By Brandi McGrath Kong, Director of Member Services & Conferences
What does it take for a club to remain “In Good Standing”? This is a question that we get quite often, but for the most part, the requirements are simple:
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
These various components are required to ensure headquarters stays connected to club leaders and their members, can better measure the voluntary and philanthropic impact our clubs have across North America, and meets IRS requirements to maintain our 501(c)(3) charitable tax status.
Failure by a club to meet these requirements can lead to decreased access to Sertoma resources for your members, revoked voting rights in our elections, disqualification from funding programs like Sertoma Club Grants, and more. In the most extreme instances, it can even lead to the revocation of a club’s charter. The good news is that HQ can typically instantly reinstate all benefits once the requirements have all been met.
HOW AND WHEN IS THIS COMMUNICATED?
While we are always aware of our clubs’ status, there are two major communication cycles where we will reach out to clubs with the precise steps necessary to regain their “In Good Standing” status. The first occurs in the early spring (typically mid-February to mid-March) ahead of the annual elections. The other is in late summer (typically August) just before the opening of Club Grant applications on September 1.
In addition, staff also has a follow-up schedule that accompanies each deadline. For reports, this is typically for six weeks after the deadline has passed, with the information then going to volunteer leaders for additional reminders. There is also a consistent cyclical reminder process that our accounting team follows for any outstanding invoices, starting about 45 days after initial billing.
Sertoma communicates reminders about these important components before and after their respective deadlines using email and social media, so make sure that HQ has your proper email address on file and that you are part of the Sertoma Members’ Corner on Facebook. If you have any questions about the information presented here or your club’s status, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at bmcgrathkong@sertoma.org.