Annual General Meetings (AGMs)

All organisations, including charities, are required to hold annual general meetings. Companies governed by company law in Ireland required to hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM), not more than 15 months after previous year’s AGM.

For unincorporated charities, their constitutions will guide them in terms of requirements.

Online Meetings

Under Covid-19 restrictions on movement, many charities constituted as companies (mainly companies limited by guarantee – CLG) were unable to hold their AGM in a traditional face-to-face format. Two pieces of legislation passed in August 2020 to address practical issues that arose for businesses resulting from the pandemic.

Most of the provisions were to apply for an interim period, but were extended on multiple occasions. Our understanding is that meetings may now be held virtually until 31 December 2024.

The main points to consider, including the recently updated legislation are:

1. Organisations are enabled to convene and hold general meetings – AGMs or EGMs – by virtual means, eg. via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, provided all those entitled to attend have a reasonable opportunity to participate. This overrides any provisions in an organisation’s constitution that might otherwise prevent them from doing so.
2. A general meeting may be fully online or in “hybrid” form. In order for a company to avail of these provisions, it must include very specific provisions in its AGM notice. 
3. Companies need to be cautious about how the AGM is fulfilled. If something goes wrong on the day, (eg. there is a faulty internet connection, members have technical difficulties joining the meeting), the AGM might run the risk of being improperly constituted and need to be adjourned. There are usually detailed provisions in an organisation’s constitution about the re-convening of such an AGM
4.  A challenge with an online or hybrid approach is  to be able to successfully identify and note those joining remotely, and verify their right to participate.

Other Considerations

The date, location and/or means of holding an AGM may be changed at any time up to five business days prior to the scheduled time, rather than by way of formally meeting and adjourning,

Any company should look to its own Constitution (memorandum and articles of association) which will contain provisions on AGMs – notice required, definition of a quorum, how proxies may be obtained for absent members etc.

In obtaining proxies, usually outlined in the Constitution, it appears in most cases the requirement to have such proxies signed can be discharged by a scanned document. The requirement to have it delivered to a physical location can be fulfilled by ensuring scanned proxies are obtained by e-mail, or otherwise, by the chairperson of the meeting at the physical location of the meeting.

Please note that the above are general points of information and not legal advice – if any charity has any doubt about the conduct of its own AGM, please seek legal advice on this matter.

There appears also to be general agreement that whatever approach to holding an AGM a charity chooses, open and full communication with members around the AGM is a good idea. This would include:

1. Letting members know in advance what approach you are adopting
2. Sharing information ahead of time and welcoming comments from members that can be discussed at the AGM
3. Emphasising the importance of public health and safety, and the directors’ duties to the charity that nobody’s health is put at risk, and that all official advice is observed

Useful resources on guidance for boards, with specific reference to new legislation, have been made available to The Wheel by A&L Goodbody, whose assistance we appreciate.

If you have any queries on the topic of AGMs please contact our Governance & Compliance Manager, Jon McBride– jon@wheel.ie.