A constitution is a basic set of rules for the daily running of your club or group. It details for your members and others the name, objects, methods of management and other conditions under which your club or group operates, and generally the reasons for its existence. It also regulates the relationship between members by setting out the basis for working with other co-members. A constitution can be extremely simple, containing only the basic outline to explain who you are, what you are set up for and important management matters. The extent to which you add detail in the rules depends on the needs or formality at the time of setting up the group, and on your group’s thoughts about the projected needs of the group as it grows.

A constitution can be made up of two parts; the rules which include the basic principles of the group and can be changed only by a general meeting; and the regulations or by-laws which can be changed by the committee. You can place almost anything within a constitution. However, many aspects of your club’s operation are more easily handled outside the formality of the rules. For instance, you would not include the membership charges or club colors in the rules. The rules in your constitution should relate to the administration of the club. They should not relate to the conduct of the activities of the club. Additional non -administrative rules should appear in regulations and by-laws. A clause in the rules empowering the committee to make, alter or delete regulations or by-laws should appear in the constitution. This will be covered in more detail later. Let us now look at a ‘Draft Constitution’.