GUIDE FOR STARTING A NEW CLUB

Contents This document is a composite of several different articles to help you through the process of starting a new AVSA Affiliate Club and helping it to grow. Start a New Club... 3 By Joyce Stork Start Up Checklist... 4 By Terri Post Become an AVSA Affiliate... 15 By Amy Carruth Growing a Club... 17 By Candace Baldwin 2

Start an African Violet Club? Who Me? Almost every African violet club started with someone who wished that there was a club in their area. If that is you, then this might be the day for you to consider how to make a club happen. There are lots of ways to make it happen. But first, let s answer a few questions. Why might someone want to belong to my club? 1. Because they enjoy growing violets too. 2. Because they want to learn and make friends with other growers. 3. Because they want a support group to share their enjoyment (and maybe some cuttings), provide motivation to grow better, and advise them when there is trouble. 4. Because they already belong to the African Violet Society of America but didn t know anyone else lived so close to them. Why would I want to affiliate my club with AVSA? 1. The African Violet Society of America can provide useful tools to a new club such as sample bylaws, program suggestions, free old magazines, and tips. 2. Affiliated clubs may sponsor an AVSA show once a year. AVSA provides judges and a set of standards to challenge and encourage your club members to grow better plants. Shows are also outstanding tools for finding new members for your club. 3. Affiliated club shows receive free advertising in the African Violet Magazine and on the AVSA website at http://www.avsa.org/events. What are the steps to become an Affiliated Club? 1. Contact the AVSA Affiliate Chairman by emailing affiliate@avsa.org to ask for your kit. 2. Find a group of potential members at least three or four. (More on how to do this is below.) 3. Set up a meeting date and plan a fun relaxed first time gathering. 4. Write a set of bylaws. AVSA can provide you with guidelines. (The sample bylaws are especially helpful in providing language required to satisfy IRS and Banking regulations.) 5. Elect officers. 6. Affiliate your club with the African Violet Society of America by paying the Affiliate Dues listed on the website at http://www.avsa.org/avsa-membership. 7. Learn, have fun, make friends, grow better violets! What are the rules for being an Affiliated Club? 1. Clubs have a lot of leeway. Obviously the club must pay annual dues and should focus on violets. 2. Clubs may have a dual affiliation with the Gesneriad Society. 3. Clubs may meet as often as they wish. Many clubs meet once a month, but some regional groups meet only once or twice a year. 3

Startup Checklist for New Affiliates 1. Organizing Documents 2. By-Laws 3. EIN (Federal Employer Identification Number) 4. Open a checking account 5. Check with the State Treasurer about Sales & Use Taxes for non-profits. File for Permit if required 6. Annually, file a Federal Form 990-N 7. HAVE FUN! 4

Organizing Documents Please contact your Secretary of State and ask the procedure to become a non-profit in your state. Or, if possible, check their website, it is usually full of helpful information. Remember, use the word NON-PROFIT and not tax exempt. Each state is different in its requirements for organizing documents. Usually the easiest way to become a nonprofit is to file the Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State. A sample of this form is attached. TIP: NON-PROFIT status is state law TAX-EXEMPT status is federal law All tax-exempt organizations are nonprofit, but not all nonprofits are necessarily tax-exempt. 5

By-Laws By-laws are an organization s internal operating rules. Federal law does not require specific language in the bylaws of most organizations. However, state law may require nonprofit corporations to have by-laws. Please ask the Secretary of State in your state for any by-law requirements. Attached is a sample of by-laws. 7

Employer Identification Number Every organization must have an employer identification number, even if it will not have employees. The EIN is a unique number that identifies the organization to the IRS. To apply for an EIN, please either fill out the highlighted areas on the attached Form SS-4, or call the IRS at 1-800- 829-4933 and provide them the information from the SS-4. Please note that the EIN is not your tax exempt number. 10

Open a Checking Account Using the EIN number received from the IRS, open a separate checking account for your organization. It is very important to keep the organization s funds separate from an individual s funds. In other words, please do not write checks from or make deposits to personal checking accounts on behalf of the organization. 12

