Rules of Procedure

Goals and Philosophy

The International Club of Bordeaux (ICB) is a social association seeking to cultivate and promote friendships between English-speaking women and men of all ages and nationalities and their families in the Bordeaux region.

We seek to celebrate our international heritages, embrace our differences and engage in and share common interests, while offering friendship and support to each other, as well as to newcomers to the Bordeaux region.

English is the official language of the ICB.

Membership

All prospective members must comply with the following requirements:

(a) All applicants must submit a completed membership application along with payment of dues for the current year.

(b) Applicants must be fluent in English

(1) for an Individual Membership, the applicant must be fluent;

(2) for a Couple’s Membership, at least one partner must be fluent.

Prior to submitting a membership application, all prospective new members are encouraged to attend up to two different ICB-sponsored activities/events to discover what the ICB represents.

Participation in more than two activities/events then requires ICB membership status.

The ICB Management Committee is responsible for accepting or denying all applications for membership. In the case of a refusal, the payment of dues submitted with the application will be returned to the applicant in 10 days or less.

Membership Dues 2020

(a) An Individual membership is 35 Euros per calendar year;

(b) A Couple membership is 50 Euros per calendar year;

Children and grandchildren of members, less than 18 years of age, are welcome to participate in the children’s activities organised for them.

Yearly renewal dues must be paid each year by January 15 at the latest for the coming year.

Revocation of Membership

Membership in the ICB is lost when:

A member resigns, or in the case of death;
A member fails to pay dues;
The ICB Management Committee refuses renewal of or revokes membership for “cause”, the member having first been called upon to furnish an explanation for his/her behavior.

“Cause” includes, but is not limited to the following:

failing to abide by the Statutes and Rules of Procedure of the ICB;
failing to respect the spirit of conviviality and the fundamental nature of the ICB;
causing or attempting to cause internal discord within the ICB;
using or attempting to use the ICB for improper commercial, religious or political purposes; and/or for direct or indirect personal gain.

The refusal of renewal or revocation of membership for “cause” implicating one member of a couple will result in loss of membership for both members of the couple.

General Assembly

A General Assembly is convened at least once every year.

The financial year of the ICB runs from 1st December to 30th November of the following year.

All members in good standing are invited to participate in the General Assembly of the ICB pursuant to a convocation and agenda sent by ICB Management Committee via e-mail communication no less than fifteen (15) days prior to the meeting.

In the week preceding the General Assembly, all ICB members will receive the Financial and Activities Reports for the current year, as well as the names of those Activity Leader members presenting themselves for the coming year’s Management Committee, via e-mail communication.

During the General Assembly meeting, the ICB members present will be asked to approve the Financial Report and the composition of the new Management Committee by a show of hands.

Any eventual vote or consultation will be held in advance of the meeting using digital tools so as to include all ICB members, even those unable to attend the General Assembly.

Administration

The ICB is administrated by a collegial Management Committee made up of ICB Activity Leader members. The committee is approved by the General Assembly each year.

Each member of the committee holds one or more specific roles in any given year.

Once approved as a whole, the individual committee members then decide among themselves upon the delegation of the following tasks:

Principal coordination
Secretariat
Treasury
Membership coordination
Communications
Activities coordination
Event coordination

Activities

The ICB is a social organization, based upon friendships and families. In order to protect this spirit, as well as the privacy of our members and guests, commercial solicitation of any kind is strictly prohibited during ICB activities and events, through our social medias and via the use of our listings.

Any ICB member or non-member child must be accompanied and supervised at all times by at least one parent or grandparent at ICB activities and events. As the ICB takes no responsibility for unsupervised children, failure to properly supervise them may result in exclusion from the event. This is for the safety of all children in attendance.

Financial Responsibilities

For certain activities, minimal fees will be charged by the activity coordinators to cover costs. These fees are always announced in advance in the ICB Grapevine newsletter.

Most ICB activities require a reservation. In the unfortunate event that a member has reserved and cannot attend an event or activity, he/she should cancel with the activity leader at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance. If not, the member may be held responsible for reimbursing the ICB for late notice or a “no-show” if the activity in question has a cost that is non-negotiable.

Confidentiality

The privacy of ICB members is of utmost importance to the association.

Use of the ICB Directory, website, social media pages, newsletter and any other ICB publication is reserved for ICB members only and is not to be shared outside of the club. The use of ICB publications for personal or commercial purposes is strictly forbidden.

No reproduction in whole or in part.