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How Do I Start a Dollars for Scholars Chapter?
Good question! We welcome your initiative and would love to have you join us. Below is a thumbnail review of the five steps involved in getting a chapter off the ground. (All necessary documents are available by contacting New England Dollars for Scholars.)
1. Recruit a Steering Committee
The job of the Steering Committee is to examine the educational needs of the community and decide if a Dollars for Scholars scholarship foundation would be valuable and viable in meeting those needs.
Recruit a wide cross-section of your community for the Steering Committee: parents, educators, civic and business leaders, service club representatives, clergy, retirees, and students. Use the Invitation List Worksheet to brainstorm a list of people interested in the future of local students. Recruit 10-15 people. Many of these people will likely serve on your Dollars for Scholars board of directors. However, the Steering Committee is not the permanent board.
Set a meeting date, time, and place, and invite those on the list. Follow up with phone calls a few days before the meeting. Send out a news release to alert and invite the public.
Once your meeting is set, complete the Community Profile and bring to the meeting. Use the Sample Steering Committee Presentation Script to help you present Dollars for Scholars to your community, and decide at the Steering Committee meeting whether to affiliate with Scholarship America.
2. Complete Chapter Agreement and Application for Charter
Send completed Chapter Agreement, Application for Charter, and Community Profile, along with the affiliation fee, to Dollars for Scholars. Your chapter will receive automatic 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Dollars for Scholars will apply for your Employer Identification Number. You will receive your chapter's charter and a variety of resource materials within two weeks.
3. Form a Board of Directors
Recruit from your Steering Committee and others in the community to form a board of 9-15 members.
Bond your Treasurer and others who handle the assets of the chapter. (It is a requirement that Dollars for Scholars chapter officers be bonded. We encourage you to find the best deal on doing so through local brokers.)
4. Elect Officers, Form Committees and Adopt Bylaws
Elect chapter officers and set terms of office. Most chapters elect a President, Vice President (President-Elect), Secretary, and Treasurer. These officers become the Executive Committee.
Form committees for chapter functions - Publicity, Fund Raising, Awards, and Academic Support. Also form Bylaws/Policy and Nominating committees. Appoint a board member to chair each committee, and recruit non-board members to participate.
Review the sample Bylaws provided by Dollars for Scholars and adopt bylaws for your new foundation. File bylaws with your chapter's permanent records and send a copy of the bylaws, signed by a majority of the board members, to Dollars for Scholars to complete the affiliation process.
5. Set Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Calendar
Before you begin fund raising, plan your chapter's annual goals, objectives, strategies, and calendar. Draw on your strongest resources - the ideas and enthusiasm of your board and committee members - to ensure your chapter's success. Use the resource materials provided by Dollars for Scholars to guide you.
"Our goal is to have a Dollars for Scholars chapter within every community in the six-state region of New England. Even for communities that already have a school or town based scholarship organization, affiliation with New England Dollars for Scholars makes their scholarship dollars go further than they would otherwise."
David Duncan, Executive Director, New England Dollars for Scholars
What benefits are provided to local chapters by the regional organization?
Affiliation with Scholarship America provides access to a growing national network of community scholarship foundations. As an affiliate, your chapter will receive:
- Use of Scholarship America tax rulings, which includes automatic (501)(c)(3) tax-exempt; 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) public supported; and 509(a) not private foundation status as defined in the Internal Revenue Service Code.
- The right to use Scholarship America's registered trade name Dollars for Scholars in the promotion of your scholarship foundation.
- A copy of Master Manager, a complete manual for successful chapter operation based on more than three decades of Scholarship America's experience.
- Dollars for Scholars Treasurer's Journal including income and expense sheets with complete instructions for use by chapters.
- Dollars for Scholars News, a newsletter containing information and ideas from successful scholarship foundations across the country.
- Periodic mailings from Scholarship America on issues affecting community scholarships.
- Access to Scholarship America's professional staff (regional and national) to assist with individual program needs. Immediate assistance and advice by calling the New England regional office at 1-800-335-4360 or by calling Scholarship America's national Dollars for Scholars office at 1-800-248-8080.
- The opportunity to participate in volunteer training workshops.
- The opportunity to participate in regional workshops, gatherings and the Dollars for Scholars National Conference.
Affiliation with Scholarship America also provides opportunities for additional scholarships:
- Grants from Scholarship America's Collegiate Partners that have agreed to match local Dollars for Scholars awards.
- National competition for $500 scholarships through Scholarship America's Community Volunteer Service Awards open to students with volunteer experience who are selected by the chapter to apply.
Because College Doesn't Happen By Chance®.
