CONSTITUTION OF THE SOCIETY OF THE COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS BLOEMFONTEIN

The Bloemfontein Chapter of The Compassionate Friends will be operated in accordance with the following Constitution.

In the rest of this document any reference to ‘bereaved parents’ will also mean to include ‘bereaved grandparents & siblings’.

The Constitution will be set out under following headings:

o Name o Affiliation o Mission & Aim o Principles (Operating principles) o Activities o Members & Membership o Management Committee o Annual General Meeting (AGM) o Finances & Fundraising o Monthly Meetings & Newsletter o Changes to the Constitution o Adoption of Constitution

1. NAME

The name of the Chapter will be: THE COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS, BLOEMFONTEIN (abbreviated as TCFBFN)

2. AFFILIATION

The Chapter Leader will be a member of THE SOCIETY OF THE COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS OF SOUTH AFRICA, and the Chapter will thus be affiliated to The Society of TCFSA.

3. MISSION AND AIM

The mission of the Chapter is to offer support and understanding to bereaved parents in Bloemfontein and the surrounding areas. The mission is also to try to establish a ‘safe haven’ for bereaved parents where they can express themselves, how they feel and what they experience in an understanding and non-judgemental environment. Support will be given to bereaved parents by fellow bereaved parents who have moved further along their journey of grief and the recovery from and reconciliation with their loss.

1 4 PRINCIPLES

TCFBFN will offer support and understanding to ALL bereaved parents, who wish to receive such support, irrespective of their age, race, gender, religious affiliation or philosophical views.

TCFBFN will operate according to the following principles:

o Non Denominational o Non Judgemental o Non Political o Non Prescriptive o Non Racial

Mutual respect for one another and for one another‘s viewpoints and beliefs. Independent from other organisations, but will co-operate with other organisations with similar goals.

5. ACTIVITIES

In order to fulfil its mission and reach its goals TCFBFN will engage in the following main activities:

o Send out a regular periodic newsletter to bereaved parents and other interested individuals or organisations o Hold monthly meetings for bereaved parents, with or without expert speakers from Inside or from Outside TCF

TCFBFN will do the following, where possible, provided the manpower, resources and finances are available:

o Reach out to newly bereaved parents in whichever way may be appropriate in the circumstances o Encourage members to form ‘subgroups’ e.g. Mom’s Coffee Mornings or similar groups o Provide literature on Grief and the loss of a child, and keep a small library of books and pamphlets o Encourage public awareness of TCF and public understanding of grief following the loss of a child by: o i) Advertising in local community newspapers o ii) Any other appropriate means

TCFBFN will further engage in any other activity, as decided by the Chapter committee, which will further the Aims and Mission of the chapter and which will be in accordance with the operating principles of the Chapter.

2 6. MEMBERS & MEMBERSHIP OF TCFBFN

The following people will be deemed to be members of TCFBFN:

o Anyone who is on the member list of TCFBFN and who is a bereaved parent and resides in Bloemfontein or surrounding areas, including urban and rural areas and other towns that are closer to Bloemfontein than to any other Chapter of TCF. o Any other bereaved parent in the above mentioned geographical area who expresses an ongoing interest in the activities of TCFBFN, who wishes to have contact with TCFBFN in some way or another, who attends some of the meetings or activities of TCFBFN or who is involved with TCFBFN in any way. o Any bereaved parent, residing in any geographical area, who express the wish to be a member of TCFBFN.

There will be no membership fees. Membership does not impose any duties or responsibilities on members, nor does it require any specific action or activities from anyone. Members may participate in the activities of TCFBFN to any extent they are comfortable with, attend meetings if and when they wish, and need not feel any obligation to participate in any activity of TCFBFN at all. On the other hand, any member of TCFBFN can become involved in the various activities of TCFBFN if and whenever they feel the desire to become more involved.

Anyone who is not a bereaved parent cannot become a member of TCFBFN.

7. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The organizational and administrative affairs of TCFBFN will be run by a chapter committee.

The size and composition of the committee:

o The committee will have a minimum of 3 members. The committee will include o The Chapter leader o A Treasurer o A Secretary o Other members, with or without specific designated duties or responsibilities.

They are the office bearers of the organization.

Office bearers will serve for one year, but they can stand for re-election for another term in office after that. Depending on what kind of services they give to the organization, they can stand for re-election into office again and again. This is so long as their services are needed and they are ready to give their services.

If a member of the management committee does not attend three management committee meetings in a row, without having applied for and obtaining leave of

3 absence from the management committee, then the management committee will find a new member to take that person’s place.

The management committee will meet at least once a month. More than half of members need to be at the meeting to make decisions that are allowed to be carried forward. This constitutes a quorum.

Minutes will be taken at every meeting to record the management committee’s decisions. The minutes of each meeting will be given to management committee members at least two weeks before the next meeting. The minutes shall be confirmed as a true record of proceedings, by the next meeting of the management committee, and shall thereafter be signed by the chairperson.

The organization has the right to form sub-committees. The decisions that sub- committees take must be given to the management committee. The management committee must decide whether to agree to them or not at its next meeting. This meeting should take place soon after the sub-committee’s meeting. By agreeing to decisions the management committee ratifies them.

All members of the organization have to abide by decisions that are taken by the management committee.

Responsibilities of the committee will include the following: o Arranging a venue for monthly meetings o Arranging monthly meetings, including speakers, topics and refreshments o Managing the library of TCFBFN o Managing the finances of TCFBFN o Maintaining contact with other chapters of TCF in South Africa o Producing and distributing a regular periodic newsletter to all members and interested parties o Promoting awareness of TCFBFN o Reaching out to newly bereaved persons if and where that is desirable and applicable o Promoting awareness amongst the general public of the effects of parental grief on people. o Deciding on the general direction in which TCFBFN is moving o Deciding upon and arranging any other activities that would promote the aim and mission of TCFBFN and which are in accordance with the guiding principles of TCFBFN.

The committee will be elected annually at an AGM. Any member is allowed to vote and any member is allowed to become a committee member with the following proviso: i) It is inadvisable for a bereaved parent to become a committee member within the first two years of the death of their loved one and they definitely should not become a committee member within the first year. ii) The chapter leader should always be beyond 2 years after his or her loss.

4 iii) The Governing Board of The Society of The Compassionate Friends of South Africa may however condone the reduction of the restrictive periods of time mentioned in (i) and (ii) hereof under circumstances that in its opinion make candidates with shorter qualifying periods suitable for office. 8. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)

TCFBFN will have an AGM annually coinciding with one of the monthly meetings towards the end of the year. The AGM will be held either in September, October or November. All members will be notified of the AGM in the newsletter preceding the AGM.

The organization should deal with the following business, amongst others, at its annual general meeting:

o Agree to the items to be discussed on the agenda o Keep an attendance list o Read and confirm the previous meeting’s minutes with matters arising o Chairperson’s report o Treasurer’s report o Changes to the constitution that members may want to make o Elect new office bearers o General o Close the meeting

Any other matter that any member feels should be discussed at the AGM will be able to be raised from the floor at the AGM. The chairman of the AGM will invite suggestions from members and invite them to raise any matters that members would like to have discussed or addressed. The Chapter leader will act as chairperson at the AGM.

9. FINANCES & FUNDRAISING

As a support group for bereaved parents by bereaved parents, members who participate in any activities regarding the Chapter, the chapter leader, committee members, any other members, will do so voluntarily, without remuneration or financial gain.

The organization will keep a record of everything it owns.

The organization may not give any of its money or property to its members or office bearers. The only time it can do this is when it pays for work that a member or office bearer has done for the organization. The payment must be a reasonable amount for the work that has been done.

A member of the organization can only get money back from the organization for expenses that she or he has paid for or on behalf of the organization.

Members or office bearers of the organization do not have rights over things that belong to the organization.

5 It will be the responsibility of the Chapter committee to manage the financial affairs of the chapter, to take any decisions of a financial nature, to operate a bank account in the name of the Chapter, to raise funds for the chapter.

The treasurer will be responsible to control the day to day finances of the organization. The treasurer shall arrange for all funds to be put into a bank account in the name of the organization. The treasurer must also keep proper records of all the finances.

