CCG Constitution

1. TITLE
[1.1] The name of the Association shall be the Comics Creators Guild. (Herein after called "The Guild")

2. OBJECTS
[2.1] The aims of The Guild are to increase awareness of the graphic narrative medium, to enhance the status and perception of the medium to the greater public, and to promote, advance and defend the interests of its creators, producers and purveyors.

[2.2] The Guild intends to mount exhibitions, organise conventions, promote education at all levels and represent the medium wherever necessary. The Guild will hold regular meetings where mutual problems and matters of general concern will be discussed.

[2.3] It will endeavour to extend and foster good relationships between members of The Guild with publishers and other users of the strip cartoon form.

[2.4] The Guild will seek to raise the level of achievement and quality within their Medium and industry.

[2.5] The Guild will be non-political and non-sectarian.

3. MEMBERSHIP
[3.1] Membership shall be open to professional creators actively concerned with strip illustration to a certain standard (i.e. full time artists, writers, editors, letterers etc. - people who earn their living through the art of the comic strip); creators not yet working professionally in comic strip; anyone working in publishing, self publishing comics material, advertising, journalism and comic strip retailing or wholesaling.

[3.2] Corporate Membership shall be available to publishing companies and others deemed appropriate by the committee.

[3.3] An applicant for any form of membership must be proposed by a member. The Committee may, at their discretion, refuse to accept an application for membership without giving reasons.

[3.4] Membership shall cease as follows
I) upon resignation
ii) if the subscription is not paid within three calendar months of the current renewal date for subscriptions
iii) upon the resolution of The Committee. The Committee shall be empowered to expel a member only after receiving a written complaint or complaints from two Members. Such expulsion will be only considered after the subject of the said expulsion has been notified and been given two months in which to state his/her own case should he/she wish to take advantage of this opportunity.

4. SUBSCRIPTION

[4.1] The yearly subscription for individual members shall be forty pounds (£40.00) for those resident in the United Kingdom and fifty pounds (£50.00) for those resident elsewhere, or such sum as the Guild may determine at a General Meeting or by Postal Ballot.
The initial subscription and subsequent renewals for individual members shall be for One Year, paid in advance, annually at forty pounds (£40.00), payable by the last day of each January.
Renewals for individual members living outside the United Kingdom shall be for One Year, paid in advance, annually at fifty pounds (£50.00), or half annually at twenty five pounds (£25.00), payable by the last day of each January.
For Corporate Members, the yearly subscription shall be fifty pounds (£50.00) for the first-named and thirty pounds (£30.00) for each other named member from each corporation. Corporate Memberships shall be paid annually or half annually.
Members may initially join at any time of year and will be charged a lump sum fee of four pounds (£4.00) for each calendar month until the end of December, when they will be expected to rejoin under the conditions stated above.

5. OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE
[5.1] The management and control of The Guild shall be vested in The Committee which shall consist of Members, who shall, so far as possible be broadly representative of the whole Guild. The total number of members of The Committee shall be fourteen (14), or some such other total as the Guild shall determine from time to time.

[5.2] The following officers of the Guild shall be appointed from The Committee members:
Chairman
Vice-Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer

[5.3] The Officers of The Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. Nominations, accompanied by the consent of the nominee shall be given to, or posted to, the Secretary before the Annual General Meeting.

[5.4] The Committee shall have the power to co-opt additional members and appoint sub-committees for prescribed purposes, members of which can be non-committee members.

[5.5] The quorum for meeting of The Committee shall be four members of the said Committee (such numbers of members to be varied automatically pro-rata in the event that the size of The Committee shall be varied in pursuant to clause 5.1).

[5.6] The Committee shall meet at least twelve (12) times during its members year of office.

[5.7] Voting shall be by simple majority. The Chairman shall have a casting vote. In the absence of the Chairman from any meeting of The Committee, the Chair shall be taken by the Vice-Chairman. In the event of the absence of both the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman from any meeting of The Committee, the Chair will be taken by the Secretary.

[5.8] Minutes will be kept of the meetings.

[5.9] The Committee will agree at each meeting the date of its next meeting.

[5.10] Save where circumstances otherwise dictate, the Secretary will advise the Chairman of the items notified for inclusion in the Agenda and arrange to despatch the Agenda to Committee members not less than three clear days before the meeting.

[5.11] Any former Chairman of the Guild may be elected Honorary Chairman by resolution of a General Meeting. Honorary Chairmen may attend meetings of The Committee and assist in its deliberations. They remain Honorary Chairmen as long as they remain members of the Guild.

6. FINANCIAL
[6.1] The Treasurer may exercise his/her right absolute discretion in the investment of funds and without limitation of the foregoing, all funds not required for immediate use shall be placed on deposit with a clearing bank. All bank accounts shall be in the name of the Guild.

