Freegle Wiki - User contributions [en-gb]

Reporting Problems

2025-04-15T12:30:23Z

Edwh: Created page with "When reporting problems, it saves a lot of time if you '''always''' include the following information (even if you don't see why it might be necessary). * The userid of the affected user. * Whether they are using the app or a browser. * If the app, whether they are on IOS or Android, and the app version number. * If a browser, which browser, which version of the browser, and which operating system"

When reporting problems, it saves a lot of time if you '''always''' include the following information (even if you don't see why it might be necessary).
* The userid of the affected user.
* Whether they are using the app or a browser.
* If the app, whether they are on IOS or Android, and the app version number.
* If a browser, which browser, which version of the browser, and which operating system

Insurance

2025-02-14T10:49:22Z

Edwh:

'''As of July 2024, Freegle does not have general PLI. If you have a specific requirement, please email board@ilovefreegle.org to discuss it.'''

===Events===

When you hold an event to promote your Freegle community, we may be able to offer you some event insurance (decided on a case by case basis).

On an average day of running an online community, there is minimal risk of an insurance claim by or against you. The risks are increased when you run an event or deal with things face to face.

You need to email board@ilovefreegle.org, giving at least seven days' notice of your event so that there is time to complete the process. However, sooner than that would be preferrable. 

The basic procedure for a community/volunteer is: 

* If you want cover for an event, email board@ilovefreegle.org to say so.
* Please complete an information form [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHBvRl9oemlMTGNyUTJkODViZlo5blE6MQ#gid=0] and risk assessment form [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhDLE82mEn2jdFB5NzBPQ2lNeXk4XzdZT0o1bVlrSFE#gid=1]
* Once the form and assessment are submitted, you will be sent a copy of the insurance policy and cover confirming that xxx event has been noted for the purposes of the policy and encourages use of spreadsheet for organising their event [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aotr19dmAnNddFZOaFN3V21TM2hwS2dhZllocldqekE#gid=0]
* Once the event is over, feedback should be given to board@ilovefreegle.org

If this process is not carried out, the insurance cover for your event will not be guaranteed.

===First Aid===
First aid cover is the responsibility of the volunteers, who, at a minimum, should make sure that people would know where to go in case of an incident and are given access to a phone and a chair.

===Storage of Information===

The information given as part of the procedure for getting cover will be kept and accessed only by the mailbox board@ilovefreegle.org

The Board has the option to appoint a coordinator to help with local insurance. The following remit for that role would then be:

===INSURANCE COORDINATOR REMIT===

* Deal with requests for insurance coverage from volunteers, ensuring all the procedures and paperwork required are completed
* Keep the insurance information on the wiki up to date
* Collate annual statistics so that Freegle has an overview of commitments against the policy in the past year
* Report to the Freegle Board

Back to [[Events]]
[[category:Policies, Procedures, Remits]]

Director Role Description

2024-10-09T13:59:59Z

Edwh: Update Working Practices link.

This document is a Job Description for the role of Director of Freegle Ltd. After being published on Central, there were some clarifications [https://docs.google.com/document/d/10Knq85rtKvATAG6cuJXObGYIspe5nyWgrZDi4jHe_fo/edit]

====Overview====

Responsibilities fall into four broad areas:
*General responsibilities of the role
*Working Practices
*Financial responsibilities
*Legal responsibilities.

There are certain duties specific to Directors, and breaches of Directors’ duties can lead to Directors being sued or prosecuted. This is rare where Directors have acted reasonably and in good faith, but it is very important to be aware of the responsibilities this role carries. This is therefore a formal document, which uses careful language. The ability to deal with such documents (both reading them, and writing them) is itself a requirement for a Director.

There are certain people who are barred from holding the position of Directors, including:

*Previously Disqualified Directors
*Undischarged bankrupts
*The Society's Auditor
*People under 18.

You will be expected to sign a declaration confirming that you are eligible to be a Director.

Directors will be registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), including providing a residential address. While the address may remain confidential, your name and the fact that you are a Director will be a matter of public record.

====General Responsibilities====

You are expected to:

*understand and be committed to the aims and objectives of the organisation
*understand the Rules and other governing documents of the organisation
*reflect the views and work of Members and other volunteers
*take responsibility for strategic planning, and for ensuring policy formulation, goal setting, monitoring and evaluation for the organisation as a whole
*ensure the organisation is effectively run and delivers the services for which it exists, and where there are deficiencies, work to remedy them
*take advice from other sources, including legal and financial advice where this is necessary and where the Board does not have the required expertise
*actively work to ensure a strong Board, by developing skills within the Board and helping to recruit future Board members
*keep actively informed on issues which affect the organisation (for example on volunteering best practice, or government policy on recycling)
*actively promote the organisation externally, for example by representing it at events where practical
*represent the Board within Freegle, to ensure that good relations exist between Freegle volunteers and the Board.

You must act in the interests of the organisation, and not (in your capacity as a Board member) in your own interest or that of any outside organisation. This includes:
*keeping information gained in your capacity as a Director confidential where required
*declaring any conflicts of interest as soon as they are known.

====Working Practices====

You will be expected to follow the [[Board_Role_and_Remit#4._WORKING_PRACTICES|Directors’ Working Practices]]. You must read and understand these before applying for this role.

For example:
*You are expected to attend regular Board Meetings, and to have read all papers presented to that meeting.
*You are expected to follow and contribute to discussion between meetings except where circumstances prevent you from doing so.
*You must work with other Board members, primarily online, to ensure the Board is an effective body. This requires good team-working.
*You are expected to participate in tasks over and above Board Meetings from time to time. This typically involves working with one or two other Directors as a sub-group, for example to investigate a particular area and make a recommendation to the whole Board.

====Financial Responsibilities====

The financial health of the organisation is the legal responsibility of the Directors. You are expected to:

*be able to account for all income, expenditure, investments etc. through participation in relevant financial procedures
*ensure financially stability in order that Freegle has a reasonable expectation of obtaining the funds it requires to continue
*be available to act as a signatory on bank transactions and any applications for funds.

Although there may be Board Members with more financial expertise than you, you are still individually responsible for all of these.

====Legal Responsibilities====

The Directors are responsible for ensuring that the IPS acts in accordance with the law. You are expected to:

*ensure decisions made by the Board are in line with the objectives of the organisation
*as far as practical ensure that the organisation acts in line with its objectives
*ensure that the organisation meets all statutory duties (e.g. health and safety, equal opportunities) and does not break any laws
*ensure that the organisation makes the necessary returns (e.g. to the FCA, HMRC or the Charity Commission)
*ensure that the organisation is appropriately insured
*ensure that volunteers are treated in accordance with any relevant legislation
*ensure that any contracts for services are awarded fairly and in a manner which does not accidentally create a state of employment
*ensure that any staff are recruited in line with employment laws and are properly supervised and monitored in carrying out their duties

As with financial matters, you have an individual responsibility in each of these areas.

====Time Commitment====

This role requires a commitment of at least the following:
*3 hours per month for Board Meetings - 1 hour preparation and 2 hours for the meeting.
*2 hours per month for other Board discussion.
*2 hours per month for specific roles within the Board (e.g. Secretary)

LINKS

*[[Freegle Board]]
*[[Document Approval Policy]]
*[[Glossary]]

[[category:Policies, Procedures, Remits]]
[[category:Freegle Board]]

AGM 2023 Minutes

2024-09-04T21:30:32Z

Edwh: /* 8. Annual Director Resignations and Election 2023 */

__NOTOC__
<center>
==FREEGLE LIMITED==
===Minutes of the ninth Annual General Meeting===
===Held between 8.54am 4th September and 9.58am 8th September 2023===
====Location: Central Group on Discourse online forum https://discourse.ilovefreegle.org/c/central/====
</center>

Edward Hibbert (Board Chair) chaired the meeting. Edward welcomed everyone, Members and Volunteers, to the meeting. 
https://discourse.ilovefreegle.org/t/freegles-2023-agm-is-now-open/6618

=====1. Apologies for Absence=====
Three apologies for absence, from Susan Anderson, Julie Chester and Jools Marley, were received and accepted.

=====2. Quorum Confirmation=====
28 Members attended, so the quorum was met to proceed with the meeting. [[Rules]]

=====3. Minutes of the 2022 AGM=====
https://discourse.ilovefreegle.org/t/agm-2023-agenda-item-3-minutes-of-last-meeting/6620 
[[AGM 2022 Minutes]] 
Approved unanimously by 19 votes. 
https://discourse.ilovefreegle.org/t/agm-2023-poll-results/6650

=====4. Matters Arising from 2022 Minutes=====
https://discourse.ilovefreegle.org/t/agm-2023-agenda-item-4-matters-arising-from-the-minutes/6627 
Edward presented a brief summary of matters arising from the AGM last year.

'''4.1 Balance between national teams and local groups'''

The 2022 AGM discussion had been continued on Development Group (https://discourse.ilovefreegle.org/t/task-128-membership-information) which was still ongoing. Further comments were made at this meeting about GDPR compliance. 
''Action:'' The comments made were agreed to be passed back to the Development Group

'''4.2 Discussion threads at AGMs'''

The 2022 AGM agreed that discussion threads should be made by Announcements and the usual Topic threads on Central Group. During this meeting, it was felt that this wasn’t effective, so it was agreed that in future a separate Discourse group for each AGM should be set up, and then disabled for new topics and replies once the AGM finishes.
''Action:'' The Board will ask Chris Cant, in advance of the meeting, to set up a group for the AGM in 2024.

=====5. Board Annual Report 2023=====
https://discourse.ilovefreegle.org/t/agm-2023-agenda-item-5-board-report/6630 
[[Board Annual Report 2022]]

Edward presented the Board Report which was accepted unanimously by 21 votes. 
https://discourse.ilovefreegle.org/t/agm-2023-poll-results/6650

Thanks were expressed for the comprehensive report and there was some discussion about local promotion opportunities. No action points were raised.

=====6. Finance and Auditors Report 2022=====
[[AGM Finance Report and Audit disapplication 2023]] 
The headline figures for the financial year ending 5th April 2023 were Total Income £151,188, Total Expenditure £90,213, Surplus for year £60,975, giving Reserves of £142,113 (of which £5,042 is restricted for specific expenditure). 
The Finance Report was accepted unanimously by 19 votes. 
https://discourse.ilovefreegle.org/t/agm-2023-poll-results/6650

=====7. Audit request from the Board of Freegle=====
The Board asked the AGM to approve the dis-application for a full audit for the Freegle Ltd accounts 2023/24. This would be in line with previous procedure and is due to the level of expense for an external auditor and time required from the volunteer Treasurer for a full audit. 
Industrial and Provident Societies must have a full audit if they are a charitable IPS with a turnover of over £10,200,000 or assets in excess of £5,100,000. 
As Freegle doesn’t get near to these figures the expense and time for a full audit seems unnecessary when our transparency is confirmed by a qualified accountant’s Independent Examination. More information can be found in the legal explanatory note here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/14/section/84 
This request was approved unanimously by 19 votes. 
https://discourse.ilovefreegle.org/t/agm-2023-poll-results/6650

=====8. Annual Director Resignations and Election 2023=====
https://discourse.ilovefreegle.org/t/agm-2023-agenda-item-8-annual-director-resignations-and-election/6643 
For the AGM of 2023, the elected Directors voluntarily standing down were Cat Fletcher, Craig Hilton and Ruth Willmore. David Greenfield retired from the Board. This created a total of four vacancies, to bring the complement of Directors up to nine. 
The election for new Directors commenced 3rd August with a nomination deadline of 13th August 2023. There were three nominations:
*Cat Fletcher - self nominated, seconded by Sheila Little
*Craig Hilton - self nominated, seconded by Sheila Little
*Bill Hopkinson - nominated by Ruth Willmore, seconded by Sheila Little
As there were fewer candidates than vacancies, the candidates were able to be elected unopposed. 
We welcomed elected Directors Cat Fletcher, Craig Hilton and Bill Hopkinson to the Board.

=====9. Resolutions=====
https://discourse.ilovefreegle.org/t/agm-2023-agenda-item-9-resolutions/6647

There were no resolutions submitted.

=====10. Notified Business=====
https://discourse.ilovefreegle.org/t/agm-2023-agenda-item-10-notified-business/6648

Proposal from Dizzy Ann Pedrick, Dursley:

“I propose that if someone is found to be harassing members, especially in a sexual way, then all mods of all the groups that person is on should be notified. It should only be a rare occurrence to do this due diligence, but the consequences of not doing so could be nasty if the worst were to happen. Freegle’s good name could be damaged, not to mention the safety of our members.”

Discussions produced some support for doing this, but the precise way of implementing wasn’t clear. 
''Action:'' Edward willI follow this up for further discussion on Tech Group.

=====11. End of Meeting=====
https://discourse.ilovefreegle.org/t/agm-2023-has-now-finished/6657 
The meeting was announced as closed at 09.58 on 8th September 2023.

'''Links:'''

[[AGM 2023]] 
[[AGM 2024]]
[[category:AGM 2023]] [[Category:Freegle AGM Minutes]]

Director Induction Information

2024-08-28T08:47:19Z

Edwh: Irritating pedantic change

== For full Director information, please go to [[Director Handbook]] ==

==== Election of Directors ====

Annually, in accordance with our [[Rules#Retirement_Cycle|Rules]], one-third of the elected Directors retires from office. Elections are conducted by appointed Returning Officers. Elections are open to all Members of Freegle.

==== Co-option of Directors ====

The Board can co-opt a Freegle Member Director to fill an elected vacancy. They can also co-opt up to two external independent Directors who need not be Members.

==== Following Election or Co-option to the Board ====

The initial information exchange between the Board and a new Director will include:

* Introduction to other Board members
* Access to the Board discussion group
* Inclusion on the Board Register of Directors
* Explanation of [[Conflicts of Interest Procedure]]
* The new Board member will be required to present (either visibly or via sending copies to secretary@ilovefreegle.org) ID, including proof of identity (passport, driving licence) and proof of address (utility bill in the last three months). This will be logged as seen in the directors' register. No copies of the proof of ID will be kept on file.
* A Fit and Proper Person Form must be completed at the induction stage and also at the re-election at an AGM for every board member
* Access to
** Board timetable of meetings
** Previous Minutes of Board Meetings and current Action list(s)
** Board calendar
** Discourse (central discussion group for all volunteers), if not already included
** Introduction to key non-Board role holders if relevant

LINKS:

*[[Freegle Board]]
*[[Document Approval Policy]]
*[[Glossary]]

[[Category: Freegle Board]]

Rules

2024-08-22T09:57:07Z

Edwh: Update to clarify relationship with the documents on the FCA site.

Freegle Limited was registered with the FCA [https://mutuals.fca.org.uk/Search/Society/9593 here] on 3rd June 2014, registration no. 32410R.

The original FCA approval details are [https://mutuals.fca.org.uk/Documents/Download/82241 here]. This is a single PDF which contains a bundle of documents relating to the application:
* p1 The letter approving us.
* p2 The Resolution which had to be passed before applying.
* p7 The letter approving us (again, for some reason).
* p8 The Rules which govern us. For convenience you can also view that [https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2R4ItxT_JfZQ215NWM1cENKclk/view here].
* p25 The signatures for the Rules. For convenience you can also view that [https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-1RmuJEJbouSlEyZ2E2MlFzWUU/view here].
* p26 The application form.

So far we have not amended the Rules, and therefore the Rules section on the FCA site shows 0 documents. The FCA have confirmed that it is only post-amendment that they would appear there.

If we ever make a rule amendment we should consider modernising our Rules by using a the appropriate [https://www.uk.coop/resources/model-governing-documents Coop Model Governing Document] - this is how our Rules were written originally. This would include changing references to ‘Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965’ and ‘Friendly and Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1968’ to ‘Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014’. Until then the [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/30/section/17 Interpretation Act] means our Rules are still valid.

==Rule 1: NAME==

1. The name of the society shall be Freegle Limited.

==Rule 2: REGISTERED OFFICE==

2. The registered office of the society shall be at Weavers Field, Loud Bridge, Chipping, PR3 2NX

==Rule 3: INTERPRETATIONS==

3. In these rules:

''"Address"'' means a postal address or, for the purposes of electronic communication, a fax number, email address or telephone number for receiving text messages;

''"the Act"'' refers to the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 or any Act or Acts amending or in substitution of it or them for the time being in force;

''"Auditor"'' means a person eligible for appointment as a company auditor under section 25 of the Companies Act 1989;

''"The Board of Directors"'' or ''"Board"'' means all those persons appointed to perform the duties of directors of the society;

''"Board Meeting"'' includes, except where inconsistent with any legal obligation a physical meeting, a meeting held by electronic means and a meeting held by telephone;

''"Clear Days"'' in relation to the period of notice does not include the day on which the meeting is to be held and the day on which the notice is handed to someone or left at their Address, or the day on which it is sent, is in the process of being sent and is
assumed to be delivered;

''"Connected"'' means the spouse, civil partner, child, step-child, parent,
grandparent, grandchild, brother, sister or other person in a relationship with a
director, which may reasonably be regarded as equivalent to such a relationship or
any company or business controlled or managed by a director and includes a trustee
of any trust, the beneficiaries of which include a Connected Person;

''"Director"'' means a director of the society and includes any person occupying the
position of director, by whatever name called;

''"Document"'' includes, unless otherwise stated, any document sent or supplied in
electronic form;

''"Electronic Means"'' shall include, for example, email, video links and secure
authenticated website transactions;

''"Extraordinary Resolution"'' means, unless the context requires otherwise, those
decisions requiring an Extraordinary Resolution as detailed under ‘Resolutions’ in
these rules;

''"Founder Member"'' means a subscriber to these rules for the purposes of
registration;

''"Member"'' has the meaning as detailed under ‘Membership’ in these rules;

''"Office Holder"'' means a receiver, administrative receiver, liquidator, provisional
liquidator or administrator of a Member of all or substantially all of the Member's
assets;

''"Officer"'' has the meaning as detailed under ‘Officers’ in these rules;

''"Paper ballot"'' means a ballot of all members by physical or electronic means.

''"Person"'' means, unless the context requires otherwise, a natural person,
unincorporated body, firm, partnership, corporate body or the nominee of an
unincorporated body, firm, partnership or corporate body;

''"Registrar"'' means the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or any body that succeeds
its function;

''"Regulations"'' has the meaning as detailed under ‘Regulations’ in these rules;

''"Rules"'' means these Rules;

''"Secretary"'' means any person appointed to perform the duties of the Secretary of the
society;

''"Show of Hands"'' means a show of hands at a physical meeting or using
electronic means to make a decision at the meeting;

''"Society"'' means the above named society;

''"Transferable"'' means shares that are transferable to another Person who also
qualifies for membership of the Society in accordance with these Rules;

''"Withdrawable"'' means shares with the associated right for the Member to withdraw
and receive in return the value of their shares from the Society.

''"Writing"'' means the representation or reproduction of words, symbols or other
information in a visible form by any method or combination of methods, whether sent
or supplied by Electronic Means or otherwise.

==Rule 4: OBJECTS==

4. The objects of the Society shall be to carry on any business for the benefit of the
community by

*Promoting the keeping of usable items out of landfill.
*Promoting and supporting local community groups working in the area of reuse.
*Empowering and supporting volunteers working for local Freegle groups.
*Informing and educating the public about environmental matters related to the reuse and recycling of unwanted usable goods.
*Promoting sustainable waste management practices.

==Rule 5: POWERS==

5. The Society may do all such lawful things as may further the Society's objects and, in
particular, may borrow or raise funds for any purpose that is beneficial to the Society.

==Rules 6-9: BORROWING==

6. The Society shall have the power to borrow money from its Members and others in
order to further its objects providing that the amount outstanding at any one time shall
not exceed £10,000,000.

7. The Society shall have the power to mortgage or charge any of its property, including
the assets and undertakings of the Society, present and future, and to issue loan
stock, debentures and other securities for money borrowed or for the performance of
any contracts of the Society or its customers or Persons having dealings with the
Society.

8. The rate of interest on money borrowed, except on money borrowed by way of bank
loan or overdraft or from a finance house or on mortgage from a building society or
local authority, shall not exceed 5% per annum or 2% above the Co-operative Bank’s
base rate at the commencement of the loan, whichever is the greater.

9. The Society may receive from any Person, donations or loans free of interest in order
to further its objects but shall not receive money on deposit.

==Rule 10: FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 ACTIVITY==

10. For the avoidance of doubt the Society shall not engage in any activity by virtue of any
of these Rules that would require a permission from the Registrar to carry on that
activity without first having applied for and obtained such permission.

==Rule 11: INVESTMENT OF FUNDS==

11. The Society may invest any part of its funds in the manner set out in Section 31 of the
Act.

==Rules 12-21: MEMBERS==

12. The first Members of the Society will be the Founder Members. The Board may at its
discretion admit to membership any individual, corporate body or nominee of a
unincorporated body, firm, partnership or corporate body who supports the objects of
the Society through being an owner, moderator or other volunteer for a Freegle
affiliated local group or who is a volunteer for the Society who has paid or agreed to pay any
subscription or other sum due in respect of membership for the time being in force.

===Applications for Membership===

13. No natural person shall be admitted into membership of the Society unless they have
attained the age of 16. All those wishing to become a Member must support the
objects of the Society and complete an application for membership which shall include
an application for at least one share in the Society. Such an application form must be
approved by the Directors and the Directors must approve each application for
membership.

14. A corporate body which is a Member shall by resolution of its governing body appoint
a representative who may during the continuance of her/his appointment be entitled to
exercise all such rights and powers as the corporate body would exercise if it were an
individual person. Each such corporate body Member shall supply notification in
Writing to the Society of its choice of representative.

===Member Commitment===

15. All Members agree to participate in general meetings and take an active interest in the
operation and development of the Society and its business. Members have a duty to
respect the confidential nature of the business decisions of the Society.

===Termination of Membership===

16. A Member shall cease to be a Member of the Society immediately that they:

(a) Fail to hold the minimum shareholding; or

(b) Fail to pay the annual subscription (if any) within 3 months of it falling due; or

(b+) Are no longer active as an owner, moderator or volunteer if accepted into membership as such

(c) Resign in Writing to the Secretary; or

(d) Are expelled from membership in accordance with these Rules; or

(e) Die, are wound up or go into liquidation.

