Preamble
The Upper Rhine Region is developing as a cutting edge center for future-oriented economies. A high percentage of innovative initiatives, institutes and companies dedicated to the principles of sustainability have located their headquarters here. The common goal is the careful use of resources in all their methods and production processes.
Numerous groups of visitors from educational, political, economic and scientific backgrounds are already examining their model projects for new approaches in construction, mobility planning, technical innovations, as well as for energy, agricultural and social solutions.
Innovation Academy e.V. has established itself at the center of a regional network for concentrated know-how about sustainable development in order to present their work to the broad public.
§ 1. Name, Location, Fiscal Year
The association is named “Innovation Academy e.V.” and shall be registered as an association at the Freiburg municipal court. Upon official registration, the name shall be “Innovation Academy e.V.”.
The association’s headquarters is located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. The fiscal year is the calendar year.
The governing language of this charter is German.
§ 2. Purpose of the Association
1) The purpose of the association is the promotion of knowledge and education on the one hand, and of environmental and landscape protection on the other. Its focus is promoting extracurricular environmental education through practical examples to students and adults.
• Events accompanied by instructors such as project workshops, seminars, guided informational tours and educational trips to innovative and sustainably managed initiatives, institutions and companies for interested groups from educational, political, economic and scientific backgrounds. Under the aspects of innovation and sustainability we offer the following subjects among others: Mobility and energy concepts, technology, communication, social structures, architecture, settlement planning, waste management, agriculture, nature and landscape protection.
• Future-oriented workshops, symposiums and instructor guided events, as well as support for innovation and sustainability through publications and public relations work.
• Events on supervised methods of tending to landscapes for nature and scenic protection.
• An advanced curriculum to train “innovation leaders” in the field of environmental and landscape protection.
2) The association addresses exclusively and solely purposes for the common good in the sense of the paragraph on “non-profit organizations” in the tax law.
The association exists for the public good and does not pursue primarily its own for-profit goals.
The association’s means may only be used for uses that correspond to its charter.
Members will not receive any payment for their role as members from the association’s treasury.
No person may receive compensation for purposes alien to the association or for disproportionately high expenses.
§ 3. Membership
1) Eligible for membership are natural persons, judicial persons, non-legal entities and other associations or groups.
2) Membership is attained by being accepted into the association. The Board of Directors confers membership status. If the Board of Directors decides not to accept an applicant, a written appeal may be submitted to the next regular membership meeting, which will then make a final decision about accepting the membership applicant. The appeal must be received by the Board of Directors within one month of receiving their negative decision.
3) By becoming a member, one acknowledges the charter in its then existing version, the existing association’s resolutions, and their resulting obligations.
4) Membership ends when a member resigns, is excluded, or dies.
5) A member may resign by submitting his resignation to the Board of Directors six (6) months prior to the termination of the fiscal year. Such resignation shall be effective at the end of the fiscal year.
6) In the case that a member behaves in ways damaging to the association, the Board of Directors may exclude said member from the organization. Such exclusion may be appealed in writing to the next regular membership meeting, which shall make a final decision on the exclusion. The appeal must be submitted to the Board of Directors within a month upon receipt of the exclusion notice.
7) In addition, the Board of Directors may decide to exclude a member for failure to pay membership dues, if more than three (3) months have passed since the sending of the 2nd reminder notice to pay such fees. The member is to be notified of such exclusion per registered letter.
8) Each member is obliged to pay an annual membership fee in the amount set by the Board of Directors in a Member Fee Ordinance, which is subject to adjustment by the Board of Directors. In the event of an increase in membership dues, each member has the right to cancel his or her membership effective immediately. In order to be valid, such cancellation must be sent in writing to the Board of Directors within one month of notification of the increase of the membership dues.
9) The association and the members of its organs are not liable for any risks or damages arising from the pursuit of its stated purpose. Any liability of the association is limited to the funds held by the association.
§ 4. Financing the association
1) The income of the association is comprised primarily of the following:
• Course and Participant fees
• Public contributions
• Voluntary contributions by the members
• Membership dues, fees, and necessary payments, to be decided by the members in membership meetings
• Tax-deductible donations of monies or assets
• Income generated by assets held by the association
§ 5. Organs of the Association, Sponsorship
1) The Association is comprised of the following organs:
• The Members
• The Board of Directors
• The Advisory Council
2) Additionally, the association offers a Sponsor Level Membership.
§ 6. Member Assembly
1) The Membership Assembly is comprised of the voting members of the association who are present at the meeting. Written invitations are sent out via email by the Chairman of the Board of Directors no less than three (3) weeks prior with a publication of the meeting agenda. The agenda is to be decided upon by the Board of Directors.
2) Any proposals to amend the meeting agenda shall be submitted to the First Officer no less than one week prior to the meeting.
3) The Membership Assembly must be held at least once per year. The Chairman of the Board of Directors shall preside over the meeting; if he or she is unable to preside, the Deputy Officer shall do so instead. At the suggestion of the Board of Directors, the duty of presiding over the meeting may be delegated to another member.
4) The Chairman of the Board of Directors may call extra-ordinary membership meetings at any time. Such meetings must be held upon an explicitly founded request by the members. The invitation is to be issued in writing to the members no less than three (3) weeks prior to the scheduled meeting and shall include the published agenda for the meeting.
Voting on any changes to the association’s charter may only take
place if such proposed changes have been listed in the agenda.
§ 7. Responsibilities of the Member Assembly
1) It shall be in the purview of the Member Assembly to:
• Elect the Board of Directors;
• Receive and authorize annual reports and business statements;
• Issue treasury reports and approve actions taken by the Board of Directors;
• Authorize the budget for the following fiscal year;
• Elect the treasurer;
• Determine membership dues and fees;
• Make changes to the organization’s charter;
• Consider matters proposed by the Board of Directors;
• Consider matters proposed by regular members;
• Dissolve the organization.
Decisions made by the Member Assembly shall be recorded in the meeting’s minutes by a scribe and signed by both the scribe and the chair of the assembly.
2) The Member Assembly may issue recommendations in all other matters concerning the organization.
§ 8. Resolutions passed by the Member Assembly
1) The Member Assembly shall be presided over by the Chairman or his deputy.
2) Not withstanding Art. 3, the Member Assembly is vested with the power to pass resolutions regardless of the number of members present.
3) In voting to pass a resolution, the majority of votes shall be decisive.
Resolutions to make changes to the charter and, in particular, to amend the purpose of, or to dissolve the organization may only be passed with the support of no less than two thirds of present voting members. Voting by proxy is permissible.
4) A written record (minutes) is to be created for each Member Assembly and shall be signed by the presiding chair and by two appointed members. An individually signed attendance list is to be attached to the record.
§ 9. The Board of Directors
1) The Board of Directors (“the Board”) shall be comprised of the Chairperson, his or her Deputy, and the organization’s Scribe / Treasurer. Up to four additional members may called to join the Board. The Chairperson shall be the organization’s representative in judicial and extra-judicial matters. In case the Chairperson is unable to preside, he or she shall be represented by the Deputy and the Scribe / Treasurer.
2) The Member Assembly shall vote the Chairperson, the Deputy Chairperson and the Scribe / Treasurer into office for a term of three years. The Board shall decide on a order of business. If a Board member resigns during his or her term of office, the Member Assembly shall vote on a replacement for the remainder of the term.
3) The Board may order an Executive Director. The Executive Director is directly accountable to the Board of Directors. The Board has the power and authority to define and curtail the powers of the Executive Director. As long as the Association has not determined an Executive Director, the duties of the Treasurer shall be assumed by the Board.
4) At the initiative and suggestion of the Member Assembly an Advisory Board or Sub-committee may be created to support the Board and the Executive Director in their responsibilities.
§ 10. Sponsor Level Membership
1) The Association offers membership at the Sponsor Level.
2) Any natural or legal person can become a Member at the Sponsor Level by supporting the Organization with no less than € 1,500 annually, in addition to the regular membership dues. The Sponsor Level membership is limited to the time for which the Sponsor-level contribution has been paid.
3) The Board also may, at its discretion, name such persons as Sponsor Level Members that have or are contributing significantly to the Organization.
§ 11. Financial Reporting
1) The fiscal year ends on December 31st. The annual report (including a verified financial report) has to be submitted to the Board of Directors by June 30th of the following year.
§ 12. Dissolution of the Association
1) The dissolution of the organization can only be decided by an extra-ordinary Member Assembly. The Board of Directors direct the liquidation. Upon dissolution, the Assets of the organization shall be used for tax-deductible purposes. If the dissolution of the association is merely a matter of changing the legal status or merging with another, similar organization, and where the exclusive purposes of the former organization are warranted by the new legal entity, the association’s assets shall be assigned to the new legal entity.
2) Resolutions concerning the future use of assets may only be enacted after permission is given by the revenue office.
§ 13. Effective date
The changes to the charter are effective as of the date of the Member Assembly held on Friday, December 7th, 2007.
Freiburg im Brsg, December 21, 2007.
