I did a little research on the web, and found that the USDA (United Square Dancers of America) strongly recommends that new dance clubs be incorporated. I won’t go into all the reasons; anyone interested can find the USDA pamphlet at http://www.usda.org/educ.htm (look at Club Incorporation).

I have incorporated a non-profit before and would be willing to help if we decide that’s what we want to do, but be warned: forming a corporation is easy, but running it is a pain. We would need a bank account and an accounting system; someone to deal with tax returns and various filings; and we would need a board that meets and keeps minutes and other records. And we would need seed money to start — as I recall, the state requires around $1,000 to incorporate. $800 is returned once the IRS issues a determination that the corporation is non-profit, but that takes a while (months, possibly years). Until that determination is made, the club has to pay a minimum of $800/yr to the state franchise tax board.

I assume the Saucy Squares are incorporated already; maybe we could work something with them, and not duplicate the effort.

Either way, I’d be willing to lend a hand.

Fred