Statutes

The FMF & AID Global Association is a non-profit organization in accordance with the present statutes and within the meaning of Art. 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code.

The purpose of the association is to help, support and inform individuals worldwide with Familiar Mediterranean Fever and other autoinflammatory diseases and to raise awareness. The Association aims to achieve its goals through:

• financial support from members of the association, private patrons and donors. Pharmaceutical and other companies

• raise awareness in collaboration with the medical community

• organization of continuing education courses for medical professionals from all over the world with renowned and internationally recognized medical professionals in this specialized field.

• Cooperation with national and international organizations with similar orientation and interests

• Participation in conferences and congresses

• Representation of other patient organizations as umbrella association in official committees (i.e. political instances, private and public organizations, etc.)

The head office of the association is located in Brüttisellen, Switzerland. The Association was founded for an indefinite period.

The bodies of the organisation are:

1. the General Assembly of the members

2. the Board of Directors

3. the Auditors

The financial resources are raised through:

• membership fees contributions of the patrons

• support contributions of the private sector, governmental and non-governmental entities and

• from national and foreign organisations

• profits of its own activities (lectures, publications, etc.)

• bequests and donations

• other sources (i.e. proceeds from consulting services or similar)

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The membership fee is determined by the General Assembly.

The calendar year of the Association starts on the 1st of January and ends on the 31st of December, date in which the balance sheet should be completed.

All costs, for the foundation of the association that were pre-financed by the founder members, should be reimbursed promptly, as soon as sufficient funds are available. These will be clearly shown in the auditing.

The association consists of active and passive members.

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Any natural or legal person who suffers from an autoinflammatory disease or who identifies with the association's goals may become an active member. Members from all over the world are cordially welcome.

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Membership applications, application forms or online applications must be addressed to the Executive Board. The board decides on the admission of new members, the verification is carried out to the best of their knowledge and judgement, and negative decisions do not need any further explanation. If required, the board can terminate the membership, for serious reasons (including moral, legal, etc.) with immediate effect. A refund of already paid contributions is not possible in this case.

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Membership fees

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The annual fee (regardless of the date of entry) is CHF 50.– or its equivalent in any other currency. If no membership fee has been paid within 30 days of being invoiced, the membership expires automatically. The membership is valid after receipt of credit for one year until the next payment.

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Payments received, regardless of the amount, have to be explicitly marked as membership fee payments (i.e. - remarks in the credit advice) or they will be automatically considered as donations. For cash transactions, the verbal statement of the depositor applies.

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Any natural person or legal entity can become a passive member of the association, and no membership fees are charged, but they have no voting rights. We very much welcome patients and their relatives as members, but also all people who identify themselves with our association.

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The passive membership is requested by application form or online. The actuary keeps a list of the members based on information provided by the person in charge of the fund.

The Board of Directors consists of at least 3 members and is elected by the General Assembly by a simple majority. The term of office is 5 years. After the expiration, all members of the board can be re-elected. With the exception of the President, the executive committee shall constitute itself.

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The board is responsible for hiring and dismissing voluntary and paid employees of the association. Temporary work assignments can be awarded by the board to members of the association or to external parties.

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The Board of Directors has the following responsibilities:

• to represent the Association externally preparation and execution of meetings

• Management of all business of the association, in particular, that resolutions at the Annual General Meeting are adopted

• Formation and coordination of work groups that support the executive committee with their workload (evaluating and monitoring projects, fundraising, inspection visits, supervision, etc.)

• Drafting of the activity report and the annual financial statement for the attention of the AGM The executive committee can be paid an expense allowance for its activities. This has to be approved by the Annual General Assembly.

• Admission and dismissal of members

Extraordinary project support of up to CHF 5'000.– can be granted by the Board of Directors without requiring the AGM approval

Resignation from the association is possible at the end of the business year. The resignation notification must be sent to the board in writing by post or by e-mail, but with a handwritten signature, and at least 3 months prior to the end of the business year. The notification must be forwarded to the actuary.

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A member can be excluded from the association at any time without having to state a reason. The board makes the exclusion decision. If the (active) membership fees are repeatedly unpaid (for two years), this automatically leads to exclusion from the association.

The Annual General Meeting takes place once a year in Switzerland. It shall be convened by the Board of Directors. The invitations and agenda of which should be sent to the members 14 days before the meeting. An Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened upon request of the Executive Committee or by 1/5 of its Members. Guests are not permitted to attend the AGM.

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The Annual General Meeting is chaired by the President of the Board of Directors or another member of the Board.

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The AGM has the authority to undertake the following duties:

• approval of the Annual Report, the annual accounts and the AGM protocol

• appointment of the Management Board and election of the President

• amendment of the Statutes

• fixing of the membership fees

• fixing of the expense allowance for the Board of Directors

• Approval of support projects or project participation

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The annual general meeting constitutes a quorum irrespective of the number of present members. Elections and resolutions are decided by the simple majority. Passive members are not entitled to vote.

Contact information will only be used for the Association's purposes.

The legally binding signature for the association is held by the president or vice presidents together with a board member. The executive committee can extend the circle of the authorized signatories, if this serves the purpose of the association.

At least one, or at best two, auditors, who may be members of the association, are elected to audit the annual accounts. They must submit a written report to the Annual General Meeting on their audit and apply for formal approval of the actions of the treasurer. The term of office is two years: the auditor may be re-elected.

The preceding statutes may be changed, if two thirds of the members present approve of the request.

Liability for obligations shall be limited to the assets of the association.

In the event that the association is dissolved, the members of the Board of Directors shall decide on the transfer of the assets of the Association to an organization which pursues the same or similar goals. Distribution of the remaining assets among the members of the association is excluded.

These statutes come into force with the acceptance of the Extraordinary General Meeting of 2 October 2017 and replace the founding statutes from 2 January 2017.

The place of jurisdiction shall be where the association has its seat.

 
These Statutes were last modified and revised on 2 October 2017.