Incorporating is Good for You.

**A*@aol.com**

Jen, 

One of the ways of insuring accountability in both the governance and 
financial dealings of any non-for-profit public greening association is to make it 
adhere to the guidelines that  501(c)(3) corporate status requires. 

Knowing that Uncle Sam or another governmental auditor may swoop down on you 
if you co-mingle personal and charitably donate funds, don't have monthly 
meetings with minutes ( following Robert's Rules of Order) ,publicly available 
by-laws, minutes,  etc., keeps honest people honest and the public trust of a 
volunteer run land trust/garden/food bank trustworthy. 

And it requires your community garden to take it's self-governance and 
self-empowerment seriously.  You don't go to Mommy or Daddy to clear your charitable 
donations in-kind or in-cash for you - you are Mommy and Daddy. 

The Clinton Community Garden has been a 501(c)(3) since the mid-eighties and 
is doing quite well at it, despite the difficulties that running a completely 
volunteer board entails.  Again, please feel free to go to our website for our 
rules, regulations and corporate by-laws. 

http://www.clintoncommunitygarden.org/rules_&_regulations.htm

The discipline of running an "up-and-up" not-for-profit entity makes alot of 
the other governance issues routine and democratic.  I think all gardens and 
gardeners should be schooled in self-governance and democracy, and being held 
accountable to be transparent in ones dealings is a great school for this. 

Everbest, 
Adam Honigman

> Subj: Re: [cg] to incorporate or not to incorporate 
>  Date: 1/10/05 2:51:55 PM Mid-Atlantic Standard Time
>  From: libby@igc.org
>  To: jen@nnninfo.org
>  CC: community_garden@mallorn.com
>  Sent from the Internet 
> 
> 
> 
> Jen,
> 
> I'm all for not incorporating.
> 
> Our garden has been in existence since 1976 and have not found a good 
> reason to go through either the incorporation hassle or the associated 
> reporting requirements once incorporation is accomplished. Since we are 
> a community garden, and our leadership changes every two to four years, 
> there's no way of knowing that the responsible people will have the 
> skills or knowledge to fill out 990's etc.
> 
> When we do a major fund-raising from folk who will only give to a 
> 501-c-3, we use one or two local non-profits to act as bursar which 
> they seem quite willing to do for us. The check is written to the 
> non-profit, and it, in turn, cuts us a check. It's really easy.
> 
> Libby
> 
> 
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______________________________________________________
The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org

To post an e-mail to the list:  community_garden@mallorn.com

To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription:  https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden