Dear Reader,

we're back with an update for our members — and this one is an invitation to help shape what comes next.
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In July, our chairman Marvin Däumichen stepped back from his positions. Four of the five elected board members remain in office. Rather than simply filling the gap among ourselves, the Board has decided to put the entire Executive Board to a vote, so that whoever leads the MIND Members Association through the coming two years does so with a fresh mandate from you.
You will find the formal invitation to that election below, together with everything you need in order to take part, to stand as a candidate, or to put a topic on the agenda.

Two things are worth knowing before you read on. First, the Statutes give the General Meeting real latitude in shaping the new Board: it may consist of anywhere between three and seven people (§ 9 (1)), and the meeting decides how many seats to fill before it elects anyone. Second, if a group of candidates comes forward as a team with a shared programme, the chair of the meeting may put that team to a single ballot rather than holding separate ballots seat by seat (§ 14 (5)). Both routes are open. Which one we take depends on who steps forward in the next two weeks.

Before the election we would like to hear you. We are hosting three open member calls, and several members — including Henrik Jungaberle, founder of the MIND Foundation and of the MIND Members Association — have announced proposals for change they would like to discuss with you there. Please come and argue with us. That is what the association is for. Register here for the discussion meetings.
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​Wednesday, August 12 — 19:00–20:00 — register here​
​Friday, August 14 — 15:00–16:00 — register here​
​Tuesday, August 18 — 19:30–20:30 — register here

Next week we will send another Members Newsletter with the state of play and the candidacies we have received. That newsletter is for information only; the legally binding invitation to the General Meeting is the one below.

Formal invitation to the
MIND Members Board elections

Formal notice of
convocation

Einberufung einer Außerordentlichen Mitgliederversammlung — Förderverein MIND Foundation e.V. (MIND Members Association), Berlin

The Executive Board (Vorstand) hereby convenes an Extraordinary General Meeting (außerordentliche Mitgliederversammlung) pursuant to § 12 (2) and § 13 of the Statutes. The Board resolved unanimously on Wednesday, 5 August 2026, to convene this meeting, to issue this invitation by electronic means, and to hold the meeting as a virtual meeting.

Date and time

Thursday, 27 August 2026, 19:30 CEST ​
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Virtual doors and identity check from 19:15 CEST; expected end 21:30 CEST the latest.

Reason for the extraordinary meeting (§ 12 (2)): Following the resignation of the 1st Chairperson in July 2026, the Executive Board considers the election of a new Executive Board to be in the interest of the association.

Format​
​ Virtual meeting (virtuelle Versammlung im Onlineverfahren) pursuant to § 14 (6) of the Statutes, resolved by the Board on 5 August 2026. The meeting takes place in an area accessible to members only, via Zoom which runs in any standard web browser or conference client.
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​Your personal access credentials will be sent to you individually, to the e-mail address you have given the association, no later than Monday, 24 August 2026. The public registration links for the informal member calls above and below do not give access to the General Meeting. If you have not received your credentials by 24 August, please write to info@mind-members.org immediately.
The detailed rules of procedure and of voting resolved by the Board will be sent with the credentials and communicated again before the meeting is opened (§ 14 (6)).
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Agenda (Tagesordnung)

1. Opening of the meeting; establishment of proper convocation and of the members present; appointment of the keeper of the minutes (§ 12 (3))
2. Communication of the rules of procedure and of voting for this virtual meeting (§ 14 (6))
3. Report of the Executive Board on the situation of the association
4. Resolution on the size of the new Executive Board — at least three and at most seven persons (§ 9 (1))
5. Election of the members of the Executive Board for a term of two years (§ 9 (1), § 9 (4), § 12 (1)). The chair of the meeting may put several seats to a single ballot, including as a slate of candidates standing together (§ 14 (5))
6. Determination of the 1st Chairperson, the 2nd Chairperson and the Treasurer from among the elected members of the Executive Board (§ 9 (1) sentence 2, § 9 (4)); one person may not hold more than one of these offices (§ 9 (6))
7. Election of two auditors (Kassenprüfer:innen), insofar as their term of office has expired (§ 12 (1), § 15 (2))
8. Any other business, without resolutions (Verschiedenes ohne Beschlussfassung)
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Standing as a candidate

Only members of the association may hold a board office (§ 9 (5)). The term of office is two years; board members remain in office after the end of their term until a new Board has been successfully elected (§ 9 (4)).
If you would like to stand — alone or as part of a team — please write to info@mind-members.org by Monday, 24 August 2026, with a short statement about yourself and, where applicable, the office you are aiming for.
We will circulate the candidacies received in next week's newsletter and, in an updated form, with the access credentials. Nominations from the floor during the meeting remain possible.
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Putting a topic on the agenda

Every member may request that further matters be added to the agenda. If your request reaches the Board in writing or by e-mail at info@mind-members.org no later than Thursday, 20 August 2026, the agenda will be supplemented accordingly at the beginning of the meeting (§ 13 (2)). Requests arriving later, or raised during the meeting, can only be admitted by a majority of three quarters of the votes cast (§ 13 (2), § 14 (4)).
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Voting rights, quorum and majorities

Every member present is entitled to vote and to be elected, and has one vote. The right to vote is not transferable and cannot be exercised by proxy. Members that are legal persons may have their vote exercised by a representative named in advance — please notify info@mind-members of that person by 24 August 2026 (§ 14 (1)). Membership rights are suspended for members who are employed by the association (§ 3 (10)) and for the duration of exclusion proceedings (§ 3 (8)).

A duly convened General Meeting has a quorum irrespective of how many members attend (§ 14 (1)). Unless the Statutes or the law provide otherwise, resolutions are passed by a simple majority of the votes cast; abstentions do not count as votes cast (§ 14 (4)). In elections, a candidate — or a slate voted on in one ballot — needs an absolute majority in the first two ballots; from the third ballot a relative majority suffices; if no majority has been reached after at least three ballots, the chair of the meeting may decide that lots be drawn (§ 14 (5)). The chair determines the manner of voting; a written — that is, secret — ballot must be held if at least one quarter of the voting members present so demand (§ 14 (3)). A secret online ballot will be available for this purpose.

The meeting is chaired by the 1st Chairperson or, if unavailable, by the 2nd Chairperson; if both are unavailable, the meeting appoints its chair. For the duration of the elections and the debate preceding them, the chair may be transferred to another member or to an election committee (§ 14 (2)).
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​Minutes will be taken, signed by the chair of the meeting and the keeper of the minutes, and made available to all members no later than six weeks after the meeting (§ 12 (3)).

Berlin, August 7, 2026

For the Executive Board of Förderverein MIND Foundation e.V.

Jessica Soolsma, Sepideh Maria Ravahi, Fabian Wenner, Wolfgang Wimmer
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MIND Foundation is a mental health organization committed to science and education.The MIND Members Association (Förderverein MIND Foundation e.V.) supports the MIND Foundation's mission and vision and builds a global community that resonates with the MIND values.
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Förderverein MIND Foundation e.V., c/o MIND Foundation gGmbH, Boxhagenerstr. 78, In den Schreibfederhöfen (Eingang 3), 10245 Berlin, Germanymembers@mind-foundation.org | +49 30 29047658 | mind-foundation.orgCopyright © 2025 MIND Foundation, All rights reserved.
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