AAAC Special General Meeting

Dear Aberdeen Amateur Athletic Club member,

The Aberdeen Amateur Athletic Club committee proposes to incorporate the club as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO).

To allow the AAAC membership to vote on this proposal, a special general meeting will be held in the Aberdeen Sports Village Seminar Room at 7:00 PM on Friday the 13^th of March. All current AAAC members aged 14 years and older are eligible to vote and encouraged to attend this meeting.

Members will vote on moving forward with the following procedure:

Apply to OSCR to become a SCIO and adopt the proposed constitution;
On award of SCIO status, transfer the assets, business, and liabilities from the unincorporated association with CASC status to the SCIO;
On completion of the above, wind up the unincorporated association with CASC status.

Background:
The committee has concluded that the club would benefit from a transition to a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO). As a SCIO, the club would have further tax advantages and the personal liability would be minimal to nil. The club could potentially own property, sign contracts, and run a payroll. SCIOs also have more potential for fundraising through Gift Aid and corporate donations, and access to more and bigger grants.

There appears to be somewhat of a trend among athletics clubs and other sports clubs becoming SCIOs. While AAAC should not just follow the crowd, AAAC has a tradition of being progressive and a leader among athletics clubs. There may be no current or urgent reason for AAAC to change, but doing so could create opportunities for the future. Despite being over 60 years old, being a SCIO might also improve the club’s sustainability.

The process:
To be clear, Aberdeen Amateur Athletic Club will continue to exist, and club activities will continue essentially unchanged. What is being proposed is simply a change to the club’s legal status, much like a few years ago when the club became a CASC.

The club will wind up as a CASC, then relaunch as a SCIO along with a new constitution that will adhere to regulations required of a SCIO. Most of this work will be administrative and behind the scenes. Upon completion, AAAC will benefit from enhanced legal protection and greater potential for fundraising.

Prior to the special general meeting, members are encouraged to review the details regarding the transition, specifically the proposed constitution (here) and the annotated comparison of the current and proposed constitutions (here), as well as general details regarding SCIOs at the links below. Please direct any questions or concerns to your club manager or committee as soon as possible so most can be addressed prior to the meeting.

https://www.oscr.org.uk/news/video-scio-faqs
https://www.oscr.org.uk/managing-a-charity/faqs/
https://www.oscr.org.uk/media/3113/cscios_a_guide.pdf
http://www.cascinfo.co.uk/cascvcharity/

With thanks on behalf of the AAAC committee,

Mark Davidson, President