How to properly organize a club
Many clubs, regardless of their interest, start as a few people coming together with a common interest or cause. Often these organizations grow into larger entities and sometimes they are poorly organized and may not be properly registered with the IRS or their respective state governments. We are here to help.
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Tax Exempt Status For Your Organization IRS Publication 557
This document is your first step in determining the type of tax exempt status you are going to file for. Generally dance clubs are either 501(c)(4), a Social Welfare Organization or 501(c)(3), a charitable organization. There are advantages and disadvantages to each but for the most part you can ignore all the other exempt oganization types.
Document link to IRS Publication 557
Determine if your club is a corporation. This does not mean you are a company.
Organizing your documents for a 501(c)(3) application
Determine if your club is an Association
Organizing your documents for a 501(c)(4) application
Each state has different rules. These are links to each state's requirements.
A Step By Step Guide walking you through the application process with the IRS
Interactive Form 1023 Application for 501(c)(3)
Annual Electronic Filing Requirement for Small Exempt Organizations — Form 990-N (e-Postcard). Includes links to file Form 990 for Tax Exempt Organizations.
Link to the PDF instructions necessary to file the annual Form 990.
Although there are links in the documents above, this is a quick link if you just need to apply for an E.I.N. (Employer ID Number).
Roberts Rules of Order
Do you need a copy of Roberts Rules of Order? There are many sources for this document, and many formats exist. Clicking the logo at the left of this paragraph will take you to the official source for Roberts Rules of Order.
Club Bylaws
Every club needs an organizational structure and corporate bylaws. There are many bylaws available online to draw from but each state has different requirements for a proper Bylaw form. There are good online sources for proper Bylaw creation such as Legal Zoom or Rocket Law. While they charge a fee Rocket Law has a free service to help craft your documents. By answering a few questions you create your personal document. You can choose to save it or just print the text and use it.
While we are not endorsing Rocket Lawyer specifically, and there are certainly many other such services in addition to employing legal counsel in your area, they do have quite a few legal documents designed online and in the proper format. Click the image.