• 1 Name, seat, registration, fiscal year

1. The association bears the name Transnational Community Federation;
2. It has the seat in Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany;
3. It shall be entered in the register of associations;
4. The business year is the calendar year (January-December).

• 2 Purpose of the Association

1. The association shall exclusively and directly pursue charitable purposes within the meaning of the section “Tax-privileged purposes” of the German Fiscal Code (§§ 51 ff.) as amended. The purposes of the association are transnationally directed to the:
   1. general promotion of the democratic state;
   2. protection and support for refugees, asylum seekers and individuals in the process of asking for asylum, protection and support for people who are discriminated against on the basis of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
   3. promotion of education, popular education and vocational training including student aid;
   4. promotion of international solidarity, diversity, tolerance in all fields of culture and the idea of international understanding;
   5. promotion of environmental and species protection, and climate change mitigation.

1. The guide of this association for reaching these aims are children’s rights, fundamental human rights and freedoms, animal rights and environmental rights. We are guided among other principles by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights instruments. 

The aim of the association is to promote education, democratic structures and participation of citizens in political and community decision-making processes. It is about education, co-determination and participation of individuals from childhood on, as well as a new definition of citizen, a transnational citizen who is guided by more than just national structures.

The aforementioned aims shall be pursued through:

1. Creating self-reflective and pluralistic political, civil, social, cultural, and economic discussion and educational spaces. The association seeks to create an opportunity for discussion and exchange in which solutions can be found collectively. Possibilities through new technologies will also be used. 

1. Developing and supporting projects within the field of civic tech and their application for advancing democratic societies and raising awareness about Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

1. Offering free online procedural/legal advice/counseling as well as professional mental health counseling to LGBTIQ+ asylum seekers 

The term transnational expresses the need to also act below and beyond the national level, which can involve both actions at the local and regional levels as well as efforts linking communities across the globe. We do not seek to replace nation states and rather seek to create additional opportunities to build networks and thus advance the capacity to think and act both locally and globally.

• 3 Selflessness

1. The association shall act selflessly; it shall not primarily pursue economic gains without using such to advance the above-stated purposes.

1. The association’s funds may only be used for purposes in accordance with the articles of the association. In their capacity as members, the members shall not receive any personal benefits from the association’s funds.

1. Members may not receive any shares of the association’s assets upon their resignation or upon dissolution or annulment of the association.

1. No person may be favored by expenses that are alien to the purpose of the association or by disproportionately high remuneration.

• 4 Membership

1. Any natural (and legal) person who supports the association’s goals may become a member of the association.
2. The general meeting decides on the application for admission to the association.
3. Membership ends by resignation, exclusion or death.
4. The resignation of a member is possible at the end of each month. It shall be effected by written declaration to the board, observing a period of notice of one month.
5. Proposals for amendments to the statutes of the member groups shall be submitted to this association for review prior to their ratification.
6. If a member has seriously violated the goals and interests of the association, the member can be excluded by the general meeting with immediate effect. The member must be given the opportunity to state their case for non-exclusion or comment before the decision is made.

An appeal against the exclusion decision can be lodged within a period of one month after the notification of the exclusion, on which the next general meeting will decide.

• 5 Contributions

• Members shall pay dues in accordance with a resolution of the general meeting. A simple majority of the voting members present at the general meeting is required to determine the amount and due date of contributions.

• 6 Organs of the Association

• the board of directors;
• the general meeting;
• projects.

All members have equal voting rights and there is no hierarchy in the association, aside from that inherent in board decision-making and the designated responsibilities of specific paid or unpaid persons who have been delegated responsibilities by a vote of the association.

• 7 The Board

• The executive committee consists of at least two members. It represents the association judicially and extrajudicially. Each two members of the board are authorized to represent the association jointly.
• The board is elected by the general meeting for a period of one year. The re-election of board members is possible.
•  The respective incumbent members of the board shall remain in office after the expiry of their term of office until successors have been elected.
• The board is responsible for managing the day-to-day business of the association.
• Board meetings shall be held at least four times a year in presence or online. Invitations to board meetings are sent by e-mail or through a closed group in the app or other secure channels.
• The board can pass resolutions independently for decisions involving the expenditure of less than 200 Euro. Apart from that the board may not pass resolutions independently. For other resolutions a general meeting must be convened. 