===Expulsion from Membership===

17. A Member may be expelled for conduct prejudicial to the Society by an Extraordinary
Resolution, provided that the grounds for expulsion have been specified in the notices
calling the meeting and that the Member whose expulsion is to be considered shall be
given the opportunity to make representations to the meeting or, at the option of the
Member, an individual who is there to represent them (who need not be a Member of
the Society) has been allowed to make representations to the general meeting.

18. If on due notice having been served the Member fails to attend the meeting the
meeting may proceed in the Member's absence. No Member expelled from
membership shall be re-admitted except by an Extraordinary Resolution.

===Proceedings on Death or Bankruptcy of a Member===

19. Upon a claim being made by:

(a) The personal representative of a deceased Member; or

(b) The trustee in bankruptcy of a Member who is bankrupt; or

(c) The Office Holder to any property in the Society belonging to such a Member,
the Society shall transfer or pay property to which the Office Holder has become
entitled as the Office Holder may direct them.

20. A Member may in accordance with the Act nominate any individual or individuals to
whom any of her/his property in the Society at the time of her/his death shall be
transferred, but such nomination shall only be valid to the extent of the amount for the
time being allowed in the Act. On receiving a satisfactory proof of death of a Member
who has made a nomination the Society shall, in accordance with the Act, either
transfer or pay the full value of the property comprised in the nomination to the
individual or individuals entitled thereunder.

===Share Capital===

21. The shares of the Society shall be of the nominal value of £1 issued to Persons upon
admission to membership of the Society. The shares shall be fully paid prior to issue,
and shall be non-Transferable except on death or bankruptcy or (in the case of an
unincorporated organisation or partnership), on a change of nominee(s) and only
to the new nominee(s), nor Withdrawable, shall carry no right to interest, dividend or
bonus, and shall be forfeited and cancelled on cessation of membership from
whatever cause, and the amount paid up on such cancelled shares shall become the
property of the Society. Each Member shall hold one share only in the Society.

==Rules 22-49: GENERAL MEETINGS==

22. The Society shall, within six months of the end of the financial year, hold a general
meeting of the Members as its annual general meeting and shall specify the meeting
as such in the notice calling it.

23. The business of an annual general meeting shall comprise, where appropriate:

(a) The receipt of the accounts and balance sheet and of the reports of the Board
and Auditor (if any);

(b) The appointment of an Auditor, if required;

(c) The election of the Board or the results of the election if held previously by
ballot;

(d) The application of profits;

(e) The transaction of any other business included in the notice convening the
meeting.

===Calling a General Meeting===

24. The Secretary, at the request of the Board of Directors may convene a general
meeting of the Society. The purpose of the general meeting shall be stated in the
notice of the meeting.

25. The Board of Directors upon an application signed by one-tenth of the total number of
Members, or 100 Members, whichever is the lesser, delivered to the registered office
of the Society, shall convene a general meeting. The purpose of the general meeting
shall be stated in the application for and notice of the meeting. No business other than
that stated in the notice of the meeting shall be conducted at the meeting.

26. If within one month from the date of the receipt of the application the Board have not
convened a general meeting to be held within six weeks of the application, any three
Members of the Society acting on behalf of the signatories to the application may
convene a general meeting, and shall be reimbursed by the Society for any costs
incurred in convening such a meeting.

===Notices===

27. The Directors shall call the annual general meeting giving 14 Clear Days’ notice to all
Members. All other general meetings shall be convened with at least 14 Clear Days’
notice but may be held at shorter notice if so agreed in Writing by 90% of the
Members.

28. Notices of meetings shall either be given to Members personally or sent to them at
their Address or alternatively, if so agreed by the Society in general meeting, notices
of general meetings may be displayed conspicuously at the registered office and in all
other places of business of the Society to which Members have access. Notices shall
specify the date, time and place at which the meeting is to be held, and the business
which is to be transacted at that meeting. A general meeting shall not transact any
business other than that specified in the notices calling the meeting.

29. A notice sent to a Member's Address shall be deemed to have been duly served 48
hours after its posting. The accidental omission to send any notice to or the
non-receipt of any notice by any Person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate
the proceedings at the meeting.

30. All notices shall specify the date, time and place of the meeting along with the general
nature of business to be conducted and any proposed resolutions.

31. If the Society has appointed an Auditor in accordance with these Rules they shall be
entitled to attend general meetings of the Society and to receive all notices of and
communications relating to any general meeting which any Member of the Society is
entitled to receive. The Auditor shall be entitled to be heard at any meeting on any part
of the business of the meeting which is of proper concern to an Auditor.

===Quorum===

32. No business shall be transacted at a general meeting unless a quorum of Members is
present which shall include those Members not present in Person. Unless amended
by Extraordinary Resolution, a quorum shall be 20 Members or 10% of the membership whichever is smaller, subject to a minimum of
3 Members.

===Chairing General Meetings===

33. The chairperson of the Society shall facilitate general meetings. If s/he is absent or
unwilling to act at the time any meeting proceeds to business then the Members
present shall choose one of their number to be the chairperson for that meeting.

===Attendance and Speaking at General Meetings===

34. A Member is able to exercise the right to speak at a general meeting and is deemed to
be in attendance when that Person is in a position to communicate to all those
attending the meeting. The Directors may make whatever arrangements they consider
appropriate to enable those attending a general meeting to exercise their rights to
speak or vote at it including by Electronic Means. In determining attendance at a
general meeting, it is immaterial whether any two or more Members attending are in
the same place as each other, provided that they are able to communicate with each
other.

35. The chairperson of the meeting may permit other persons who are not Members of the
Society to attend and speak at general meetings, without granting any voting rights.

===Adjournment===

36. If a quorum is not present within half an hour of the time the general meeting was due
to commence, or if during a meeting a quorum ceases to be present, the chairperson
must adjourn the meeting. If within half an hour of the time the adjourned meeting was
due to commence a quorum is not present, the Members present shall constitute a
quorum.

37. The chairperson of a general meeting may adjourn the meeting whilst a quorum is
present if:

(a) The meeting consents to that adjournment; or

(b) It appears to the chairperson that an adjournment is necessary to protect the
safety of any persons attending the meeting or to ensure that the business of the
meeting is conducted in an orderly manner.

38. The chairperson must adjourn the meeting if directed to do so by the meeting.

39. When adjourning a meeting the chairperson must specify the date, time and place to
which it will stand adjourned or that the meeting is to continue at a date, time and
place to be fixed by the Directors.

40. If the meeting is adjourned for 14 days or more, at least 7 Clear Days’ notice of the
adjourned meeting shall be given in the same manner as the notice of the original
meeting.

41. No business shall be transacted at an adjourned meeting other than business which
could properly have been transacted at the meeting if the adjournment had not taken
place.

===Voting===

42. A resolution put to the vote at a general meeting shall be decided on a show of hands
unless a paper ballot is demanded in accordance with these Rules. A declaration by
the chairperson that a resolution has on a show of hands been carried or lost with an
entry to that effect recorded in the minutes of the general meeting shall be conclusive
evidence of the result. Proportions or numbers of votes in favour for or against need
not be recorded.

43. In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or a poll, the
chairperson shall not have a second or casting vote and the resolution shall be
deemed to have been lost.

===Paper Ballot===

44. A paper ballot on a resolution may be demanded before or on the declaration of the
result of the show of hands by three Members at a general meeting.

45. If a paper ballot is duly demanded it shall be taken in such a manner as the
chairperson directs, provided that no Member shall have more than one vote, and the
result of the ballot shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the
ballot was demanded.

46. The demand for a paper ballot shall not prevent the continuance of a meeting for the
transaction of any other business than the question upon which a ballot has been
demanded. The demand for a paper ballot may be withdrawn.

===Resolutions===

47. Decisions at general meetings shall be made by passing resolutions:

(a) The following decisions must be made by Extraordinary Resolution:

(i) Decisions to expel Members;

(ii) Any amendment to the Society's Rules;

(iii) The decision to wind up the Society.

(b) All other decisions shall be made by ordinary resolution.

48. An Extraordinary Resolution is one passed by a majority of not less than 75% of votes
cast at a general meeting and an ordinary resolution is one passed by a simple
majority (51%) of votes cast.

49. Resolutions may be passed at general meetings or by written resolution. A written
resolution may consist of several identical Documents signed by one or more
Members.

==Rules 50-69: DIRECTORS==

50. The Society shall have a Board of Directors comprising not less than three Directors.

51. The initial Directors of the Society from registration until the first annual general
meeting shall be appointed by the Founder Members.

52. Under no circumstances shall any Employee of the Society serve on the Board.

53. Only persons of the Society who are aged 18 years or more may serve on the Board
of Directors.

54. The Board of Directors shall be elected by and from the Society’s Members. The
maximum number of Directors serving on the Board shall be determined by a general
meeting of the Society from time to time.

===Retirement Cycle===

55. At the first annual general meeting all elected Directors shall stand down. At every
subsequent annual general meeting one-third of the elected Directors, or if their
number is not a multiple of three then the number nearest to one-third, shall retire from
office. The Directors to retire shall be the Directors who have been longest in office
since their last election. Where Directors have held office for the same amount of time
the Directors to retire shall be decided by lot. A retiring Director shall be eligible for re-
election.

===Co-option of Directors===

56. In addition the Board of Directors may co-opt up to two external independent Directors
who need not be Members and are selected for their particular skills and/or
experience. Such external independent Directors shall serve a fixed period determined
by the Board of Directors at the time of the co-option, subject to a review at least every
12 months. External independent Directors may be removed from office at any time by
a resolution of the Board of Directors.

57. The Board of Directors may at any time fill a casual vacancy on the Board by
co-option. Co-opted individuals must be Members of the Society and will hold office as
a Director only until the next annual general meeting.

58. At no time must the number of co-opted individuals comprise more than one-third of
the Board of Directors.

===Powers and Duties of the Board of Directors===

59. The business of the Society shall be managed by the Board who may exercise all
such powers of the Society as may be exercised and done by the Society and as are
not by statute or by these Rules required to be exercised or done by the Society in
general meeting.

60. All decisions made by a meeting of the Board of Directors or by any person acting as
a Director shall remain valid even if it is later discovered that there was some defect in
the Director’s appointment or that the individual had previously been disqualified from
acting as a Director or as a charity trustee.

61. All cheques, promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other negotiable
instruments, and all receipts for monies paid to the Society shall be signed, drawn,
accepted, endorsed, or otherwise executed in such manner as the Board shall from
time to time direct.

62. Without prejudice to its general powers, the Board may exercise all the powers of the
Society to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking and property or
any part of it and to issue debentures and other securities whether outright or as
security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Society or of any third party.

63. No Regulation made by the Society in general meeting shall invalidate any prior act of
the Board which would have been valid had that Regulation not been made.

===Delegation===

64. Subject to these Rules, the Directors may delegate any of the powers which are
conferred on them under these Rules to any Person or committee consisting of
Members of the Society, by such means, to such an extent, in relation to such matters
and on such terms and conditions as they think fit.

65. The Directors may specify that any such delegation may authorise further delegation
of the powers by any Person to whom they are delegated.

66. The Directors may revoke any delegation in whole or in part or alter any terms and
conditions.

===Sub-Committees===

67. A sub-committee to which the Directors delegate any of their powers must follow
procedures which are based as far as they are applicable on those provisions of these
Rules which govern the taking of decisions by Directors.

68. The Directors may make Regulations for all or any sub-committees, provided that
such Regulations are not inconsistent with these Rules.

69. All acts and proceedings of any sub-committee must be fully and promptly reported to
the Directors.

==Rules 70-81: PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS==

===Calling a Meeting of the Board of Directors===

70. Any Director may, and the Secretary on the requisition of a Director shall, call a
meeting of the Board of Directors by giving reasonable notice of the meeting to all
Directors. Notice of any meeting of the Board of Directors must indicate the date, time
and place of the meeting and, if the Directors participating in the meeting will not be in
the same place, how they will communicate with each other.

===Proceedings of a Meeting of the Board of Directors===

71. The Board of Directors may meet together for the despatch of business, adjourn and
otherwise regulate their meetings as they think fit.

72. A Director is able to exercise the right to speak at a meeting of the Board of Directors
and is deemed to be in attendance when that person is in a position to communicate
to all those attending the meeting. The Directors may make whatever arrangements
they consider appropriate to enable those attending a meeting of the Board of
Directors to exercise their rights to speak or vote at it including by Electronic Means. In
determining attendance at a meeting of the Board of Directors, it is immaterial whether
any two or more Directors attending are in the same place as each other.

73. Questions arising at any meetings of the Board shall be decided by a majority of votes.
In the case of an equality of votes the status quo shall be maintained and the Board of
Directors may choose to refer the matter to a general meeting of the Society.

74. A written resolution, circulated to all Directors and signed by a simple majority (51%)
of Directors, shall be valid and effective as if it had been passed at a Board meeting
duly convened and held. A written resolution may consist of several identical
Documents signed by one or more Directors.

75. The Board of Directors may, at its discretion, invite other persons to attend its
meetings with or without speaking rights and without voting rights. Such attendees will
not count toward the quorum.

===Quorum===

76. The quorum necessary for the transaction of business at a meeting of the Board of
Directors shall be 50% of the Directors or 3 Directors, whichever is the greater and
shall include those Directors not present in person.

77. If at any time the total number of Directors in office is less than the quorum required,
the Directors are unable to take any decisions other than to appoint further Directors
or to call a general meeting so as to enable the Members to appoint further Directors.

===Chairing Board Meetings===

78. The chairperson shall facilitate meetings of the Board of Directors. If s/he is absent or
unwilling to act at the time any meeting proceeds to business then the Directors
present shall choose one of their number to be the chairperson for that meeting.

===Declaration of Interest===

79. A Director shall declare an interest in any contract or matter in which s/he has a
personal, material or financial interest, whether directly or indirectly, and shall not vote
in respect of such contract or matter, provided that nothing shall prevent a Director
voting in respect of her/his terms and conditions of employment or any associated
matter.

===Expenses===

80. The Society's income and property shall be applied solely to the promotion of the objects of the Society. and no portion shall be transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise whatsoever by way of profit to the Members of the Society and no Director or Connected Person may buy goods or services from the Company on terms preferential to those applicable to other members of the public, sell any interest in land to the Society, or be employed by the Society, unless the payment is in respect of payment of any reasonable expenses which the Directors properly incur in connection with their attendance at meetings or otherwise in connection with the exercise of their powers and the discharge of their responsibilities in relation to the Society. A Director or Connected Person may sell goods or services to the Society, receive remuneration from the Society and receive any other financial benefit from the Society, provided that person declares their conflict of interest and does not authorise or vote on the transaction or decision.

===Termination of a Director’s Appointment===

81. A person ceases to be a Director of the Society as soon as:

(a) Where there is co-option of Directors for their skills/experience: That
person is removed from office by a resolution of the Board of Directors, where
the person is a co-opted Director appointed for their particular skills and/or
experience;

(b) Where ex officio Directors: That person ceases to hold that office or that office
ceases to exist, where the person is a Director ex officio;

(c) Where there are representatives of organisations on the Board: The
organisation they are representing removes their endorsement of them;

(d) Where there are representatives of organisations on the Board: The
organisation they are representing ceases to exist;

(e) That person resigns from office in Writing to the Secretary of the Society, and
such resignation has taken effect in accordance with its terms;

(f) That person is removed from office by an ordinary resolution of the Society in
general meeting, the notices for which specified that the question of the
Director's removal was to be considered;

(g) That person is prohibited from being a Director by law or otherwise disqualified
by law from serving as a charity trustee;

(h) A bankruptcy order is made against that person;

(i) A registered medical practitioner who is treating that person gives a written
opinion to the Society stating that the person has become mentally incapable of
acting as a Director and may remain so for more than three months;

(j) By reason of that person’s mental health, a court makes an order which wholly
or partly prevents that person from personally exercising any powers or rights
which that person would otherwise have.

==Rule 82: OFFICERS==

82. The Board shall elect from among their own number a chairperson and Secretary and
such other Officers as they may from time to time decide. These Officers shall have
such duties and rights as may be bestowed on them by the Board or by law and any
Officer appointed may be removed by the Board. A serving Officer who is not re-
elected to the Board at the annual general meeting shall nevertheless continue in
office until the first Board meeting following the annual general meeting.

==Rule 83: DISPUTES==

83. In the event of a dispute between the Society or its Board and a Member of the
Society or a former Member, such dispute shall be referred to an independent
arbitrator whose appointment is acceptable to both parties to the dispute or in the
absence of agreement to be nominated by the Secretary General of Co-operatives UK
(or any role or body that succeeds to its function). The decision of such an arbitrator
shall be binding. In the event that a dispute cannot, for whatever reason, be concluded
by reference to an arbitrator, the matter may be referred to the county court (or in
Scotland, to the sheriff). Any Person bringing a dispute must, if so required, deposit
with the Society a reasonable sum (not exceeding £100) to be determined by the
Board. The arbitrator will decide how the costs of the arbitration will be paid and what
should be done with the deposit.

==Rule 84: REGULATIONS==

84. The Society in a general meeting, or the Board of Directors, may from time to time
make, adopt and amend such Regulations in the form of bye-laws, standing orders,
secondary rules or otherwise as they think fit for the management, conduct and
regulation of the affairs of the Society and the proceedings and powers of the Board of
Directors and sub-committees. Such Regulations (if any) shall be made available to
Members. No Regulation shall be made which is inconsistent with these Rules or the
Act. All Members of the Society and the Board of Directors shall be bound by such
Regulations whether or not they have received a copy of them.

==Rule 85: LIABILITY OF MEMBERS==

85. The liability of a Member is limited to the amount of their shareholding.

==Rule 86: APPLICATION OF PROFITS==

86. The Society shall not trade for profit. Any profits generated by the Society shall be
applied solely to the continuation and development of the Society.

==Rules 87-88: AMALGAMATION, TRANSFER OF ENGAGEMENTS AND CONVERSION==

87. The Society may, by special resolution passed in the way required by the Act,
amalgamate with or transfer its engagements to any other charitable society with
objects similar to or compatible with those of the Society. The Society may also
accept a transfer of engagements and assets by resolution of the Board or of a
general meeting.

88. The Society may, by special resolution passed in the way required by s52(3) of the
Act, amalgamate with or transfer its engagements to a charitable company or convert
itself into a charitable company under the provisions of the Act. In relation to calling a
general meeting for the purpose of such resolution, the following provisions shall
apply.

(a) The Society shall give to Members not less than two months’ notice of the
meeting;

(b) Notice of the meeting shall be posted in a prominent place at the registered
office and at all trading premises of the Society to which Members have access.;

(c) The notice shall be accompanied by a separate statement setting out for
Members:

(i) the reasons for the proposal;

(ii) whether the proposal has the support of the Board of the Society;

(iii) what alternative proposals have been considered, and whether they are
viable;

(iv) details of the number of shares in the Society held by Members of the
Board, and Persons connected with them;

(v) a recommendation by reputable independent financial advisors that the
Members should support the proposal rather than any alternative
proposal.

(d) Where the separate statement is contained in another Document, information
shall be provided in the notice specifying where Members can obtain a copy of
the Document.

(e) The quorum for a meeting at which a special resolution to amalgamate with,
transfer engagements to or convert into a charitable company is to be voted
upon shall be 150 Members or 50% of the Members present in Person,
whichever is the greater, subject to an absolute minimum of three Members.

==Rules 89-90: DISSOLUTION==

89. The Society may be dissolved by the consent of three quarters of the Members by
their signatures to an instrument of dissolution, or by winding up in a manner provided
for by the Act.

90. If on the winding up or dissolution of the Society any of its assets remain to be
disposed of after its liabilities are satisfied, these assets shall not be distributed among
the Members, but shall be transferred instead to some other charitable body or bodies
with objects similar to or compatible with those of the Society as may be decided by
the members at the time of or prior to the dissolution.

==Rules 91-111: ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS==

===Means of Communication===

91. A Member must provide their consent to receive communications from the Society by
Electronic Means.

92. A notice sent to a Director’s Address shall be deemed to have been duly served 48
hours after its posting. A Director may agree with the Society that notices or
Documents sent to her/him in a particular way are to be deemed to have been
received within a specified time of their being sent, and for the specified time to be
less than 48 hours.

===Seal===

93. If the Society has a seal, it shall only be used by the authority of the Board of Directors
acting on behalf of the Society. Every instrument to which the seal shall be attached
shall be signed by a Director and countersigned by a second Director or the Secretary.

===Registers===

94. The Board of Directors shall ensure accurate registers are maintained which shall
include a register of Members, a register of Directors and a register of Officers.

===Register of Members===

95. The Board shall ensure that the register is maintained in accordance with the Act and
that the particulars required by the Act are available for inspection and accessible
without the need to disclose other particulars contained in the register.

===Register of Directors and Officers===

96. The Society shall maintain a register of Directors and Officers which shall include the
following particulars:

(a) Name of the Director;

(b) Address of the Director;

(c) The date on which they assumed office;

(d) The date on which they vacated office; and

(e) The position held by a Director if s/he is also an Officer and the date on which
the Director assumed and vacated his/her Officer position.

===Amendments to Rules===

97. Any of these Rules may be rescinded or amended or a new rule made by an
Extraordinary Resolution at a general meeting of which 14 Clear Days’ notice has
been given, such notice to include details of the change(s) to be proposed at that
meeting. No amendment may be made to the Rules which shall cause the Society to
cease to be a charity in law. No amendment of Rules is valid until registered by the
Registrar. When submitting the rule amendments for registration, the Secretary may
at their sole discretion accept any alterations required or suggested by the Registrar
without reference back to a further general meeting of the Society.

===Copies of the Society's Rules===

98. A copy of these Rules and any amendments made to them shall be given free of
charge to every Member upon admission to membership and shall be provided to any
other Person on demand and on payment of the statutory fee chargeable for the time
being in force.

===Minutes===

99. The Society shall ensure that minutes are kept of all:

(a) Proceedings at general meetings of the Society; and

(b) Proceedings at meetings of the Board of Directors and its sub-committees which
include names of the Directors present, decisions made and the reasons for
those decisions.