The Upper Rhine Region is developing as a cutting edge center for future-oriented economies. A high percentage of innovative initiatives, institutes and companies dedicated to the principles of sustainability have located their headquarters here. The common goal is the careful use of resources in all their methods and production processes.
Numerous groups of visitors from educational, political, economic and scientific backgrounds are already examining their model projects for new approaches in construction, mobility planning, technical innovations, as well as for energy, agricultural and social solutions.
Innovation Academy e.V. has established itself at the center of a regional network for concentrated know-how about sustainable development in order to present their work to the broad public.
§ 1. Name, Location, Fiscal Year
The association is named “Innovation Academy e.V.” and shall be registered as an association at the Freiburg municipal court. Upon official registration, the name shall be “Innovation Academy e.V.”.
The association’s headquarters is located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. The fiscal year is the calendar year.
The governing language of this charter is German.
§ 2. Purpose of the Association
1) The purpose of the association is the promotion of knowledge and education on the one hand, and of environmental and landscape protection on the other. Its focus is promoting extracurricular environmental education through practical examples to students and adults.
• Events accompanied by instructors such as project workshops, seminars, guided informational tours and educational trips to innovative and sustainably managed initiatives, institutions and companies for interested groups from educational, political, economic and scientific backgrounds. Under the aspects of innovation and sustainability we offer the following subjects among others: Mobility and energy concepts, technology, communication, social structures, architecture, settlement planning, waste management, agriculture, nature and landscape protection.
• Future-oriented workshops, symposiums and instructor guided events, as well as support for innovation and sustainability through publications and public relations work.
• Events on supervised methods of tending to landscapes for nature and scenic protection.
• An advanced curriculum to train “innovation leaders” in the field of environmental and landscape protection.
2) The association addresses exclusively and solely purposes for the common good in the sense of the paragraph on “non-profit organizations” in the tax law.
The association exists for the public good and does not pursue primarily its own for-profit goals.
The association’s means may only be used for uses that correspond to its charter.
Members will not receive any payment for their role as members from the association’s treasury.
No person may receive compensation for purposes alien to the association or for disproportionately high expenses.
§ 3. Membership
1) Eligible for membership are natural persons, judicial persons, non-legal entities and other associations or groups.
2) Membership is attained by being accepted into the association. The Board of Directors confers membership status. If the Board of Directors decides not to accept an applicant, a written appeal may be submitted to the next regular membership meeting, which will then make a final decision about accepting the membership applicant. The appeal must be received by the Board of Directors within one month of receiving their negative decision.
3) By becoming a member, one acknowledges the charter in its then existing version, the existing association’s resolutions, and their resulting obligations.
4) Membership ends when a member resigns, is excluded, or dies.
5) A member may resign by submitting his resignation to the Board of Directors six (6) months prior to the termination of the fiscal year. Such resignation shall be effective at the end of the fiscal year.
6) In the case that a member behaves in ways damaging to the association, the Board of Directors may exclude said member from the organization. Such exclusion may be appealed in writing to the next regular membership meeting, which shall make a final decision on the exclusion. The appeal must be submitted to the Board of Directors within a month upon receipt of the exclusion notice.
7) In addition, the Board of Directors may decide to exclude a member for failure to pay membership dues, if more than three (3) months have passed since the sending of the 2nd reminder notice to pay such fees. The member is to be notified of such exclusion per registered letter.
8) Each member is obliged to pay an annual membership fee in the amount set by the Board of Directors in a Member Fee Ordinance, which is subject to adjustment by the Board of Directors. In the event of an increase in membership dues, each member has the right to cancel his or her membership effective immediately. In order to be valid, such cancellation must be sent in writing to the Board of Directors within one month of notification of the increase of the membership dues.
9) The association and the members of its organs are not liable for any risks or damages arising from the pursuit of its stated purpose. Any liability of the association is limited to the funds held by the association.
§ 4. Financing the association
1) The income of the association is comprised primarily of the following:
• Course and Participant fees
• Public contributions
• Voluntary contributions by the members
• Membership dues, fees, and necessary payments, to be decided by the members in membership meetings
• Tax-deductible donations of monies or assets
• Income generated by assets held by the association
§ 5. Organs of the Association, Sponsorship
1) The Association is comprised of the following organs:
• The Members
• The Board of Directors
• The Advisory Council
2) Additionally, the association offers a Sponsor Level Membership.
§ 6. Member Assembly
1) The Membership Assembly is comprised of the voting members of the association who are present at the meeting. Written invitations are sent out via email by the Chairman of the Board of Directors no less than three (3) weeks prior with a publication of the meeting agenda. The agenda is to be decided upon by the Board of Directors.
