TeenagerMom Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 We are in the baby steps of starting a new inclusive homeschool group. We have a group of founding member families (8 of us) currently and are having a planning meeting on Wednesday. Do we HAVE to have a Board of Directors and by-laws? Do we have to file for non-profit status, etc? Or can we just start a group with a central committee to plan things, take up $ to pay for parties, etc? We do plan on having co-op classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Our support group has by-laws and a board of directors. We don't have any non-profit status. They charge $15 each year, which mostly covers paper supplies for parties, meetings, etc. Our co-op started without any board and a short list of policies, including a statement that the group or church we meet in would not be held liable for anything. We have formed a small board to help make some decisions instead of taking every small thing to the entire group of 21 people. We take only cash for expenses and keep a petty cash fund rather than a checking account. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 (edited) No - you don't need any of this. Unless you plan to earn an income, you don't have to be non-profit status. Our local homeschool support group has neither a board nor directors nor bylaws, charges no fees, and has no non-profit status - we neither make money nor solicit donations. Edited March 20, 2016 by regentrude 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Our group does not. But we are a support group and no money is charged for anything. We meet at the park. The kids play or talk. The moms supervise or talk. I would think if there was money or classes or something that would be different, but for us it isn't necessary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambam Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Our group does not. We do have a group of 7 ladies that are the administrators of our FB group (and previous BigTent and before that yahoogroup!). We do make a few rules and reminders. We decide (with group input, FB polls) which parks to meet at. We schedule those events. One admin handles most of the field trips - people pay money directly to her or if another mom coordinates the trip, directly to that mom. The field trip mom also coordinates the group t-shirts but, again, that is money to her, and shirts from her to individuals. I started the teen group - I set up monthly lunches (others are free to set one up too, but so far in 2+ years, only one mom has set one) and one other activity (putt-putt, bowling, coffee, yogurt, super Sonic with volleyball, etc). One mom volunteered to set up and handle the MNO organization. We just really have park days, MNOs, field trips, show-n-tell/talent show, and are starting an informational meeting (at the library because the room is free). A couple of moms are setting up graduations for seniors and k'ers - because they want to do so. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 It may depend on your meeting location. If using a church or library meeting room or something other than someone's home, you might want to check with the management. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 I'm in two different homeschool groups - one is a co-op, and the other is a support group. Both groups started very casually, but they incorporated after a year or two. The co-op is a non-profit. Both groups have advisory boards. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entropymama Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Our group doesn't. Our class fees are paid directly to the teachers, to the co-op itself doesn't make any money. We are very small and the three teachers make all the decisions at this point. There are maybe ten families. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Our support group has by-laws and a board of directors. We don't have any non-profit status. They charge $15 each year, which mostly covers paper supplies for parties, meetings, etc. Our co-op started without any board and a short list of policies, including a statement that the group or church we meet in would not be held liable for anything. We have formed a small board to help make some decisions instead of taking every small thing to the entire group of 21 people. We take only cash for expenses and keep a petty cash fund rather than a checking account. This. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 (edited) Our group eschews having a board or non-profit status. It's a potluck model. Everyone is free to set up events, classes and such and attend the offerings they are qualified for (age wise). Generally speaking, everyone is supposed to contribute something to others (setting up an event or field trip or volunteering for a big annual event.). There are ~500 families involved in some way or the other. Edited March 20, 2016 by LucyStoner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 (edited) Our co-op existed for 10 years without being a non-profit. In the past year, it grew to a point where it became advantageous to jump through the small non-profit hoop so we did. So I guess I would wait and see. They started with a small board and a mission statement. Policies have gone into place as needed. The bigger the group, the more clarity that is needed. Edited March 20, 2016 by WoolySocks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeLovePassion Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 We do have a board. Our co-op has 55 families. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 We are in the baby steps of starting a new inclusive homeschool group. We have a group of founding member families (8 of us) currently and are having a planning meeting on Wednesday. Do we HAVE to have a Board of Directors and by-laws? Do we have to file for non-profit status, etc? Or can we just start a group with a central committee to plan things, take up $ to pay for parties, etc? We do plan on having co-op classes. My *support group* of about 40 members just had a leadership team of three people. We charged $20 a year for the newsletter (an actual printed, mailed newsletter); everything else people paid for as needed for field trips and whatnot. We did not have a central committee that planned things. We did planned field trips twice a year (two a month); whoever showed up at the meeting was the committee. No one planned more than two field trips, so if only two people showed up, there would be four field trips for the next six months, but that never happened. We passed around a sign-up sheet once a year at our August Moms' Night Out with different family/party kinds of things (fall picnic, Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners, Valentine's Day, etc.); people who wanted to see those happened signed up and then did the planning, and told the rest of us what to do. If no one signed up for an event, it didn't happen. Where I lived at that time, the support groups which had very formal organization (i.e, by-laws, board of directors, elections for officers, central planning committee) did not last for more than a few years. The support groups with identifiable but casual leadership did. None of them were incorporated as non-profits. Now, if you're doing a co-op, that might be different. My experience was with support groups not co-ops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 I've been in both types. One that didn't have these things consulted a lawyer friend about becoming a non-profit like the other one. He has created several non-profits over the years and he and his wife homeschool so he knew the situation we were asking about. His feeling is that unless you are a pretty big group and dealing with quite a bit of money flowing in and out it really isn't worth the hassle of all the hoops you have to jump through to get and maintain non-profit status. Just make absolutely certain you know the laws for handling any money being moved through a small homeschooling group and make sure you aren't leaving one person handling all the money with no checks and balances in place. You want to protect your members, incuding anyone handling money. As for a formal board of directors, also not necessary unless you are wanting significant structure and accountability (co-ops sometimes need that). It does help to have some guidelines in place in case things go wrong between members. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 No. Before each semester, we have a big meeting. I ask the parents to come with 2 lists; a list of desired opportunities for the children and a list of things that they could and would teach. We get together, eat a meal, and let the kids play while we compare our lists and see who can teach what. You really get a wide variety of ideas this way. The only $ that changes hands is about $20 for supplies. When you ask for those 2 lists, classes get taught by people who have most of the supplies already. (eg. I teach music. I already have a closet FULL of supplies for teaching music.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 I've been in several groups and none of them had a board of directors. Probably the most organized any of them have been was to sign up as a 4H group because it was a way to get affordable insurance for the group (which a lot of places that rent space, including churches, often require). With regards to money in my experience, homeschoolers are notoriously cheap (or broke, or frugal...take your pick). Understandable for the most part, but yeah we had issues in one group where people thought paying $1 a month per family to meet in a rented space 4 times per month was what they'd consider reasonable (which on no planet is that reasonable). But, all that said, I highly recommend coming up with a basic list of rules . Unfortunately, it seems you have to spell it out for people that you expect them not to allow their kids to damage property and to be decent towards each other. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocCityMom Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Our cooperative has been around since 1998 and has 501©(3) status and so it does have a board of directors that provides and maintains the vision of the group, handles budget, personnel, enrollment, and insurance issues of the group, and manages the administrative/day-to-day operations of the group. Members pay tuition and the group rents space and has several teachers and assistants on payroll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2att Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 I recommend Carol Topp's website and publications: http://homeschoolcpa.com/ It comes down to money. Once you get to the point where you are large/active enough to need a bank account, it has to be opened under somebody's SSN if the group doesn't have an EIN. And the IRS can count what goes into that bank account as income of the account holder. It was at that point that our group jumped through the non-profit hoops. I am very glad that we did. But we are a large co-op with a large support group on the side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Yes, ours does. It has its pros and cons, but, it really helps it from becoming a handful of people doing all the work (and making all the decisions) and the risks that entails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebastianCat Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 I second the recommendation of Carol Topp's website. She also has ebooks for less than $5 that are very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Yes, ours does. It has its pros and cons, but, it really helps it from becoming a handful of people doing all the work (and making all the decisions) and the risks that entails. Ours enables only the few to make all the decisions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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