’s policy;
10) To represent the Federation with the Federation’s authorization in other organizations and at events.
(7) A Member has the following duties:
1) To adhere the statutes of the Federation;
2) To pay the member’s fee in due time (a member as a physical person);
3) To follow the ethics of Aikido, among other things to hold and protect the good name of the Federation, not to harm the reputation of the Federation or its Members, follow the good practice, and avoid undignified behaviour;
3.1) A Legal Person or a Union as a Member is considered to have behaved dishonorably in case the public connects dishonorable behaviour or behavior against good practice with this Legal Person or Union;
4) Sports Club and Union should regularly carry out Aikido practices for their members;
5) To propagate Aikido knowledge and skills, and healthy life style among the members of a Sports Club or a Union.
(8)Petition for leaving of a Member or for stopping the membership status is submitted to the Board in written form. The petition for leaving should include the date of leaving.
(9)The petition for stopping membership status must include the start and end date of activuty. If the petition does not include the end date of activity, the membership status is considered stopped one year after the Member’s acivity stopped.
(10) The Member who has stopped activity can restore participation in activity before due date.
(11) The time for advance notice is one month, starting from the registration date of submission of valid petition. A member is considered excluded from membership or the activity of the Member is considered stopped with the Board’s decision.
(12) If the Member’s activity contradicts the Statutes of the Federation or harms the Federation in any other way, the general meeting of the Federtion (hereinafter Council) has the right to exclude the Member from the Federation. Exclusion decision needs at least 75% of the Council’s majority of votes in favour.
(13) Excluded person should be notified about the exclusion decision and its reasons by the Federation in written form in 10 working days.
(14) A membership fee paying Member, whose activity stops in the second half of the year of activity, has to pay the membership fee prescribed by the Statutes for the whole year.
(15) The Federation may have honorary members. An honorary member can be a physical person, who has rendered special services to promote Aikido in Estonia. Honorary status is acknowledged by the Council based on the proposition of a Memebr or the Board. Honorary members do not pay membership fee and they can participate in the activities of the Federation with advisory vote. The status of an honorary member is confirmed with the Council’s unanimous resolution.
§ 3 The Structure And Management of The Federation
(1)The Federation has been formed as a unified organization all over Estonia.
(2)The structural units of the Federation are Sports Clubs or Unions (hereinafter Club). A Club is comprised of physical persons as members who have joined a Sports Club or a Union that has been accepted as a Member of the Federation. Formation of a Club is confirmed by the Board. The Board is the superior body of the Club.
(3)A Club undertakes to be guided in its activity by the Statutes of the Federation and the decisions of the Federation’s governing body.
(4)Matters on internal structure and managing the Club will be solved inside the Club.
(5)A Club in the Federation corresponds to a branch as it is defined in the Non-profit Associations Act, and the authorized representative of the Club represents the members with the right to vote at the general meeting of the Federation.
(6)The highest managing body of the Federation is the general meeting of authorized representatives of all Clubs belonging into the Federation, or the Council.
(7)Every Club has one representative in the Council (hereinafter Member of the Council), who has one decisive vote. A Member who is a legal person or a Union does not have separate representative in the Federation; a Member who is a legal person or a Union is represented by a representative of a Club.
(8)In the competence of the Council belong the following activities:
1)Adopting the Satutes;
2)Amending the Statutes;
3)Confirming annual activity plan and bugdet;
4)Confirming the report of the year of activity and Internal Audit Committee;
5)Election of the Board and the Chairman of the Board;
6)Election of internal audit committee;
7)Approving membership fees;
8)Approving the procedure and requirements of exams carried out by the Federation;
9)Approving the requirements for Aikido coaches and practicing schedules;
10)Excluding the Members from the Federation;
11)Confirming the Federation’s honorary members;
12)Approving aid programmes offered by the Federation;
13)Making other decisions that are not in the competence framework of the Board or any other body.
The Federation Council meets at least twicw a year – in spring and in autumn. The spring meeting is held sometimes during the period of March–May, and the autumn meeting during the period of October–December.
(9)At the spring meeting:
1)The Board’s report of the previous year of acivity is heard out and appraised;
2)The Internal Audit Committee’s report on implementing the budget is heard out and appraised;
3)The requirements for Aikido trainers and training schedules are approved;
4)Technical committee and its chairman are elected.
(10) At the autmn meeting:
1)The draft budget and activity plan is adopted for the next year;
2)General requirements for intra-Federation exams will be adopted;
3)The member fees for the next year of activity will be defined;
4)The members and chairman of the Board will be elected;
5)The Internal Audit Committee will be elected.
(11) The Board and a Member have the right to submit to the Council meeting topics that fall in their competence, for discussing and taking decisions.
(12) A topic that a Member wishes to discuss should be submitted to the Board in written form by appointed time.
(13) The topics raised at the Council’s meeting can be taken under discussion with the consent of at least half of the Council’s members.
(14) A special Council meeting is called with the decision of the Board, or based on a written application of at least 25%, but not less than 2 (two) of the Council members, and the petition should include the meeting agenda.
(15) The Council members will be notified of the time, place and provisional agenda of the meeting in written form at least two weeks before the meeting. The Board will inform of the confirmed agenda at least 7 days before the meeting.
(16) The Council meeting is valid only in case at least 75% of the Council members are present. If the Council meeting does not have a quorum, the Board will appoint new time for the meeting. The new Council meeting should be held within 30 days from the day the Council meeting was initially called, complying with point 15 of this article. Repeated meeting is valid, whether it has a quorum or not.
