Cork Whiskey Society - Constitution

Cork Whiskey Society (CWS) Constitution

(Rules and Regulations)

The object of the CWS is to provide a recreational outlet for its members and member’s guests, in a friendly, sociable environment.

These Rules and Regulations shall be applicable to all members and as appropriate member’s guests and invited guests.

The Cork Whiskey Society Committee shall have all administrative powers necessary to carry out the objectives of the society in accordance with these Rules and Regulations.

Cork Whiskey Society Committee Appointments:

President
Chairperson
Secretary
Treasurer
Quartermaster
PR and Media Manager
Cask Master
Cask Manager
Setup And Event Co-ordinator 1
Setup and Event Co-ordinator 2

CWS Committee Roles & Responsibilities:

President:

Advocate for and represent CWS in public forums
Advise and mentor members of CWS committee
Uphold the moral compass of CWS

Chairperson:

Representation - Advocate and liaise with brands and distilleries for projects with CWS
Maintain relationships with partner venues across Cork city for tasting events
Strategic Planning - Maintain plans for CWS events 6 months in advance
Liaise with members and resolve issues in a fair manner
Communication - tastings, announcements, reminders, trips etc. to members via CWS digital platforms
Leadership – providing vision, direction and guidance to CWS to achieve goals and objectives
Meeting Facilitation – Presiding over meetings ensuring agendas are followed and encouraging member participation.
Strategic Planning – develop long term strategies and initiatives to enhance CWS growth, membership engagement and impact.
Committee Oversight – providing guidance and support to committees or working groups to ensure their activities align with the overall mission and objectives
Financial Oversight – Working closely with the treasurer to oversee CWS financial affairs including budgeting, purchasing and income/expenditure monitoring
Engage with and help guide CWS sub-committees, for the betterment of the entire CWS membership
Have a very good working knowledge of the Wild Apricot software management system

Secretary:

Membership Management - Maintain and manage memberships for CWS
Correspondence - Maintain and manage email correspondence on behalf of CWS
Take the lead in planning CWS trips to destinations and distilleries
Maintain and manage access to CWS electronic resources i.e email, Wild Apricot, CWS website, social media accounts etc
Liaise with members and resolve issues in a fair manner
Record keeping – accurate records of membership, meeting minutes and financial transactions
Documenting Activities – keeping a record of tastings, activities, achievements and notable events for historical reference
Have a strong working knowledge of the Wild Apricot software management system

Treasurer:

Payments - Maintain and manage all payments on behalf of CWS
Accounts - Control and manage all electronic financial accounts on behalf of CWS and present the accounts at each AGM
Financial Management – Maintaining accurate records of society income, expenses and overall financial health
Have a strong working knowledge of the Wild Apricot software management system

Quartermaster:

Inventory Management - Maintain a current ledger of all CWS assets
Storage - Maintain and control all stock in CWS storage lock-up, located in U-Store-It, Little Island, Cork
Procurement - Source and pursue bottles for future CWS tastings, as head of the ‘Bottle Buying Sub-Committee’

PR and Media Manager:

Socials - Maintain and control all social media posts & accounts
CWS website - Maintain and manage CWS website
Content - Generate promotional content, i.e. photos and video, at CWS events
WebShop - Manage and maintain CWS shop
Manage and maintain CWS electronic media assets i.e. speakers, mics etc
Have a strong working knowledge of the Wild Apricot software management system

Cask Master:

Take the lead on CWS Cask sub-committee
Monitor - Be responsible for monitoring CWS casks progress
Bottlings - Lead the logistics of CWS bottlings i.e. bottles, labels, bond fees, taxes, etc
New Casks - Liaise and advocate with brands and distilleries, with an eye on future CWS cask program purchases

Cask Manager:

Maintain the ownership ledgers of each CWS caskshare
Casks - Manage and control all CWS casks held in bonded warehousing
Bond storage - Liaise with bond managers to resolve any issues with CWS casks
Bottling – Be integral in supporting the Cask Master on all bottles, labels, packaging for CWS cask bottlings and exclusive bottlings.
Have a strong working knowledge of the Wild Apricot software management system

