Logo of the Society for Fantasy Research e. VLogo of the Society for Fantasy Research e. V

Articles of Association

§ 1 Name, registered office, financial year, association logo

  1. The association bears the name "Society for Fantasy Research eV", in the abbreviation GFF eV
  2. It is to be entered in the register of associations in Hamburg.
  3. The association has its legal seat in Hamburg.
  4. The financial year is the calendar year. The first short fiscal year ends on December 31.12.2010, XNUMX.
  5. The club uses the following symbol as its logo, it has sole and unrestricted use of the club logo.

§ 2 Purpose of the association, tasks, non-profit status

  1. The purpose of the GFF eV is to promote science and research.
  2. The purpose of the statute is realized in particular by:
    • Conducting academic events and research projects related to academic research into the fantastic in art, literature and culture.
    • The publication of research results in the field of the fantastic both in the form of monographs and through the publication of a scientific journal.
    • The provision of a discussion platform to enable interdisciplinary research in the field of fantasy internationally.
    • The targeted promotion of young talent through scholarships for scientific training and further education, as well as through travel grants.
  3. The GFF eV is politically and denominationally independent.
  4. The association pursues exclusively and directly charitable purposes within the meaning of the section "Tax-privileged purposes" of the tax ordinance. The association is selflessly active; it does not primarily pursue its own economic purposes. Funds of the association may only be used for statutory purposes. The members do not receive payments from the association. No person may be favored by expenses that are alien to the purpose of the association or by disproportionately high remuneration.
  5. Members shall not be reimbursed any amounts paid in upon their resignation or upon the dissolution or abolition of the Society, nor shall they have any right to any of the Society's assets.
  6. All office holders work on a voluntary basis.

§ 3 Members, acquisition of membership

  1. The association consists of
    • ordinary members;
    • honorary members.
  2. Any natural person or legal entity under private or public law can become a full member of the association
  3. Honorary members are personalities from science, business, public life, the association itself and other natural persons who have achieved special merits within the meaning of the association's statutes. Honorary members otherwise have the rights and duties of full members without paying a fee.
  4. Membership is applied for on the basis of a written application. The Executive Board decides on the written application. Membership is confirmed by internal announcement. At the express request of the new member, an internal announcement can be omitted.
  5. If the Board of Directors rejects the admission, the General Assembly can be appealed to within a cut-off period of one month after receipt of the rejection, and its decision is final. The rejection must be communicated to the applicant in writing. The Executive Board is not obliged to inform the applicant of the reasons for the rejection.
  6. By submitting the application, the applicant accepts the statutes that are handed out with the admission letter and the other rules and regulations of the GFF eV.
  7. Honorary members are appointed by the general assembly at the suggestion of the board of directors. Their share of the total number of members may not exceed 25% at the time of appointment by the general assembly.

§ 4 Rights of Members

  1. Ordinary members and honorary members have the right to attend, speak and submit proposals at all general meetings.
  2. Every full member and every honorary member has one vote in the general meeting. It is not possible to transfer the vote.
  3. The members have the right to take part in all public events of the GFF eV in compliance with the respective event regulations and the other provisions of the GFF eV.
  4. This does not apply to non-public events of the GFF eV, such as board meetings. The convened body can determine in individual cases who is entitled to participate in addition to the members of the body.

§ 5 Obligations of the members

The members of the GFF eV are obliged:

  1. The statutes of the association as well as its other regulations and provisions are to be observed.
  2. To support the aspirations of the association.
  3. Fulfill your contribution and payment obligations towards the association on time.
  4. GFF eV must be informed immediately of any changes in address and email address.

§ 6 Membership Fee

  1. The amount of the contribution is determined by the General Assembly.
  2. The membership fee is due on January 2 of the current calendar year. If the annual membership fee is not paid on time, membership will be suspended.
  3. New members pay the membership fee for the year of entry pro rata per quarter of membership (to be rounded up).
  4. In order to finance special projects or to eliminate financial difficulties of the society, a one-off annual contribution of not more than a quarter of the annual membership fee can be levied on each member.