===Annual Return===

100. Every year and within the period prescribed by the Act, the Secretary shall send the
annual return in the prescribed form to the Registrar. The annual return shall be
accompanied by:

(a) A copy of the Auditor’s report on the Society's accounts for the period covered
by the annual return or a copy of such other report (if any) as is required by
statute for such a period; and

(b) A copy of each balance sheet made during that period and report of the Auditor
or other appropriate person as required by statute on that balance sheet.

101. The Society shall on demand supply free of charge to any Member or any person with
an interest in the funds of the Society a copy of the latest annual return together with a
copy of the Auditor's report on the accounts and balance sheet contained in the
annual return and the Auditor’s Report (if any).

102. The Society shall at all times keep a copy of the latest balance sheet of the Society
together with a copy of the corresponding Auditor's report (if any) hung up in a
conspicuous place at the registered office and displayed on the Society's website (if
any).

===Audit===

103. Unless the Society meets the criteria set out in section 4(2) of the Friendly and
Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1968 or fulfils the exemptions set out in sub-
sections 4(A) (1) and (2) of the Friendly and Industrial and Provident Societies Act
1968, the Board shall in each financial year appoint an Auditor as required by section
7 of the Friendly and Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 as amended, to audit
the Society’s accounts and balance sheet for the year. This provision also applies if
the Society is in its first financial year.

104. The following persons shall not be appointed as Auditor of the Society:

(a) An Officer or Employee of the Society;

(b) A person who is a partner or employee of, or who employs, an Officer of the
Society.

105. The Board may appoint an Auditor to fill a casual vacancy occurring between general
meetings.

106. An Auditor for the preceding financial year shall be re-appointed as Auditor of the
Society for the current financial year unless:

(a) A decision has been made by the Board to appoint a different Auditor or
expressly decided that s/he shall not be re-appointed; or

(b) S/he has given notice in writing to the Secretary of her/his unwillingness to be
re-appointed; or

(c) S/he is ineligible for appointment as Auditor of the Society for the current
financial year; or

(d) S/he has ceased to act as Auditor of the Society by reason of incapacity.

107. Any ordinary resolution of a general meeting of the Society either to remove an Auditor
from office or to appoint another person as Auditor shall not be effective unless notice
of the proposed resolution has been given to the Society at least 28 days prior to the
meeting at which the resolution is to be considered. At least 14 days' notice of such
resolution must then be given to Members of the Society in the manner prescribed in
these Rules and in Writing to the Auditor(s).

===Social Accounting and Reporting===

108. In addition to any financial accounts required by the Act, the Members may resolve to
undertake an account of the activities of the Society which will endeavour to measure
its social and environmental performance using whatever methodology the Members
deem appropriate. Following the completion of such an account the Society shall
report any findings to its Members and other stakeholders.

===Indemnity and Insurance===

109. Subject to the following rule, any Director or former Director of the Society may be
indemnified out of the Society’s assets against:

(a) Any liability incurred by that Director in connection with any negligence, default,
breach of duty or breach of trust in relation to the Society;

(b) Any liability incurred by that Director in connection with the activities of the
Society in its capacity as a trustee of an occupational pension scheme;

(c) Any other liability incurred by that Director as an Officer of the Society.

110. The above rule does not authorise any indemnity which would be prohibited or
rendered void by any provision of law.

111. The Directors may decide to purchase and maintain insurance, at the expense of the
Society, for the benefit of any Director or former Director of the Society in respect of
any loss or liability which has been or may be incurred by such a Director in
connection with their duties or powers in relation to the Society or any pension fund or
employees’ share scheme of the Society.

1.

2.

3.

1.

Signatures of Founder Members

Signature of Secretary

Full Names of Founder Members in BLOCK
CAPITALS (no initials)

Full Name of Secretary in BLOCK CAPITALS
(no initials)

...............................................................

For record of changes , see [[Rules - Amendments]]
[[Category: Policies, Procedures, Remits]] [[category:Freegle Organisation]]

Rules

2024-08-08T21:13:57Z

Edwh: Add mention of Interpretation Act

Freegle Limited was registered with the FCA[https://mutuals.fsa.gov.uk/SocietyDetails.aspx?Number=32410&Suffix=R] 3rd June 2014, registration no. 32410R

[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2R4ItxT_JfZQ215NWM1cENKclk/view Original PDF version][https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-1RmuJEJbouSlEyZ2E2MlFzWUU/view Signature Sheet]

The next time we are making a rule amendment we should consider changing references to ‘Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965’ and ‘Friendly and Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1968’ to ‘Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014’. Until then the [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/30/section/17 Interpretation Act] means our Rules are still valid.

==Rule 1: NAME==

1. The name of the society shall be Freegle Limited.

==Rule 2: REGISTERED OFFICE==

2. The registered office of the society shall be at Weavers Field, Loud Bridge, Chipping, PR3 2NX

==Rule 3: INTERPRETATIONS==

3. In these rules:

''"Address"'' means a postal address or, for the purposes of electronic communication, a fax number, email address or telephone number for receiving text messages;

''"the Act"'' refers to the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 or any Act or Acts amending or in substitution of it or them for the time being in force;

''"Auditor"'' means a person eligible for appointment as a company auditor under section 25 of the Companies Act 1989;

''"The Board of Directors"'' or ''"Board"'' means all those persons appointed to perform the duties of directors of the society;

''"Board Meeting"'' includes, except where inconsistent with any legal obligation a physical meeting, a meeting held by electronic means and a meeting held by telephone;

''"Clear Days"'' in relation to the period of notice does not include the day on which the meeting is to be held and the day on which the notice is handed to someone or left at their Address, or the day on which it is sent, is in the process of being sent and is
assumed to be delivered;

''"Connected"'' means the spouse, civil partner, child, step-child, parent,
grandparent, grandchild, brother, sister or other person in a relationship with a
director, which may reasonably be regarded as equivalent to such a relationship or
any company or business controlled or managed by a director and includes a trustee
of any trust, the beneficiaries of which include a Connected Person;

''"Director"'' means a director of the society and includes any person occupying the
position of director, by whatever name called;

''"Document"'' includes, unless otherwise stated, any document sent or supplied in
electronic form;

''"Electronic Means"'' shall include, for example, email, video links and secure
authenticated website transactions;

''"Extraordinary Resolution"'' means, unless the context requires otherwise, those
decisions requiring an Extraordinary Resolution as detailed under ‘Resolutions’ in
these rules;

''"Founder Member"'' means a subscriber to these rules for the purposes of
registration;

''"Member"'' has the meaning as detailed under ‘Membership’ in these rules;

''"Office Holder"'' means a receiver, administrative receiver, liquidator, provisional
liquidator or administrator of a Member of all or substantially all of the Member's
assets;

''"Officer"'' has the meaning as detailed under ‘Officers’ in these rules;

''"Paper ballot"'' means a ballot of all members by physical or electronic means.

''"Person"'' means, unless the context requires otherwise, a natural person,
unincorporated body, firm, partnership, corporate body or the nominee of an
unincorporated body, firm, partnership or corporate body;

''"Registrar"'' means the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or any body that succeeds
its function;

''"Regulations"'' has the meaning as detailed under ‘Regulations’ in these rules;

''"Rules"'' means these Rules;

''"Secretary"'' means any person appointed to perform the duties of the Secretary of the
society;

''"Show of Hands"'' means a show of hands at a physical meeting or using
electronic means to make a decision at the meeting;

''"Society"'' means the above named society;

''"Transferable"'' means shares that are transferable to another Person who also
qualifies for membership of the Society in accordance with these Rules;

''"Withdrawable"'' means shares with the associated right for the Member to withdraw
and receive in return the value of their shares from the Society.

''"Writing"'' means the representation or reproduction of words, symbols or other
information in a visible form by any method or combination of methods, whether sent
or supplied by Electronic Means or otherwise.

==Rule 4: OBJECTS==

4. The objects of the Society shall be to carry on any business for the benefit of the
community by

*Promoting the keeping of usable items out of landfill.
*Promoting and supporting local community groups working in the area of reuse.
*Empowering and supporting volunteers working for local Freegle groups.
*Informing and educating the public about environmental matters related to the reuse and recycling of unwanted usable goods.
*Promoting sustainable waste management practices.

==Rule 5: POWERS==

5. The Society may do all such lawful things as may further the Society's objects and, in
particular, may borrow or raise funds for any purpose that is beneficial to the Society.

==Rules 6-9: BORROWING==

6. The Society shall have the power to borrow money from its Members and others in
order to further its objects providing that the amount outstanding at any one time shall
not exceed £10,000,000.

7. The Society shall have the power to mortgage or charge any of its property, including
the assets and undertakings of the Society, present and future, and to issue loan
stock, debentures and other securities for money borrowed or for the performance of
any contracts of the Society or its customers or Persons having dealings with the
Society.

8. The rate of interest on money borrowed, except on money borrowed by way of bank
loan or overdraft or from a finance house or on mortgage from a building society or
local authority, shall not exceed 5% per annum or 2% above the Co-operative Bank’s
base rate at the commencement of the loan, whichever is the greater.

9. The Society may receive from any Person, donations or loans free of interest in order
to further its objects but shall not receive money on deposit.

==Rule 10: FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 ACTIVITY==

10. For the avoidance of doubt the Society shall not engage in any activity by virtue of any
of these Rules that would require a permission from the Registrar to carry on that
activity without first having applied for and obtained such permission.

==Rule 11: INVESTMENT OF FUNDS==

11. The Society may invest any part of its funds in the manner set out in Section 31 of the
Act.

==Rules 12-21: MEMBERS==

12. The first Members of the Society will be the Founder Members. The Board may at its
discretion admit to membership any individual, corporate body or nominee of a
unincorporated body, firm, partnership or corporate body who supports the objects of
the Society through being an owner, moderator or other volunteer for a Freegle
affiliated local group or who is a volunteer for the Society who has paid or agreed to pay any
subscription or other sum due in respect of membership for the time being in force.

===Applications for Membership===

13. No natural person shall be admitted into membership of the Society unless they have
attained the age of 16. All those wishing to become a Member must support the
objects of the Society and complete an application for membership which shall include
an application for at least one share in the Society. Such an application form must be
approved by the Directors and the Directors must approve each application for
membership.

14. A corporate body which is a Member shall by resolution of its governing body appoint
a representative who may during the continuance of her/his appointment be entitled to
exercise all such rights and powers as the corporate body would exercise if it were an
individual person. Each such corporate body Member shall supply notification in
Writing to the Society of its choice of representative.

===Member Commitment===

15. All Members agree to participate in general meetings and take an active interest in the
operation and development of the Society and its business. Members have a duty to
respect the confidential nature of the business decisions of the Society.

===Termination of Membership===

16. A Member shall cease to be a Member of the Society immediately that they:

(a) Fail to hold the minimum shareholding; or

(b) Fail to pay the annual subscription (if any) within 3 months of it falling due; or

(b+) Are no longer active as an owner, moderator or volunteer if accepted into membership as such

(c) Resign in Writing to the Secretary; or

(d) Are expelled from membership in accordance with these Rules; or

(e) Die, are wound up or go into liquidation.

===Expulsion from Membership===

17. A Member may be expelled for conduct prejudicial to the Society by an Extraordinary
Resolution, provided that the grounds for expulsion have been specified in the notices
calling the meeting and that the Member whose expulsion is to be considered shall be
given the opportunity to make representations to the meeting or, at the option of the
Member, an individual who is there to represent them (who need not be a Member of
the Society) has been allowed to make representations to the general meeting.

18. If on due notice having been served the Member fails to attend the meeting the
meeting may proceed in the Member's absence. No Member expelled from
membership shall be re-admitted except by an Extraordinary Resolution.

===Proceedings on Death or Bankruptcy of a Member===

19. Upon a claim being made by:

(a) The personal representative of a deceased Member; or

(b) The trustee in bankruptcy of a Member who is bankrupt; or

(c) The Office Holder to any property in the Society belonging to such a Member,
the Society shall transfer or pay property to which the Office Holder has become
entitled as the Office Holder may direct them.

20. A Member may in accordance with the Act nominate any individual or individuals to
whom any of her/his property in the Society at the time of her/his death shall be
transferred, but such nomination shall only be valid to the extent of the amount for the
time being allowed in the Act. On receiving a satisfactory proof of death of a Member
who has made a nomination the Society shall, in accordance with the Act, either
transfer or pay the full value of the property comprised in the nomination to the
individual or individuals entitled thereunder.

===Share Capital===

21. The shares of the Society shall be of the nominal value of £1 issued to Persons upon
admission to membership of the Society. The shares shall be fully paid prior to issue,
and shall be non-Transferable except on death or bankruptcy or (in the case of an
unincorporated organisation or partnership), on a change of nominee(s) and only
to the new nominee(s), nor Withdrawable, shall carry no right to interest, dividend or
bonus, and shall be forfeited and cancelled on cessation of membership from
whatever cause, and the amount paid up on such cancelled shares shall become the
property of the Society. Each Member shall hold one share only in the Society.

==Rules 22-49: GENERAL MEETINGS==

22. The Society shall, within six months of the end of the financial year, hold a general
meeting of the Members as its annual general meeting and shall specify the meeting
as such in the notice calling it.

23. The business of an annual general meeting shall comprise, where appropriate:

(a) The receipt of the accounts and balance sheet and of the reports of the Board
and Auditor (if any);

(b) The appointment of an Auditor, if required;

(c) The election of the Board or the results of the election if held previously by
ballot;

(d) The application of profits;

(e) The transaction of any other business included in the notice convening the
meeting.

===Calling a General Meeting===

24. The Secretary, at the request of the Board of Directors may convene a general
meeting of the Society. The purpose of the general meeting shall be stated in the
notice of the meeting.

25. The Board of Directors upon an application signed by one-tenth of the total number of
Members, or 100 Members, whichever is the lesser, delivered to the registered office
of the Society, shall convene a general meeting. The purpose of the general meeting
shall be stated in the application for and notice of the meeting. No business other than
that stated in the notice of the meeting shall be conducted at the meeting.

26. If within one month from the date of the receipt of the application the Board have not
convened a general meeting to be held within six weeks of the application, any three
Members of the Society acting on behalf of the signatories to the application may
convene a general meeting, and shall be reimbursed by the Society for any costs
incurred in convening such a meeting.

===Notices===

27. The Directors shall call the annual general meeting giving 14 Clear Days’ notice to all
Members. All other general meetings shall be convened with at least 14 Clear Days’
notice but may be held at shorter notice if so agreed in Writing by 90% of the
Members.

28. Notices of meetings shall either be given to Members personally or sent to them at
their Address or alternatively, if so agreed by the Society in general meeting, notices
of general meetings may be displayed conspicuously at the registered office and in all
other places of business of the Society to which Members have access. Notices shall
specify the date, time and place at which the meeting is to be held, and the business
which is to be transacted at that meeting. A general meeting shall not transact any
business other than that specified in the notices calling the meeting.

29. A notice sent to a Member's Address shall be deemed to have been duly served 48
hours after its posting. The accidental omission to send any notice to or the
non-receipt of any notice by any Person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate
the proceedings at the meeting.

30. All notices shall specify the date, time and place of the meeting along with the general
nature of business to be conducted and any proposed resolutions.

31. If the Society has appointed an Auditor in accordance with these Rules they shall be
entitled to attend general meetings of the Society and to receive all notices of and
communications relating to any general meeting which any Member of the Society is
entitled to receive. The Auditor shall be entitled to be heard at any meeting on any part
of the business of the meeting which is of proper concern to an Auditor.

===Quorum===

32. No business shall be transacted at a general meeting unless a quorum of Members is
present which shall include those Members not present in Person. Unless amended
by Extraordinary Resolution, a quorum shall be 20 Members or 10% of the membership whichever is smaller, subject to a minimum of
3 Members.

===Chairing General Meetings===

33. The chairperson of the Society shall facilitate general meetings. If s/he is absent or
unwilling to act at the time any meeting proceeds to business then the Members
present shall choose one of their number to be the chairperson for that meeting.

===Attendance and Speaking at General Meetings===

34. A Member is able to exercise the right to speak at a general meeting and is deemed to
be in attendance when that Person is in a position to communicate to all those
attending the meeting. The Directors may make whatever arrangements they consider
appropriate to enable those attending a general meeting to exercise their rights to
speak or vote at it including by Electronic Means. In determining attendance at a
general meeting, it is immaterial whether any two or more Members attending are in
the same place as each other, provided that they are able to communicate with each
other.

35. The chairperson of the meeting may permit other persons who are not Members of the
Society to attend and speak at general meetings, without granting any voting rights.

===Adjournment===

36. If a quorum is not present within half an hour of the time the general meeting was due
to commence, or if during a meeting a quorum ceases to be present, the chairperson
must adjourn the meeting. If within half an hour of the time the adjourned meeting was
due to commence a quorum is not present, the Members present shall constitute a
quorum.

37. The chairperson of a general meeting may adjourn the meeting whilst a quorum is
present if:

(a) The meeting consents to that adjournment; or

(b) It appears to the chairperson that an adjournment is necessary to protect the
safety of any persons attending the meeting or to ensure that the business of the
meeting is conducted in an orderly manner.

38. The chairperson must adjourn the meeting if directed to do so by the meeting.

39. When adjourning a meeting the chairperson must specify the date, time and place to
which it will stand adjourned or that the meeting is to continue at a date, time and
place to be fixed by the Directors.

40. If the meeting is adjourned for 14 days or more, at least 7 Clear Days’ notice of the
adjourned meeting shall be given in the same manner as the notice of the original
meeting.

41. No business shall be transacted at an adjourned meeting other than business which
could properly have been transacted at the meeting if the adjournment had not taken
place.

===Voting===

42. A resolution put to the vote at a general meeting shall be decided on a show of hands
unless a paper ballot is demanded in accordance with these Rules. A declaration by
the chairperson that a resolution has on a show of hands been carried or lost with an
entry to that effect recorded in the minutes of the general meeting shall be conclusive
evidence of the result. Proportions or numbers of votes in favour for or against need
not be recorded.

43. In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or a poll, the
chairperson shall not have a second or casting vote and the resolution shall be
deemed to have been lost.

===Paper Ballot===

44. A paper ballot on a resolution may be demanded before or on the declaration of the
result of the show of hands by three Members at a general meeting.

45. If a paper ballot is duly demanded it shall be taken in such a manner as the
chairperson directs, provided that no Member shall have more than one vote, and the
result of the ballot shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the
ballot was demanded.

46. The demand for a paper ballot shall not prevent the continuance of a meeting for the
transaction of any other business than the question upon which a ballot has been
demanded. The demand for a paper ballot may be withdrawn.

===Resolutions===

47. Decisions at general meetings shall be made by passing resolutions:

(a) The following decisions must be made by Extraordinary Resolution:

(i) Decisions to expel Members;

(ii) Any amendment to the Society's Rules;

(iii) The decision to wind up the Society.

(b) All other decisions shall be made by ordinary resolution.

48. An Extraordinary Resolution is one passed by a majority of not less than 75% of votes
cast at a general meeting and an ordinary resolution is one passed by a simple
majority (51%) of votes cast.

49. Resolutions may be passed at general meetings or by written resolution. A written
resolution may consist of several identical Documents signed by one or more
Members.

==Rules 50-69: DIRECTORS==

50. The Society shall have a Board of Directors comprising not less than three Directors.

51. The initial Directors of the Society from registration until the first annual general
meeting shall be appointed by the Founder Members.

52. Under no circumstances shall any Employee of the Society serve on the Board.

53. Only persons of the Society who are aged 18 years or more may serve on the Board
of Directors.

54. The Board of Directors shall be elected by and from the Society’s Members. The
maximum number of Directors serving on the Board shall be determined by a general
meeting of the Society from time to time.

===Retirement Cycle===

55. At the first annual general meeting all elected Directors shall stand down. At every
subsequent annual general meeting one-third of the elected Directors, or if their
number is not a multiple of three then the number nearest to one-third, shall retire from
office. The Directors to retire shall be the Directors who have been longest in office
since their last election. Where Directors have held office for the same amount of time
the Directors to retire shall be decided by lot. A retiring Director shall be eligible for re-
election.

===Co-option of Directors===

56. In addition the Board of Directors may co-opt up to two external independent Directors
who need not be Members and are selected for their particular skills and/or
experience. Such external independent Directors shall serve a fixed period determined
by the Board of Directors at the time of the co-option, subject to a review at least every
12 months. External independent Directors may be removed from office at any time by
a resolution of the Board of Directors.

57. The Board of Directors may at any time fill a casual vacancy on the Board by
co-option. Co-opted individuals must be Members of the Society and will hold office as
a Director only until the next annual general meeting.

58. At no time must the number of co-opted individuals comprise more than one-third of
the Board of Directors.

===Powers and Duties of the Board of Directors===

59. The business of the Society shall be managed by the Board who may exercise all
such powers of the Society as may be exercised and done by the Society and as are
not by statute or by these Rules required to be exercised or done by the Society in
general meeting.

60. All decisions made by a meeting of the Board of Directors or by any person acting as
a Director shall remain valid even if it is later discovered that there was some defect in
the Director’s appointment or that the individual had previously been disqualified from
acting as a Director or as a charity trustee.

61. All cheques, promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other negotiable
instruments, and all receipts for monies paid to the Society shall be signed, drawn,
accepted, endorsed, or otherwise executed in such manner as the Board shall from
time to time direct.

62. Without prejudice to its general powers, the Board may exercise all the powers of the
Society to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking and property or
any part of it and to issue debentures and other securities whether outright or as
security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Society or of any third party.

63. No Regulation made by the Society in general meeting shall invalidate any prior act of
the Board which would have been valid had that Regulation not been made.

===Delegation===

64. Subject to these Rules, the Directors may delegate any of the powers which are
conferred on them under these Rules to any Person or committee consisting of
Members of the Society, by such means, to such an extent, in relation to such matters
and on such terms and conditions as they think fit.

65. The Directors may specify that any such delegation may authorise further delegation
of the powers by any Person to whom they are delegated.

66. The Directors may revoke any delegation in whole or in part or alter any terms and
conditions.

===Sub-Committees===

67. A sub-committee to which the Directors delegate any of their powers must follow
procedures which are based as far as they are applicable on those provisions of these
Rules which govern the taking of decisions by Directors.

68. The Directors may make Regulations for all or any sub-committees, provided that
such Regulations are not inconsistent with these Rules.

