42nd IDS AGM 2024

The AGM will be a hybrid event the same as last year. What does that mean? It means that the meeting will be both face-to-face in the hotel and on Zoom.

Only members who renew their membership this year in 2024 will be allowed to attend the meeting, in person or on Zoom. We will share a recording of the AGM after the meeting on our social media for non-members and observers.

2024 members will receive the board papers in advance of the AGM and will be able to vote. Hearing “associate members” do not have voting rights but will of course be welcome to the meeting.
Our board director Aidan McArdle will resign from the board at the AGM and this will mean there will be 2 vacancies on the board of directors.

We welcome any nominations for board director positions to represent different sections of the community. This year we are especially looking for suitably qualified Director to act as Treasurer. The meetings are on Zoom and we welcome nominations of board directors from anywhere in Ireland. New directors will be supported and trained with a mentor. If you are interested please contact us and we can discuss it with you.

We will send the AGM meeting agenda, minutes from last year and the 2023 Annual Report to members by email on 17th May, that is 21 days before the AGM allowing one day for sending. Members who do not have an email address will receive the papers in the post. If you are joining or renewing your membership after 17th May we will send you AGM papers within 5 days of you renewal.

Please pay special attention to the deadlines for extended notice motions, special motions, ordinary motions and nominations of directors. See the content about the different types of motions on the website page which will be available on the IDS website.

The deadlines this year are:

• 10th May for extended notice motions (for example to remove an auditor or director)
• 15th May for special motions (for example changes to the constitution)
• 30th May for ordinary resolutions (for example about the Annual Report, Audited Financial Accounts or the appointment of the auditor)
• 6th June for notification of proxy voting

Please put the date of the AGM in your calendar and we look forward to seeing you there, in person or online – Saturday 8th June 14:00 and we will have a social event afterwards!

There are 4 types of motions you can send for the AGM:

• Director Nomination: The deadline for IDS to receive a “nomination of a director” is 3 days before the AGM and not earlier than 21 days before the AGM. However we ask you to send us nominations as early as you can so that we have time to share information about the nominated person with members before the AGM.
• Ordinary Motion: The deadline for IDS to receive an “ordinary motion” is 7 days before the AGM. We ask you to send these to us as early as you can and not wait until the deadline. Ordinary motions must be relevant to the business of the AGM – that means related to the Annual Report, Audited Financial Accounts or the appointment of the auditor. If your proposed motion or nomination is not suitable for the AGM we will contact you with an explanation.
• Special Motion: The deadline for a “special motion” is 21 days before the AGM. A special resolution is a proposal to change the constitution or organisation name. Don’t forget that our Constitution is available on our website in ISL and English: https://www.irishdeafsociety.ie/about/ids-constitution-2021/
• Extended Deadline Motion: The deadline for an “extended deadline motion” is 28 days before the AGM. An extended deadline motion” is to remove an auditor or a director, must be received by IDS 28 days before the AGM to give the auditor or director a chance to respond to members.You might have heard the word resolution also used to describe motions, they basically mean the same thing. A motion is the same as a proposal, after it is agreed it is called a resolution.

To send us any of these motions you can use the form that can be downloaded from our website. Or you can email membership@irishdeafsociety.ie or ISL/text 086 380 7033 and we will send a form to you.

If you have a general suggestion about how IDS is managed, feedback or a complaint please email it to feedback@irishdeafsociety.ie, text 086 4401443 or phone 01 860 1878.

The person does not need to be an IDS member, but if you want to appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf this proxy form must be received by IDS no later than 48 hours before the AGM.

You will need to send a proxy form to IDS and that will be available closer to the AGM date. The form will contain a list of all the motions for the meeting and it is best if you tell your proxy how you would like them to vote on all the motions.

When the proxy form is available to download we will let you know.

If you need any support in relation to the AGM contact our advocacy Department at advocacy@irishdeafsociety.ie or text 086 4401443 or phone 01 860 1878.