Setup And Event Co-ordinator 1:

Liaise with secretary and chairperson for planning events
Tasting mats - Design and print tasting mat for monthly tastings
Tasting events - Ensure all event assets are present at tastings i.e. pourers, mats, glassware, pull-ups etc
Take lead in ensuring comfortable place settings at monthly tasting events.
Identify and implement any improvements to ensure an evolving tasting experience, for the betterment of all CWS members
Maintain the CWS attendance ledger book to ensure attendee list is accurate for each event

Setup and Event Co-ordinator 2:

Liaise with secretary and chairperson for planning events
Tasting mats - Design and print tasting mat for monthly tastings
Tasting events - Ensure all event assets are present at tastings i.e. pourers, mats, glassware, pull-ups etc
Take lead in ensuring comfortable place settings at monthly tasting events.
Identify and implement any improvements to ensure an evolving tasting experience, for the betterment of all CWS members
Maintain the CWS attendance ledger book to ensure attendee list is accurate for each event

Annual General Meeting

The CWS committee shall strive to hold an Annual General Meeting each calendar year, on a date confirmed with sufficient time for the accounts to be prepared by the Treasurer.

At an Annual General Meeting, the Report of the Committee for the Session shall be presented to the members. This report will include the Statement of Accounts for the Society and updates on the general activities of the Cork Whiskey Society, under the controls of the current elected committee.

Any and all voting by membership will also be carried out at the AGM.

Any tied votes or ballots will fall to the Chairperson to carry the vote or ballot.

Voting

Where an agenda matter is being decided (whether on a show of hands or on a poll), every member of good standing present and every proxy shall have one vote.

No individual member shall have more than one vote.

Proxy

Any member of good standing is eligible to vote on an agenda item up for vote at the AGM.

This does not apply to Committee Appointment votes, which will be taken in person, at the AGM.

If a member cannot make the AGM in person, they may vote through the secretary ahead of the meeting, with the polling card correctly filled out and given to the secretary, NLT 24hrs before the AGM.

Electronic voting means may be employed to capture proxy votes.

Resolutions

Voting will be carried out with a show of hands or a poll.

A majority of the membership in attendance and by proxy (through the secretary) will carry the vote.

Committee Elections

Elections of the committee will be held by opening nominations to the floor until each role has at least one nomination.

For the purposes of running the election at the AGM, all committee members will step down, but remain as the interim committee, until the conclusion of the election. At which point the newly elected committee will be appointed.

The elected committee will hold appointment for a period no longer than 24 months, at which point elections will be held for committee appointments, at an AGM.

No member is restricted from holding consecutive appointments, if re-elected.

Where a casual vacancy of a committee member occurs, this position will be filled by a full member appointed by the committee and ratified by resolution at the next AGM.

Each nominee must:

Be a full CWS member for no less than 12 months
Have attended no less than 10 events held by Cork Whiskey Society.
The nomination must be seconded by another CWS member of good standing.

A majority vote for each appointment from the members in attendance is necessary, unless only one candidate is proposed for an appointment, in which case a seconding will be sought to appoint that member.

When there is more than one nomination for an appointment - each nominee will be afforded 2 minutes to address the members in attendance at the AGM, to canvass for votes. After all the nominees have been given an opportunity to speak for a position, a vote is then taken.

No nomination received – the position remains open and will be appointed after the AGM by the committee

Due to the sensitive and responsible financial nature of the position of Treasurer, the appointment of a new Treasurer by membership vote may be vetoed by the elected committee, if the moral or ethical obligations of that person are not established.

Special General Meeting

A Special General Meeting, at which the quorum shall be 6 of the Committee and at least 15 Members, can be called by the Secretary or Chairman as required by the Committee, or at any time not less than one week, nor more than three weeks after receipt of a requisition stating the purpose for which the Meeting is required, signed by at least 10 Members.