§ 7 Termination of Membership

  1. Membership ends through expulsion, withdrawal from the association, death or dissolution of the association.
  2. Voluntary resignation is made by means of a written declaration by means of a registered letter to the board of the GFF eV. Collective resignations (resignations from several members in one letter) are not permitted.
  3. Resignation is permitted subject to a notice period of one month to the end of the quarter. The correctly applied for withdrawal will be confirmed in writing by the GFF eV. Membership fees already paid or other payments will not be refunded.
  4. The board of directors can decide to expel a member for special reasons and the member must be informed in writing.
  5. The excluded person can appeal within 14 days after the notification of the exclusion. The objection will be submitted to the next general meeting for a final decision. Membership is suspended in the meantime.

§ 8 Bodies

The organs of the company are:

  • the General Assembly;
  • the board.

§ 9 General meeting

  1. The regular general meeting takes place once a year at the annual conference of the GFF eV, which takes place in late summer or autumn. It is to be convened by the 1st chairperson with an invitation period of three weeks (the date of the postmark applies) by means of a written invitation by letter or email to the last known address of the members.
  2. The agenda set by the board of directors must be communicated with the invitation. Planned amendments to the Articles of Association are to be presented here.
  3. Discussions and resolutions cannot be demanded for requests for supplements or changes to the agenda that have not been received by the Executive Board at least 10 days before the meeting. Applications submitted within this period will be emailed to members immediately.
  4. The meeting is chaired by the 1st chairman or, in his/her absence, by the 2nd chairman.
  5. The General Assembly has the following tasks in particular:
  6. Receipt of the report of the board of directors and its discharge,
  7. election of the board,
  8. Election of an auditor and his/her deputy,
  9. determination of the membership fee,
  10. Resolution on changes to the statutes and dissolution of the association,
  11. appointment of honorary members,
  12. Resolution on the exclusion of members in the case of § 7 paragraph 5,
  13. Questions that are not assigned to any other association body.
  14. All decisions of the general meeting are made with a simple majority of the votes cast, even if the articles of association are changed.
  15. In the event of a tie, a run-off election takes place; in the event of a tie in the run-off, the vote of the chairperson of the meeting is decisive.
  16. Minutes must be taken of the resolutions of the general meeting, which must be signed by the chair of the meeting and the minute taker.
  17. The board of directors must convene a general meeting immediately if the interests of the association require it or if at least one third of the members request it in writing, stating the purpose and reasons.
  18. The same procedure applies to extraordinary general meetings.
  19. The general meeting elects an auditor (and his/her deputy) who, in the presence of the treasurer, checks the financial report for correctness. The auditor is elected for a period of two years and may be re-elected no more than once in a row. Thereafter, re-election is only permitted after a two-year break. Auditors cannot hold a board office. The audit must be carried out annually before the general meeting. The cash register documents must also be checked when there is a change of treasurer before the transactions are handed over. A record must be made of the audit (audit report). The report must be signed by the auditor and the treasurer and kept with the cash register. A copy of the cash audit report will be handed over to the 1st chairman immediately. The auditor reports verbally to the members at the general meeting and applies for the discharge of the treasurer and the entire board in financial terms or gives the reason for non-discharge.

§ 10 Executive Board, Election and Term of Office of the Executive Board

  1. The board consists of five full members (ae) and one extraordinary member (f):
    • the 1st chairman of the board
    • the 2st chairman of the board
    • the treasurer
    • the minute taker
    • the online representative
    • the immediate past president of the board of directors. As an extraordinary member of the Executive Board, the previous chairperson is not entitled to vote and is not determined by election. The position can remain vacant.
  2. The full members of the board (ae) are elected by the general assembly in a secret ballot for two years. The person who receives the majority of the votes of those present is elected.
  3. The board members remain in office until a new election takes place. If a member of the Executive Board resigns during the term of office, the Executive Board elects a substitute member for the remainder of the term of office of the retired Executive Board member.
  4. The combination of several board positions in one person is generally not permitted.
  5. Re-election is permitted.
  6. With the termination of membership in the GFF eV, the office as a member of the board also ends.
  7. The executive board within the meaning of § 26 BGB is the 1st chairman and the 2nd chairman of the board. They are individually authorized to represent and form the executive board. Extraordinary expenses from 1000 euros require the approval of the entire board.
  8. The Board of Directors can be dismissed by a simple majority at the General Assembly upon written request from at least 25 members. A new election must take place immediately.
  9. The executive board's power of representation is restricted in such a way that the members are only liable for their share of the association's assets.

