the music city manitoba’s private members club
The Music City Manitoba’s Private Members Private Club is an association dedicated to great music, service and a broad array of activities, interests and other purposes., with a shared passion, with like – minded people.
Membership is voluntary and admission to the club is based on this established criteria.
We have started this club for a variety of reasons, most typically to bring together people with a shared love of great music.
Since our club will likely collect subscriptions from members and engage in tournaments of various kinds, we will have a defined club structure so we can ensure our members are happy and that the club will thrive.
The fact that this club will be private, that means there will be some criteria, that needs to be met, for who can be a member. Under no circumstances will we directly or inderectly exclude people from membership on grounds such as race or sexual orientation.
There is no legally prescribed structure for this private members’ club. The most appropriate structures will depend largely on our club’s size and activities.
Whichever form the club may take is that it should have a club constitution, so that all members are clear about the rules of the club and how it operates.
The club constitution
This is the foundational document of our club. A constitution will set out:
- The particular interest or activity to which the club is dedicated;
- The office bearers of the club;
- How the club will be managed;
- Requirements for membership; and
- Rules for the conduct of members.
A constitution can take a variety of forms but at a minimum it should be in writing and made available to all members of the club.
The club office bearers
The club will have three key office bearers:
- The chairperson – this is the leader who will be appointed by the Management of The Music City Manitoba Corporation.
- The club secretary – this person manages the administration of the club. The club secretary is usually responsible for taking the minutes at official meetings and ensuring that all other aspects of the club run smoothly;
- The treasurer – this person handles the finances of the club. They will prepare accounts and report to the members on the club’s financial position and disbursement of their subscriptions.
Management of private members’ club
The constitution will set out in some detail how the club should run. This will include procedures for:
- The requirements for membership;
- The types of membership;
- The adoption of conduct rules for members; and
- Discipline of members.
The annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is the formal meeting of the members which takes place on an annual basis.
The members will receive reports from the office bearers on the performance of the club for the preceding year.
This will be an opportunity to debate and make decisions about issues affecting the club.
Decisions will be taken on a majority vote basis and office bearers will be appointed on a four – year term, at the annual general meeting.
How to make changes to the club’s constitution
The constitution does not have to be a static document, but it should make provision for the process to amend it.
A club constitution usually requires a higher percentage of votes than a simple majority and a minimum of 75% approval will be appropriate in this case.
The requirements for membership
The club constitution should set out the requirements for club membership. However, it is important to bear in mind that if our club consists of more than 25 members then the Equity Act will apply to our membership requirements. Our membership requirements must not discriminate against an applicant on unlawful grounds such as their race, religion, gender, age or any other protected characteristic.
The types of membership
At this time, there will be only one grade of membership.
The club may establish different grades of memberships.
These memberships may often have different subscriptions and again, care must be taken to avoid any unlawful discrimination in the grades of membership.
Conduct rules for members
These rules will govern all aspects of the club and the relationship between the members and the management committee.
Rules that may lead to a member being disciplined or (for serious offences) excluded from the club include:
- Failure to pay membership subscriptions;
- Unacceptable conduct towards other members;
- Unacceptable conduct towards the public which brings the club into disrepute; and
- Failure to attend a certain number of club events.
Discipline of members
This can be handled informally but if a club is of a reasonable size it would be prudent for the management committee to put in place a disciplinary code which is fair, respects due process and allows for the speedy resolution of complaints.
managing of club subscriptions
This will be done in conjunction with the accounting department of the Music City Manitoba Corporation and the club’s treasurer.
The overall responsibility for the management of the bank account lies with the club treasurer, and the accounting office of the Music City Manitoba Corporation.
Standard practice to require the signature of at least two official office bearers on any cheque or financial instrument.
However, we will include in the constitution that the treasurer will present the accounts to the accounting department of the Music City Manitoba Corporation.