The business of the Special General Meeting shall be confined to the agenda published on the convening notice issued by the Secretary and the conduct of the meeting shall be subject to the provisions of the constitution

At least seven days’ notice of such Special General Meeting shall be sent to each eligible member.

Membership

Every candidate for membership must be at least 18 years of age.

The CWS charges all new members a joining fee of €50 and this must be paid before membership is finalized.

Thereafter, an annual membership fee of €50 is paid by all members and is payable for every 12-month period from sign up date, except where a member is awarded a lifetime membership on the grounds of extraordinary contribution to the CWS.

Membership acceptance and annual membership fees are decided by the Committee. The Committee’s decision shall be final and the Committee will not enter in to any correspondence in relation to fees.

The Committee shall have sole discretion as to who shall become a member of the Society and shall have the right to refuse any application for membership for any reason without giving any explanation.

Each member of the CWS, after membership confirmation, will be entitled to with immediate effect, all benefits of Cork Whiskey Society membership including:

The purchase of cask shares when made available
The purchase of monthly tasting tickets
Voting rights
The use of all members discounts and benefits that may become available.

Membership confirmation will be notified by email.

All members agree to be bound by and to always observe the Rules and Regulations of the CWS Constitution, by ticking the Constitution agreement box on their membership profile of the CWS website.

Any omission from, or inaccuracy in, the particulars relating to, or the description of, any candidate for membership may render the candidate’s membership void, by decision of the CWS Committee.

Membership is non-transferable. On termination you forfeit your membership fee.

Guests

Subject to the provisions of these Rules and Regulations, members may invite guests, who have attained the age of 18 years, but no member may bring more than three guests unless told otherwise by the Committee. The allowance of more than three guests shall be for that allowed occasion only.

The guest of a member may be asked to sign and write their name in the CWS event registration book and provide a valid form of identification.

The Management of a venue reserves the right not to admit a member, in accordance with their own house regulations.

The following may not be admitted as guests to the CWS.

Former members who have been expelled.
Persons who, having applied for membership, have been already rejected.
Persons who are under 18 years old.
Members who are under suspension.

Conduct of Members

The CWS Committee, or any person(s) designated by the CWS Committee, shall have the right to refuse any member entrance to a CWS event and/or venue.

The CWS Committee may require any member infringing these Rules and Regulations to leave the premises immediately and his/her membership may be withdrawn, as detailed.

The CWS Committee reserves the right, in its absolute discretion, to terminate or suspend the membership of any member for any reason and at any time, for a period deemed appropriate by the committee.

Cask shares of the member in question will be held for the suspension period given.

In the instance of a full expulsion from Cork Whiskey Society, a full refund of their caskshare/s will be issued at the original value paid, and they will forfeit their right to continue participating in the CWS caskshare program.

The details of a member whose membership is terminated will be removed from the list of registered members and he/she will immediately cease to be a member of the Cork Whiskey Society and forfeit their ability to become a member of CWS again.

For the avoidance of doubt, the following list of behaviour or offences will lead to the immediate expulsion or suspension of a Member from the Cork Whiskey Society, as decided by the CWS committee.

Violent, abusive, or intimidating conduct.
Sexual, racial or any other form of discrimination, harassment or bullying towards any other member of the Society, staff of premises used, or members of the public, in where Cork Whiskey Society is using for a live event.
Rudeness or bad language to a member or a guest of the CWS.
Any action that would bring the CWS into disrepute.
Serious insubordination under the influence of alcohol.
Deliberate damage to property owned by the CWS, members or venues that Cork Whiskey Society resides in.
Any action, within or outside a venue, likely to cause a disturbance to residents in neighbouring properties.

Bottles and casks

The CWS may purchase bottles and/or casks to be offered to Members upon payment of an additional subscription fee.

CWS bottlings and casks are not intended to provide a commercial benefit to the CWS or its members.

Subscriptions to tasting places and or cask shares will be allocated subject to availability on a first-come, first-served basis to current paid up members of good standing.