2) Any proposals to amend the meeting agenda shall be submitted to the First Officer no less than one week prior to the meeting.
3) The Membership Assembly must be held at least once per year. The Chairman of the Board of Directors shall preside over the meeting; if he or she is unable to preside, the Deputy Officer shall do so instead. At the suggestion of the Board of Directors, the duty of presiding over the meeting may be delegated to another member.
4) The Chairman of the Board of Directors may call extra-ordinary membership meetings at any time. Such meetings must be held upon an explicitly founded request by the members. The invitation is to be issued in writing to the members no less than three (3) weeks prior to the scheduled meeting and shall include the published agenda for the meeting.
Voting on any changes to the association’s charter may only take
place if such proposed changes have been listed in the agenda.
§ 7. Responsibilities of the Member Assembly
1) It shall be in the purview of the Member Assembly to:
• Elect the Board of Directors;
• Receive and authorize annual reports and business statements;
• Issue treasury reports and approve actions taken by the Board of Directors;
• Authorize the budget for the following fiscal year;
• Elect the treasurer;
• Determine membership dues and fees;
• Make changes to the organization’s charter;
• Consider matters proposed by the Board of Directors;
• Consider matters proposed by regular members;
• Dissolve the organization.
Decisions made by the Member Assembly shall be recorded in the meeting’s minutes by a scribe and signed by both the scribe and the chair of the assembly.
2) The Member Assembly may issue recommendations in all other matters concerning the organization.
§ 8. Resolutions passed by the Member Assembly
1) The Member Assembly shall be presided over by the Chairman or his deputy.
2) Not withstanding Art. 3, the Member Assembly is vested with the power to pass resolutions regardless of the number of members present.
3) In voting to pass a resolution, the majority of votes shall be decisive.
Resolutions to make changes to the charter and, in particular, to amend the purpose of, or to dissolve the organization may only be passed with the support of no less than two thirds of present voting members. Voting by proxy is permissible.
4) A written record (minutes) is to be created for each Member Assembly and shall be signed by the presiding chair and by two appointed members. An individually signed attendance list is to be attached to the record.
§ 9. The Board of Directors
1) The Board of Directors (“the Board”) shall be comprised of the Chairperson, his or her Deputy, and the organization’s Scribe / Treasurer. Up to four additional members may called to join the Board. The Chairperson shall be the organization’s representative in judicial and extra-judicial matters. In case the Chairperson is unable to preside, he or she shall be represented by the Deputy and the Scribe / Treasurer.
2) The Member Assembly shall vote the Chairperson, the Deputy Chairperson and the Scribe / Treasurer into office for a term of three years. The Board shall decide on a order of business. If a Board member resigns during his or her term of office, the Member Assembly shall vote on a replacement for the remainder of the term.
3) The Board may order an Executive Director. The Executive Director is directly accountable to the Board of Directors. The Board has the power and authority to define and curtail the powers of the Executive Director. As long as the Association has not determined an Executive Director, the duties of the Treasurer shall be assumed by the Board.
4) At the initiative and suggestion of the Member Assembly an Advisory Board or Sub-committee may be created to support the Board and the Executive Director in their responsibilities.
§ 10. Sponsor Level Membership
1) The Association offers membership at the Sponsor Level.
2) Any natural or legal person can become a Member at the Sponsor Level by supporting the Organization with no less than € 1,500 annually, in addition to the regular membership dues. The Sponsor Level membership is limited to the time for which the Sponsor-level contribution has been paid.
3) The Board also may, at its discretion, name such persons as Sponsor Level Members that have or are contributing significantly to the Organization.
§ 11. Financial Reporting
1) The fiscal year ends on December 31st. The annual report (including a verified financial report) has to be submitted to the Board of Directors by June 30th of the following year.
§ 12. Dissolution of the Association
1) The dissolution of the organization can only be decided by an extra-ordinary Member Assembly. The Board of Directors direct the liquidation. Upon dissolution, the Assets of the organization shall be used for tax-deductible purposes. If the dissolution of the association is merely a matter of changing the legal status or merging with another, similar organization, and where the exclusive purposes of the former organization are warranted by the new legal entity, the association’s assets shall be assigned to the new legal entity.
2) Resolutions concerning the future use of assets may only be enacted after permission is given by the revenue office.
§ 13. Effective date
The changes to the charter are effective as of the date of the Member Assembly held on Friday, December 7th, 2007.
Freiburg im Brsg, December 21, 2007.
Last Updated ( Monday, 13 July 2009 20:13 )