A statement of the finances of the chapter will be available to any member at the time of the AGM or by post at that time by request. The Treasurer must also regularly report to the committee on the Income and expenditure of the Chapter.

The financial year of the Chapter will be from 1 July of a certain year till 30 June of the following year.

The Chairperson and Treasurer and the Secretary will be given the right to sign for the withdrawal of funds from the authorized bank account of the Chapter. Two of the three committee members must sign for each withdrawal of funds. All monies received must be supported by the issuing of a receipt.

The organization’s accounting records and reports must be ready and handed to the Director of Non-profit Organizations within six months after the financial year end.

If the organization has funds that can be invested, the funds may only be invested with registered financial institutions. These institutions are listed in Section 1 of the Financial Institutions (Investment of Funds) Act, 1984. Or the organization can get securities that are listed on a licensed stock exchange as set out in the Stock Exchange Control Act, 1985. The organization can go to different banks to seek advice on the best way to manage its funds.

10. MONTHLY MEETINGS & NEWSLETTERS

TCFBFN will have a monthly meeting (from January to November) where bereaved parents can come together to share their feelings and experiences, give support to one another, discuss relevant subjects and listen to expert speakers from time to time. Information concerning the meetings, regarding times, venue, topic and speaker (if any) will be disseminated through the newsletter, and the committee will endeavour to advertise the meeting in local newsletters and publications, if possible.

A regular newsletter will be produced by the Committee and will be sent to all bereaved parents on the mailing list, as well as to other chapters and other interested parties. Members will be able to submit pieces to be put into the newsletter. Non members can request to have ‘articles’, information etc published in the newsletter. The chapter committee will decide which ‘outside articles and information’ to publish and which not to.

The committee will decide on the recommended subscription fee for the newsletter, but this subscription will only be a recommendation and the newsletter will not be

6 withheld from any person wishing to receive it, and who are unable to pay the subscription. Bereaved parents will be able to sponsor pages in the newsletter, in memory of their children, at a specified fee.

Any other matters regarding the monthly meetings and newsletter that are not specified in this document will be for the committee to decide upon, if and when such matters arise.

11. CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION

This Constitution will govern the way that the affairs of TCFBFN are organised. The constitution can be changed under the following circumstances and in the following ways:

o At the AGM of TCFBFN. Any member may give notice to any committee member, before the meeting, that they would propose an amendment to, or change of the constitution. This notice must be given at least 2 weeks before the meeting, so that notice of the suggested change can be published in the newsletter preceding the AGM. The amendment will then be discussed at the AGM and voted upon. There will need to be a 2/3 majority of members attending the AGM in favour of the amendment, for it to be implemented and for the constitution to be changed.

o If any member feels that an urgent change is needed, he (or she) can contact the committee at any time. The committee will consider the request, and if they agree to it (and agreement should not be withheld unreasonably), notice will be given in 2 consecutive newsletters that a special resolution will be discussed at a Special General Meeting at a time and date to be fixed by the committee, regarding a possible change to the constitution of the chapter. Voting will take place at the meeting and again a 2/3 majority in favour will be needed to change the constitution.

NB. It is extremely important to note that reaching out to newly bereaved parents, the promotion of awareness of TCFBFN, promoting awareness amongst the general public of parental grief, making contact with other chapters or bereaved parents from other areas and similar activities is NOT the prerogative of committee members only. Any bereaved parent who is willing to reach out to any fellow bereaved person and who is ready to do so, can do so at any time and recommend TCFBFN if they feel that it could in any way be helpful for their fellow bereaved, who may not know or be aware of TCFBFN. Any such actions by any member of TCFBFN, or by any bereaved parent will be greatly and gratefully appreciated by the committee and chapter leader of TCFBFN. In the final instance there is only one overriding aim: Support for bereaved parents, by bereaved parents, who are understanding & non-judgemental.

12. ADOPTION OF CONSTITUTION

This Constitution of was adopted by members of TCFBFN at a special general meeting held on ______Day/Month/Year

7 Signed by: ______Chairperson Secretary

8