69. All acts and proceedings of any sub-committee must be fully and promptly reported to
the Directors.

==Rules 70-81: PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS==

===Calling a Meeting of the Board of Directors===

70. Any Director may, and the Secretary on the requisition of a Director shall, call a
meeting of the Board of Directors by giving reasonable notice of the meeting to all
Directors. Notice of any meeting of the Board of Directors must indicate the date, time
and place of the meeting and, if the Directors participating in the meeting will not be in
the same place, how they will communicate with each other.

===Proceedings of a Meeting of the Board of Directors===

71. The Board of Directors may meet together for the despatch of business, adjourn and
otherwise regulate their meetings as they think fit.

72. A Director is able to exercise the right to speak at a meeting of the Board of Directors
and is deemed to be in attendance when that person is in a position to communicate
to all those attending the meeting. The Directors may make whatever arrangements
they consider appropriate to enable those attending a meeting of the Board of
Directors to exercise their rights to speak or vote at it including by Electronic Means. In
determining attendance at a meeting of the Board of Directors, it is immaterial whether
any two or more Directors attending are in the same place as each other.

73. Questions arising at any meetings of the Board shall be decided by a majority of votes.
In the case of an equality of votes the status quo shall be maintained and the Board of
Directors may choose to refer the matter to a general meeting of the Society.

74. A written resolution, circulated to all Directors and signed by a simple majority (51%)
of Directors, shall be valid and effective as if it had been passed at a Board meeting
duly convened and held. A written resolution may consist of several identical
Documents signed by one or more Directors.

75. The Board of Directors may, at its discretion, invite other persons to attend its
meetings with or without speaking rights and without voting rights. Such attendees will
not count toward the quorum.

===Quorum===

76. The quorum necessary for the transaction of business at a meeting of the Board of
Directors shall be 50% of the Directors or 3 Directors, whichever is the greater and
shall include those Directors not present in person.

77. If at any time the total number of Directors in office is less than the quorum required,
the Directors are unable to take any decisions other than to appoint further Directors
or to call a general meeting so as to enable the Members to appoint further Directors.

===Chairing Board Meetings===

78. The chairperson shall facilitate meetings of the Board of Directors. If s/he is absent or
unwilling to act at the time any meeting proceeds to business then the Directors
present shall choose one of their number to be the chairperson for that meeting.

===Declaration of Interest===

79. A Director shall declare an interest in any contract or matter in which s/he has a
personal, material or financial interest, whether directly or indirectly, and shall not vote
in respect of such contract or matter, provided that nothing shall prevent a Director
voting in respect of her/his terms and conditions of employment or any associated
matter.

===Expenses===

80. The Society's income and property shall be applied solely to the promotion of the objects of the Society. and no portion shall be transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise whatsoever by way of profit to the Members of the Society and no Director or Connected Person may buy goods or services from the Company on terms preferential to those applicable to other members of the public, sell any interest in land to the Society, or be employed by the Society, unless the payment is in respect of payment of any reasonable expenses which the Directors properly incur in connection with their attendance at meetings or otherwise in connection with the exercise of their powers and the discharge of their responsibilities in relation to the Society. A Director or Connected Person may sell goods or services to the Society, receive remuneration from the Society and receive any other financial benefit from the Society, provided that person declares their conflict of interest and does not authorise or vote on the transaction or decision.

===Termination of a Director’s Appointment===

81. A person ceases to be a Director of the Society as soon as:

(a) Where there is co-option of Directors for their skills/experience: That
person is removed from office by a resolution of the Board of Directors, where
the person is a co-opted Director appointed for their particular skills and/or
experience;

(b) Where ex officio Directors: That person ceases to hold that office or that office
ceases to exist, where the person is a Director ex officio;

(c) Where there are representatives of organisations on the Board: The
organisation they are representing removes their endorsement of them;

(d) Where there are representatives of organisations on the Board: The
organisation they are representing ceases to exist;

(e) That person resigns from office in Writing to the Secretary of the Society, and
such resignation has taken effect in accordance with its terms;

(f) That person is removed from office by an ordinary resolution of the Society in
general meeting, the notices for which specified that the question of the
Director's removal was to be considered;

(g) That person is prohibited from being a Director by law or otherwise disqualified
by law from serving as a charity trustee;

(h) A bankruptcy order is made against that person;

(i) A registered medical practitioner who is treating that person gives a written
opinion to the Society stating that the person has become mentally incapable of
acting as a Director and may remain so for more than three months;

(j) By reason of that person’s mental health, a court makes an order which wholly
or partly prevents that person from personally exercising any powers or rights
which that person would otherwise have.

==Rule 82: OFFICERS==

82. The Board shall elect from among their own number a chairperson and Secretary and
such other Officers as they may from time to time decide. These Officers shall have
such duties and rights as may be bestowed on them by the Board or by law and any
Officer appointed may be removed by the Board. A serving Officer who is not re-
elected to the Board at the annual general meeting shall nevertheless continue in
office until the first Board meeting following the annual general meeting.

==Rule 83: DISPUTES==

83. In the event of a dispute between the Society or its Board and a Member of the
Society or a former Member, such dispute shall be referred to an independent
arbitrator whose appointment is acceptable to both parties to the dispute or in the
absence of agreement to be nominated by the Secretary General of Co-operatives UK
(or any role or body that succeeds to its function). The decision of such an arbitrator
shall be binding. In the event that a dispute cannot, for whatever reason, be concluded
by reference to an arbitrator, the matter may be referred to the county court (or in
Scotland, to the sheriff). Any Person bringing a dispute must, if so required, deposit
with the Society a reasonable sum (not exceeding £100) to be determined by the
Board. The arbitrator will decide how the costs of the arbitration will be paid and what
should be done with the deposit.

==Rule 84: REGULATIONS==

84. The Society in a general meeting, or the Board of Directors, may from time to time
make, adopt and amend such Regulations in the form of bye-laws, standing orders,
secondary rules or otherwise as they think fit for the management, conduct and
regulation of the affairs of the Society and the proceedings and powers of the Board of
Directors and sub-committees. Such Regulations (if any) shall be made available to
Members. No Regulation shall be made which is inconsistent with these Rules or the
Act. All Members of the Society and the Board of Directors shall be bound by such
Regulations whether or not they have received a copy of them.

==Rule 85: LIABILITY OF MEMBERS==

85. The liability of a Member is limited to the amount of their shareholding.

==Rule 86: APPLICATION OF PROFITS==

86. The Society shall not trade for profit. Any profits generated by the Society shall be
applied solely to the continuation and development of the Society.

==Rules 87-88: AMALGAMATION, TRANSFER OF ENGAGEMENTS AND CONVERSION==

87. The Society may, by special resolution passed in the way required by the Act,
amalgamate with or transfer its engagements to any other charitable society with
objects similar to or compatible with those of the Society. The Society may also
accept a transfer of engagements and assets by resolution of the Board or of a
general meeting.

88. The Society may, by special resolution passed in the way required by s52(3) of the
Act, amalgamate with or transfer its engagements to a charitable company or convert
itself into a charitable company under the provisions of the Act. In relation to calling a
general meeting for the purpose of such resolution, the following provisions shall
apply.

(a) The Society shall give to Members not less than two months’ notice of the
meeting;

(b) Notice of the meeting shall be posted in a prominent place at the registered
office and at all trading premises of the Society to which Members have access.;

(c) The notice shall be accompanied by a separate statement setting out for
Members:

(i) the reasons for the proposal;

(ii) whether the proposal has the support of the Board of the Society;

(iii) what alternative proposals have been considered, and whether they are
viable;

(iv) details of the number of shares in the Society held by Members of the
Board, and Persons connected with them;

(v) a recommendation by reputable independent financial advisors that the
Members should support the proposal rather than any alternative
proposal.

(d) Where the separate statement is contained in another Document, information
shall be provided in the notice specifying where Members can obtain a copy of
the Document.

(e) The quorum for a meeting at which a special resolution to amalgamate with,
transfer engagements to or convert into a charitable company is to be voted
upon shall be 150 Members or 50% of the Members present in Person,
whichever is the greater, subject to an absolute minimum of three Members.

==Rules 89-90: DISSOLUTION==

89. The Society may be dissolved by the consent of three quarters of the Members by
their signatures to an instrument of dissolution, or by winding up in a manner provided
for by the Act.

90. If on the winding up or dissolution of the Society any of its assets remain to be
disposed of after its liabilities are satisfied, these assets shall not be distributed among
the Members, but shall be transferred instead to some other charitable body or bodies
with objects similar to or compatible with those of the Society as may be decided by
the members at the time of or prior to the dissolution.

==Rules 91-111: ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS==

===Means of Communication===

91. A Member must provide their consent to receive communications from the Society by
Electronic Means.

92. A notice sent to a Director’s Address shall be deemed to have been duly served 48
hours after its posting. A Director may agree with the Society that notices or
Documents sent to her/him in a particular way are to be deemed to have been
received within a specified time of their being sent, and for the specified time to be
less than 48 hours.

===Seal===

93. If the Society has a seal, it shall only be used by the authority of the Board of Directors
acting on behalf of the Society. Every instrument to which the seal shall be attached
shall be signed by a Director and countersigned by a second Director or the Secretary.

===Registers===

94. The Board of Directors shall ensure accurate registers are maintained which shall
include a register of Members, a register of Directors and a register of Officers.

===Register of Members===

95. The Board shall ensure that the register is maintained in accordance with the Act and
that the particulars required by the Act are available for inspection and accessible
without the need to disclose other particulars contained in the register.

===Register of Directors and Officers===

96. The Society shall maintain a register of Directors and Officers which shall include the
following particulars:

(a) Name of the Director;

(b) Address of the Director;

(c) The date on which they assumed office;

(d) The date on which they vacated office; and

(e) The position held by a Director if s/he is also an Officer and the date on which
the Director assumed and vacated his/her Officer position.

===Amendments to Rules===

97. Any of these Rules may be rescinded or amended or a new rule made by an
Extraordinary Resolution at a general meeting of which 14 Clear Days’ notice has
been given, such notice to include details of the change(s) to be proposed at that
meeting. No amendment may be made to the Rules which shall cause the Society to
cease to be a charity in law. No amendment of Rules is valid until registered by the
Registrar. When submitting the rule amendments for registration, the Secretary may
at their sole discretion accept any alterations required or suggested by the Registrar
without reference back to a further general meeting of the Society.

===Copies of the Society's Rules===

98. A copy of these Rules and any amendments made to them shall be given free of
charge to every Member upon admission to membership and shall be provided to any
other Person on demand and on payment of the statutory fee chargeable for the time
being in force.

===Minutes===

99. The Society shall ensure that minutes are kept of all:

(a) Proceedings at general meetings of the Society; and

(b) Proceedings at meetings of the Board of Directors and its sub-committees which
include names of the Directors present, decisions made and the reasons for
those decisions.

===Annual Return===

100. Every year and within the period prescribed by the Act, the Secretary shall send the
annual return in the prescribed form to the Registrar. The annual return shall be
accompanied by:

(a) A copy of the Auditor’s report on the Society's accounts for the period covered
by the annual return or a copy of such other report (if any) as is required by
statute for such a period; and

(b) A copy of each balance sheet made during that period and report of the Auditor
or other appropriate person as required by statute on that balance sheet.

101. The Society shall on demand supply free of charge to any Member or any person with
an interest in the funds of the Society a copy of the latest annual return together with a
copy of the Auditor's report on the accounts and balance sheet contained in the
annual return and the Auditor’s Report (if any).

102. The Society shall at all times keep a copy of the latest balance sheet of the Society
together with a copy of the corresponding Auditor's report (if any) hung up in a
conspicuous place at the registered office and displayed on the Society's website (if
any).

===Audit===

103. Unless the Society meets the criteria set out in section 4(2) of the Friendly and
Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1968 or fulfils the exemptions set out in sub-
sections 4(A) (1) and (2) of the Friendly and Industrial and Provident Societies Act
1968, the Board shall in each financial year appoint an Auditor as required by section
7 of the Friendly and Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 as amended, to audit
the Society’s accounts and balance sheet for the year. This provision also applies if
the Society is in its first financial year.

104. The following persons shall not be appointed as Auditor of the Society:

(a) An Officer or Employee of the Society;

(b) A person who is a partner or employee of, or who employs, an Officer of the
Society.

105. The Board may appoint an Auditor to fill a casual vacancy occurring between general
meetings.

106. An Auditor for the preceding financial year shall be re-appointed as Auditor of the
Society for the current financial year unless:

(a) A decision has been made by the Board to appoint a different Auditor or
expressly decided that s/he shall not be re-appointed; or

(b) S/he has given notice in writing to the Secretary of her/his unwillingness to be
re-appointed; or

(c) S/he is ineligible for appointment as Auditor of the Society for the current
financial year; or

(d) S/he has ceased to act as Auditor of the Society by reason of incapacity.

107. Any ordinary resolution of a general meeting of the Society either to remove an Auditor
from office or to appoint another person as Auditor shall not be effective unless notice
of the proposed resolution has been given to the Society at least 28 days prior to the
meeting at which the resolution is to be considered. At least 14 days' notice of such
resolution must then be given to Members of the Society in the manner prescribed in
these Rules and in Writing to the Auditor(s).

===Social Accounting and Reporting===

108. In addition to any financial accounts required by the Act, the Members may resolve to
undertake an account of the activities of the Society which will endeavour to measure
its social and environmental performance using whatever methodology the Members
deem appropriate. Following the completion of such an account the Society shall
report any findings to its Members and other stakeholders.

===Indemnity and Insurance===

109. Subject to the following rule, any Director or former Director of the Society may be
indemnified out of the Society’s assets against:

(a) Any liability incurred by that Director in connection with any negligence, default,
breach of duty or breach of trust in relation to the Society;

(b) Any liability incurred by that Director in connection with the activities of the
Society in its capacity as a trustee of an occupational pension scheme;

(c) Any other liability incurred by that Director as an Officer of the Society.

110. The above rule does not authorise any indemnity which would be prohibited or
rendered void by any provision of law.

111. The Directors may decide to purchase and maintain insurance, at the expense of the
Society, for the benefit of any Director or former Director of the Society in respect of
any loss or liability which has been or may be incurred by such a Director in
connection with their duties or powers in relation to the Society or any pension fund or
employees’ share scheme of the Society.

1.

2.

3.

1.

Signatures of Founder Members

Signature of Secretary

Full Names of Founder Members in BLOCK
CAPITALS (no initials)

Full Name of Secretary in BLOCK CAPITALS
(no initials)

...............................................................

For record of changes , see [[Rules - Amendments]]
[[Category: Policies, Procedures, Remits]] [[category:Freegle Organisation]]

Postcode recognition

2024-05-26T13:58:59Z

Edwh: Edwh moved page Postcode recognition to Postcodes

#REDIRECT [[Postcodes]]

Postcodes

2024-05-26T13:58:59Z

Edwh: Edwh moved page Postcode recognition to Postcodes

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== We got bad locations ===

# People didn't know what to put. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.
# So we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations. That meant bouncing posts back to users to correct them. That's very off-putting for them, and tedious for us.
# They had to type locations. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up or make mistakes. The less typing, the better.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now just how much of a pain this was.

There are some solutions to getting human readable friendly lcoations, such as Google Autocomplete. But:
* The good ones cost too much, the bad ones are too bad.
* They are aimed more aimed at producing street or postal addresses, not the kind of area locations we want.
* They don't include "unofficial" locations that everyone knows and uses but aren't on maps.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (from just the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads. Imagine doing that if you're blind.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group, which was frustrating for them and waste our time. We shouldn't let people get into that situation in the first place.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default group]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that '''you only have to sort this out once'''. Some groups make changes when there is a complaint about a specific area.

Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based).
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (via Find My Location and IP geolocation) and relies on the user noticing and correcting it if it's wrong.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

''To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post. And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page.''

Postcodes

2024-05-26T13:58:28Z

Edwh: /* TrashNothing */

Postcodes

2024-05-26T13:57:26Z

Edwh: /* Other benefits */

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== We got bad locations ===

# People didn't know what to put. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.
# So we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations. That meant bouncing posts back to users to correct them. That's very off-putting for them, and tedious for us.
# They had to type locations. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up or make mistakes. The less typing, the better.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now just how much of a pain this was.

There are some solutions to getting human readable friendly lcoations, such as Google Autocomplete. But:
* The good ones cost too much, the bad ones are too bad.
* They are aimed more aimed at producing street or postal addresses, not the kind of area locations we want.
* They don't include "unofficial" locations that everyone knows and uses but aren't on maps.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (from just the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads. Imagine doing that if you're blind.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group, which was frustrating for them and waste our time. We shouldn't let people get into that situation in the first place.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default group]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that '''you only have to sort this out once'''. Some groups make changes when there is a complaint about a specific area.

Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based).
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (which is passed to us) and allows the user to correct it.
* Find my location and IP location.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

''To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post. And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page.''

Postcodes

2024-05-26T13:57:01Z

Edwh: /* Friendly locations */

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== We got bad locations ===

# People didn't know what to put. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.
# So we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations. That meant bouncing posts back to users to correct them. That's very off-putting for them, and tedious for us.
# They had to type locations. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up or make mistakes. The less typing, the better.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now just how much of a pain this was.

There are some solutions to getting human readable friendly lcoations, such as Google Autocomplete. But:
* The good ones cost too much, the bad ones are too bad.
* They are aimed more aimed at producing street or postal addresses, not the kind of area locations we want.
* They don't include "unofficial" locations that everyone knows and uses but aren't on maps.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (from just the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads. Imagine doing that if you're blind.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group, which was frustrating for them and waste our time. We shouldn't let people get into that situation in the first place.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default group]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that '''you only have to sort this out once'''. Some groups make changes when there is a complaint about a specific area.

Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based)
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (which is passed to us) and allows the user to correct it.
* Find my location and IP location.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

''To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post. And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page.''

Postcodes

2024-05-26T13:56:14Z

Edwh: /* More precise locations */

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== We got bad locations ===

# People didn't know what to put. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.
# So we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations. That meant bouncing posts back to users to correct them. That's very off-putting for them, and tedious for us.
# They had to type locations. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up or make mistakes. The less typing, the better.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now just how much of a pain this was.

There are some solutions to getting human readable friendly lcoations, such as Google Autocomplete. But:
* The good ones cost too much, the bad ones are too bad.
* They are aimed more aimed at producing street or postal addresses, not the kind of area locations we want.
* They don't include "unofficial" locations that everyone knows and uses but aren't on maps.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (from just the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads. Imagine doing that if you're blind.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group, which was frustrating for them and waste our time. We shouldn't let people get into that situation in the first place.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default group]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that '''you only have to sort this out once'''.

Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based)
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (which is passed to us) and allows the user to correct it.
* Find my location and IP location.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

''To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post. And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page.''

Postcodes

2024-05-26T13:55:31Z

Edwh: /* Which group? */

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== We got bad locations ===

# People didn't know what to put. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.
# So we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations. That meant bouncing posts back to users to correct them. That's very off-putting for them, and tedious for us.
# They had to type locations. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up or make mistakes. The less typing, the better.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now just how much of a pain this was.

There are some solutions to getting human readable friendly lcoations, such as Google Autocomplete. But:
* The good ones cost too much, the bad ones are too bad.
* They are aimed more aimed at producing street or postal addresses, not the kind of area locations we want.
* They don't include "unofficial" locations that everyone knows and uses but aren't on maps.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (from just the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads. Imagine doing that if you're blind.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group, which was frustrating for them and waste our time. We shouldn't let people get into that situation in the first place.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that '''you only have to sort this out once'''.

Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based)
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (which is passed to us) and allows the user to correct it.
* Find my location and IP location.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

''To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post. And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page.''

Postcodes

2024-05-26T13:54:49Z

Edwh: /* We got bad locations */

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== We got bad locations ===

# People didn't know what to put. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.
# So we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations. That meant bouncing posts back to users to correct them. That's very off-putting for them, and tedious for us.
# They had to type locations. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up or make mistakes. The less typing, the better.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now just how much of a pain this was.

There are some solutions to getting human readable friendly lcoations, such as Google Autocomplete. But:
* The good ones cost too much, the bad ones are too bad.
* They are aimed more aimed at producing street or postal addresses, not the kind of area locations we want.
* They don't include "unofficial" locations that everyone knows and uses but aren't on maps.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (from just the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads. Imagine doing that if you're blind.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group. We shouldn't let people get into that situation.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that '''you only have to sort this out once'''.

Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based)
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (which is passed to us) and allows the user to correct it.
* Find my location and IP location.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

''To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post. And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page.''

Postcodes

2024-05-26T09:35:26Z

Edwh: /* Which group? */

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== We got bad locations ===

# People didn't know what to put. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.
# So we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations. That meant bouncing posts back to users to correct them. That's very off-putting for them, and tedious for us.
# They had to type locations. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up or make mistakes. The less typing, the better.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now just how much of a pain this was.

There are some solutions to getting human readable friendly lcoations, such as Google Autocomplete. But:
* The good ones cost too much, the bad ones are too bad.
* They are aimed more aimed at producing street or postal addresses, not the kind of addresses we want.
* They don't include "unofficial" locations that everyone knows and uses but aren't on maps.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (from just the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads. Imagine doing that if you're blind.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group. We shouldn't let people get into that situation.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that '''you only have to sort this out once'''.

Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based)
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (which is passed to us) and allows the user to correct it.
* Find my location and IP location.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

''To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post. And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page.''

Postcodes

2024-05-26T09:31:52Z

Edwh: /* Which group? */

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== We got bad locations ===

# People didn't know what to put. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.
# So we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations. That meant bouncing posts back to users to correct them. That's very off-putting for them, and tedious for us.
# They had to type locations. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up or make mistakes. The less typing, the better.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now just how much of a pain this was.

There are some solutions to getting human readable friendly lcoations, such as Google Autocomplete. But:
* The good ones cost too much, the bad ones are too bad.
* They are aimed more aimed at producing street or postal addresses, not the kind of addresses we want.
* They don't include "unofficial" locations that everyone knows and uses but aren't on maps.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads. Imagine doing that if you're blind.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group. We shouldn't let people get into that situation.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that '''you only have to sort this out once'''.

Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based)
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (which is passed to us) and allows the user to correct it.
* Find my location and IP location.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

''To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post. And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page.''

