JUMP START CONSTITUTION An Unincorporated Not-For-Profit Association

1. NAME
The name of the Association shall be "JUMPSTART”.

2. AREA
The initial area covered by JUMPSTART shall be within the UK

3. AIMS
The Aims of JUMPSTART shall be:
3.1. To raise money to improve the lives of children and youths, those long term unemployed and from high crime and deprivations and those disabled or long term sick and their carers.
3.2. To provide the opportunities for these groups to improve their lives through fundraising for essential equipment or training to enrich their lives and create employment opportunities to change their situation
3.3. To promote, encourage, support and provide funding for education of the target groups where state funding fails to meet costs, or members are excluded through previous funding or qualifications, providing this training will enhance the opportunity of employment of the long term unemployed.
3.4. To encourage and support their members through being part of an organisation.

4. OBJECTIVES
The objectives for which JUMPSTART is established are:
4.1. To empower disabled and long term unemployed to improve their lives through self help.
4.2. To provide educational opportunities for those disabled or long term sick enabling them back into employment by covering all costs where state funding is not available or meets the costs of the education through self help funding.
4.3. To provide educational and professional materials and equipment to assist the individual into employment
4.4. To provide fun days and holidays for children, disabled and carers as respite care or to improve their lives and increase their moral.

5. POWERS
In furtherance of these aims and objects, JUMPSTART shall have the powers to:
5.1. Represent the interests of JUMPSTART locally and Nationally.
5.2. Publish and distribute information to target groups, government agencies and other member.
5.3. Engage in, support and promote education of the disabled and long term sick.
5.4. Self help/Raise funds to cover the costs.
5.5. Run events.
5.6 Recruit volunteers.
5.7. Undertake any trade, enterprise, project or venture which could contribute to the delivery of the aims and objectives.
5.11. Participate in any other activity that could help deliver the stated aims and objectives.

6. CORE VALUES AND PRINCIPLES
JUMPSTART is commits to operating with the following core values and principles:
6.1. Inclusivity: we support the UN Declaration of Human Rights (General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948) and the Equality Act 2010
 

7. MEMBERSHIP
7.1. Membership is open to anyone who meets the criteria for assistance and is interested in helping the group achieve its aims and who are willing to abide by the rules of the Group and lives, works or operates in the area described above and who are in agreement with the stated aims and objectives.
7.2. A member shall cease to be a member if they: resign; or are requested to resign by a decision of the group; or are expelled; or die.
7.3. Any members expelled shall have the opportunity to defend themselves at an Extraordinary General Meeting where they shall have the fullest opportunity to answer any allegations made against them.

8. NOT FOR PROFIT
JUMPSTART shall not trade for profit. Funds raised by members shall be for a specific cause identified prior to any fundraising activity, which must meet the criteria of JUMPSTART. This cause must be displayed at the designated event, ensuring all those donating through participation are fully aware of what their donations are for. Failure to advertise this at any event will result in that events fundraising being donated to general funds to meet the running costs of the organisation.
8.1. to pay for trips for children from high crime and deprivation areas, long term unemployed and disabled/long term sick and their carers/
8.2. to assist in funding educational courses and necessary equipment of the target groups to increase their opportunities of securing employment or to retrain after long term illness.

9. GENERAL MEETINGS
9.1. The running of JUMPSTART is subject to regular review and all members are encouraged to participate.
9.2. JUMPSTART shall hold a General Meeting as its Annual General Meeting and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it, providing that every Annual General Meeting shall be held notmore than fifteen months after the holding of the last preceding Annual General Meeting. The first Annual General Meeting shall be held within eighteen months of formation.
9.3. An Annual General Meeting must be called by at least twenty-one days’ notice, unless three quarters of all the members entitled to attend, decide on shorter notice. This shorter notice muststill be given to all members.
9.4. Regular General Meetings will be held (no less than quarterly).
9.5. At each General Meeting the Action Group (See 11.5) will provide an update on key association issues and shall, when necessary, seek the approval of members for specific actions.
9.6. Any three members or ten percent of members (whichever is greatest) may call a General meeting.
9.7. Notice of General Meetings shall be given of at least fourteen days. This notice will either besent (by post or electronically) to all members, or shall be displayed at a location (real or virtual) agreed in advance as a result of a General Meeting, or at the consequent General Meeting.
9.8. The Annual General Meeting must consider accounts, balance sheets, the reports of the accountants/book-keepers, and the appointment of, and the fixing of the remuneration of, the accountants/book-keepers.
9.9. The General Meeting may appoint a working parties/action groups for defined purposes (see Section 11).

10. PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS
10.1. Each member whether an individual or an organisation shall have one vote. Non-members are welcome to attend, but may not vote.
10.2. No business shall be transacted at a general meeting unless a quorum of members is present. Unless and until otherwise decided by a general meeting, four members shall be a quorum.
10.3. If such a quorum is not present within half an hour of the time appointed for the meeting, the meeting shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week at the same time and place, or such time and place as all members present agree to, and all members shall be given such notice as is practicable of the time, date and place of such an adjourned meeting.
10.4. Each General Meeting will agree on a member to take the minutes of the General Meeting. The responsibility for this position is stated in rule 12.2 (minutes).
10.5. A Facilitator shall be drawn from an alphabetical list of previously accepted facilitators. Facilitating a General Meeting is voluntary and passes to the next name on the list until the named person is willing to facilitate a useful meeting. The Facilitator is selected at the commencement of the General Meeting, if they have not already been selected at the previous
General Meeting.
10.5.1. A list of accepted Facilitators agreed by the members is to be maintained.
10.5.1 (Facilitators list).
10.5.2. Planning and overseeing fundraising activities
10.6. The Facilitator may with the consent of any meeting at which a quorum is present, and shall if so directed by the meeting, adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at an adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place.
10.7. When a meeting is adjourned for fourteen days or more, at least seven clear days’ notice shall be given specifying the time and place of the adjourned meeting and the general nature of the business to be transacted. Otherwise it shall not be necessary to give such notice.
10.8. All decisions at a General Meeting shall be made by consensus following the fullest discussion in which all members are entitled to speak freely. By consensus is meant a situation where those not in agreement agree not to maintain an objection. In the event of consensus not being reached the matter shall be decided by a majority of 90% of votes. No vote shall be taken
before abstainers and objectors have been given the opportunity to put their point of view.
10.9. The Facilitator at any meeting shall not have a second or casting vote and the resolution shall be deemed to be lost if there is an equality of votes.

11. OFFICERS AND COMMITEES
11.1. The General Meeting shall appoint a Treasurer, a chairperson, a vise chairperson and a Secretary. No one person shall hold control of the group. Where agreeing on funding projects these three people shall decide which projects to permit, however they may not benefit directly from any of the projects with the exception of attending days out. This does not however exclude their families or siblings from benefit if they are members.
11.2. The General Meeting may appoint roles to members to perform duties and may delegate powers as necessary.
11.3. If General Meeting chooses it may appoint a committee (or committees, sub committees, sub groups, working groups and research groups) to operate within parameters set by general meeting and with powers delegated from General Meeting.
11.4. Committees may appoint roles to members and/or form sub committees, sub groups, working groups and research groups to perform duties and may delegate powers as necessary.
11.5. If the day-to-day management of JUMPSTART is delegated to a management committee then the management committee will be known as the “Action Group”.
11.6. The Action Group will report its past activities to the General Meeting. It will also prepare plans for the forthcoming period to be approved by the General Meeting.
11.7. The Action Group will be composed of all officers chosen by General Meeting together with all members chosen by General Meeting to serve as Action Group members.
11.8. The Action Group may co-opt members to be committee members so long as these co-opted individuals make up no more than 25% of the Action Group.
11.9. The Action Group may co-opt non-members to be committee members so long as these co-opted individuals make up no more than 15% OR 2 individuals, whichever is larger, of the action group.

11.10. The treasurer shall be responsible for
• keeping a true record of accounts as stated in rule, 13.1.
• Varifying income from each event and that these funds have been spent in accordance with the constitution. A full detailed account of each event must be kept and receipts provided for all funds spent.
11.11. The Chair Person shall be responsible for:
• giving proper notice of all General Meetings.
• receiving items for inclusion on the agenda of General Meetings up to three days before said meeting.
11.12. The Secretary shall be responsible for:
• Keeping proper records as stated in rules 12.1 (membership list) and
• Approving events and fundraising activities

12. RECORDS
12.1. JUMPSTART shall keep a register of members stating when members were admitted and when they relinquished membership, along with date of resignation/expulsion, and any members appointed roles or committee memberships held. The register will only be used for the express purposes of JUMPSTART and will be otherwise confidential.
12.2. JUMPSTART shall keep minutes accounts in which the dates, times and places of General Meetings, along with decisions reached during those meetings and members present at those meetings are noted for whom members can refer.

13. ACCOUNTS
13.1. The Treasurer will keep detailed records of all income, expenditure, assets and liabilities.
13.2. JUMPSTART cannot borrow in any funds nor become liable for any costs. These must be met by the member organising any event, which can be reclaimed from funds raised.
13.3. The records, including accounts, shall be kept in a place decided by the General Meeting, and shall always be open to the inspection of all members at reasonable hours and by other persons authorised by JUMPSTART in a General Meeting.
13.4. Officers and people acting on the express request of JUMPSTART shall be entitled to their expenses on receipt of claims.

14. INDEMNITY
14.1. Every member or auditor or officer of JUMPSTART shall be indemnified against all losses or liabilities incurred by them in or about the execution and discharge of the duties of their office, except to the extent that such losses or liabilities shall be attributed to either:
14.1.1. negligence; or
14.1.3. actions knowingly beyond the scope of a specific authority or limit thereon on the part of such person.

15. SECONDARY RULES, BYLAWS AND STANDING ORDERS
15.1. Rules, bylaws and standing orders can be made by JUMPSTART in General Meeting and/or by those officers or committees that have been delegated authority by General Meeting so long as any rules, bylaws and standing orders do not conflict with this constitution or the will of the General Meeting.

16. CHANGING RULES
16.1. Any rule in this constitution can be dropped or changed or a new rule made at either an Annual general Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting where all members have been given twenty-one clear days prior notice of the change proposed and the date, time and location of the
meeting. Except Rules 8 (inclusive), 16.1, 16.2 and 17.1 which shall not be changed.
16.2. A General Meeting that will consider a new or changed rule cannot be called with less thantwenty-one days notice as described in rule 9.3 but must be called with the full twenty-one days notice.

17. DISSOLUTION
17.1. If the coordination group should decide by a simple majority that it is necessary or advisable to
dissolve JUMPSTART shall call a General Meeting where all members are notified (in accordance with rule 9.7) and encouraged to participate.
17.2. In the event of winding up or dissolution of JUMPSTART, after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities, the funds remaining shall not be paid or distributed among the members of JUMPSTART but shall be given or transferred to some other not for profit organisation chosen by the members and having objects similar to the objectives of JUMPSTART. All assets shall be retained by the founder.

18. ACCEPTANCE
This constitution was adopted as the constitution of The JUMPSTART Project on the 25th of July 2011 at the initial General Meeting held at

Aspects Leisure Park,
Bedford,
Bedfordshire
MK41 9LN