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Starting Your Own Driving Club, Part 1
Starting Your Own Driving Club Part 1
Written By: Bonnie Marlewski-Probert
I receive many letters each year from driving enthusiasts who are interested in meeting other driving enthusiasts but can?t locate a club in their area. One obvious option is to start your own club! As in everything I do, I would not recommend you do anything until you have done your homework, made a plan and checked with the experts.
To help you along, I have contacted several driving clubs in North America to ask for their input on the ins and outs of starting your own driving club. I will be including portions of my correspondence with these helpful folks in the months to come, so keep watching.
This month, Marie McKee of the Central Valley Harness Association in Fresno, CA was gracious enough to answer all my questions on your behalf. While some of the steps involved may seem overwhelming, relax, it is really not that hard as long as you follow the rules and take your time. Below is a portion of my correspondence with Marie:
1. Should club organizers join the American Driving Society before getting started?
"Get a core group together to "create" the club. Three or four people are enough. Be aware that someone will have to put up some money to get started (figure about $600). You can't collect dues until you actually have a "Club." - Marie?s great suggestion about setting up the club properly in the beginning makes great sense from a liability standpoint. On the slim chance that down the road you host a show or a clinic or a club meet and someone gets hurt, you want to make certain that your club is properly, legally set up so that you are not exposed to any personal liability.
Set up a meeting for interested people and advertise the time and location in local papers, in Driving Publications, and on the Internet - (use the CD-L list) - another great suggestion. In most of these, you can advertise free of charge and you may be pleasantly pleased by the size of the response you receive.
If there is enough interest set up a committee to write by-laws. (Look at other club's by-laws for ideas). If you plan to apply for non-profit status make sure your Purpose complies with non-profit requirements. ? This is a great idea. They don?t give out awards for re-inventing the wheel. If you are able to network with other driving clubs around the country, you should be able to get copies of their by-laws. From there, you can cut and paste your own. Be sure to have an attorney review the final document before you start using them. It is during the setting up of your club that you will build a solid foundation that will serve you and future members of your club well for generations to come. With that in mind, take the little bit of extra time it may take to double check everything.
Join ADS as a Member Club ($50 fee). This will get you a listing in "The Whip" and after you get organized you can purchase Club Insurance through their insurance carrier. ($500 per year flat rate for unlimited public activities." ? The ADS will offer you and your club a lot of help, information, networking opportunities with other clubs and if nothing else, the deal on insurance would be tough to beat."
2. Are there business-related papers that must be filled out before someone can start a driving club? (Business license, tax id #, etc.)
"Someone (or a group) will have to take responsibility personally until you can get incorporated. It will start as a small business (sole ownership or partnership). Set up a business bank account. You may need a DBA in the Club's name. ? d.b.a. means "doing business as" and it is a very simple form to fill out. The idea of this is to ensure that you don?t choose a business or club name that is already being used by someone else. Remember that there will be work involved in setting up your club so be clear that you are establishing a club that will be around for many years to come. If you think long-term, it won?t seem to daunting a task and everything you do right will help those who will follow you in the years to come.
3. What business model do you recommend people use? (Corp., nonprofit, or
does it even matter?) "
"It is very important to Incorporate ASAP. Until you do, those above are personally liable for anything that happens! Non profit is the best way but is more difficult and takes longer.
If you are not non-profit you will have to file tax returns every year. There will probably not be a lot of income to pay taxes on but there will be a lot of paperwork." ? Marie makes a great point here. Even though this will be a "club" it is also a business entity and it should be treated as one when you are setting things up. The value of the corporation is two-fold. First, it limits liability to only those things included in the corporation and secondly, once incorporated, your club takes on a life of its own so even when people come and go over the years, the business will remain constant. This would not be the case if the club were owned and operated by one single person. If they moved away, so goes the club."
4. How many people does it require to start a driving club? (Board of
directors?)
"Our club has 7 directors. It can probably be done with as few as 3 but 5 or 7 would be ideal. It should be an odd number for voting purposes."
5. How do you recommend new clubs attract members?
"List the club in Driving Publications (usually this is free).
Make sure the Contact Person can EASILY be reached by phone or email. ? If there is one gripe I personally have with the horse business it is the fact that no one sets up club e-mail addresses or club phone numbers. Instead, they use the phone number, e-mail address and mailing address of that year?s secretary or treasurer, making it all but impossible to keep up with the changes.
Offer activities open to non-members.
Publish a monthly Newsletter and network with other clubs in your state.
Have a monthly meeting at the same time and in the same place each month. We have a dinner meeting at a local restaurant every First Wednesday of the month. After we conclude the Club's business, we usually have some kind of Driving Related Program."
6. What should the goal of a new club be? (Shows, clinics, just fun?)
"All of the above. Especially to educate members on safety. We let our members suggest which activities they want."
7. If there were one thing you could share with new clubs that you learned
the hard way, what would that be?
"If you commit to an activity and advertise it to the Driving Community you have to MAKE IT HAPPEN- even if you have to lose a little money to do it.
If you cancel things at the last minute, eventually no one will trust you anymore. It is very annoying to plan on an activity and arrange your schedule accordingly just to have it cancelled. "
As I have said over and over again throughout the years, there are no folks more generous and helpful than those in the driving community. Special thanks to Marie McKee with the Central Valley Harness Association.
I want to hear from you! If you have any questions, comments or suggestions that you would like to share with the rest of us, drop me a line at:
Bonnie Marlewski-Probert
P.O. Box 548
Yellville, AR 72687
Or you can contact me directly on the Internet at BRMP@AOL.com
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