§ 1 Name, registered office, financial year, association logo
The association bears the name "Society for Fantasy Research eV", in the abbreviation GFF eV
It is to be entered in the register of associations in Hamburg.
The association has its legal seat in Hamburg.
The financial year is the calendar year. The first short fiscal year ends on December 31.12.2010, XNUMX.
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
The purpose of the GFF eV is to promote science and research.
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 GFF eV is politically and denominationally independent.
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.
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.
All office holders work on a voluntary basis.
§ 3 Members, acquisition of membership
The association consists of
ordinary members;
honorary members.
Any natural person and any legal entity under private and public law can become a full member of the association.
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.
Membership is applied for by sending an application by letter or email. The board decides on the written application. Membership is confirmed through internal announcement. At the express request of the new member, an internal announcement can be omitted.
If the board rejects admission, the general meeting can be called upon within a deadline of one month after receipt of the rejection, whose decision is final. The rejection must be communicated to the applicant by letter or email. The board is not obliged to inform the applicant of its reasons for rejection.
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.
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
Ordinary members and honorary members have the right to attend, speak and submit proposals at all general meetings.
Every full member and every honorary member has one vote in the general meeting. It is not possible to transfer the vote.
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.
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:
The statutes of the association as well as its other regulations and provisions are to be observed.
To support the aspirations of the association.
Fulfill your contribution and payment obligations towards the association on time.
GFF eV must be informed immediately of any changes in address and email address.
§ 6 Membership Fee
The amount of the contribution is determined by the General Assembly.
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.
New members pay the membership fee for the year of entry pro rata per quarter of membership (to be rounded up).
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
Membership ends through expulsion, withdrawal from the association, death or dissolution of the association.
Voluntary resignation is made by written declaration by registered letter or by email to the board of GFF eV. Collective declarations of resignation (declarations of resignation from several members in one letter) are not permitted.
Withdrawal is permitted subject to one month's notice to the end of the quarter. The correctly requested withdrawal will be confirmed by GFF eV by letter or email. There will be no refunds of membership fees or other payments already paid.
The exclusion of a member can be announced by the board for special reasons and must be communicated to the member by letter or email.
The excluded person can file an objection within 14 days of delivery of the exclusion. The objection will be presented to the next general meeting for a final decision. In the meantime, membership is suspended.
§ 8 Bodies
The organs of the company are:
the General Assembly;
the board.
§ 9 General meeting
The regular general meeting takes place once a year at the GFF eV annual meeting, which takes place in late summer or autumn. It must be convened by the first chairperson, observing an invitation period of three weeks (the date of the postmark applies), by sending a written invitation by letter or email to the last known address of the members.
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.
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.
The meeting is chaired by the 1st chairman or, in his/her absence, by the 2nd chairman.
The General Assembly has the following tasks in particular:
Receipt of the report of the board of directors and its discharge,
election of the board,
Election of an auditor and his/her/their deputy,
determination of the membership fee,
Resolution on changes to the statutes and dissolution of the association,
appointment of honorary members,
Resolution on the exclusion of members in the case of § 7 paragraph 5,
Questions that are not assigned to any other association body.
All decisions of the general meeting are made with a simple majority of the votes cast, even if the articles of association are changed.
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.
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.
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.
The same procedure applies to extraordinary general meetings.
The general meeting elects an auditor (and his/her representative) who checks the financial report for mathematical accuracy in the presence of the treasurer. The auditor is elected for a period of two years and may be re-elected a maximum of once in a row. After that, re-election is only permitted after a two-year break. Auditors cannot hold a board position. The audit must take place annually before the general meeting. If the treasurer changes, the cash documents must also be checked before the business is handed over. A record of the audit must be made (audit report). The report must be signed by the auditor and the treasurer and included in the financial records. A copy of the financial audit report will be handed over to the first chairman immediately. The auditor reports to the members orally at the general meeting and requests the financial discharge of the treasurer and the entire board or states the reason for the non-discharge.
§ 10 Executive Board, Election and Term of Office of the Executive Board
The board consists of five full members (ae) and one extraordinary member (f):
a) the first chairman of the board
b) the second chairman of the board
c) the treasurer
d) the person taking the minutes
e) the online representative
f) the immediate predecessor of the first chairman of the board (“Immediate Past President”). As an extraordinary member of the board, the previous chairperson is not entitled to vote and is not appointed by election. The position may remain vacant.
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.
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.
The combination of several board positions in one person is generally not permitted.
Re-election is permitted.
With the termination of membership in the GFF eV, the office as a member of the board also ends.
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.
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.
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
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:
Preparation and convening of the general assembly, as well as drawing up the agenda;
Execution of the resolutions of the general assembly;
proper bookkeeping and preparation of an annual report;
Resolution on the admission of members in accordance with § 3 of the statutes, resolution on the exclusion of members
conclusion and termination of contracts;
Coordination with the local organizers of the annual conference
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The board of directors is obliged to take part in general meetings according to § 9.
§ 12 Meetings and resolutions of the board
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.
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.
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.
If necessary, the board of directors decides on rules of procedure.
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
The general meeting decides on the dissolution of the association.
The dissolution of the association requires a two-thirds majority of all association members.
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.
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.
Founding of the association: Hamburg, October 01.10.2010st, XNUMX
New version of the statutes: Dresden, August 17.08.2023, XNUMX