§ 11 Responsibility of the board

  1. The Executive Board is responsible for all affairs of the association, insofar as they are not assigned to another organ of the association by the articles of association. In particular, he has the following tasks:
    1. Preparation and convening of the general assembly, as well as drawing up the agenda;
    2. Execution of the resolutions of the general assembly;
    3. proper bookkeeping and preparation of an annual report;
    4. Resolution on the admission of members in accordance with § 3 of the statutes, resolution on the exclusion of members
    5. conclusion and termination of contracts;
    6. Coordination with the local organizers of the annual conference
  2. The 1st chairperson represents the association alone in and out of court. He/she carries out the decisions of the board of directors. He/she is responsible for the preparation and convening of meetings of the Board of Directors and the General Assembly, as well as drawing up the agenda, insofar as this is not reserved for the entire Board of Directors. He/She chairs the meetings of the Board of Directors. He/she supervises the treasurer and controls the administration of the association's assets. He/she is responsible for coordinating all publications issued by the association with their respective editors.
  3. The 2nd chairman represents the association alone and in and out of court. However, he/she is obliged towards the association to only make use of his/her right of representation if the 1st chairman is unable to do so. He/she also assumes the other duties of the 1st chairman if he/she is unavailable. Otherwise, he/she is responsible for coordinating member matters. He/she administers the member data and presents the new applications to the board of directors for voting at the board meeting. He/she processes the members' applications and submits them to the board of directors.
  4. The treasurer is responsible for the cash and bookkeeping and he/she undertakes to keep and monitor the necessary documents. This also includes the obligation to demand membership fees and to check their payment. The annual financial statements must be prepared by him/her in good time. The treasurer is obliged to allow the first chairman of the board, a member of the board commissioned by him, and the auditor to inspect the documents at any time. On the day of the annual general meeting, each member has the right to inspect the books for the current financial year before or after the meeting.
  5. The minute taker is responsible for keeping detailed minutes during the general assembly and board meetings and for signing them together with the person chairing the meeting. The minutes of the general assembly must be available for all members to view on the GFF eV website within three weeks at the latest. The minutes of the board meetings must be sent to all board members by email within three weeks at the latest. Otherwise, the minute taker is available for special tasks.
  6. The online representative is responsible for creating and maintaining the GFF eV website and its content. In addition, he/she is responsible for creating and sending a regular newsletter to all members of the GFF eV. He/she is also responsible for coordinating the online presence of GFF eV on third-party sites in the form of banners, links, etc. Otherwise, the online officer is available for special tasks.
  7. The board of directors is obliged to take part in general meetings according to § 9.

§ 12 Meetings and resolutions of the board

  1. The Executive Board decides in meetings that are convened in writing by letter, email or telephone by the 1st Chairman of the Executive Board, or if he/she is unable to do so, by the 2nd Chairman of the Executive Board. The agenda will be announced with the invitation. A notice period of one week must be observed in any case.
  2. The Executive Board meets as required, but at least once a year. A board meeting must be convened if three board members request the 1st board chairperson in writing to convene a meeting.
  3. The board has a quorum if at least three of its members are present, including the 1st board chairman and/or the 2nd board chairman. Resolutions are passed with a simple majority; in the event of a tie, the vote of the chairperson decides. If the Executive Board does not have a quorum, a new meeting must be convened.
  4. If necessary, the board of directors decides on rules of procedure.
  5. The Executive Board can also decide on the subject of the resolution in writing. If necessary, the written procedure is to be regulated in the rules of procedure of the Executive Board.

§ 13 Dissolution of the association

  1. The general meeting decides on the dissolution of the association.
  2. The dissolution of the association requires a two-thirds majority of all association members.
  3. If the association is dissolved or if tax-privileged purposes no longer apply, the association's assets will be transferred to a corporation under public law or to another tax-privileged corporation for the purpose of promoting science and research or promoting art and culture.
  4. Total assets are not distributed to members.

§ 14 Entry into force of the articles of association

These statutes come into force with the signature of the founding members.