Statutes of the General Anthroposophical Society

1. Under the name ‘Allgemeine Anthroposophische Gesellschaft’ is to be found an association in accordance with Article 60ff. of the Swiss Civil Code, with its headquarters in Dornach, Switzerland. This association (hereinafter called the Society) has been listed in the Business Register according to Article 61 of the Swiss Civil Code.

2. The Society pursues its tasks and goals according to the Founding Statutes proposed to it by Rudolf Steiner and unanimously accepted by the members at the Foundation Meeting on 28 December 1923. Corresponding to these Founding Statutes, it is the task of the Society to cultivate artistic, scientific and educational pursuits in accordance with the Goetheanum as School of Spiritual Science.

3. The General Anthroposophical Society is the legal entity of the School of Spiritual Science in accordance with Articles 5, 7 and 9 of the Founding Statutes. The Goetheanum Leadership designated in the Founding Statutes includes the members of the Vorstand as well as the leaders of the individual Sections of the School of Spiritual Science, who regulate their own forms of working.

4. Membership is granted by the Vorstand on the basis of a written application. One becomes a member at the moment a member of the Vorstand of the General Anthroposophical Society has signed the membership card.
Members may join together in groups on anybasis of locality or subject, and these groups shall designate their own officers. The Vorstand enters into communication with them in order to convey from the Goetheanum what the Vorstand considers to be the task of the society.
The use by the groups of the name ‘Anthroposophical Society’, whether alone or in combination with other expressions presupposes the agreement of the Vorstand at the Goetheanum.

5. The resignation of a member takes place by means of a written declaration submitted to the Vorstand. A member may be excluded from the society by resolution of the Vorstand without stating the reason.

6. The ‘General Anthroposophical Society’ has as its organs:
a) the General Meeting,
b) the Vorstand (Executive Council)
c) the auditing firm.

7. The Society convenes a regular General Meeting at the Goetheanum within six months of the close of each fiscal year. The date is announced by the Vorstand in January. The agenda set by the Vorstand for this meeting, together with the invitation to it, is given to all members six weeks before the date of the meeting, either through the official organ of the Society or by other means.
Extraordinary General Meetings will be called by the Vorstand either on its own motion or at the request of a fifth of the members. The agenda and invitation to an extraordinary General Meeting will be announced three weeks in advance.
Motions proposed by individual members or groups of members for consideration by the regular General Meeting must reach the Vorstand at least eight weeks in advance. Motions pertaining to the announced agenda of the General Meeting are to arrive at least one week before the beginning of the Meeting.

8. All matters lying within the sphere of members’rights (e.g. changes in the Statutes, endorsement of the appointment of the President or other Vorstand members, setting of membership dues, acceptance of the balance sheet), are to be determined by the General Meeting.
Requests that concern the spiritual goals and tasks of the Society shall be handled in free discussion only. A vote on such matters is not taken.
The Annual General Meeting is presided over by a member of the Vorstand of the Society or by a chairman designated by the Vorstand.
The decisions of the General Meeting are recorded in minutes, which are published in the official organ of the Society.

9. In the regular General Meeting the Vorstand reports on the work and presents the balance sheet for the preceding year. The findings of the auditing firm are to be communicated to the General Meeting.

10. The Vorstand represents the Society before the public. The signature of two members of the Vorstand on behalf of the Society is legally binding. The Vorstand can appoint persons authorized to act and sign on behalf of the Society.

11. The General Meeting chooses an auditing firm to examine the books and cash accounts.

12. The Society is led by an initiative council, consisting of a minimum of three members. The nomination of the Chair and the additional members of the Executive Council follow proposals made by the Executive Council in agreement with the General Meeting for a period of seven years. Extensions for further seven years are possible by affirmation. The assignment of duties within the Executive Council and its manner of conducting business are to be regulated by the Executive Council itself.

13. The Society derives its income from membership dues, gifts, legacies, entrance fees, income from assets and the like, and also from receipts of the weekly ‘Das Goetheanum’. Membership dues are determined by resolution of the General Meeting.

14. The official organ of the Society is the weekly publication ‘Das Goetheanum’, which for this purposeis provided with a supplement containing the official communications of the Society.

15. Liability for the obligations of the Society rests only with the Society’s assets. Members have no personal liability. Members who have resigned or who have been excluded lose all claim to the assets of the Society.

16. In the event of the Society’s dissolution, the General Meeting shall determine the use of the assets and the method of liquidation. The assets shall be put to use in harmony with the tasks of the Society.

17. The Statutes were approved and put into effect by the General Meeting held on the 8 April 1979. They replace those of 17 April 1965 and 23 March 1975.

The Executive Council of the General Anthroposophical Society.

—

* The membership fee was set by resolution of the General Assembly at Easter 1990 at CHF 125 per calendar year for members affiliated to national societies, branches or groups. Individual members who are directly affiliated with Dornach the membership fee is CHF 300 per calendar year.

—

Comments

These statutes are based on those registered in 1913 in the Commercial Registeras “Verein des Goetheanum der Freien Hochschulefür Geisteswissenschaft”, in short “Goetheanum Bauverein”. The Bauverein was renamed on February 8, 1925 as the “General Anthroposophical Society”. After a number of changes to the statutes over the decades, the General Assembly of 12 April 2014 linked this statute with the unchanged founding statute of the Christmas Conference of December 28, 1923 (see Articles 2 and 3). As well as those in Article 17, further amendments were made by the General Meetings on 23 March 2002 to Articles 4, 8 and 10, on 15 March 2008 to Articles 6, 9 and 11 and on 16 April 2011 to Article 12. Finally, the most recent changes on April 12, 2014 were made to Articles 2, 3 and 13.