[6.2] All cheques shall be signed by the Treasurer or an authorised signatory. The Committee may otherwise direct that the funds shall be handled in accordance with the standard mandate of any bank with which they are for the time being deposited.

[6.3] The Committee shall be indemnified against all cost and expenses arising out of their office.

[6.4] The Treasurer shall keep an account of all income and expenditure and shall submit accounts duly audited, at the Annual General Meeting. The Accounting Year shall be to the 31st March.

[6.5] An auditor, not being a member of The Committee shall be appointed annually at the Annual General Meeting to audit the accounts and books of the Guild.

7. GENERAL MEETINGS
[7.1] The Annual General Meeting shall be held once in each calendar year on a date to be decided by The Committee. At the Annual General Meeting the Chair shall be taken by the Chairman. Or in his/her absence by an Officer of The Committee as designated in clause 5.7.

[7.2] A Special General Meeting shall be convened by The Committee, or alternatively at the request of ten (10) members of the Guild in writing to the Secretary specifying the motions to be discussed, such a meeting to be held within thirty (30) days of the request.

[7.3] Notice of the General Meeting specifying the business to be transacted shall be circulated to the Membership in the Monthly Newsletter or in any other means that The Committee shall consider appropriate.

[7.4] Five (5) members, or one third of the Membership (whichever shall be less) shall constitute a quorum at a General Meeting if the committee is also present. Such a meeting will be sanctioned to vote upon all Guild business except the voting in of that year's committee. If after thirty (30) minutes from the time appointed for the meeting to commence, a quorum is not present, the meeting shall be adjourned to the next convenient date not less than twenty (20) or more than forty (40) days thereafter, and those present shall be deemed to constitute a quorum. If after three (3) full General Meetings no new committee has been voted upon, the chairman will begin the procedure of dissolving the Guild.

[7.5] Save as otherwise provided, resolution at a General Meeting shall be passed by a simple majority on a show of hands. The Chairman of the meeting shall have no vote at the meeting, but may vote as an ordinary member in any postal ballot.

[7.6]With the support of a minimum of One Quarter (1/4) of the members present a written poll may be demanded, in which event the relevant issue shall stand adjourned.
The Secretary shall without delay circulate ballot papers to all members, to be returned within fourteen (14) days of despatch, detailing precisely the motion on which a decision is sought. In the event of an equality of votes the motion shall be deemed to be defeated.

[7.7] Save as otherwise provided above, Standing Orders for the conduct of General Meetings shall be decided by The Committee and published in the Newsletter before each General Meeting.

8. INSURANCE
[8.1] The Guild shall take out sufficient Insurance to cover the loss of or damage to work loaned by members for exhibition purposes.

9. DISSOLUTION
[9.1] Any assets remaining on dissolution of the Guild after satisfying any outstanding debts and liabilities shall not be distributed amongst the members of the Guild, but will be donated to a charity with similar aims and objects to the Guild, to be named by the Committee.

10. AMENDMENT TO CONSTITUTION
[10.1] Notwithstanding the above, this constitution may be amended only by a two-thirds (2/3) majority voting in accordance with a clause 7 hereof save that no alteration shall be made to the Objects clause or Dissolution clause which would cause the Guild to cease to represent the best interests of Strip Cartoonists, Writers, Editors etc.
[10.2] any matter not provided for in this Constitution shall be dealt with by The Committee whose decision shall be deemed final. The Committee shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of the Constitution.

11. BENEFITS TO MEMBERS
[11.1] Members shall benefit by membership of the Guild by having an unreserved right to inclusion in any Exhibition or Events organised by the Guild. By being eligible for cheap rates promulgated for such exhibitions and events and for inclusion in any publication undertaken by the Guild at the discretion of the Editor of the publication. The Guild thus reserves the right to edit all submissions through the publication's Editor. In case of disagreement between the Member and Editor an appeal may be made, in writing, to The Committee whose decision is final.

[11.2] Corporate Members shall receive such benefits as seem right and proper to The Committee at the time of undertaking the organisation of such Exhibitions, Events or Publications.

The CCG Code of Ethics
1. All members shall abide by the Constitution of the Guild.
2. No member shall discriminate against another on the grounds of creed, race, gender or colour.
3. Members shall endeavour, at all times, to protect and improve the lot of fellow members, where circumstances provide and are not detrimental to the member's own position.
4. No member shall publicly denigrate the Comics Creators Guild or propound any negative personal view or opinion of the Strip Art form in general or in particular as being that of the Guild without securing a consensus from a quorate session of the Guild.
5. Members shall constantly seek to maintain and improve their individual standard of work.
6. No member shall plagiarise or exploit the work of fellow professionals or creators without full consultation with, and the consideration of, those individuals concerned.