New Sorority
 

My name is Crystal, and I attend Florida Memorial College. I am one of the founders for Lambda Sigma Chi National Service Sorority, Inc. This is a brand new sorority, and we are trying to bring all the women we think would fit the standards, by giving them personal invitations.

I was wondering if anyone had any kind od advice for us that would be valuable.

A brand new sorority and it's already Incorporated? Wow.

i plan on coming to flo mo sometime to visit frat....

will y'all be out?

Lambda Sigma Chi
 

I apologize for saying Inc., but once everything is done it will be Inc. As far as this organization being out here, well it all depends on the Senate. They have to accept us. We will still be an organization, but we are trying to get on campus, that is our maun goal.

good luck and all the best...
sounds like you have a plan

Hi! I'm not in a GLO, but I can tell you that what first impressed me about the sorority I'm interested in is their website. I think that's really important because it's going to be your potential interests' first impression of your group. Just make sure it's very professional and classy. I think that will be a good start for you. :)

Yeah, that sounds like a good idea, but getting started is the hardest part. There is so much we have to do, and so little time. Also, the money is ridiculous. But, I think it will pay off in the long run.

I would say, to have your members get really involved in campus activities, and do a lot of PR to get your name out. I don't know much about your campus, but have your sisters wear letters everywhere.

When we were new on campus, (Gamma Phi Beta) we gave out weekly PR prizes if you did things in your letters... going to basketball games in a group wearing letters, etc. It was a lot of fun. We'd go to movies, just walk around campus.... ect.

Do chalkings and other things for promotion, and pair up with other groups. Invite other greeks to do service activities with you. That way you get to know other organizations, and start building a reputation.

Reputation is EVERYTHING on campus. :) So I'd advise just making your name known in a good way.

Maybe because I'm was a PR major... but I think it's really important. :D

Re: Lambda Sigma Chi
 

Soo...you aren't really Inc. but you say you are? :confused:

that's what I was wondering about...

I think the apology was made. No need to act like impotent people.

Said she was in error.

In Michigan, all you need to become incorporated is around $250, a name, an address, names of officers and some bylaws. That includes getting an EIN also. It's a pretty simple process so I don't see it as being such a huge snafu to call the org "Inc." while you're in the process. That will be the name of the org when they're done and it's what they'll put on their bylaws and paperwork. I doubt it's much more complicated in other states. I'm thinking about becoming an LLC myself, so I can start doing side computer repair jobs.

The thing is...for historically black, multicultural and Latino/a sororities...being incorporated, regardless of what the process is today, IS a big deal, and to say you are when you aren't is a major faux pas. It's kinda like saying "I am going to pledge AGD" when you haven't even gone through rush.

At the risk of sounding like a dumb-arse, what does "incorporated" imply in terms of Greek groups? I've always wondered about this.

Thanks 33girl. I wasn't aware of the distinction it had for those groups. I'm guessing that old laws prohibited incorporation by minorities?

Achtung: It makes them a business, essentially. We have incorporated House Associations and unincorporated House Associations. An unicorporated House Association isn't much different than a group of women helping the chapter. Their taxes, income, etc. are combined with the chapter's and included in the chapter's tax forms. An incorporated House Association is an entity of itself, with it's own tax ID number, finances, etc. One of the biggest differences is... if you are a signer on a mortgage as a member of an Unincorporated House Association and there is a default on the mortgage, they can go after your personal assets. If you are an officer in an Incorporated HA, your personal assets are protected. Most (if not all) of our organizations are Incorporated and our chapters are like divisions of that Incorporation. You have to be Incorporated to achieve non-profit/tax exempt status too.

So, what it means? If the GLO gets into financial trouble, the International President doesn't have to sell her house to bail them out. It's a business thing.

Dee

It means that the organization is a "corporation" or legal entity formed and authorized according to the laws of a state (or district) to contract, conduct business, and otherwise operate as a single person.

Thanks, AGDee and The Interpreter. ;)

correct me if I am wrong...but aren't all glc (npc, ifc, nphc, multicultural, nalfo)...incorporated?

And hasn't it become a standard for nphc, multicultural and nalfo to use it as part of their title?

Based on the definition given by AGDee, I would thnk that all GLO (NPC, IFC, etc) are all incorporated.

And I think it is "standard" for all NPHC, multicultural, and nalfo GLOs to use it as part of their title, but they actually *are* incorporated, and not just 'on their way to being incorporated' like the original poster said about her sorority.

At the time when many NPHC organizations became incorporated, it was a big deal for a "black organization" to be incorporated.

I appreciate 33girl's post. In general, it is just about relaying accurate organizational info and not "jumping the gun."

Good luck to the original poster and her sorority.

There is a Lambda Sigma Chi Latino Co-Ed Fraternity. Their webpage at CSU Fullerton does not work, though.

GLO names in use: http://www3.telus.net/greek/greekorgs.html

Not quite. Not all corporations are businesses and not all businesses are corporations. The Interpreter is much more on target by saying "It means that the organization is a 'corporation' or legal entity formed and authorized according to the laws of a state (or district) to contract, conduct business, and otherwise operate as a single person."

Incorporation means that the law recognizes that the organization or group of people (a municipality is a kind of corporation, although you won't see a municipality using "Inc.") as a legal entity in its own right ("corporation" coming from the Latin corpus or "body"), rather than simply as an association of individual people. It also typically denotes perpetual existence, regardless of changes in membership. Greatly simplified, the law treats a corporation as an "artificial person." This both enables the corporation to conduct business in its own stead and insulates shareholders or members of the corporation from any personal liability as a result of the corporation's corporate liability.

Re: New Sorority
 

Just wondering what you didnt see in any of the other sororities that are out here that made you feel you should start a new one?

I was merely askign for clarification. No need for name calling.:rolleyes:

Florida Memorial is a historically black university with NPHC representation. Given that the poster's exposure to sororities is with those that use the term INC in everyday association when mentioning their chapter, it is safe to assume that with this model of sorority present, the members of the new group assume that all sororities call themselves XYC Inc.

FYI: My NPC sorority is incorporated, too, but unless we are referring to the parent organization, we rarely say we are a member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority Inc. I believe all the NPC's are incorporated; it just isn't in our chapter nomenclature to use the Inc. as the NPHC's have done.

if they are just starting up, how are they already a national organization? just wondering...

I don't think they were saying the were national just because she said Inc. The sorority I'm in is incorporated but we are a local sorority.. I hope that clears things up for you a little!

Incorporation can be filed within any State. Normaly States will honor other states on Incorporation.

It is used to protect the name of said Organization.

I often wonder though as Tri Sigma or SSS, had to start going by that genre instead of Tri Sigs.

If you are not sure, there was a group that started from a Lesbian Group and started Tri Sigmas. Why was a suit not filed to block this usuage?