Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe G.
I highly suggest trying to find a nonprofit partner to work with for financial management. My rookie team is set up with 4-H, and we've been very happy with the system they have. It's very much "make purchases now, and give us an audit to verify compliance later," rather than the other way around.
|
Being a life-long 4-H'er & now alum, I'm kinda biased on this issue. I heavily suggest becoming a 4-H club, because you would become your own entity/club and would automatically (just have to fill out like 1 form) gain 501(c)3 status under the 4-H Organization umbrella. This would probably separate yourself from your school (which may or may not be a good thing - It would potentially help to gain the support of sponsors who are already contributing to your school, but may lose your school space/support). Another financial/legal advantage is that by being involved with 4-H is that your members would receive liability insurance, all volunteers get background checked, and would have the support of your land-grant university.
Plus the member aspect is really nice, since you can draw members from multiple schools/towns, which can lead to many more opportunities for sponsorships as compared with a school based club drawing a specific town.