Form 990-N (e-postcard) If your organization s gross receipts are normally less than $25,000, you will be required to file Form 990-N, also known as the e-postcard. The form must be completed and filed electronically. There is no paper form. (Please see www.irs.gov/charities) The e-postcard is easy to complete. All you need is the following information about your organization. 1. EIN 2. Tax Year There are two kinds of tax years: Calendar Tax Year Beginning January 1 and ending December 31. Fiscal Tax Year Which is a period of 12 consecutive months ending on the last day of any month except December. 3. Legal name and mailing address 4. Any other names the organization uses 5. Name and address of a principal officer 6. Website address if the organization has one 7. Confirmation (yes or no) if the annual gross receipts are normally $25,000 or less 8. If applicable, organization termination 13

Sales & Use Tax The state revenue departments of each state govern the sales and use tax laws. Please check with your state as to whether nonprofit organizations are required to collect and remit sales and use tax. If required, a permit may need to be applied for. 14

BECOME AN AVSA AFFILIATE Once your club is formed you should become an AVSA affiliate. There are several perks for your local club. AVSA has a nice selection of educational CDs & DVDs to use as programs for your club. There are books and publications that can be ordered via the AVSA website. When you decide to have a show or sale, AVSA offers insurance to clubs at a reasonable rate. Your show and sales can be advertised in the African Violet Magazine and also on the AVSA website. You can order a beautiful educational brochure to hand out at your show and sales. A box of back issues of the African Violet Magazine can be had for just the cost of postage. These magazines are wonderful to hand out at shows and sales. On the AVSA website you can find a listing of the current AVSA judges. You can order the software and show entry tags for your judged show. You can register your club on-line. On the AVSA.org website, click on the Join AVSA button. For Location select Affiliate Clubs and Type will be New 15

Enter in the name of your club in the Company field In the Comments/Special Delivery Instructions field make a note that you are registering a new club. You can still register your new club by using the Application to Join form on the mailing cover of the African Violet Magazine, but on-line is so quick 16

Growing a Club So you ve started a club, applied for an EIN and non-profit status and became an AVSA affiliate. Congratulations! Now the real work and fun begins. Consider creating a logo for your club. A logo provides visual recognition for marketing your club. It generates a sense of stability and of being an established club. It is used on the website, business cards, post cards, sale banners, etc. Create a website for your club. There are many free websites builders that are easy to use, don t require any coding skills and offer a free version. To see the latest reviews of these products search best free website builder reviews. The list changes over time, but this review link is fairly consistently updated: http://www.toptenreviews.com/business/internet/best-website-builders/. Within each product, there are many website formats to choose from. Pick a format that is pleasing to you and easy to understand how to use. Try building a basic website within a couple of different products so you get a sense of how each works. Once you ve chosen the product, build your site and follow the advice that talks about SEO Search Engine Optimization. This makes sure the internet search engines like Google and Bing find your club site. Be patient, it can take a week for it to show up in a general search. Depending on the number of founding club members and available time, you can also create a Facebook or Pinterest site. These will need to be kept fresh with current articles/posts and information. Build a list of contacts (email/mailing list) to generate interest and inform of upcoming meetings. Research local floral and garden club websites for contact information and request a list of AVSA members in your state from the AVSA Affiliate Chair. Create a monthly email invite that describes your program for the month and send it out. For the floral and garden club emails, include a personal note asking them to pass along your information to their members. Additional ways to build a contact list is to offer to do a free program for your local library (as many will advertise the program for free). Check with local nurseries who are looking for topics and presenters as well. Be sure to have signup sheets at these events that ask for the participant s contact information. 17

Search and populate free sources of advertising on the internet like Craig s list, local free classifieds, etc. Many regional publications allow you to enter your event in their free on-line event list. Check that favorite hobby magazine to see if they offer free on-line event listings. Write and submit press releases to your local paper who are often looking for articles. Consider printing up business cards and post cards with your club logo (or a picture of an African violet) on one side and your club meeting and contact information on the other. Once you have business cards and/or post cards, carry them with you and ask to leave them wherever your travels may take you. The following article reprinted from the African Violet Magazine, May/June 2007, provides additional articles specific to managing and growing a club. As noted in the beginning, people will join for many reasons. As your club grows be sure to continually ask, understand and incorporate those reasons/ideas into the club agendas. Listening and responding to those needs will keep people coming back and bringing others. 18