5. Prepare the Constitution and By-laws

Once the major decisions about goals and basic structure have been taken, the next step is to prepare the group’s constitution and by-laws. The IFUW Membership Committee must approve these before affiliation to IFUW will be granted.

IFUW provides a model to assist new groups in drafting a constitution. The model includes the key elements that must be present in all national constitutions. It is possible for groups to include additional provisions, provided they do not conflict with IFUW’s principles.

It is strongly recommended that new associations send a draft of their constitution to IFUW headquarters for comment before submitting the document for formal ratification by members. This avoids having to call a special meeting later to amend the constitution, should the IFUW Membership Committee find any problems.