(17) Decisions are accepted with 75% majority of votes in favour, except in cases prescribed in the Statutes.
(18) Amending the Federation’s Statutes and approving non-budgetary financial obligations needs the approval of all Council members.
§ 4 The Board
(1)The activity of the Federation is managed by the Board. The head of the Board is the Chairman (herinafter Chairman). The Board and the Chairman are elected by the Council for up to three years.
(2)Election of the members of the Board and the Chairman requires consent of the candidates. The first election is organized by the founding body, and the following ones by the acting Board. Election procedure for electing the Board is established by the Council.
(3)The number of members in the Board is 3 to 7.
(4)A Board member cannot be a Council member.
(5)The main tasks of the Board are the following:
1)To guarantee execution of decisions taken by the Council;
2)To submit annual budget implementation report and management report to the Council;
3)To organize convening of the Council and ensure the conducting of a meeting;
4)To submit the Federation’s development plan, annual budget project and activity plan to the Counil for approving;
5)To communicate with umbrella Aikido organizations in questions concerning the activities of the Federation (including Aikikai Hombu Dojo and International Aikido Federation);
6)To enroll members;
7)To organize information exchnge with other organizations;
8)To organize and control collecting of fees;
9)To keep the statistic accounting of the members;
10)To keep registry on persons acting at the Members (hereinafter practitioners of Aikido) and their belt grades;
11)To organize the Federation’s training camps and demo presentations;
12)To support and assist events organized by the Members.
(6)Competences of the Board Chairman are the following:
1)Commanding the Federation’s budget funds in the limits of approved budget;
2)Representing the Federation in the republic and before other organizations;
3)Signing the Federation’s agreements with long-term obligations with consent of the Council;
4)Signing the decisions of the Board;
5)Authorizing the Board members to represent the Federation.
(7)The Federation can be represented by the Chairman alone or by two Board members.
(8)The Board has the right to give a Member a notice or a written warning. If a Member does not agree with the Board’s notice or warning, the Members can claim reviewing the decision by the Council.
§ 5 Technical Committee
(1)Technical Committee (hereinafter Committee) is a body of Aikido experts, acting at the Board, whose task is to support and develop the techniques and methods of Aikido in the Federation.
(2)The Committee consists of the Chairman and 4 to 8 members.
(3)The requirements for the members are the following:
1)They are active Aikido traininees;
2)They have at least the 2nd dan grade;
3)The Chairman has to have at least the 3rd dan grade and own the certificate of the II grade Aikido coach.
(4)The Committee members and the Chairman are elected by the Council from amongst the candidates set up by the Board.
(5)The Boad can participate in the Committee’s work with advisory opinion.
(6)The Committee has the following tasks:
1)To work out annual work schedule and submit it to the Board;
2)To work out the procedures and requirements of exams carried out by the Federation, and submit it to the Council;
3)To authorize examiners for exams carried out by the Federation;
4)To submit to the Board performed kyu and dan belt ranks for enrolling in the Federation’s register;
5)To revise and submit to the Board kyu and dan belt ranks performed by Aikido practitioners outside the Federation;
6)To revise and authorize applications submitted for participating in dan grade exams carried out by the Federation;
7)To work out and submit to the Council for authorizing the dan grade requirements assigned without taking exams;
8)To review the applications of the Memebrs and submit to the Board the candidates for dan grade assignment without exams. The Board submits such applications in the name of the Federation to Aikikai Hombu Dojo;
9)To submit candidates for honorary dan grade assignment (3–8 dan). The Board will, in the name of the Federation, submit candidates confirmed by the Council for honorary dan grade to Aikikai Hombu Dojo;
10)To work out and submit to the Council for authorizing the quality requirements for assigning Aikikai system Aikido Instructor (Fuku Shidoin, Shidoin ja Shihan, hereinafter Aikido Instructor) qualification;
11)To revise the applications of the Members and submit the candidates for Aikido Instructor to the Board. The Board submits the candidates to Hombu Dojo in the name of the Federation;
12)To work out training schedules for Aikido coaches and submit these to the Board for authorizing;
13)To carry out Aikido coaches’ trainings of the Federation.
(7)The Committee works in the form of meeting. There are at least 4 meetings during a calendar year.
(8)The decisions of the Committee are recorded in the minutes. The copies of the minutes are passed to the Board.
(9)The meeting is called by the Committe Chairman, or in his/her absence, by the Committee member appointed by the Chariman.
§ 6 Accounting And Internal Audit Committee
(1)Internal Audit Committee audits the Board’s activity in implementing the budget.
(2)Accounting acts according to the Accounting Act.
§ 7 Assets And Funds
(1)The Federation’s assets are formed of membership fees, payments for specific purposes, donations, incomes received via Federation’s activities and other incomes.
(2)The assets and funds of the Federation belong to the Federation, and are used for achieving the main purposes of the Federation according to valid legislastion and this Statutes. The funds of the Federation can be used for organizing events, workshops and other similar events, and for acquiring funds.
(3)The Federation is entitled to accept donations, bequests, etc.
§ 8 Termination
(1)In case the Federation terminates the activity, the assets of the Federation will be divided between the Memebrs of the Federation.
(2)Together with the decision to dissolve the Federation the Council will name the Disposal Committee, which will, after satisfying claims, makes proposition about handing over the remaining assets.
(3)Termination of the Federation’s activity takes place in confomity of the Non-profit Associations Act.
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