• 8 General Meeting

• The general meeting is to be convened once a year and can be held in presence or online. 
• An extraordinary general meeting of members shall be convened if the interests of the association require it or if three of the association’s members request the convening in writing, stating the purpose and the reasons.
• The ordinary general meeting shall be convened by the board of the association as required, but at least once in the fiscal year, if possible in the first half of the fiscal year. The invitation shall be sent 14 days in advance by e-mail (or through the app or secure channels) by the board with notification of the provisionally set agenda to the member address last known to the association. Members who do not have an e-mail (or the app or are connected to the secure channels) address shall be invited by letter. 
• The general meeting, as the highest decision-making body of the association, is basically responsible for all tasks, unless certain tasks have been assigned to another body of the association in accordance with these articles of association. In particular, the annual financial statement and the annual report must be submitted to the general meeting in writing for a resolution on the approval and discharge of the board. It appoints two auditors, who may not be members of the board or of a body appointed by the board and who may not be employees of the association, to audit the accounts, including the annual financial statements, and to report on the results to the general meeting.

The general meeting also makes decisions, for example, on:

1. a) exemptions from fees,
2. b) tasks of the association,
3. c) purchase, sale and encumbrance of real estate,
4. d) participation in companies,
5. e) taking out loans,
6. f) approval of all rules of procedure for the association,
7. g) membership fees,
8. h) amendments to the articles of association,
9. i) dissolution of the association.

• Every general meeting convened in accordance with the statutes shall be recognized as having a quorum without regard to the number of members of the association present. Each member has one vote.
• The general meeting passes its resolutions with a simple majority. In the event of a tie, a motion shall be deemed rejected.

• 9 Projects

• The board can delegate responsibilities or accept project proposals that are in line with the goals of the association. All members shall be notified of such developments.
• Projects can have certain types of hierarchical design. For example a person contracted to research has the authority to design their research in a final form as they choose after being granted the autonomy to undertake a research project. 
• Managers of all projects shall report about their activities to the board according to the individual arrangements previously made. If a project’s activities fall short of the arrangements, members in a general meeting can vote to discontinue the project. The person(s) responsible for the project must be given the opportunity to state their case for non-exclusion or comment before the decision is made.

• 10 Reimbursement of expenses

• Members—insofar as they have been commissioned by the board—and members of the board are entitled to reimbursement of expenses incurred in the course of their work for the association. These include, in particular, travel expenses, lodging costs for trips agreed to, additional subsistence expenses, postage and communication costs.
• Evidence shall be provided through appropriate individual receipts and shall be claimed no later than 6 weeks after the end of the respective quarter.
• Insofar as tax lump sums and tax-free maximum limits exist for the reimbursement of expenses, reimbursement shall only be made in this amount.

• 11 Amendments to the Articles of Association

• A Majority of the entire members of the association present is required for amendments to the articles of association. In case after two calls for convention more than half of the members fail to be present, a relative majority is enough for making such amendments.  
• Amendments to §2 require the consent of all members of the association. In case after two calls for convention not all the members are present, vote of all the members present is necessary for making such amendment. Amendments to the statutes can only be voted on in the general meeting if this agenda item was already referred to in the invitation to the general meeting and both the previous and the proposed new text of the statutes were enclosed with the invitation.
• Amendments to the articles of the association required by supervisory, judicial or financial authorities for formal reasons may be made by the board on its own initiative. These amendments to the articles of association must be communicated in writing to all members of the association as soon as possible.

• 12 Certification of resolutions

• The resolutions passed at board meetings and general meetings must be recorded in writing and signed by the board.

• 13 Dissolution of the Association and Commitment of Assets

• The consent of all the members is required for the resolution to dissolve the association. The resolution can only be passed after a timely announcement in the invitation to the general meeting.
• In case of dissolution or abolition of the association or in case of discontinuation of tax-privileged purposes, the assets of the association shall be transferred in equal shares to the following associations, which shall use them directly and exclusively for charitable purposes:

• Ärzte ohne Grenzen e. V. 
• Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland e.V. (BUND)
• Kinderhilfe für Siebenbürgen e.V.