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1.
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What are the guidelines for drawing up a Constitution of a society?
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. Societies may draft their own constitution or choose to use or modify ROS' Guide Constitution.
. Basically, a society's constitution should have rules to cover:
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Clause
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Purpose
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1.
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Name
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Spells out the official name of the society.
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2.
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Place of Business
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Spells out the place of business of the society.
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3.
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Objects
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Spells out the main aims or objects in order of priority for which the society is formed, or which it may pursue, or for which its funds or any of them may be used.
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4.
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Statement of Faith(compulsory for Christian religious groups)
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Spells out the religious beliefs of the society.
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5.
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Membership Qualification and Rights
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Spells out the society's membership criteria e.g.
. The characteristics of person qualified to become a member and the class of membership, if any
. Whether membership is restricted by sex, age, interest, experience, academic performance, etc
. Voting rights of members and their rights to hold office
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6.
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Application for Membership
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Spells out the procedure of applying for membership, the method of conferment of membership.
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7.
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Entrance Fees, Subscription and Other Dues
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Specifies the sources from which the society shall derive its income, including the rates and method of payment of such entrance fees and periodical subscriptions as may be decided upon.
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8.
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Supreme Authority and General
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Meetings Provides that the supreme authority over the society lies with the General Meeting of members and the quorum required for the transaction of business at any General Meeting of the society.
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9.
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Management and Committee
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Lists the titles of the office-bearers and the method of appointment of the committee or governing body entrusted with the day-to-day administration of the society.
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10.
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Duties of Office-Bearers
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Specifies the functions, powers and responsibilities of each office-bearer including the authority or authorities for expenditure from the funds of the society.
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11.
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Audit and Financial Year
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Specifies the election/appointment of auditors and the keeping of accounts of the income and expenditure of the society and the publication of such accounts to its members annually.
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12.
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Trustees
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Applicable to societies with or likely to have immovable properties.
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13.
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Visitors and Guests
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Imposes limitation as to the number of guests a member may bring in and the number of visits a guest can make within a specified timeframe.
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14.
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Prohibitions
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Spells out the activities the society must not engage in. The prohibition clauses listed from 13.1 to 13.7 in ROS' Guide Constitution are compulsory.
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15.
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Amendments to Constitution
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Spells out the manner by which the constitution or rules of the society may be amended.
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16.
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Interpretation
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Spells out the power of the Committee in dealing with any matter pertaining to the day-to-day administration of the society which is not expressly provided for in the Rules and the authority of the General Meeting to reverse the decision of the Committee under such circumstances.
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17.
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Disputes
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Spells out the manner by which disputes should be handled by members of the society.
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18.
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Dissolution
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Spells out the rules for the voluntary dissolution of the society and the manner by which the assets of the society is to be disposed upon dissolution.
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2.
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Does our society need to register with the Registry of Societies (ROS)?
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NO, if you are any of the following:
(a) Any company registered under any written law relating to companies for the time being in force in Singapore.
(b) Any company or association constituted under any written law.
(c) Any trade union registered or required to be registered under any written law relating to trade unions for the time being in Singapore.
(d) Any co-operative society registered as such under any written law.
(e) Any mutual benefit organizations registered as such under any written law relating to mutual benefit organizations for the time being in force in Singapore.
(f) Any company, association or partnership, consisting of not more than 20 persons formed for the sole purpose of carrying on any lawful business that has for its object the acquisition of gain by the company, association or partnership, or the individual members thereof.
(g) Any class, society or association of foreign insurers carrying on insurance business in Singapore under any foreign insurer scheme established under Part IIA of the Insurance Act (Cap. 142).
(h) Any school or management committee of a school constituted under any law regulating schools for the time being in force in Singapore.
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3.
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Should all Committee Members be Singaporeans?
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For the categories of societies listed below, the majority of the Committee Members must be Singapore Citizens. In addition, the President, Secretary, Treasurer and their deputies shall be Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents. Foreign Diplomats shall not serve as Committee Members.
a) Religious societies
b) Societies which identify themselves publicly as or whose membership is confined exclusively to members of a single race
c) Any society whose object, purpose or activity, whether primary or otherwise, is to represent; promote any cause or interest of; or discuss any issue relating to a class of persons defined by reference to their gender or sexual orientation
d) Any society whose object, purpose or activity, whether primary or otherwise, is to represent persons who advocate; promote; or discuss any issue relating to any civil or political right (including human rights, environmental rights and animal rights)
e) Any society whose object, purpose or activity, whether primary or otherwise, is to promote or discuss the use or status of any language.
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4.
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What are the obligations under the Societies Act that a registered society has to observe?
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Registered societies are generally self-governing. In carrying out their activities, societies not only have to abide by the rules of their own respective constitutions, but also the prevailing laws in Singapore.
Under the Societies Act, registered societies are required to:
a) Maintain proper accounts and records of the transactions and affairs of the society and get its accounts audited annually;
b) Submit an Annual Return and its audited statement of accounts to the ROS annually;
c) Submit to the ROS an audited statement of accounts of any fund raising appeal 60 days after its completion;
d) Apply to change its name, place of business and rules; and
e) Apply to use any flag, symbol, emblem, badge or other insignia.
* The above submissions / applications can be sent to ROS via the ROSES.
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5.
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What are the guidelines for Names of a society?
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The society's proposed name should not be the same or similar to that of another entity that is already registered. To check, you may refer to the Unique Entity Number (UEN) website http://www.uen.gov.sg. Below are some examples of similar names that ROS may not allow:
Hope Friendship Centre vs Hope Friendship Services
Outdoor Trekkers Club vs Outdoor Trekking Club
Revival Faith Fellowship vs Revival Centre Fellowship
.The name of the society must be spelt out in full. Acronyms/abbreviations are not encouraged.
. Please provide a letter of support from the relevant authorities if you are using any of the following words as part of the name of the proposed society.
"Academy"
"Asean"
"College" (with exception of an alumni)
"Council"
"Government"
"Institute" (with exception of an alumni)
"Lion City"
"Merlion"
"Ministry"
"National"
"Raffles"
"Republic"
"Registry"
"State"
"Stamford Raffles"
"Temasek"
. The word "Singapore" or its abbreviation is allowed to be used within brackets at the end of the society's name, eg. ABC Society (Singapore) to indicate the society's place of registration.
. The word "The" shall not be used as the first word in the name of the society, eg. The ABC Society. You can name the society as "ABC Society, The" instead.
. A society will only be allowed to use the word "Foundation" in its name if it is an institution or association with a permanent fund dedicated to charitable, educational, religious, research or other benevolent purpose, and the society is financed by a donation or legacy to aid the society's intended charitable purposes or an endowment for such society.
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| Last updated on 15 June, 2009
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