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Articles of association
1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
1.1 The Society of Estonian Magicians, a non-profit organization, (henceforth Society) is a voluntary, independent union of professional and amateur magicians.
1.2 The official name of the Society is Mittetulundusühing Eesti Mustkunstnike Liit and the Society is located in Tallinn, the Republic of Estonia.
1.3 The name of the Society in the English language is The Society of Estonian Magicians.
1.4 The Society is a non-profit organization that has the rights of a body corporate. The rights of a body corporate are accorded when the articles of association are registered.
1.5 The Society is founded in 2008 in Tallinn.
2. OBJECTIVE OF ACTIVITIES
2.1 In its activities, the Society is guided by the constitution of the Republic of Estonia, all other legislation and its articles of association.
2.2 The Society joins professionals and amateurs in the field of magic.
2.3 In order to meet its objectives the Society:
2.3.1 will develop, promote and raise the reputation of magic in Estonia and on the international scene;
2.3.2 will coordinate the activities of magicians, giving recognition to its members, raising their reputation and authority, and motivating the exchange of experiences within the Society;
2.3.3 in order to meet the objectives set in the articles of association, the Society will organize meetings, lectures, courses, conferences, study trips, performances, demonstration shows, concerts, parties, excursions, benefits and create special foundations;
2.3.4 will choose members of the Society to perform at international competitions;
2.3.5 will collaborate with other societies specialized in magic and other organizations with similar objectives in Estonia and abroad;
2.3.6 will protect the copyrights, performer’s rights and other rights related to the field of magic;
2.3.7 will eliminate and fight against the copying of magic tricks, original genres and inventions;
2.3.8 will avoid causing damage to the interests of one member in favor of another.
3. MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY AND MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES
3.1 The Society has active members, honorary members and supporting members:
3.1.1 active members (henceforth members) can be persons of 13 years of age or older, who are active as professional or amateur magicians or in related creative fields. The Society also accepts those persons related to the production, publishing and promotion of illusionism, directors, distributors of commercial magic merchandise, and the manufacturers and inventors of magic accessories. Voting rights are gained by active members after the completion of a candidature stage;
3.1.2 the general meeting will choose persons who have made special contributions to the promotion of magic to be honorary members;
3.1.3 persons who support the Society materially or in other ways can be invited by the board to become supporting members.
3.2 Before full membership, the candidate has to complete a six month long stage of candidature and fulfill the requirements set for the candidate by the general meeting.
3.3 Membership status is decided by a general meeting, who has the right to make exceptions to the general membership requirements.
3.4 The member is required to:
3.4.1 recognize the Society’s Articles of Association, abide by them within the Society, as well as when acting outside of the Society in a professional capacity;
3.4.2 abide by the decisions of the general meeting;
3.4.3 fulfill the board orders;
3.4.4 pay an entry fee upon entering into membership of the Society and pay the membership fee in the amount set by the general meeting. Active members chosen to be honorary members are relieved of the membership fee;
3.4.5 show their work and accomplishments to other members of the Society once a year;
3.4.6 participate in activities planned by the Society.
3.5 Every member has the right to:
3.5.1 participate in all Society meetings and gatherings, unless decided otherwise by the board or the general meeting;
3.5.2 make proposals and interpellations;
3.5.3 choose and be chosen into the directing body of the Society on conditions set in the Articles of Association.
4. ACCEPTANCE OF MEMBERS AND DISSOLUTION OF MEMBERSHIP
4.1 Members are accepted upon the decision of the general meeting, after the management board has set up the candidature and when the requirements set by the board have been met.
4.2 Acceptance is decided with a vote of the general meeting, with a positive vote of over 50%.
4.3 All those who wish to participate in the activities of the Society have to have prerequisite basic knowledge of magic in practice as well as theory.
4.4 The candidate:
4.4.1 can be a citizen of Estonia or any other country, at least 13 years of age;
4.4.2 has to pass an interview with the directing body, where at least 2 members of the management board are present;
4.4.3 has to fill out an application with their personal information and provide 2 photographs;
4.4.4 has to pay the entrance fee stipulated by the management board;
4.4.5 has to participate in at least 50% of the Society’s meetings and official events and activities during six months;
4.4.6 after completing the candidature, the candidate will have to pass exams in front of a special commission appointed by the management board.
4.5 A member who causes damage to the Society through his or her actions will be expelled from the Society with a decision of the general meeting.
4.6 Membership status can be revoked with a decision of the general meeting, where at least 70% of members with voting rights are present.
4.7 An expelled member has the right to demand for the expulsion decision to be reconsidered at the next official general meeting.
4.8 A member who hasn’t paid their dues to the Society within the set timeframe will lose their voting rights.
4.9 A member who hasn’t paid their yearly membership fee without justifiable cause will be excluded from membership status.
