Our organisation

The Association is administered by a General Assembly, Board, Bureau and Project and Communication Groups.

General Assembly

The General Assembly is made up of fully paid-up members of the Association.

The General Assembly is responsible for all decisions which commit the Association in the long term.  It is convened annually as a regular meeting in order to elect Board members, approve the annual report and accounts, which may be checked by an auditor, give discharge to the Board for its management of the previous year.

Its reports are published in the documentation section of this website.  Important decisions (for example modification of the statutes, approval of selection criteria, approval of the Internal Regulation) may also be adopted during extraordinary General Assembly meetings.

Board

The Board is made up of 10 full members elected by the General Assembly from amongst its members.  It meets once a month to take operation decisions relating to the Association’s activities.  It reports on its management of the previous year to the regular meeting of the General Assembly.

The Board examines, in particular, proposals for funding of projects to combat poverty submitted by the Project Group and decides on whether to fund them, by how much and any possible conditions.

In parallel, it considers communication-awareness policy guidelines within the Institutions submitted by the Communication-Awareness Group.  

In the interest of openness, meetings of the Board are open to any member wishing to take part and to speak (without, however, voting).  Within the Board, the Bureau is made up of the President, Vice-presidents, Treasurer and Secretary.  It prepares Board meetings and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Association.

Project Group

The Project Group meets regularly.  All members may volunteer to examine financing requests received by the Association’s secretariat.

If a project meets GIVE EUR-HOPE’s criteria, one of the Group’s participants undertakes a thorough examination of it, checking the applicant’s references and contacting any organisations which might be cofinancing the  project.  The examination of a project offers a special opportunity to develop a real partnership and often a long-term relationship with the group or association which has submitted the proposal.

If a project is accepted, following a discussion in the Projects Group,  the Group proposes that the Board should support it.

The Projects Group is responsible for the follow-up of the projects receiving the Association’s financial support and ensures an enduring link with the associations concerned.

Communication Group

This Group supports the Board in its awareness-raising efforts amongst EU staff with regard to poverty and social exclusion in member countries.

It also promotes the Association’s visibility within the Institutions.

The Communication Group is responsible, in particular, for the organisation of fund-raising events and aims to improve GIVE EUR-HOPE’s visibility amongst the staff of the European Institutions.  This Group is open to all and meets at least once a month.