Democratic Governance & Operational Integrity

The Democratic Framework of an Association Loi 1901

The Centre Archéologie Préhistorique du Rhône-Alpes was founded on the fundamental principle that collective scientific stewardship requires transparent, democratic governance. Under our registered statutes, supreme institutional authority rests not with individual benefactors or external commercial entities, but with the General Assembly of members. Every registered member who participates in our civic activities holds an equal voice and an equal vote, embodying the democratic spirit at the heart of French non-profit jurisprudence.

Our governance model ensures that every scientific project, territorial field survey, and public educational initiative is carefully scrutinized for scientific merit, ethical alignment, and public benefit. We strictly prohibit commercial archaeology contracting, real estate speculation, or artifact valuation, maintaining a clear boundary that protects our organization from commercial conflicts of interest.

The Board of Directors (Conseil d'Administration)

The administrative direction of CAPRA is entrusted to a Board of Directors elected by the General Assembly for staggered three-year terms. The Board meets on a quarterly basis at our headquarters in Bourg-lès-Valence to review ongoing operations, monitor budget execution, validate scientific survey agreements with academic institutions, and oversee compliance with regional cultural regulations.

The current Board of Directors brings together a rich cross-section of territorial competencies:

• President: Coordinates institutional representation, presides over general assemblies, and acts as the official liaison with the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) and municipal public partners.
• Vice-President of Scientific Coordination: Oversees the rigor of field survey methodologies, lithic typology cataloging, and coordinates peer-reviewed submissions with university research laboratories.
• General Secretary: Manages administrative records, official statutory filings with the Prefecture of the Drôme, member communications, and archival documentation of board proceedings.
• Treasurer: Maintains rigorous accounting records, manages grant allocations, prepares annual financial balance sheets for independent auditing, and guarantees that every expenditure directly serves our non-profit objectives.
• Directors of Public Mediation & Youth Outreach: Experienced volunteer educators who design free pedagogical workshops, coordinate school discovery visits, and ensure universal accessibility.

Conflict of Interest Policy and Strict Financial Oversight

To maintain public trust and preserve the integrity of our scientific findings, CAPRA enforces a rigorous Conflict of Interest Policy adopted by unanimous vote of the General Assembly. Under this policy:

1. No member of the Board of Directors or active volunteer may receive financial compensation, finder's fees, or personal gifts resulting from archaeological discoveries or surveys.
2. Board members are formally barred from participating in private antique dealing, art auctions, or commercial relic trade. Any member found engaging in illicit metal detector searching on archaeological zones is immediately expelled from the association.
3. Financial accounts are kept in strict compliance with the French Standard Accounting Plan for Associations (Plan Comptable Associatif). An independent auditing committee elected from the general membership examines all bank statements, invoices, and grant disbursements prior to the annual assembly.

Volunteer Participation and Operational Working Groups

Governance at CAPRA is not confined to formal board meetings; it is an everyday operational reality shared across specialized volunteer working groups. These commissions function autonomously under the guidance of a designated coordinator:

• The Field Survey Commission: Plans surface exploration campaigns, obtains formal landowner authorizations, ensures field safety protocols, and standardizes geospatial recording.
• The Laboratory & Conservation Commission: Oversees artifact cleaning, inventory numbering, packaging in neutral pH storage containers, and manages photographic and photogrammetric documentation.
• The Educational Mediation Commission: Develops interactive learning modules for primary and secondary schools, tests experimental archaeology toolkits, and trains volunteer workshop facilitators.
• The Archival & Library Commission: Catalogues scientific acquisitions, maintains exchange bulletins with scholarly societies, and oversees the open digital publication of our research logs.

Every member is warmly invited to join one or more commissions according to their personal interests and availability. Through this decentralized, participatory model, CAPRA maintains vibrant community engagement while delivering rigorous scientific results that serve the public good.