4.10 Every member has the right to voluntarily relinquish membership by submitting a written statement.
4.11 Membership fees are not refunded to members who leave of their own will, nor to those who are expelled.
5. MANAGEMENT OF THE SOCIETY’S ACTIVITIES
5.1 The activities of the Society are managed by the general meeting and the management board.
5.2. The general meeting is the highest executive power of the Society, who:
5.2.1 appoints the management board of the Society;
5.2.2 designates the Society’s plan of action;
5.2.3 approves the budget and reports of the Society’s activities;
5.2.4 organizes voting and approves the voting procedure for the establishment of the Society’s management board;
5.2.5 decides on amendments to the Articles of Association and makes of the most important decisions regarding the activities of the Society;
5.2.6 makes decisions in all other matters brought before the general meeting by the management board;
5.2.6 accepts new members who have fulfilled the requirements set by the managing board;
5.3 A general meeting is called by the Society’s management board as needed, but no less than once yearly.
5.4 The management board is under obligations to call a general meeting of the Society if it is demanded by:
5.4.1 the audit committee;
5.4.2 at least one fifth of the Society’s members.
5.5 The managing board of the Society will give notice of a general meeting at least 45 days prior to the meeting, 7 days if the meeting is an extraordinary one.
5.6 The notice of a general meeting has to include information about the time, location and agenda of the meeting.
5.7 The general meeting will be led by the chairman of the Society’s management board, who is replaced by one of the vice-chairmen in his or her absence.
5.8 The general meeting will appoint a person to take the meeting minutes from among the participants.
5.9 The decisions of the general meeting will be taken down in a protocol, signed by the leader and the protocol writer.
5.10 The general meeting has a quorum, if over 50% of the Society’s members with a right to vote are participating.
5.11 If an insufficient number of members are present at the time appointed by the managing board, the meeting will be rescheduled for 7 days later with the same agenda.
5.12 The general meeting makes decisions based on a simple majority, with the exception of absolving the Society, amending the Articles of Association and expelling members, which require a 2/3 majority vote.
5.13 The managing board is the Society’s executive body that takes care of the Society’s business in compliance with the Articles of Association and the decisions of the general meeting.
5.14 The management board represents the Society in negotiations with other organizations and persons.
5.15 The management board members are appointed by a general meeting.
5.16 The chairman of the management board is chosen for a mandate of 3 years, the vice-chairman (men) are chosen by the board members from among themselves.
5.17 The chairman of the Society’s management board is the official representative of the Society outside of the general meeting,
5.18 The decision of the chairman is valid, if it meets a 2/3 approval of the management board.
5.19 The chairman nominates and the management board approves a secretary for the Society, who is responsible for the Society’s daily work.
5.20 The management board has a quorum if at least 2/3 of the board members are present, including the chairman or one of the vice-chairmen.
5.21 The management board meets as is required, but no less than once every 2 months.
5.22 The minutes of the management board meeting will be taken and signed by all those in attendance. The minutes are the responsibility of the secretary, who does not have a right to vote within the managing board.
5.23 The decisions of the board are passed with a majority and are valid only if a 2/3 majority has been reached.
6. THE SOCIETY’S ASSETS
6.1 The Society’s assets include:
6.1.1 collected entry fees;
6.1.2 membership fees;
6.1.3 support, gifts, bequests;
6.1.4 profit gained from the Society’s activities specified in the Articles of Association;
6.1.5 other income that is necessary for the development of the Society’s activities specified in the Articles of Association;
6.2 Membership fees are not reimbursed if membership status is revoked.
6.3 The Society pays state and local taxes pursuant to the laws of the Republic of Estonia.
7. REPORTING AND AUDITING
7.1 The board presents the Society’s general meeting with a report and a balance sheet once annually for review and approval.
7.2 The report has to contain the following information:
7.2.1 The state of the Society’s assets;
7.2.2 Income and expenses;
7.2.3 The salaries of the Society’s employees and administrative costs;
7.2.4 Accounts with creditors and debtors;
7.2.5 The board’s summary of its activities;
7.3 The general meeting chooses an audit committee to review the Society’s accounts and the state of its assets for each financial year.
7.4 The financial year of the Society ends on December 31st every year.
7.5 The Society keeps financial accounts pursuant to the laws of the Republic of Estonia.
7.6 The audit committee reviews accounting reports, invoices and the Society’s financial activities at least once yearly.
8. TERMINATION OF ACTIVITIES
8.1 The termination of the Society’s activities is decided by the decisions of two consecutive general meetings with a 2/3 vote in favor of all those in attendance.
8.2 The first general meeting will decide the termination of the Society’s activities and choose a liquidation committee that will carry out the termination of activities.
8.3 The general meeting will designate the duration and the competencies of the liquidation committee’s activities.
8.4 The second meeting will terminate the Society’s activities and designate the use of remaining assets that will go towards promoting education and activities in the field.
8.5 Notice about the final liquidation of the Society will be given to the institution that registered the Society, as well as all of the Society’s members.