What is a club constitution for?

A constitution is the governing document that sets out how a club runs — its purpose, who can join, who leads it, how decisions are made, and how money is handled. Banks, grant funders, and venues often require one before they will deal with a club.

A quorum is the minimum number of members who must be present for a meeting's decisions to be valid. Setting it too high can stall the club; too low lets a tiny group bind everyone. A third of the membership is a common starting point.

Why include a dissolution clause?

A dissolution clause says what happens to the club's assets if it closes. For non-profit clubs it usually directs any surplus to a similar organisation rather than to members, which keeps the club genuinely not-for-profit and is often required for grants.

How are amendments handled?

The template requires a two-thirds majority at a general meeting, with the proposed change set out in the notice. This protects the constitution from being changed casually while still allowing the membership to update it when needed.

Is this the same as nonprofit bylaws?

They overlap, but a constitution is the broader founding document for clubs and societies, while bylaws are the more detailed operating rules of an incorporated nonprofit. For a registered charity or company, use the nonprofit bylaws builder as well.

Club / Organization Constitution Builder

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Every club, society, or association needs a constitution — the rulebook that says what it is for, who can join, who runs it, and how decisions get made. This builder assembles a complete, conventionally structured constitution you can adapt and adopt at your founding meeting.

How it works

The generator produces a constitution organised into the standard articles: name, purpose, membership, officers, meetings, voting and quorum, finance, amendments, and dissolution. Your inputs flow into the relevant articles — the purpose and eligibility you write, the meeting frequency you choose, and the quorum and financial year you set all appear in the right place, with the rest written to sensible non-profit defaults.

Two safeguards are built in by convention: amendments require a two-thirds majority with prior notice, and the dissolution clause directs surplus assets to a similar organisation rather than to members — the hallmark of a genuine non-profit.

Tips and notes

Keep the purpose broad enough to cover future activities but specific enough that members know what they are joining; an over-narrow purpose forces constant amendments.
Set a realistic quorum. A club of 200 with a 50 percent quorum will rarely reach one; a fraction like a third is usually workable.
Adopt the constitution formally at a general meeting and record the date. This is a starting template, not legal advice — registered charities and companies have extra legal requirements to layer on top.