Postcodes

2024-05-26T09:31:21Z

Edwh: /* TrashNothing */

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== We got bad locations ===

# People didn't know what to put. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.
# So we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations. That meant bouncing posts back to users to correct them. That's very off-putting for them, and tedious for us.
# They had to type locations. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up or make mistakes. The less typing, the better.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now just how much of a pain this was.

There are some solutions to getting human readable friendly lcoations, such as Google Autocomplete. But:
* The good ones cost too much, the bad ones are too bad.
* They are aimed more aimed at producing street or postal addresses, not the kind of addresses we want.
* They don't include "unofficial" locations that everyone knows and uses but aren't on maps.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group. We shouldn't let people get into that situation.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that '''you only have to sort this out once'''.

Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based)
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (which is passed to us) and allows the user to correct it.
* Find my location and IP location.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

''To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post. And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page.''

Postcodes

2024-05-26T09:31:03Z

Edwh: /* TrashNothing */

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== We got bad locations ===

# People didn't know what to put. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.
# So we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations. That meant bouncing posts back to users to correct them. That's very off-putting for them, and tedious for us.
# They had to type locations. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up or make mistakes. The less typing, the better.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now just how much of a pain this was.

There are some solutions to getting human readable friendly lcoations, such as Google Autocomplete. But:
* The good ones cost too much, the bad ones are too bad.
* They are aimed more aimed at producing street or postal addresses, not the kind of addresses we want.
* They don't include "unofficial" locations that everyone knows and uses but aren't on maps.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group. We shouldn't let people get into that situation.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that '''you only have to sort this out once'''.

Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based)
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (which is passed to us) and allows the user to correct it.
* Find my location and IP location.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

''To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post
And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page.''

Postcodes

2024-05-26T09:30:47Z

Edwh: /* Friendly locations */

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== We got bad locations ===

# People didn't know what to put. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.
# So we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations. That meant bouncing posts back to users to correct them. That's very off-putting for them, and tedious for us.
# They had to type locations. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up or make mistakes. The less typing, the better.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now just how much of a pain this was.

There are some solutions to getting human readable friendly lcoations, such as Google Autocomplete. But:
* The good ones cost too much, the bad ones are too bad.
* They are aimed more aimed at producing street or postal addresses, not the kind of addresses we want.
* They don't include "unofficial" locations that everyone knows and uses but aren't on maps.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group. We shouldn't let people get into that situation.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that '''you only have to sort this out once'''.

Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based)
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (which is passed to us) and allows the user to correct it.
* Find my location and IP location.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

"To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post
And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page."

Postcodes

2024-05-26T09:30:37Z

Edwh: /* Friendly locations */

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== We got bad locations ===

# People didn't know what to put. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.
# So we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations. That meant bouncing posts back to users to correct them. That's very off-putting for them, and tedious for us.
# They had to type locations. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up or make mistakes. The less typing, the better.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now just how much of a pain this was.

There are some solutions to getting human readable friendly lcoations, such as Google Autocomplete. But:
* The good ones cost too much, the bad ones are too bad.
* They are aimed more aimed at producing street or postal addresses, not the kind of addresses we want.
* They don't include "unofficial" locations that everyone knows and uses but aren't on maps.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group. We shouldn't let people get into that situation.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that '''you only have to sort this out once'''. Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based)
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (which is passed to us) and allows the user to correct it.
* Find my location and IP location.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

"To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post
And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page."

Postcodes

2024-05-26T09:29:12Z

Edwh: /* We got bad locations */

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== We got bad locations ===

# People didn't know what to put. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.
# So we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations. That meant bouncing posts back to users to correct them. That's very off-putting for them, and tedious for us.
# They had to type locations. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up or make mistakes. The less typing, the better.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now just how much of a pain this was.

There are some solutions to getting human readable friendly lcoations, such as Google Autocomplete. But:
* The good ones cost too much, the bad ones are too bad.
* They are aimed more aimed at producing street or postal addresses, not the kind of addresses we want.
* They don't include "unofficial" locations that everyone knows and uses but aren't on maps.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group. We shouldn't let people get into that situation.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that **you only have to sort this out once**. Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based)
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (which is passed to us) and allows the user to correct it.
* Find my location and IP location.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

"To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post
And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page."

Postcodes

2024-05-26T09:28:59Z

Edwh: /* We got bad locations */

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== We got bad locations ===

# People didn't know what to put. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.
# So we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations. That meant bouncing posts back to users to correct them. That's very off-putting for them, and tedious for us.
# They had to type locations. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up or make mistakes. The less typing, the better.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now just how much of a pain this was.

There are some solutions to getting human readable friendly lcoations, such as Google Autocomplete. But
* The good ones cost too much, the bad ones are too bad.
* They are aimed more aimed at producing street or postal addresses, not the kind of addresses we want.
* They don't include "unofficial" locations that everyone knows and uses but aren't on maps.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group. We shouldn't let people get into that situation.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that **you only have to sort this out once**. Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based)
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (which is passed to us) and allows the user to correct it.
* Find my location and IP location.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

"To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post
And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page."

Postcodes

2024-05-26T09:28:49Z

Edwh: /* What's wrong with free-form locations? */

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== We got bad locations ===

# People didn't know what to put. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.
* So we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations. That meant bouncing posts back to users to correct them. That's very off-putting for them, and tedious for us.
# They had to type locations. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up or make mistakes. The less typing, the better.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now just how much of a pain this was.

There are some solutions to getting human readable friendly lcoations, such as Google Autocomplete. But
* The good ones cost too much, the bad ones are too bad.
* They are aimed more aimed at producing street or postal addresses, not the kind of addresses we want.
* They don't include "unofficial" locations that everyone knows and uses but aren't on maps.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group. We shouldn't let people get into that situation.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that **you only have to sort this out once**. Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based)
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (which is passed to us) and allows the user to correct it.
* Find my location and IP location.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

"To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post
And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page."

Postcodes

2024-05-26T09:19:53Z

Edwh: Created page with "Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why. == What's wrong with free-form locations? == Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts. === The locations were often wrong === # They had to type them. The mo..."

Our system fundamentally works using postcodes. This article explains why.

== What's wrong with free-form locations? ==

Back in the days of Yahoo Groups, we had free-form locations that people just typed. This sounds appealing. What's wrong with it? Well, several things. And a key point to remember is that these problems happened over and over again - for a certain percentage of wrong posts.

=== The locations were often wrong ===

# They had to type them. The more typing people have to do, the more user friction there is, the more people give up. The less typing, the better.
# They didn't know what to type. Some people would put in vague terms like 'Anywhere', or 'Edinburgh', or 'Can collect', or 'just round the corner from the Post Office'. This meant we did a lot of moderation of posts around vague or wrong locations.

Even those of us around in Yahoo days tend to forget now how much of a pain this was.

Users (especially new users) can't be expected to know what kinds of locations are suitable for a Freegle group. We should help them.

=== Which group? ===

Another massive problem in Yahoo days was knowing which group to post on. We expected people to have found a group somehow, worked out (the name or reading a long description) what area each group covered, and decided which group to post on. This is a terrible user experience because it requires users (including new users) to solve complex geospatial problems in their heads.

In some areas of the country, especially those with dense populations (no pun intended) this problem is very much worse than others. If you live in an area where you don't think it is a problem, your experience may not apply to areas where it is.

We spent a lot of time telling people they'd posted on the wrong group. We shouldn't let people get into that situation.

== More precise locations ==

For these reasons alone, it's very useful for the system to know a more precise location. There are other advantages, which we'll see later.

Many countries have long had similar issues with postal addresses, and introduced solutions such as postcodes or zip codes. These are now extremely well-understood ways of defining a location quite precisely (roughly 92% of people know their own postcode from memory see [https://marcxsmith.medium.com/why-are-uk-postcodes-so-memorable-b0457e2e8a0d here]).

There is no international system for this.
* Latitude/longitude isn't suitable for humans.
* "Find my location" buttons are often not accurate.
* What3Words is trying to become a standard, but it is still extremely rare for people in the UK to know their W3W address by heart.

Our system asks for the postcode as the first item when someone posts. This means that we can [[Community Mapping|identify a suitable default]] for them to post on - which means they don't have to make a complex choice, and also means that we don't have to spend time correcting wrong choices.

== Friendly locations ==

We don't show people's full postcodes for privacy reasons - just the first part. It's still useful for many groups to have a human-readable location that people would recognise, for example in an email. This is partly an accessibility issue, since not everyone will be able to view maps.

We have a method to [[Community_Mapping#Changing_Location_on_Freegle_Posts|map postcodes]] to friendly locations. Briefly, we'll choose the smallest area that the postcode is inside, or the closest area if it's not inside one. This means moderators effectively have control over the locations that are in use on their group.

This mapping was set up many years ago, and if you've not looked at it recently (or at all) then you should do so - see the link above. If it looks a mess, then you can sort it out yourself or [[Central Support|get help]]. It might seem intimidating, but remember that **you only have to sort this out once**. Once the mapping is correct for your area, then all postcodes will be mapped to sensible locations - the problem of some people getting them wrong on posts has been removed.

== Other benefits ==

Once we have a precise location, there are other useful things we can do:
* Show people how far away a post is, to help them decide whether it's reachable.
* Find other nearby posts they might be particularly interested in.
* Automatically show people posts based on approximate travel time.
* Generate statistics on a postcode basis, which is something that ties in to work councils and other organisations do (a lot of demographic data is postcode-based)
None of these are things you can do without locations which are accurate to around the postcode level.

== TrashNothing ==

TrashNothing has the same problems. But as an international system it can't have a single solution. So it does a mixture of things:
* You can define the subject line format, for example to include a short location and part of a postcode
* You can forbid certain locations.
* It tries to establish a precise location (which is passed to us) and allows the user to correct it.
* Find my location and IP location.

This still leaves a fair number of posts where the location is wrong, and you will occasionally see this. You may have to ask TN users to correct their location:

"To edit your post, follow the instructions at: https://help.trashnothing.com/how-do-i-edit-my-post
And once you’re editing your post, click on the map to change where the map shows or use the 'New Location' option that is part of the Location selection on the edit post page."

Maps

2024-05-26T08:42:54Z

Edwh: /* Default Posting Area (DPA) */

There are three ways that a Community has it's area defined within Freegle.

====Core Community Area (CGA)====

This is the exclusive area that a Community is approved to cover, decided with GAT when a Community is affiliated within the [[Freegle Affiliated Community Area Guidelines]].

====Default Posting Area (DPA)====

This is the area that Freegle Direct recognises as the posting area for each Community. Our system works on [[postcode recognition|Postcodes]], so when someone joins the site they will be offered the Community that covers their DPA first. They are, of course, welcome to join whichever Community they want, but if they subsequently post a message on the site without logging in first, the system will default to the DPA to place their message on the relevant Community. Once logged in, a member can easily choose which Community they wish their message to appear on.

DPAs are defined by each Community and can be adjusted via Modtools in Settings/groups option and the new polygon details sent to geeks@ilovefreegle.org. The Support team (support@ilovefreegle.org) are very happy with remapping DPAs for any Community. DPAs can't overlap, so there might need to be negotiation between abutting Communities to make sure everyone is happy with any changes. DPAs can extend beyond a Community’s Core area to cover areas not covered by any other Community’s Core or DPA.

====Catchment Area====

This is the area that each Community are happy to accept posts and members from, which can be as wide as they like. It is not affected by the Core area and DPA, but is down to each local team to discuss and decide how large an area would be beneficial to their Community members.

====Changing Location on Freegle Posts====

To change the location displayed on Freegle Direct posts, go to settings > community > mapping > view areas.

You will see on the mapping page the region the group is in, the Core Group Area and the Default Posting Area reading from the top of the page down. These settings are not to be changed without consulting the New Groups Team or Tech/Geeks as they are tied in with a lot of other settings and maps that you can’t see.

Below the Default Posting Area you will see a button you need - ‘View Areas’. Click on this and you should then see (it takes time to load) the designated named areas within the boundary of the group, you can pan and zoom this map to find the area you want but be careful not to double click anywhere. If you get the correct zoom level you should be able to see the boundary of the group and the various named areas inside it.
This is where it gets tricky for a new user, you need to zoom in one time from that level so that the group boundary disappears and you are just left with the named areas. Then click once on one of the named areas and the blue border of the area will turn red and the details of the area will be shown in the right hand column where you can edit the name or delete the area. If you click the area a second time you will then get the points of the drawn polygon which can be dragged to change the shape but you need to be careful not to cross the lines.

In summary: To change an area double click on it, drag the points to the right place and don’t forget to save. The Rightmove website is useful to check areas if you’re not sure (search for an area, this area only and view the map. Beware they may overlap slightly.)

To remove an area click on the polygon then click delete in the box to the right.

To add a new area click on the polygon symbol at the top right of the map to draw a new polygon, you will need to name it and save it in the box on the right.

You can check a postcode here too. Once changed some will change existing posts straight away, some need overnight to update. You really need a laptop or PC, it doesn’t work at all well on the app.

On Trashnothing you’ve got local area and short postcode as preferred subject line location, there is now a strictly enforced version of this which prevents them posting just a short postcode or just an area. You can get to TN settings from the top of the settings page.

====Links====
*[[Freegle Affiliated Community Area Guidelines]]
*[[Glossary]]
*[[Group Affiliation Team - GAT]]

[[category:Policies, Procedures, Remits]]

Checking trademark applications

2024-04-16T10:01:32Z

Edwh:

We have deliberately not trademarked "Freegle", and tried to make it untrademarkable by encouraging use of "freegling", "freegler" etc.

Instead we monitor trademark applications, and would object if one were filed. This is currently done by Andy Ludlow using the following links:

* https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#basic/1+1+1+1/100+100+100+100/freegle
* https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-tmtext

Checking trademark applications

2024-04-16T10:01:04Z

Edwh: Created page with "We have deliberately not trademarked "Freegle", and tried to make it untrademarkable by encouraging use of "freegling", "freegler" etc. Instead we monitor trademark applications, and would object if one were filed. This is currently done by Andy Ludlow using the following links: https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#basic/1+1+1+1/100+100+100+100/freegle https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-tmtext"

We have deliberately not trademarked "Freegle", and tried to make it untrademarkable by encouraging use of "freegling", "freegler" etc.

Instead we monitor trademark applications, and would object if one were filed. This is currently done by Andy Ludlow using the following links:

https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#basic/1+1+1+1/100+100+100+100/freegle
https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-tmtext

New Director Procedure

2024-04-16T09:58:05Z

Edwh:

This procedure is the responsibility of the Company Secretary or a director designated prior to the election.

==DIRECTOR RETIREMENT==

===Resignation Mid Term===
(see [[Directors_Ending_Term_of_Office_Procedure]] for full procedures relating to resignation process)

*The Director is to be given a 7 day “cooling off” period before the resignation is accepted by the Board.
*Central is informed when the resignation has been accepted.
*The Returning Officers are emailed for information and in case an election is needed. Although the Board has the power to co-opt new members, an election might throw up new candidates.

===Resignation and Retirement===
* The Directors are asked to leave the Board discussion Group and any other Director-only groups.
* Access removed to Confidential Details Google document.
* Access removed from Black Box
* Access removed from Membership Register.
* Passwords changed for gmail accounts and any specific passwords relating to a position as official/role holder.
* Officers to change passwords and remove access if applicable.
* Financial Director to inform bank and/or HMRC of change of authorised official/responsible person if appropriate.
* Update Teams section on ModTools, including the bio that appears on ilovefreegle.org/about
* Delete section from Declarations of Interest

==DIRECTOR APPOINTMENT==
*Ask Directors to read:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/597664/Fit-and-proper-persons-helpsheet-and-declaration.pdf

and email the Company Secretary to confirm that they are eligible.
*Give access to Confidential Details and ask Director/s to provide their details.
*Give access to Board discussion group and Membership Register.
*Financial Director to inform bank and, if appropriate, inform HMRC of change of authorised official/responsible person.
*Update Teams section on ModTools
*Complete Declarations of Interest section
*Update wiki

==Miscellaneous Tasks==

*Ensure all named Director roles are appointed - [[Freegle Board#Roles]]
*Ensure someone is responsible for [[Checking trademark applications]].
*Ensure wiki page [[Freegle_Board]] and Modtools Teams section is updated.

[[Category:Freegle Board]][[Category:Policies, Procedures, Remits]]

________________

Donations for Freegle

2023-11-25T16:18:45Z

Edwh:

Freegle has set up a variety of methods to accept donations. On the website there is a 'donate' page which anyone can access and use.

Freegle is registered with the HMRC (Charity number
XT32865) as charitable for tax purposes, which means we can use the Gift Aid scheme [http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/individuals/giving/gift-aid.htm] to reclaim the tax that individuals have paid on their donation.

The selection of ways for Freegle to accept donations are given on the website at http://ilovefreegle.org/donate. More info on each is below. Most of our donations come via PayPal Donate - this is the one where testing shows that more people complete their donations.

Here is a diagram which shows what happens

[[Image:Donations.png]]

The full size diagram is [https://drive.google.com/file/d/13WutueBfgQMRL4yyorBav4zT6eRVSCBP/view?usp=sharing here], and the Canva version, for editing, is [https://www.canva.com/design/DAFw355MW-A/l_ijlNPPKVupycI-gq1kmA/edit here]

====Paypal====

Confusingly, there are two donation methods:
* [https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=XEFBZCF2RDEQ8&source=url&ssrt=1700928397385 PayPal Donate]. This is the most flexible (e.g. you can customise the buttons amounts) but Freegle has to administer the gift aid process. If a donor accidentally donates a regular amount incorrectly, they can amend their donation at https://www.paypal.com/billing/subscriptions/list/new
* [https://www.paypal.com/uk/fundraiser/charity/55681 PayPal Giving Fund]. This is less flexible, but they administer the gift aid.

====Bank Transfer====

We can accept donations straight into the Freegle bank account. Our Treasurer is able to do the paperwork for Gift Aid if that is applicable.
The Unity bank account details for transfer are:

* Name of account: FREEGLE LTD
* Sort code: 60-83-01
* Account number: 20339094

(a recognisable reference - eg email address used for freegling - is very helpful on the transfer)

Please note:
In June 2020 a new system of checking was implemented for some banks, called Confirmation of Payee. Statement from Unity:
''Unity is not implementing this service initially – this is only a requirement for the ‘big six’ banks.'' 
''The new payment rules will apply if you’re receiving a payment into your Unity account for the first time from a customer who has an account with one of the participating banks.''

''When making the payment to your Unity account, your customer will be shown a message to explain that no name check has been possible because the recipient doesn’t offer Confirmation of Payee. The payment can still go ahead, but your customer may be asked to check that all details are correct before proceeding.''

We can also accept cheques, which can be sent to the Treasurer directly. Email treasurer@ilovefreegle.org for details.

===Everyclick===

http://www.everyclick.com/freegle/info

Everyclick offers:
* acceptance of one off donations.
* a web search, powered by Yahoo, and access to all eBay content. Supporters sign up and commission is generated for Freegle by searching; there is no cost to the supporter.
* Give As You Live shopping facility. Thousands of stores will donate money to Freegle when supporters shop online. (see below)
* individual fundraising pages, where Freegle supporters can encourage friends and family to donate or shop with Give As You Live.
* claiming back Gift Aid on behalf of Freegle.
* acceptance of payment by credit or debit card.

There was no registration fee for Everyclick; transaction fees for donations vary according to the credit/debit card used in the range 4-4.8%. [http://www.everyclick.com/about-everyclick/fees]

===Give As You Live===

http://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/freegle

works by individuals registering with the system, then it sits in the background and pops up a banner on shopping sites that have signed up to them. When a purchase is made, an amount (it varies from site to site) is then credited to the charity that the individual has nominated. Although the amounts might only be small for each purchase, the combined amounts raised by supporters can really make a difference to Freegle finances - and at no cost to the supporters.

===Savoo===
(message posted to Central by the Edward, 5.5.17 [https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/FreegleUK-Central/conversations/topics/63399]

Savoo is a voucher code site with 1.1 million members - you get voucher codes from there to get discounts on things you buy. Fairly recently they have started to raise funds for charities, so that when you buy using their voucher codes, some money goes to a charity you support. This is quite similar to Give As You Live - GAYL is coming from the charity perspective and heading towards voucher codes, and Savoo is heading the other way. GAYL has the toolbar which reminds you to benefit your charity, though, which is nice.

After discussion with them and the Board, I've set us up on Savoo and added a link to them on https://www.ilovefreegle.org/donate. We're not intending to actively promote Savoo to our members, because GAYL is probably better for us (because of the toolbar). But Savoo will promote us on their homepage and their newsletter, and we may pick up some supporters and members that way who we would otherwise not have reached.

If you want to register to support Freegle and see if there are any useful voucher codes, go via https://www.savoo.co.uk/#freegle

===Charities Aid Foundation===

https://www.cafonline.org/

Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) offers:
* acceptance of one off donations.
* option to donate anonymously.
* mechanisms for individuals to set up a legacy.
* mechanisms for individuals to set up a charitable trust.
* Give As You Earn facility, a way to make regular donations from an individuals' salary. (see [http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/tax/giving/payroll.htm] for explanation)
* a Charity Account for individuals, allowing donations via vouchers, phone and online.
* claiming back Gift Aid on behalf of Freegle.
* acceptance of payment via credit or debit card, PayPal, CAF Charity Account or CAF Charitable Trust.

Freegle has registered as a recognised charity with CAF. There was no registration fee; transaction fees vary from 5% for a one off straight donation to 4% or less for donations via their charity account etc.

===Charities Trust===

http://www.charitiestrust.org/charities/freegle/index.html
Charities Trust is a national Payroll Giving and corporate donation management agency.

Charities Trust offers:
* acceptance of one off donations.
* I Love Payroll Giving scheme.
* a Freedom Account for individuals.
* Sponsor-me.org, a fundraising by sponsorship facility.
* claiming back Gift Aid on behalf of Freegle.
* acceptance of payment by credit or debit card.

Freegle has registered as a recognised charity with Charities Trust. There was no registration fee; transaction fees vary, maximum 4%.

===Github===

https://github.com/sponsors/Freegle
Github is where open source code gets stored. They have a scheme for people to sponsor open source code by making regular donations; Freegle signed up for the scheme in February 2021.

===Ebay===

Users of Ebay can nominate Freegle as their favourite charity and donate to or sell goods in aid of Freegle. Our page is here https://www.charity.ebay.co.uk/charity/i/Freegle/74430 .

