1.0 The name of the Society shall be “the House of MacAlpine”.
2.0 AIMS and OBJECTS
The aims and objects of the Society shall be to unite all those with the name MacAlpine and its variant spellings and promote continuance of the family as an effective body.
The Society will provide opportunities for all members to develop kinship amongst one another through various publications, meetings, and electronic media such as an online forum and variety of discussion groups. The genealogical histories of individual Society members can be published on the family society website to aid, preserve, and advance research and can be openly discussed on the Society’s forum.
The Society serves to promote recognition and a general awareness of family’s history to its members, outside bodies, the public here in Scotland, the UK and overseas, through its presence at Highland Games, various advertisements, and the worldwide web. In providing education about the family and Scotland, its history, and its culture the Society promotes and protects the interests of the family and its origins.
The Society has held a Derbhfine under the supervision of the Court of the Lord Lyon, and has been officially recognized by the Court, with a named Commander. The Society will continue the effort to secure a legally recognized Chief of the Name and Arms.
3.0 MEMBERSHIP
3.1 A Member of the Society is a person who holds paid up membership and holds a current valid membership number.
3.2 Members of the Society shall be people interested in matters falling within the aims and objects of the Society.
3.3 The Society will maintain a “Family Roll Call” of all those Kinsfolk lending support to the Family revival.
3.4 Members’ of the Society will automatically be added to the “Family Roll Call”.
3.5 The board shall not be obliged to accept an application for membership and shall have the right to terminate the membership of any Member. The board will endeavor to give a reason for the non-acceptance of an application or the termination of a membership.
3.6 The Society may have, as well as the two categories of Member described above, the following categories, namely:
President Vice-Presidents Honorary Members
All such appointments and honors recommended by the Board for ratification at the Annual General Meetings shall be for indefinite terms but without prejudice to the right of the Board to terminate any membership at any time.
3.7 Fellowship may be conferred on any person in recognition of services rendered to Family MacAlpine generally as distinct from this Society in particular.
Vice-Presidency or Honorary Membership may be conferred on any Member in recognition of services rendered by him or her to the Society and on any person whom the Society wishes to honor. Recommendations by the Board for Presidency, Vice-Presidency, or Honorary Membership shall be submitted to every Member of the Society along with notification of the Annual General Meeting.
3.8 No Member, without the consent of the Board, shall seek to advance any cause or matter other than that of the Society by publicizing his or her membership of it.
3.9 The Board shall ensure that Members of the Society may have convenient access to a reasonably up-to-date list of the names and addresses of all Members.
4.0 Management
4.1 The business of the Society shall be managed by a Board, which shall consist of Officers and Elected Board Members and may include others. A Quorum shall consist of five, three of whom shall be Office Bearers. It shall be permissible for one Officer to hold two of these appointments at the same time, but the number of Officers shall be not less than four or more than nine.
4.2 Officer Appointments shall all carry a four-year term:
4.2.1 President
4.2.2 Vice President
4.2.3 Member at Large
4.2.4 Historian
4.2.5 Secretary
4.2.6 Treasurer
4.2.7 Publications Editor
4.2.8 Membership Secretary
4.3 At any meeting of the Board or of the Society where a decision has to be reached by vote (and no other provision of this Constitution determines otherwise), the proposition shall be carried by a simple majority of those voting. The President shall have a casting vote.
4.4 Elected Board Members shall number no fewer than four or more than nine.
4.5 Each Officer and Elected Board Member shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting for a term of up to four years and shall be eligible for re-election. A Board Member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the Board either in electronic format or physical meeting without due cause and notification will be deemed to have resigned from the Board.
4.6 The Secretary shall send by email, newsletter or social networking to every Member of the Society a statement showing the vacancies for Officers and Elected Board Members which at that time can be foreseen as bound to be available for filling at the next Annual General Meeting at least thirty days before the AGM.
4.7 To be valid, a nomination shall be received by the Secretary prior to the Annual General Meeting.
4.8 If the number of candidates for any appointment necessitates a vote, a voting paper showing the names of the candidates and the proposer and seconder of each shall be sent to every Member of the Society with the notice of the Annual General Meeting.
4.9 Every Member of the Society will have one vote. Voting may be either by post, electronic format or in person at the AGM. All votes will be counted at the AGM.
4.10 Nothing in 4.6 to 4.9 above shall prevent an Annual General Meeting from filling any vacancy for an Officer or Elected Board Member which has not been notified to all Members of the Society in accordance with 4.6 above because the vacancy could not be foreseen by the Secretary when the statement was prepared.
4.11 On the occurrence of a vacancy among the Officers causing their number to fall below four, the Board shall, and on the occurrence of the vacancy not having that effect the Board may, fill the vacancy by appointing until the next Annual General Meeting any eligible Member of the Society.
4.12 If there be a vacancy among the Elected Board Members, the Board may fill it until the next Annual General Meeting by co-opting any eligible Member of the Society. In the absence of any such vacancy the Board may co-opt until the next Annual General Meeting not more than three Members of the Society whose qualifications enable them to make contributions of special value to the Board's work.
4.13 In the determination of whether a Member of the Society is eligible to become a member of the Board, no account shall be taken of any part-year of Board service brought about through the exercise of the Board's own powers of appointment of co-option.
5.0 BUSINESS MEETINGS
5.1 An Annual General Meeting shall take place at a place and time voted on by the membership. The Secretary shall send by email, newsletter or social networking to every Member of the Society notice of the meeting at least 90 days in advance of the meeting.
5.2 A Special General Meeting shall be called by the Secretary on the instruction of the Board or on the request in writing by two-thirds of the Members of the Society. At least 28 days before the date of a Special General Meeting notice of it shall be sent to every Member, together with all explanation of the reasons for it.
6.0 GENERAL
6.1 The Board shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of the Constitution.
6.2 The Constitution may be changed only at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting and then only if the change is approved by at least two-thirds of the Members present. Any Member of the Society who wishes to propose a change to the Constitution shall send the proposal in writing to the Secretary not less than 14 days before the date of the meeting at which he or she wishes it to be discussed.
6.3 If the Society should cease to function, any property and money remaining after the settlement of all debts and charges against the Society shall he donated to a charitable body devoted to the furtherance of the history and heritage in Scotland, which failing, to the National Museums of Scotland or their successor.