The Cask Master, Cask Manager and other members of the cask sub-committee will decide when society casks are deemed ready for bottling.

Cask only membership

In the case of a member having a change of circumstances or being unavailable to attend monthly CWS tastings and or events, a member of good standing and having been a fully paid member of 24 months or more, can avail of a cask only membership of €20 paid annually.

The cask only membership will entitle the member to keep control of any caskshare they have purchased over the period of their membership to CWS, so long as their annual subscription is kept up to date.

Lapse of cask only membership of 6 months and over will forfeit their cask only membership and the original subscriptions paid for their caskshare will be refunded to them.

Expulsion of Members

The Committee, or any manager/employee so authorised by the Committee, may expel from the venue (and subsequently terminate or suspend a Membership for a specific period) any member whose conduct inside or outside the premises, in the opinion of the Committee, or such venue manager/employee might be injurious to the character or interests of the CWS or venue will render them unfit to associate with members or if any member should wilfully remove, destroy or damage any item, article or property belonging to the venue or another member or the CWS.

Before a member is suspended or their membership terminated, the alleged offender's conduct shall be inquired into and the person involved shall be given the opportunity to defend themself and to justify or explain their behaviour.

Having inquired into the events, if the Committee is of the opinion that the member is guilty of such conduct, as mentioned above and has failed to justify or explain it satisfactorily, the Committee may either suspend or terminate the membership of the offender at its discretion.

All membership fees will be forfeited for the suspended period or in total for expulsion.

General Rules

The CWS shall use all reasonable endeavours to ensure that no member receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of their sex, race, religion or belief, disability, marital status, age, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, colour or ethnic origin.

All property brought into the venue/premises by any member or their guest, shall be at the sole risk of the person bringing such property onto the premises and neither the Proprietor, the Committee nor any employee or agent of the venue shall be liable for any loss or damage to any such article, howsoever occasioned.

Disputes

Any dispute or difference which may arise in respect of these Rules and Regulations and/or in relation to membership or operation of the society shall be determined by the Committee, whose decision shall be final and binding on all members.

Lodging of complaints

Any member of Cork Whiskey Society has the right to lodge a formal complaint with the committee about any issues that might arise during the general running of the society.

There is a strict procedure for this.

Complaints are to be directed to the CWS Committee via Email.

corkwhiskeysociety@gmail.com

Any personally directed complaint or grievance sent via the correct channels will be immediately disregarded as a formal complaint.

Aggressive or insulting personal messages via any personal channel to any Cork Whiskey Society Committee member will be dealt with immediately and accordingly.

This also applies to aggressive or insulting member to member contact and should be immediately raised with the Cork Whiskey Society Committee via the Email provided.

Alteration of rules

These Rules and Regulations may be revoked, supplemented, or altered by the Committee at any time. Any such revocation, alteration or addition shall be deemed to have been brought to the notice of Members provided that a copy thereof is prominently displayed on the Cork Whiskey Society website.

GDPR

The Cork Whiskey Society has contracted its website hosting operations and data storage to Wild Apricot Inc.

Wild Apricot is a global leader in providing web-based software for small associations and non-profits to help manage membership, website, events and other activities.

A list of the names and addresses of all members of the CWS will be kept on the cloud software Wild Apricot in accordance with GDPR rules and regulations. By accepting membership all members agree to acknowledge that their personal information will be kept for the full term of their membership.

Data Privacy

1. Data collected about you by the Cork Whiskey Society will only be used for the purpose of administering your membership or mailing list participation.

2. You may access the information we hold about you at any time and at no cost, by

contacting us via email at: corkwhiskeysociety@gmail.com

3. At any time and at no cost, you may:

withdraw your consent for us to hold your data,
Request the deletion or erasure of your data.

4. In the event you elect to exercise either of the above rights:

CWS will no longer be able to provide membership services to you
Your membership or mailing list participation will terminate.
You will not be able to get any pro-forma adjustment to your Membership subscription.

5. You may at any time and at no cost, request and receive your personal data in electronic format, within 7 working days.