Ebay ran two competitions in 2016 an 2017 ([[Ebay My Favourite Charity]]) and we were fortunate to receive a prize in both years.

===Benevity===

This is a donation matching site that some employers offer their employees. We have managed to get donations from the US Benevity programme, but not the UK one. In the UK we need to give evidence of Charity Commission registration (which we can't do) whilst the US site accepts HMRC charitable registration (which we do have).

===Supporter Tag===
If we can identify a member who has donated to Freegle, we add a brown 'supporter' tag to their profile. It stays on the profile for at least 60 days from the date of donation.

Back to [[Organisation]]
[[category:Funding]]
[[category:Finance]]

File:Donations.png

2023-11-25T16:18:09Z

Edwh:

Donations for Freegle

2023-11-25T16:17:10Z

Edwh: Update donations info

Freegle has set up a variety of methods to accept donations. On the website there is a 'donate' page which anyone can access and use.

Freegle is registered with the HMRC (Charity number
XT32865) as charitable for tax purposes, which means we can use the Gift Aid scheme [http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/individuals/giving/gift-aid.htm] to reclaim the tax that individuals have paid on their donation.

The selection of ways for Freegle to accept donations are given on the website at http://ilovefreegle.org/donate. More info on each is below. Most of our donations come via PayPal Donate - this is the one where testing shows that more people complete their donations.

Here is a diagram which shows what happens

The full size diagram is [https://drive.google.com/file/d/13WutueBfgQMRL4yyorBav4zT6eRVSCBP/view?usp=sharing here], and the Canva version, for editing, is [https://www.canva.com/design/DAFw355MW-A/l_ijlNPPKVupycI-gq1kmA/edit here]

====Paypal====

Confusingly, there are two donation methods:
* [https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=XEFBZCF2RDEQ8&source=url&ssrt=1700928397385 PayPal Donate]. This is the most flexible (e.g. you can customise the buttons amounts) but Freegle has to administer the gift aid process. If a donor accidentally donates a regular amount incorrectly, they can amend their donation at https://www.paypal.com/billing/subscriptions/list/new
* [https://www.paypal.com/uk/fundraiser/charity/55681 PayPal Giving Fund]. This is less flexible, but they administer the gift aid.

====Bank Transfer====

We can accept donations straight into the Freegle bank account. Our Treasurer is able to do the paperwork for Gift Aid if that is applicable.
The Unity bank account details for transfer are:

* Name of account: FREEGLE LTD
* Sort code: 60-83-01
* Account number: 20339094

(a recognisable reference - eg email address used for freegling - is very helpful on the transfer)

Please note:
In June 2020 a new system of checking was implemented for some banks, called Confirmation of Payee. Statement from Unity:
''Unity is not implementing this service initially – this is only a requirement for the ‘big six’ banks.'' 
''The new payment rules will apply if you’re receiving a payment into your Unity account for the first time from a customer who has an account with one of the participating banks.''

''When making the payment to your Unity account, your customer will be shown a message to explain that no name check has been possible because the recipient doesn’t offer Confirmation of Payee. The payment can still go ahead, but your customer may be asked to check that all details are correct before proceeding.''

We can also accept cheques, which can be sent to the Treasurer directly. Email treasurer@ilovefreegle.org for details.

===Everyclick===

http://www.everyclick.com/freegle/info

Everyclick offers:
* acceptance of one off donations.
* a web search, powered by Yahoo, and access to all eBay content. Supporters sign up and commission is generated for Freegle by searching; there is no cost to the supporter.
* Give As You Live shopping facility. Thousands of stores will donate money to Freegle when supporters shop online. (see below)
* individual fundraising pages, where Freegle supporters can encourage friends and family to donate or shop with Give As You Live.
* claiming back Gift Aid on behalf of Freegle.
* acceptance of payment by credit or debit card.

There was no registration fee for Everyclick; transaction fees for donations vary according to the credit/debit card used in the range 4-4.8%. [http://www.everyclick.com/about-everyclick/fees]

===Give As You Live===

http://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/freegle

works by individuals registering with the system, then it sits in the background and pops up a banner on shopping sites that have signed up to them. When a purchase is made, an amount (it varies from site to site) is then credited to the charity that the individual has nominated. Although the amounts might only be small for each purchase, the combined amounts raised by supporters can really make a difference to Freegle finances - and at no cost to the supporters.

===Savoo===
(message posted to Central by the Edward, 5.5.17 [https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/FreegleUK-Central/conversations/topics/63399]

Savoo is a voucher code site with 1.1 million members - you get voucher codes from there to get discounts on things you buy. Fairly recently they have started to raise funds for charities, so that when you buy using their voucher codes, some money goes to a charity you support. This is quite similar to Give As You Live - GAYL is coming from the charity perspective and heading towards voucher codes, and Savoo is heading the other way. GAYL has the toolbar which reminds you to benefit your charity, though, which is nice.

After discussion with them and the Board, I've set us up on Savoo and added a link to them on https://www.ilovefreegle.org/donate. We're not intending to actively promote Savoo to our members, because GAYL is probably better for us (because of the toolbar). But Savoo will promote us on their homepage and their newsletter, and we may pick up some supporters and members that way who we would otherwise not have reached.

If you want to register to support Freegle and see if there are any useful voucher codes, go via https://www.savoo.co.uk/#freegle

===Charities Aid Foundation===

https://www.cafonline.org/

Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) offers:
* acceptance of one off donations.
* option to donate anonymously.
* mechanisms for individuals to set up a legacy.
* mechanisms for individuals to set up a charitable trust.
* Give As You Earn facility, a way to make regular donations from an individuals' salary. (see [http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/tax/giving/payroll.htm] for explanation)
* a Charity Account for individuals, allowing donations via vouchers, phone and online.
* claiming back Gift Aid on behalf of Freegle.
* acceptance of payment via credit or debit card, PayPal, CAF Charity Account or CAF Charitable Trust.

Freegle has registered as a recognised charity with CAF. There was no registration fee; transaction fees vary from 5% for a one off straight donation to 4% or less for donations via their charity account etc.

===Charities Trust===

http://www.charitiestrust.org/charities/freegle/index.html
Charities Trust is a national Payroll Giving and corporate donation management agency.

Charities Trust offers:
* acceptance of one off donations.
* I Love Payroll Giving scheme.
* a Freedom Account for individuals.
* Sponsor-me.org, a fundraising by sponsorship facility.
* claiming back Gift Aid on behalf of Freegle.
* acceptance of payment by credit or debit card.

Freegle has registered as a recognised charity with Charities Trust. There was no registration fee; transaction fees vary, maximum 4%.

===Github===

https://github.com/sponsors/Freegle
Github is where open source code gets stored. They have a scheme for people to sponsor open source code by making regular donations; Freegle signed up for the scheme in February 2021.

===Ebay===

Users of Ebay can nominate Freegle as their favourite charity and donate to or sell goods in aid of Freegle. Our page is here https://www.charity.ebay.co.uk/charity/i/Freegle/74430 .

Ebay ran two competitions in 2016 an 2017 ([[Ebay My Favourite Charity]]) and we were fortunate to receive a prize in both years.

===Benevity===

This is a donation matching site that some employers offer their employees. We have managed to get donations from the US Benevity programme, but not the UK one. In the UK we need to give evidence of Charity Commission registration (which we can't do) whilst the US site accepts HMRC charitable registration (which we do have).

===Supporter Tag===
If we can identify a member who has donated to Freegle, we add a brown 'supporter' tag to their profile. It stays on the profile for at least 60 days from the date of donation.

Back to [[Organisation]]
[[category:Funding]]
[[category:Finance]]

Donations for Freegle

2023-11-25T16:14:05Z

Edwh:

Freegle has set up a variety of methods to accept donations. On the website there is a 'donate' page which anyone can access and use.

Freegle is registered with the HMRC (Charity number
XT32865) as charitable for tax purposes, which means we can use the Gift Aid scheme [http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/individuals/giving/gift-aid.htm] to reclaim the tax that individuals have paid on their donation.

The selection of ways for Freegle to accept donations are given on the website at http://ilovefreegle.org/donate. More info on each is below. Most of our donations come via PayPal Donate - this is the one where testing shows that more people complete their donations.

Here is a diagram which shows what happens

The full size diagram is (here)[https://drive.google.com/file/d/13WutueBfgQMRL4yyorBav4zT6eRVSCBP/view?usp=sharing], and the Canva version, for editing, is (here)[https://www.canva.com/design/DAFw355MW-A/l_ijlNPPKVupycI-gq1kmA/edit]

====Paypal====

Confusingly, there are two donation methods:
* (PayPal Donate)[https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=XEFBZCF2RDEQ8&source=url&ssrt=1700928397385]. This is the most flexible (e.g. you can customise the buttons amounts) but Freegle has to administer the gift aid process. If a donor accidentally donates a regular amount incorrectly, they can amend their donation at https://www.paypal.com/billing/subscriptions/list/new
* (PayPal Giving Fund)[https://www.paypal.com/uk/fundraiser/charity/55681]. This is the
Offered on Freegle Direct for people to donate if they wish, this option (Paypal offers a selection) means that donations can be processed for gift aid if that is appropriate.

====Bank Transfer====

We can accept donations straight into the Freegle bank account. Our Treasurer is able to do the paperwork for Gift Aid if that is applicable.
The Unity bank account details for transfer are:

* Name of account: FREEGLE LTD
* Sort code: 60-83-01
* Account number: 20339094

(a recognisable reference - eg email address used for freegling - is very helpful on the transfer)

Please note:
In June 2020 a new system of checking was implemented for some banks, called Confirmation of Payee. Statement from Unity:
''Unity is not implementing this service initially – this is only a requirement for the ‘big six’ banks.'' 
''The new payment rules will apply if you’re receiving a payment into your Unity account for the first time from a customer who has an account with one of the participating banks.''

''When making the payment to your Unity account, your customer will be shown a message to explain that no name check has been possible because the recipient doesn’t offer Confirmation of Payee. The payment can still go ahead, but your customer may be asked to check that all details are correct before proceeding.''

We can also accept cheques, which can be sent to the Treasurer directly. Email treasurer@ilovefreegle.org for details.

===Everyclick===

http://www.everyclick.com/freegle/info

Everyclick offers:
* acceptance of one off donations.
* a web search, powered by Yahoo, and access to all eBay content. Supporters sign up and commission is generated for Freegle by searching; there is no cost to the supporter.
* Give As You Live shopping facility. Thousands of stores will donate money to Freegle when supporters shop online. (see below)
* individual fundraising pages, where Freegle supporters can encourage friends and family to donate or shop with Give As You Live.
* claiming back Gift Aid on behalf of Freegle.
* acceptance of payment by credit or debit card.

There was no registration fee for Everyclick; transaction fees for donations vary according to the credit/debit card used in the range 4-4.8%. [http://www.everyclick.com/about-everyclick/fees]

===Give As You Live===

http://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/freegle

works by individuals registering with the system, then it sits in the background and pops up a banner on shopping sites that have signed up to them. When a purchase is made, an amount (it varies from site to site) is then credited to the charity that the individual has nominated. Although the amounts might only be small for each purchase, the combined amounts raised by supporters can really make a difference to Freegle finances - and at no cost to the supporters.

===Savoo===
(message posted to Central by the Edward, 5.5.17 [https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/FreegleUK-Central/conversations/topics/63399]

Savoo is a voucher code site with 1.1 million members - you get voucher codes from there to get discounts on things you buy. Fairly recently they have started to raise funds for charities, so that when you buy using their voucher codes, some money goes to a charity you support. This is quite similar to Give As You Live - GAYL is coming from the charity perspective and heading towards voucher codes, and Savoo is heading the other way. GAYL has the toolbar which reminds you to benefit your charity, though, which is nice.

After discussion with them and the Board, I've set us up on Savoo and added a link to them on https://www.ilovefreegle.org/donate. We're not intending to actively promote Savoo to our members, because GAYL is probably better for us (because of the toolbar). But Savoo will promote us on their homepage and their newsletter, and we may pick up some supporters and members that way who we would otherwise not have reached.

If you want to register to support Freegle and see if there are any useful voucher codes, go via https://www.savoo.co.uk/#freegle

===Charities Aid Foundation===

https://www.cafonline.org/

Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) offers:
* acceptance of one off donations.
* option to donate anonymously.
* mechanisms for individuals to set up a legacy.
* mechanisms for individuals to set up a charitable trust.
* Give As You Earn facility, a way to make regular donations from an individuals' salary. (see [http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/tax/giving/payroll.htm] for explanation)
* a Charity Account for individuals, allowing donations via vouchers, phone and online.
* claiming back Gift Aid on behalf of Freegle.
* acceptance of payment via credit or debit card, PayPal, CAF Charity Account or CAF Charitable Trust.

Freegle has registered as a recognised charity with CAF. There was no registration fee; transaction fees vary from 5% for a one off straight donation to 4% or less for donations via their charity account etc.

===Charities Trust===

http://www.charitiestrust.org/charities/freegle/index.html
Charities Trust is a national Payroll Giving and corporate donation management agency.

Charities Trust offers:
* acceptance of one off donations.
* I Love Payroll Giving scheme.
* a Freedom Account for individuals.
* Sponsor-me.org, a fundraising by sponsorship facility.
* claiming back Gift Aid on behalf of Freegle.
* acceptance of payment by credit or debit card.

Freegle has registered as a recognised charity with Charities Trust. There was no registration fee; transaction fees vary, maximum 4%.

===Github===

https://github.com/sponsors/Freegle
Github is where open source code gets stored. They have a scheme for people to sponsor open source code by making regular donations; Freegle signed up for the scheme in February 2021.

===Ebay===

Users of Ebay can nominate Freegle as their favourite charity and donate to or sell goods in aid of Freegle. Our page is here https://www.charity.ebay.co.uk/charity/i/Freegle/74430 .

Ebay ran two competitions in 2016 an 2017 ([[Ebay My Favourite Charity]]) and we were fortunate to receive a prize in both years.

===Benevity===

This is a donation matching site that some employers offer their employees. We have managed to get donations from the US Benevity programme, but not the UK one. In the UK we need to give evidence of Charity Commission registration (which we can't do) whilst the US site accepts HMRC charitable registration (which we do have).

===Supporter Tag===
If we can identify a member who has donated to Freegle, we add a brown 'supporter' tag to their profile. It stays on the profile for at least 60 days from the date of donation.

Back to [[Organisation]]
[[category:Funding]]
[[category:Finance]]

Freegle Board

2023-09-24T19:08:15Z

Edwh: Add Bill, remove David and Ruth

===Freegle Board of Directors===

In order of last name, the current people elected to the Freegle Board are:

Cat Fletcher - elected February 2014, re-elected August 2015, October 2017 and November 2020

Edward Hibbert - elected February 2014 and re-elected August 2015, November 2016, October 2018 and October 2021

Bill Hopkinson - elected September 2023

Craig Hilton - elected November 2020

Mike Jury - elected September 2022

Mike Paterson - co-opted by the Board January 2022, elected September 2022

Penny Townsend - elected September 2022

Jen Williams - elected October 2021

(See [[Board Elections]] for links on the most recent election) 
(See [[Board History]] for more information about previous Directors etc)

===Responsibilities===

Directors are also Trustees of Freegle Ltd. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/trustees-staff-and-volunteers/trustee-role/becoming-a-trustee/ explains what is involved in being a Trustee.

Board and Member activities are subject to the adopted [[Rules]] of Freegle.

The [[Board Role and Remit]] details the responsibilities of Directors.

===Officers and Roles===

The Board elects Directors to the following Director roles. The current appointments are:

* [[Board Chairman]] - Edward, email [mailto:chair@ilovefreegle.org chair@ilovefreegle.org]
* [[Company Secretary]] - Mike Jury, email [mailto:secretary@ilovefreegle.org secretary@ilovefreegle.org]
* [[Finance Role Remits|Finance Director]] - Craig, email [mailto:finance@ilovefreegle.org finance@ilovefreegle.org]
* [[Chief Technology Officer]] - Edward
* [[Head of Media]] - Cat, email [mailto:media@ilovefreegle.org media@ilovefreegle.org]
* Fundraising - Edward

The Board also appoints
*[[Board Secretary]] - this can be an external appointment to the Board. Craig Hilton is currently appointed to this role.
*[[Finance Role Remits|Treasurer]] - this role is currently being carried out by Jane Loveday; it can be an external appointment to the Board.

===Retirement Cycle===

From the [[Rules]]:

56. At the first annual general meeting all elected Directors shall stand down. At every
subsequent annual general meeting one-third of the elected Directors, or if their
number is not a multiple of three then the number nearest to one-third, shall retire from
office. The Directors to retire shall be the Directors who have been longest in office
since their last election. Where Directors have held office for the same amount of time
the Directors to retire shall be decided by lot. A retiring Director shall be eligible for re-
election.

A Director may leave midterm under the [[Directors Ending Term of Office Procedure]].

===Discussion Group===

The Board discussion group is at [https://groups.io/g/FreegleBoard/topics]

===Board Meetings===

The Board aims to meet monthly, discussion via online conferencing software such as Skype or Zoom. The timetable for meetings and minutes can be found from [[:category:Freegle Board Minutes]] The 'mechanics' of Board Meetings are detailed in [[Board Meeting Procedure]].

===Contact===

Our Board can be contacted via board@ilovefreegle.org or directors@ilovefreegle.org

[[category:Freegle Board]]

Hosting provision

2023-03-22T12:22:51Z

Edwh:

'''Work in progress'''

====Website====

Originally hosting provision for our groups was on the free facility provided by Yahoo Groups.

We then moved over a number of years from Yahoo to Freegle Direct (www.ilovefreegle.org) with hosting eventually being provided free of charge from Bytemark for the bulk of it, plus discount hosting from Mythic Beasts, and cloud services such as Microsoft Azure (where we have a free charity quota), and some use of Google Cloud.

In February 2023, Bytemark regretfully notified us that they couldn't offer their free hosting any longer, so we ran an appeal to members to raise funding for a new hosting provision. (message to volunteers explaining https://discourse.ilovefreegle.org/t/bad-news-our-free-hosting-is-going/5892)

We provided an explanation sheet of our needs - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vpahMPTS73s29-c-2yeEmo1ul78BsIfKGyCnRAEia8w/edit - and sent Admins to all members and appealed via social media.

Text of Admin message sent to all members:

'''ADMIN: Urgent Help Needed''' 
Freegle has run into trouble - our free web hosting is being withdrawn. To keep going, we need 200 people across the UK to set up regular donations of £10/month. Could you be one of them? 
What’s going on? 
The majority of our web hosting, which keeps us online, has been provided for free for many years by a company called Bytemark. Unfortunately they are no longer able to keep doing this. They’re not the bad guys - ten years of free support has been massive for us, and we have nothing but gratitude. 
We’re looking for other free support - but we use quite specialised web hosting, not your standard freebie Wordpress site. The charge that we could be looking at, even with charity discounts, is an amount we simply can’t afford each month. 
We need your help. If we could get 200 “server heroes” across the UK to set up regular £10 monthly donations, then we could cover the likely cost and give us breathing space. If more people set up smaller donations, that would work too. But it’s the regular donations that we need. 
We appreciate times are tough at the moment - which is precisely why we need to keep going. We have 4 million members across the UK, hundreds of volunteers, and deliver over £10 million of savings to freeglers each year. We want to keep helping people who need it. 
Any help will be gratefully received. 
Many thanks, 
Your Freegle volunteers 
Donate here: https://freegle.in/paypal10

[https://krystal.uk/ Krystal UK] have provided support to us in using their [https://katapult.io/ Katapult] platform, which now replaces our use of Bytemark.

We have a not-that-well-drawn [https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1yJQ4uUAeipGs7kE2LTeeV9VlDpTWIAkhP2d3ZiUSOHA/edit?usp=sharing Architecture Diagram]. Click the link to see the most up to date version.

[[File:Freegle_Deployment_Architecture_(Current,_post_Bytemark)_(1).png]]

====Modtools====

Run initially by Edward, the hosting of Modtools was then transferred to the same hosting facilities as the website.

====Central Discussion Groups====

Like the rest of Freegle, we ran our national volunteer discussion groups on Yahoo. With the demise of Yahoo Groups, it was decided to use another forum facility - [[Discourse]].

[[category:Geeks Team]]

File:Freegle Deployment Architecture (Current, post Bytemark) (1).png

2023-03-22T12:20:40Z

Edwh:

Logos

2023-03-15T18:01:20Z

Edwh: Add ZIP of assets for loader image

This page shows the Freegle logos for use on websites or printed material. Make sure you choose the correct version for your intended use so you get the highest possible quality. There are also details of the original vector graphics files which you can use to create your own graphics or print at any size without loss of quality. You may like to have a look at [[Using the Logo|Using the Logo]].

Note there is also a page of website [[Badges|Badges]] with code ready for you to drop into a webpage or your group description. 

== Customized Logos for your group ==

To get customized logos for your group please contact graphics@ilovefreegle.org

The logos and home page/fb pics for Norfolk and north Suffolk are here
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/153VgzX0IEpHWiFJoqbWnLKApxmM3lw6A

== New logo ==

This is a vector graphic logo which is suitable for resizing to large images such as banners:

[http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/File:FreegleLogoVector.svg FreegleLogoVector.svg]

This is a 2354 x 2354 image.

[[Image:FreegleLogoNew2354.png|320px|2354 x 2354 px]]

== Previous logo ==

=== Standard ===

[[Image:FreegleLogoNeo.jpeg|Neo cover photo with Freegle Logo]]

=== Inverted ===

[[Image:FreegleLogoInvertedNeo.jpeg|Neo cover photo with Freegle Logo, white on green]]

== Freegle Heart (with text) ==

Freegle heart with text, white background. See below if you want to use this over a non-white background.

=== Web page sizes ===

[[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer64.png|Heart with text 64x64 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer128.png|Heart with text 128x128 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer160.png|Heart with text 160x160 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer240.png|Heart with text 240x240 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer320.png|Heart with text 320x320 pixels]]

=== Print size ===

Use this for printing up to about 13cm. If you need anything larger [mailto:graphics@ilovefreegle.org email the graphics team]. Click on the image and save the full size version.

[[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer1024 print.png|320px]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer bw 1024.png|320px]]

== Freegle Heart (no inner text) ==

Freegle heart, white background

=== Web page sizes ===

[[Image:FreegleHeart notext64.png|Heart 64x64 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeart128.png|Heart 128x128 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeart160.png|Heart 160x160 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeart240.png|Heart 240x240 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeart320.png|Heart 320x320 pixels]]

=== Print size ===

Use this for printing up to about 13cm. If you need anything larger either use the vector version below or email the graphics team. Click on the image and save the full size version.

[[Image:FreegleHeart1024 print.png|320px]]

== Freegle Heart inverted ==

Freegle heart with text, green background.

=== Web page sizes ===

Choose the size you want to appear on your web page.

[[Image:FreegleHeartMesmerInverted128.png|Inverted heart with text 128x128 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmerInverted160.png|Inverted heart with text 160x160 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmerInverted240.png|Inverted heart with text 240x240 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmerInverted320.png|Inverted heart with text 320x320 pixels]]

=== Print size ===

Use this for printing up to about 13cm. If you need anything larger [mailto:graphics@ilovefreegle.org email the graphics team]. Click on the image and save the full size version.

[[Image:FreegleHeartInverted1024 print.png|320px|Inverted heart with text 1024x1024 pixels]]

== Fully Transparent Freegle Heart (with text) ==

Freegle heart with text with transparent background for use on pale non white backgrounds. 

=== Web page sizes ===

Choose the size you want to appear on your web page.

[[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer trans 64.png|Heart with text 64x64 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer trans 128.png|Heart with text 128x128 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer trans 160.png|Heart with text 160x160 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer trans 240.png|Heart with text 240x240 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer trans 320.png|Heart with text 320x320 pixels]]

=== Print size ===

Use this for printing up to about 13cm. If you need anything larger [mailto:graphics@ilovefreegle.org email the graphics team]. Click on the image and save the full size version.

[[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer trans 1024.png|320px]]

== Transparent Freegle Heart with solid heart (with text) ==

Freegle heart with text, transparent outer and solid white heart background for use on non white backgrounds. Works better on darker backgrounds than the fully transparent version above.

=== Web page sizes ===

Choose the size you want to appear on your web page.

[[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer trans outer 64.png|Heart with text 64x64 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer trans outer 128.png|Heart with text 128x128 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer trans outer 160.png|Heart with text 160x160 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer trans outer 240.png|Heart with text 240x240 pixels]] [[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer trans outer 320.png|Heart with text 320x320 pixels]]

=== Print size ===

Use this for printing up to about 13cm. If you need anything larger [mailto:graphics@ilovefreegle.org email the graphics team]. Click on the image and save the full size version.

[[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer trans outer 1024.png|320px]]

== Freegle heart with web address ==

Freegle heart with ilovefreegle.org

=== Web page sizes ===

Choose the size you want to appear on your web page.

[[Image:Ilovefreegle.org64.png|ilovefreegle.org 64x64 pixels]] [[Image:Ilovefreegle.org128.png|ilovefreegle.org 128x128 pixels]] [[Image:Ilovefreegle.org160.png|ilovefreegle.org 160x160 pixels]]

=== Print size ===

Click on the image and download the full size version.

[[Image:Ilovefreegle160 print.png|320px|ilovefreegle.org 1133x160 pixels]] Use for printing up to 14cm x 2cm.

[[Image:Ilovefreegle320 print.png|320px|ilovefreegle.org 2266x320 pixels]] Use for printing up to 28cm x 4cm.

[[Image:Ilovefreegle1024 print.png|320px|ilovefreegle.org 7252x1024 pixels]] Use for printing up to 92cm x 13cm.

== Vector graphics ==

There are versions of the above in SVG format. You can use these in many drawing programs including the free Inkscape. They can be printed at any size without loss of quality and so are ideal for large banners or posters.

=== Fully vector versions ===

Use these if you haven't got the Mesmer font.

[[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer_vector.svg|240px]] Freegle heart on a white background.

[[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer_trans_outer_vector.svg|240px]] Freegle heart with transparent outer and white background for the heart. For use on most non-white backgrounds.

[[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer_trans_vector.svg|240px]] Freegle heart with transparent background. For use on backgrounds that contrast with the Freegle green.

=== Versions with original text ===

Use these if you have the Mesmer font and want to alter the text (eg. to make a customised version for your group). Note the thumbnails here uses the wrong font but if you download the SVG and have a copy of Mesmer then it will look correct.

[[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer.svg|240px]] Freegle heart on a white background.

[[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer_trans_outer.svg|240px]] Freegle heart with transparent outer and white background for the heart. For use on most non-white backgrounds.

[[Image:FreegleHeartMesmer_trans.svg|240px]] Freegle heart with text, transparent background. For use on backgrounds that contrast with the Freegle green.

== Loader ==

This ZIP file contains the assets for the loader animated image.

[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jg0VeVXvCXES5__Ua0mc5bwu3uA4k_tk/view?usp=share_link ZIP file]

Back to [[PR Materials]]

[[Category:PR_Materials]] [[Category:Home_Page_Help]]

Creosote

2023-02-06T15:05:58Z

Edwh:

First, check if it's actually creosote. People sometimes use it as a generic term for something which has the same purpose, like Creocote.

Actual creosote is not legal to buy or use in domestic situation any more.

Government legislation link: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1511/introduction/made 

Quote from a previous HSE link: "This means that, as of 30 April 2003, retailers are no longer able to sell creosote to the general public, and as of 30 June 2003, the general public are no longer able to use wood preservatives that contain creosote/coal tar creosote. Where retailers still have stocks of amateur use creosote products after 30 April, they should contact their supplier in the first instance, or their local waste regulatory authority. If members of the public have creosote after the 30 June 2003 they should contact their local council for advice on disposal."

In 2012 there was an exemption under the EU Biocidal Products Regulation that allows professional use of creosote in limited circumstances(eg forestry, saw mills). In these very few cases, creosote can only be bought in 20 litre or more containers. The restrictions in any other circumstances remain, making freegling of creosote illegal.

Back to [[Specific Items]]

[[category:Specific Items]]

PR Materials

2022-10-04T08:38:01Z

Edwh: Broken link.

Here are a variety of PR materials and resources that you can use for your group:

*[[Badges]] - online links/logos to use on your home page and elsewhere.
*[[Banner]] - would you like to borrow a Freegle banner or print out a paper one - look here to find out how to do it.
*[[Business Cards]] - ideas for using business cards to promote your group, and [[Sending Business Cards]] for hints on economical postage solutions.
*[[Firefox Freegle Persona]] - uploading this will give your screen a Freegle 'skin' if you use Firefox.
*[[Logos|Logos]] - Freegle logo graphics for webpages and printed materials.
*[[Posters, fliers, cards]] - some designs that you can print yourself.
*[[Presentations]] - sample Powerpoint presentations.
*[[QR Codes]] -
*[[Shortlinks]] - lists and explanation of shortlinks you can use to help make your publicity easier.
*[[Using the Logo]] - permission details on using the Freegle logo, also font information.
*https://www.ilovefreegle.org/app-store-black-sm.png - Apple app store icon
*https://www.ilovefreegle.org/en-play-badge.png - Google app store icon

If you have PR Materials, good stories or a report of a successful promotion you would be happy to share with other groups, they would be most welcome. Either post a message on one of the [[Central Groups]] or [[Development Working Group]]. Alternatively, email media@ilovefreegle.org .

If you would like some custom graphics for your group, contact the [[Graphics Team]]

Members can download publicity materials themselves at https://www.ilovefreegle.org/promote

Good luck with your local campaign!

 Back to [[Publicity]] [[Image:Megaphone-man.png|20px]]

[[Category:PR_Materials]]

New Director Procedure

2022-09-19T19:46:16Z

Edwh: /* Resignation and Retirement */

This procedure is the responsibility of the Company Secretary or a director designated prior to the election.

==DIRECTOR RETIREMENT==

===Resignation Mid Term===
(see [[Directors_Ending_Term_of_Office_Procedure]] for full procedures relating to resignation process)

*The Director is to be given a 7 day “cooling off” period before the resignation is accepted by the Board.
*Central is informed when the resignation has been accepted.
*The Returning Officers are emailed for information and in case an election is needed. Although the Board has the power to co-opt new members, an election might throw up new candidates.

===Resignation and Retirement===
* The Directors are asked to leave the Board discussion Group and any other Director-only groups.
* Access removed to Confidential Details Google document.
* Access removed from Black Box
* Access removed from Membership Register.
* Passwords changed for gmail accounts and any specific passwords relating to a position as official/role holder.
* Officers to change passwords and remove access if applicable.
* Financial Director to inform bank and/or HMRC of change of authorised official/responsible person if appropriate.
* Update Teams section on ModTools, including the bio that appears on ilovefreegle.org/about
* Delete section from Declarations of Interest

==DIRECTOR APPOINTMENT==
*Ask Directors to read:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/597664/Fit-and-proper-persons-helpsheet-and-declaration.pdf

and email the Company Secretary to confirm that they are eligible.
*Give access to Confidential Details and ask Director/s to provide their details.
*Give access to Board discussion group and Membership Register.
*Financial Director to inform bank and, if appropriate, inform HMRC of change of authorised official/responsible person.
*Update Teams section on ModTools
*Complete Declarations of Interest section
*Update wiki

==Miscellaneous Tasks==

*Ensure all named Director roles are appointed - [[Freegle Board#Roles]]
*Ensure someone is responsible for checking trademark applications.
*Ensure wiki page [[Freegle_Board]] and Modtools Teams section is updated.

[[Category:Freegle Board]][[Category:Policies, Procedures, Remits]]

________________

New Director Procedure

2022-09-09T09:37:42Z

Edwh: /* Resignation and Retirement */

This procedure is the responsibility of the Company Secretary or a director designated prior to the election.

==DIRECTOR RETIREMENT==

===Resignation Mid Term===
(see [[Directors_Ending_Term_of_Office_Procedure]] for full procedures relating to resignation process)

*The Director is to be given a 7 day “cooling off” period before the resignation is accepted by the Board.
*Central is informed when the resignation has been accepted.
*The Returning Officers are emailed for information and in case an election is needed. Although the Board has the power to co-opt new members, an election might throw up new candidates.

===Resignation and Retirement===
* The Directors are asked to leave the Board discussion Group and any other Director-only groups.
* Access removed to Confidential Details Google document.
* Access removed from Membership Register.
* Passwords changed for gmail accounts and any specific passwords relating to a position as official/role holder.
* Officers to change passwords and remove access if applicable.
* Financial Director to inform bank and/or HMRC of change of authorised official/responsible person if appropriate.
* Update Teams section on ModTools, including the bio that appears on ilovefreegle.org/about
* Delete section from Declarations of Interest

==DIRECTOR APPOINTMENT==
*Ask Directors to read:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/597664/Fit-and-proper-persons-helpsheet-and-declaration.pdf

and email the Company Secretary to confirm that they are eligible.
*Give access to Confidential Details and ask Director/s to provide their details.
*Give access to Board discussion group and Membership Register.
*Financial Director to inform bank and, if appropriate, inform HMRC of change of authorised official/responsible person.
*Update Teams section on ModTools
*Complete Declarations of Interest section
*Update wiki

==Miscellaneous Tasks==

*Ensure all named Director roles are appointed - [[Freegle Board#Roles]]
*Ensure someone is responsible for checking trademark applications.
*Ensure wiki page [[Freegle_Board]] and Modtools Teams section is updated.

[[Category:Freegle Board]][[Category:Policies, Procedures, Remits]]

________________

Freegle Board

2022-09-06T07:01:20Z

Edwh: /* Freegle Board of Directors */

===Freegle Board of Directors===

In order of last name, the current people elected to the Freegle Board are:

Cat Fletcher - elected February 2014, re-elected August 2015, October 2017 and November 2020

Dr David Greenfield - appointed November 2016, re-appointed 2017 and 2018, elected November 2019 and September 2022

Edward Hibbert - elected February 2014 and re-elected August 2015, November 2016, October 2018 and October 2021

Craig Hilton - elected November 2020

Mike Jury - elected September 2022

Mike Paterson - co-opted by the Board January 2022, elected September 2022

Penny Townsend - elected September 2022

Jen Williams - elected October 2021

Ruth Willmore - elected November 2020

(See [[Board Elections]] for links on the most recent election) 
(See [[Board History]] for more information about previous Directors etc)

===Responsibilities===

Directors are also Trustees of Freegle Ltd. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/trustees-staff-and-volunteers/trustee-role/becoming-a-trustee/ explains what is involved in being a Trustee.

Board and Member activities are subject to the adopted [[Rules]] of Freegle.

The [[Board Role and Remit]] details the responsibilities of Directors.

===Officers and Roles===

The Board elects Directors to the following Director roles. The current appointments are:

* [[Board Chairman]] - Edward, email [mailto:chair@ilovefreegle.org chair@ilovefreegle.org]
* [[Company Secretary]] - vacant [mailto:secretary@ilovefreegle.org secretary@ilovefreegle.org]
* [[Finance Role Remits|Finance Director]] - Craig, email [mailto:finance@ilovefreegle.org finance@ilovefreegle.org]
* [[Chief Technology Officer]] - Edward
* [[Head of Media]] - Cat, email [mailto:media@ilovefreegle.org media@ilovefreegle.org]
* [[Fundraising]] - vacant - [mailto:volunteers@ilovefreegle.org volunteers@ilovefreegle.org]

The Board also appoints
*[[Board Secretary]] - this can be an external appointment to the Board. Craig Hilton is currently appointed to this role.
*[[Finance Role Remits|Treasurer]] - this role is currently being carried out by Jane Loveday; it can be an external appointment to the Board.

===Retirement Cycle===

From the [[Rules]]:

56. At the first annual general meeting all elected Directors shall stand down. At every
subsequent annual general meeting one-third of the elected Directors, or if their
number is not a multiple of three then the number nearest to one-third, shall retire from
office. The Directors to retire shall be the Directors who have been longest in office
since their last election. Where Directors have held office for the same amount of time
the Directors to retire shall be decided by lot. A retiring Director shall be eligible for re-
election.

A Director may leave midterm under the [[Directors Ending Term of Office Procedure]].

===Discussion Group===

The Board discussion group is at [https://groups.io/g/FreegleBoard/topics]

===Board Meetings===

The Board aims to meet monthly, discussion via online conferencing software such as Skype or Zoom. The timetable for meetings and minutes can be found from [[:category:Freegle Board Minutes]] The 'mechanics' of Board Meetings are detailed in [[Board Meeting Procedure]].

===Contact===

Our Board can be contacted via board@ilovefreegle.org or directors@ilovefreegle.org

[[category:Freegle Board]]

Director Induction Information

2022-09-06T07:00:58Z

Edwh: /* Relevant Policies and Procedures */

==Background==
Freegle UK started life on 11 September 2009. More details on our history are at
[[Potted_History]]

Initially we were governed by elected Reps. We were unincorporated which meant that individuals may have had to take personal responsibility. This made it difficult for us to enter into partnerships with or get funding from other organisations.

A committee was formed to suggest a solution to this problem which resulted in
Freegle UK voting to become an Industrial and Provident Society (now known as Registered Societies).

Freegle Ltd was formed as a holding company with 3 Reps as Directors. The Company
was converted from a Company Limited by Guarantee to an Industrial and Provident Society on 13 June 2014, IPS Registration 32410R.

https://mutuals.fsa.gov.uk/SocietyDetails.aspx?Number=32410&Suffix=R

We are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and subject to Rules which were agreed with them:

http://www.fca.org.uk/

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Rules

We were very fortunate in receiving practical help and funds from Co-operatives UK.

Freegle UK elected 9 Directors in February 2014 and these were appointed as Directors by the Founder Members (the 3 Rep Directors) on 21 June 2014.

We were granted exempt charity status by HMRC in March 2015, which means that we are entitled to gift aid on donations. This is not the same as being a registered charity, which means that you are registered with the Charity Commission. An IPS is exempt from registration (which actually means you cannot register). Nowadays an IPS is called a "Registered Society".

==Role of the Board within Freegle==
As a grassroots organisation the Board of Directors takes joint responsibility for Freegle Ltd and is answerable to the Members who elect us. You can find more details and the role description of a Freegle Director here:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Freegle_Board

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HFgRRDk3N1R06bDOQpBERkNYFrcp_N8ptiMxSUmn-lY/edit

https://www.gov.uk/charity-trustee-whats-involved#how-to-become-a-trustee

All Volunteers are entitled to be Members of Freegle Limited. This means they have one share and entitles them to vote in AGMs and stand as a Director. They are required to pay a £1 membership fee.

There is a register of Members which is kept by the Company Secretary. You should be given access as Membership is subject to Board approval. This is delegated to the company secretary who informs us of new Members at each Board meeting.
http://freegle.in/JoinFreegleLtd

==Structure of the Board==
The first Freegle Ltd Board allocated the following roles to individual board members:
*Chairman
*Company Secretary
*Finance Director
*CTO
*Head of Media
*Board Secretary
*Fundraising

The Board also appoints Board Secretary, 2 Ombudsmen, 2 Returning Officers and the Treasurer.

==Relevant Policies and Procedures==
Freegle accounts are held at

http://freegle.in/accounts.

We have online banking with Unity Trust Bank. 2 people are required before a payment can be approved. ?[a] signatories are required for the account. The Treasurer is copied into board mails relating to financial matters.

We have a Conflict of Interest procedure at:
[[Conflicts_of_Interest_Procedure]]

We also maintain a Risk Register, at:

https://docs.google.com/a/ehibbert.org.uk/spreadsheets/d/1RQ3Uzgt7Lf_RTRRH8vdySOYXzqnHI-JxG1SVBeykctI/edit#gid=0

The first Board approved and adopted a range of policies and procedures for Freegle Ltd. They are all uploaded onto the Freegle Wiki, and are listed here:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Freegle_Ltd_Adopted_Document_Summary

The Freegle Wiki provides extensive information on Freegle UK and Freegle Ltd decisions and resources for moderators:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Welcome_to_the_Freegle_Volunteer_Wiki

The pages specific to the Board are categorised together and can be found via:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Category:Freegle_Board

==Responsibilities of Directors==
The Board discusses day to day matters on the Board Group and uses polls to help with decision-making. Board members are expected to read all mails on and contribute regularly to this group.

As well as Freegle UK Central there are 3 working groups to which all volunteers are entitled to join. All board members should be on at least daily digest on these groups, to gain an understanding of the current work and opinions of Members and Volunteers.

https://freegle.in/Tech

https://freegle.in/Development

https://freegle.in/Funding

A Board meeting is held once a month by Zoom; board members are expected to attend, submit reports of work they have undertaken and participate in discussion. Formal minutes are produced and can be found here:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Category:Freegle_Board_Minutes

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Board_Meeting_Procedure

There is a google spreadsheet which contains confidential details of the Directors and passwords for accounts accessed by the Directors.

LINKS:

*[[Freegle Board]]
*[[Document Approval Policy]]
*[[Glossary]]

[[Category: Freegle Board]]

Director Induction Information

2022-09-06T06:59:57Z

Edwh: /* Background */

==Background==
Freegle UK started life on 11 September 2009. More details on our history are at
[[Potted_History]]

Initially we were governed by elected Reps. We were unincorporated which meant that individuals may have had to take personal responsibility. This made it difficult for us to enter into partnerships with or get funding from other organisations.

A committee was formed to suggest a solution to this problem which resulted in
Freegle UK voting to become an Industrial and Provident Society (now known as Registered Societies).

Freegle Ltd was formed as a holding company with 3 Reps as Directors. The Company
was converted from a Company Limited by Guarantee to an Industrial and Provident Society on 13 June 2014, IPS Registration 32410R.

https://mutuals.fsa.gov.uk/SocietyDetails.aspx?Number=32410&Suffix=R

We are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and subject to Rules which were agreed with them:

http://www.fca.org.uk/

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Rules

We were very fortunate in receiving practical help and funds from Co-operatives UK.

Freegle UK elected 9 Directors in February 2014 and these were appointed as Directors by the Founder Members (the 3 Rep Directors) on 21 June 2014.

We were granted exempt charity status by HMRC in March 2015, which means that we are entitled to gift aid on donations. This is not the same as being a registered charity, which means that you are registered with the Charity Commission. An IPS is exempt from registration (which actually means you cannot register). Nowadays an IPS is called a "Registered Society".

==Role of the Board within Freegle==
As a grassroots organisation the Board of Directors takes joint responsibility for Freegle Ltd and is answerable to the Members who elect us. You can find more details and the role description of a Freegle Director here:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Freegle_Board

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HFgRRDk3N1R06bDOQpBERkNYFrcp_N8ptiMxSUmn-lY/edit

https://www.gov.uk/charity-trustee-whats-involved#how-to-become-a-trustee

All Volunteers are entitled to be Members of Freegle Limited. This means they have one share and entitles them to vote in AGMs and stand as a Director. They are required to pay a £1 membership fee.

There is a register of Members which is kept by the Company Secretary. You should be given access as Membership is subject to Board approval. This is delegated to the company secretary who informs us of new Members at each Board meeting.
http://freegle.in/JoinFreegleLtd

==Structure of the Board==
The first Freegle Ltd Board allocated the following roles to individual board members:
*Chairman
*Company Secretary
*Finance Director
*CTO
*Head of Media
*Board Secretary
*Fundraising

The Board also appoints Board Secretary, 2 Ombudsmen, 2 Returning Officers and the Treasurer.

==Relevant Policies and Procedures==
Freegle accounts are held at

http://freegle.in/accounts.

We have online banking with Unity Trust Bank. 2 people are required before a payment can be approved. ?[a] signatories are required for the account. The Treasurer is copied into board mails relating to financial matters.

We have a Conflict of Interest procedure, at:
[[Conflicts_of_Interest_Procedure]]

We also maintain a Risk Register, at:

https://docs.google.com/a/ehibbert.org.uk/spreadsheets/d/1RQ3Uzgt7Lf_RTRRH8vdySOYXzqnHI-JxG1SVBeykctI/edit#gid=0

The first Board approved and adopted a range of policies and procedures for Freegle Ltd. They are all uploaded onto the Freegle Wiki, and are listed here:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Freegle_Ltd_Adopted_Document_Summary

The Freegle Wiki provides extensive information on Freegle UK and Freegle Ltd decisions and resources for moderators:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Welcome_to_the_Freegle_Volunteer_Wiki

The pages specific to the Board are categorised together and can be found via:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Category:Freegle_Board
==Responsibilities of Directors==
The Board discusses day to day matters on the Board Group and uses polls to help with decision-making. Board members are expected to read all mails on and contribute regularly to this group.

As well as Freegle UK Central there are 3 working groups to which all volunteers are entitled to join. All board members should be on at least daily digest on these groups, to gain an understanding of the current work and opinions of Members and Volunteers.

https://freegle.in/Tech

https://freegle.in/Development

https://freegle.in/Funding

A Board meeting is held once a month by Zoom; board members are expected to attend, submit reports of work they have undertaken and participate in discussion. Formal minutes are produced and can be found here:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Category:Freegle_Board_Minutes

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Board_Meeting_Procedure

There is a google spreadsheet which contains confidential details of the Directors and passwords for accounts accessed by the Directors.

LINKS:

*[[Freegle Board]]
*[[Document Approval Policy]]
*[[Glossary]]

[[Category: Freegle Board]]

Director Induction Information

2022-09-06T06:58:17Z

Edwh: /* Responsibilities of Directors */

==Background==
Freegle UK started life on 11 September 2009. More details on our history are at
[[Potted_History]]

Initially we were governed by elected Reps. We were unincorporated which meant that individuals may have had to take personal responsibility. This made it difficult for us to enter into partnerships with or get funding from other organisations.

A committee was formed to suggest a solution to this problem which resulted in
Freegle UK voting to become an Industrial and Provident Society (now known as Registered Societies).

Freegle Ltd was formed as a holding company with 3 Reps as Directors. The Company
was converted from a Company Limited by Guarantee to an Industrial and Provident Society on 13 June 2014, IPS Registration 32410R.

https://mutuals.fsa.gov.uk/SocietyDetails.aspx?Number=32410&Suffix=R

We are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and subject to Rules which were agreed with them:

http://www.fca.org.uk/

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Rules

We were very fortunate in receiving practical help and funds from Co-operatives UK..

Freegle UK elected 9 Directors in February 2014 and these were appointed as Directors by the Founder Members (the 3 Rep Directors) on 21 June 2014.

We were granted exempt charity status by HMRC in March 2015, which means that we are entitled to gift aid on donations. This is not the same as being a registered charity, which means that you are registered with the Charity Commission. An IPS is exempt from registration (which actually means you cannot register). Nowadays an IPS is called a "Registered Society".

==Role of the Board within Freegle==
As a grassroots organisation the Board of Directors takes joint responsibility for Freegle Ltd and is answerable to the Members who elect us. You can find more details and the role description of a Freegle Director here:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Freegle_Board

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HFgRRDk3N1R06bDOQpBERkNYFrcp_N8ptiMxSUmn-lY/edit

https://www.gov.uk/charity-trustee-whats-involved#how-to-become-a-trustee

All Volunteers are entitled to be Members of Freegle Limited. This means they have one share and entitles them to vote in AGMs and stand as a Director. They are required to pay a £1 membership fee.

There is a register of Members which is kept by the Company Secretary. You should be given access as Membership is subject to Board approval. This is delegated to the company secretary who informs us of new Members at each Board meeting.
http://freegle.in/JoinFreegleLtd

==Structure of the Board==
The first Freegle Ltd Board allocated the following roles to individual board members:
*Chairman
*Company Secretary
*Finance Director
*CTO
*Head of Media
*Board Secretary
*Fundraising

The Board also appoints Board Secretary, 2 Ombudsmen, 2 Returning Officers and the Treasurer.

==Relevant Policies and Procedures==
Freegle accounts are held at

http://freegle.in/accounts.

We have online banking with Unity Trust Bank. 2 people are required before a payment can be approved. ?[a] signatories are required for the account. The Treasurer is copied into board mails relating to financial matters.

We have a Conflict of Interest procedure, at:
[[Conflicts_of_Interest_Procedure]]

We also maintain a Risk Register, at:

https://docs.google.com/a/ehibbert.org.uk/spreadsheets/d/1RQ3Uzgt7Lf_RTRRH8vdySOYXzqnHI-JxG1SVBeykctI/edit#gid=0

The first Board approved and adopted a range of policies and procedures for Freegle Ltd. They are all uploaded onto the Freegle Wiki, and are listed here:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Freegle_Ltd_Adopted_Document_Summary

The Freegle Wiki provides extensive information on Freegle UK and Freegle Ltd decisions and resources for moderators:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Welcome_to_the_Freegle_Volunteer_Wiki

The pages specific to the Board are categorised together and can be found via:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Category:Freegle_Board
==Responsibilities of Directors==
The Board discusses day to day matters on the Board Group and uses polls to help with decision-making. Board members are expected to read all mails on and contribute regularly to this group.

As well as Freegle UK Central there are 3 working groups to which all volunteers are entitled to join. All board members should be on at least daily digest on these groups, to gain an understanding of the current work and opinions of Members and Volunteers.

https://freegle.in/Tech

https://freegle.in/Development

https://freegle.in/Funding

A Board meeting is held once a month by Zoom; board members are expected to attend, submit reports of work they have undertaken and participate in discussion. Formal minutes are produced and can be found here:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Category:Freegle_Board_Minutes

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Board_Meeting_Procedure

There is a google spreadsheet which contains confidential details of the Directors and passwords for accounts accessed by the Directors.

LINKS:

*[[Freegle Board]]
*[[Document Approval Policy]]
*[[Glossary]]

[[Category: Freegle Board]]

Director Induction Information

2022-09-06T06:56:14Z

Edwh: /* Structure of the Board */

==Background==
Freegle UK started life on 11 September 2009. More details on our history are at
[[Potted_History]]

Initially we were governed by elected Reps. We were unincorporated which meant that individuals may have had to take personal responsibility. This made it difficult for us to enter into partnerships with or get funding from other organisations.

A committee was formed to suggest a solution to this problem which resulted in
Freegle UK voting to become an Industrial and Provident Society (now known as Registered Societies).

Freegle Ltd was formed as a holding company with 3 Reps as Directors. The Company
was converted from a Company Limited by Guarantee to an Industrial and Provident Society on 13 June 2014, IPS Registration 32410R.

https://mutuals.fsa.gov.uk/SocietyDetails.aspx?Number=32410&Suffix=R

We are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and subject to Rules which were agreed with them:

http://www.fca.org.uk/

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Rules

We were very fortunate in receiving practical help and funds from Co-operatives UK..

Freegle UK elected 9 Directors in February 2014 and these were appointed as Directors by the Founder Members (the 3 Rep Directors) on 21 June 2014.

We were granted exempt charity status by HMRC in March 2015, which means that we are entitled to gift aid on donations. This is not the same as being a registered charity, which means that you are registered with the Charity Commission. An IPS is exempt from registration (which actually means you cannot register). Nowadays an IPS is called a "Registered Society".

==Role of the Board within Freegle==
As a grassroots organisation the Board of Directors takes joint responsibility for Freegle Ltd and is answerable to the Members who elect us. You can find more details and the role description of a Freegle Director here:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Freegle_Board

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HFgRRDk3N1R06bDOQpBERkNYFrcp_N8ptiMxSUmn-lY/edit

https://www.gov.uk/charity-trustee-whats-involved#how-to-become-a-trustee

All Volunteers are entitled to be Members of Freegle Limited. This means they have one share and entitles them to vote in AGMs and stand as a Director. They are required to pay a £1 membership fee.

There is a register of Members which is kept by the Company Secretary. You should be given access as Membership is subject to Board approval. This is delegated to the company secretary who informs us of new Members at each Board meeting.
http://freegle.in/JoinFreegleLtd

==Structure of the Board==
The first Freegle Ltd Board allocated the following roles to individual board members:
*Chairman
*Company Secretary
*Finance Director
*CTO
*Head of Media
*Board Secretary
*Fundraising

The Board also appoints Board Secretary, 2 Ombudsmen, 2 Returning Officers and the Treasurer.

==Relevant Policies and Procedures==
Freegle accounts are held at

http://freegle.in/accounts.

We have online banking with Unity Trust Bank. 2 people are required before a payment can be approved. ?[a] signatories are required for the account. The Treasurer is copied into board mails relating to financial matters.

We have a Conflict of Interest procedure, at:
[[Conflicts_of_Interest_Procedure]]

We also maintain a Risk Register, at:

https://docs.google.com/a/ehibbert.org.uk/spreadsheets/d/1RQ3Uzgt7Lf_RTRRH8vdySOYXzqnHI-JxG1SVBeykctI/edit#gid=0

The first Board approved and adopted a range of policies and procedures for Freegle Ltd. They are all uploaded onto the Freegle Wiki, and are listed here:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Freegle_Ltd_Adopted_Document_Summary

The Freegle Wiki provides extensive information on Freegle UK and Freegle Ltd decisions and resources for moderators:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Welcome_to_the_Freegle_Volunteer_Wiki

The pages specific to the Board are categorised together and can be found via:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Category:Freegle_Board
==Responsibilities of Directors==
The Board discusses day to day matters on the Board Group and uses polls to help with decision-making. Board members are expected to read all mails on and contribute regularly to this group.

As well as Freegle UK Central there are 3 working groups to which all volunteers are entitled to join. All board members should be on at least daily digest on these groups, to gain an understanding of the current work and opinions of Members and Volunteers.

https://freegle.in/Tech

https://freegle.in/Development

https://freegle.in/Funding

A Board meeting is held once a month by Skype Chat; board members are expected to attend, submit reports of work they have undertaken and participate in discussion. Formal minutes are produced and can be found here:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Category:Freegle_Board_Minutes

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Board_Meeting_Procedure

There is a google spreadsheet which contains confidential details of the Directors and passwords for accounts accessed by the Directors.

LINKS:

*[[Freegle Board]]
*[[Document Approval Policy]]
*[[Glossary]]

[[Category: Freegle Board]]

New Director Procedure

2022-09-05T16:56:56Z

Edwh: /* DIRECTOR APPOINTMENT */

This procedure is the responsibility of the Company Secretary or a director designated prior to the election.

==DIRECTOR RETIREMENT==

===Resignation Mid Term===
(see [[Directors_Ending_Term_of_Office_Procedure]] for full procedures relating to resignation process)

*The Director is to be given a 7 day “cooling off” period before the resignation is accepted by the Board.
*Central is informed when the resignation has been accepted.
*The Returning Officers are emailed for information and in case an election is needed. Although the Board has the power to co-opt new members, an election might throw up new candidates.

===Resignation and Retirement===
* The Directors are asked to leave the Board discussion Group and any other Director-only groups.
* Access removed to Confidential Details Google document.
* Access removed from Membership Register.
* Passwords changed for gmail accounts and any specific passwords relating to a position as official/role holder.
* Officers to change passwords and remove access if applicable.
* Financial Director to inform bank and/or HMRC of change of authorised official/responsible person if appropriate.
* Update Teams section on ModTools
* Delete section from Declarations of Interest

==DIRECTOR APPOINTMENT==
*Ask Directors to read:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/597664/Fit-and-proper-persons-helpsheet-and-declaration.pdf

and email the Company Secretary to confirm that they are eligible.
*Give access to Confidential Details and ask Director/s to provide their details.
*Give access to Board discussion group and Membership Register.
*Financial Director to inform bank and, if appropriate, inform HMRC of change of authorised official/responsible person.
*Update Teams section on ModTools
*Complete Declarations of Interest section
*Update wiki

==Miscellaneous Tasks==

*Ensure all named Director roles are appointed - [[Freegle Board#Roles]]
*Ensure someone is responsible for checking trademark applications.
*Ensure wiki page [[Freegle_Board]] and Modtools Teams section is updated.

[[Category:Freegle Board]][[Category:Policies, Procedures, Remits]]

________________

New Director Procedure

2022-09-05T16:50:14Z

Edwh: /* Resignation Mid Term */

This procedure is the responsibility of the Company Secretary or a director designated prior to the election.

==DIRECTOR RETIREMENT==

===Resignation Mid Term===
(see [[Directors_Ending_Term_of_Office_Procedure]] for full procedures relating to resignation process)

*The Director is to be given a 7 day “cooling off” period before the resignation is accepted by the Board.
*Central is informed when the resignation has been accepted.
*The Returning Officers are emailed for information and in case an election is needed. Although the Board has the power to co-opt new members, an election might throw up new candidates.

===Resignation and Retirement===
* The Directors are asked to leave the Board discussion Group and any other Director-only groups.
* Access removed to Confidential Details Google document.
* Access removed from Membership Register.
* Passwords changed for gmail accounts and any specific passwords relating to a position as official/role holder.
* Officers to change passwords and remove access if applicable.
* Financial Director to inform bank and/or HMRC of change of authorised official/responsible person if appropriate.
* Update Teams section on ModTools
* Delete section from Declarations of Interest

==DIRECTOR APPOINTMENT==
*Ask Directors to read:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/guidance-notes/chapter2/model-dec-ff-persons.pdf

and email the Company Secretary to confirm that they are eligible.
*Give access to Confidential Details and ask Director/s to provide their details.
*Give access to Board discussion group and Membership Register.
*Financial Director to inform bank and, if appropriate, inform HMRC of change of authorised official/responsible person.
*Update Teams section on ModTools
*Complete Declarations of Interest section
*Update wiki

==Miscellaneous Tasks==

*Ensure all named Director roles are appointed - [[Freegle Board#Roles]]
*Ensure someone is responsible for checking trademark applications.
*Ensure wiki page [[Freegle_Board]] and Modtools Teams section is updated.

[[Category:Freegle Board]][[Category:Policies, Procedures, Remits]]

________________

Director Induction Information

2022-09-05T07:23:51Z

Edwh: /* Background */

==Background==
Freegle UK started life on 11 September 2009. More details on our history are at
[[Potted_History]]

Initially we were governed by elected Reps. We were unincorporated which meant that individuals may have had to take personal responsibility. This made it difficult for us to enter into partnerships with or get funding from other organisations.

A committee was formed to suggest a solution to this problem which resulted in
Freegle UK voting to become an Industrial and Provident Society (now known as Registered Societies).

Freegle Ltd was formed as a holding company with 3 Reps as Directors. The Company
was converted from a Company Limited by Guarantee to an Industrial and Provident Society on 13 June 2014, IPS Registration 32410R.

https://mutuals.fsa.gov.uk/SocietyDetails.aspx?Number=32410&Suffix=R

We are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and subject to Rules which were agreed with them:

http://www.fca.org.uk/

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Rules

We were very fortunate in receiving practical help and funds from Co-operatives UK..

Freegle UK elected 9 Directors in February 2014 and these were appointed as Directors by the Founder Members (the 3 Rep Directors) on 21 June 2014.

We were granted exempt charity status by HMRC in March 2015, which means that we are entitled to gift aid on donations. This is not the same as being a registered charity, which means that you are registered with the Charity Commission. An IPS is exempt from registration (which actually means you cannot register). Nowadays an IPS is called a "Registered Society".

==Role of the Board within Freegle==
As a grassroots organisation the Board of Directors takes joint responsibility for Freegle Ltd and is answerable to the Members who elect us. You can find more details and the role description of a Freegle Director here:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Freegle_Board

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HFgRRDk3N1R06bDOQpBERkNYFrcp_N8ptiMxSUmn-lY/edit

https://www.gov.uk/charity-trustee-whats-involved#how-to-become-a-trustee

All Volunteers are entitled to be Members of Freegle Limited. This means they have one share and entitles them to vote in AGMs and stand as a Director. They are required to pay a £1 membership fee.

There is a register of Members which is kept by the Company Secretary. You should be given access as Membership is subject to Board approval. This is delegated to the company secretary who informs us of new Members at each Board meeting.
http://freegle.in/JoinFreegleLtd

==Structure of the Board==
The first Freegle Ltd Board allocated the following roles to individual board members:
*Chairman
*Company Secretary
*Director of Finance
*Director of Media
*Director of Volunteer Welfare
*Director of Health and Safety

The Board also appoints Board Secretary, 2 Ombudsmen, 2 Returning Officers and the Treasurer.

==Relevant Policies and Procedures==
Freegle accounts are held at

http://freegle.in/accounts.

We have online banking with Unity Trust Bank. 2 people are required before a payment can be approved. ?[a] signatories are required for the account. The Treasurer is copied into board mails relating to financial matters.

We have a Conflict of Interest procedure, at:
[[Conflicts_of_Interest_Procedure]]

We also maintain a Risk Register, at:

https://docs.google.com/a/ehibbert.org.uk/spreadsheets/d/1RQ3Uzgt7Lf_RTRRH8vdySOYXzqnHI-JxG1SVBeykctI/edit#gid=0

The first Board approved and adopted a range of policies and procedures for Freegle Ltd. They are all uploaded onto the Freegle Wiki, and are listed here:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Freegle_Ltd_Adopted_Document_Summary

The Freegle Wiki provides extensive information on Freegle UK and Freegle Ltd decisions and resources for moderators:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Welcome_to_the_Freegle_Volunteer_Wiki

The pages specific to the Board are categorised together and can be found via:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Category:Freegle_Board
==Responsibilities of Directors==
The Board discusses day to day matters on the Board Group and uses polls to help with decision-making. Board members are expected to read all mails on and contribute regularly to this group.

As well as Freegle UK Central there are 3 working groups to which all volunteers are entitled to join. All board members should be on at least daily digest on these groups, to gain an understanding of the current work and opinions of Members and Volunteers.

https://freegle.in/Tech

https://freegle.in/Development

https://freegle.in/Funding

A Board meeting is held once a month by Skype Chat; board members are expected to attend, submit reports of work they have undertaken and participate in discussion. Formal minutes are produced and can be found here:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Category:Freegle_Board_Minutes

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Board_Meeting_Procedure

There is a google spreadsheet which contains confidential details of the Directors and passwords for accounts accessed by the Directors.

LINKS:

*[[Freegle Board]]
*[[Document Approval Policy]]
*[[Glossary]]

[[Category: Freegle Board]]

Director Induction Information

2022-09-05T07:22:05Z

Edwh: /* Responsibilities of Directors */

==Background==
Freegle UK started life on 11 September 2009. More details on our history are at
[[Potted_History]]

Initially we were governed by elected Reps. We were unincorporated which meant that individuals may have had to take personal responsibility. This made it difficult for us to enter into partnerships with or get funding from other organisations.

A committee was formed to suggest a solution to this problem which resulted in
Freegle UK voting to become an Industrial and Provident Society (now known as Registered Societies).

Freegle Ltd was formed as a holding company with 3 Reps as Directors. The Company
was converted from a Company Limited by Guarantee to an Industrial and Provident Society on 13 June 2014, IPS Registration 32410R.

https://mutuals.fsa.gov.uk/SocietyDetails.aspx?Number=32410&Suffix=R

We are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and subject to Rules which were agreed with them:

http://www.fca.org.uk/

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Rules

We were very fortunate in receiving practical help and funds from Co-operatives UK..

Freegle UK elected 9 Directors in February 2014 and these were appointed as Directors by the Founder Members (the 3 Rep Directors) on 21 June 2014.

We were granted exempt charity status by HMRC in March 2015, which means that we are entitled to gift aid on donations. This is not the same as being a registered charity, which means that you are registered with the Charity Commission. An IPS is exempt from registration.
==Role of the Board within Freegle==
As a grassroots organisation the Board of Directors takes joint responsibility for Freegle Ltd and is answerable to the Members who elect us. You can find more details and the role description of a Freegle Director here:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Freegle_Board

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HFgRRDk3N1R06bDOQpBERkNYFrcp_N8ptiMxSUmn-lY/edit

https://www.gov.uk/charity-trustee-whats-involved#how-to-become-a-trustee

All Volunteers are entitled to be Members of Freegle Limited. This means they have one share and entitles them to vote in AGMs and stand as a Director. They are required to pay a £1 membership fee.

There is a register of Members which is kept by the Company Secretary. You should be given access as Membership is subject to Board approval. This is delegated to the company secretary who informs us of new Members at each Board meeting.
http://freegle.in/JoinFreegleLtd

==Structure of the Board==
The first Freegle Ltd Board allocated the following roles to individual board members:
*Chairman
*Company Secretary
*Director of Finance
*Director of Media
*Director of Volunteer Welfare
*Director of Health and Safety

The Board also appoints Board Secretary, 2 Ombudsmen, 2 Returning Officers and the Treasurer.

==Relevant Policies and Procedures==
Freegle accounts are held at

http://freegle.in/accounts.

We have online banking with Unity Trust Bank. 2 people are required before a payment can be approved. ?[a] signatories are required for the account. The Treasurer is copied into board mails relating to financial matters.

We have a Conflict of Interest procedure, at:
[[Conflicts_of_Interest_Procedure]]

We also maintain a Risk Register, at:

https://docs.google.com/a/ehibbert.org.uk/spreadsheets/d/1RQ3Uzgt7Lf_RTRRH8vdySOYXzqnHI-JxG1SVBeykctI/edit#gid=0

The first Board approved and adopted a range of policies and procedures for Freegle Ltd. They are all uploaded onto the Freegle Wiki, and are listed here:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Freegle_Ltd_Adopted_Document_Summary

The Freegle Wiki provides extensive information on Freegle UK and Freegle Ltd decisions and resources for moderators:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Welcome_to_the_Freegle_Volunteer_Wiki

The pages specific to the Board are categorised together and can be found via:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Category:Freegle_Board
==Responsibilities of Directors==
The Board discusses day to day matters on the Board Group and uses polls to help with decision-making. Board members are expected to read all mails on and contribute regularly to this group.

As well as Freegle UK Central there are 3 working groups to which all volunteers are entitled to join. All board members should be on at least daily digest on these groups, to gain an understanding of the current work and opinions of Members and Volunteers.

https://freegle.in/Tech

https://freegle.in/Development

https://freegle.in/Funding

A Board meeting is held once a month by Skype Chat; board members are expected to attend, submit reports of work they have undertaken and participate in discussion. Formal minutes are produced and can be found here:

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Category:Freegle_Board_Minutes

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Board_Meeting_Procedure

There is a google spreadsheet which contains confidential details of the Directors and passwords for accounts accessed by the Directors.

LINKS:

*[[Freegle Board]]
*[[Document Approval Policy]]
*[[Glossary]]

[[Category: Freegle Board]]