World Wide Quilting Page
Question of the Week
Question for the week of August 2, 1999:
Our question this week comes from Joyce
Our club is looking into becoming a guild. What's the difference? Pros
and cons? How do we do this? Thanks for any information
Jean Taft, CPA and quilter :
The term 'guild' historically a group of independant craftsmen who formed an 'union' to promote themselves and join their resources. Today it is accepted that a quilt 'guild' or quilt 'club' is one and the same.
The group is what the members make of it regardless of the official title you decide upon. If the group, or part of them, need to promote professional interest, they will use the contacts that they have found
within this group to do so. If some members only want to use their meetings as a social outing, that is what they will ask of the group and that is what they will contribute and recieve from the group.
Issues such as a gambling permit for a raffle quilt or sales tax permit for a quilt show can be easily handles without the group becoming a legal entity. Insurance coverage for a show can be a problem for a small
group but even as a legal entity, someone would still have to be held personally responsible. The cost of becoming a legal enity for this purpose would prohibit most groups from continuing. After 11 years of being
a group we, the Honey Bee Quilt Guild, have found that the group is going to take on its own personality which continually changes as the membership changes and individual member grow in their quilting skills and
interests. No set of rules, proceedures or laws are going to dictate this personality. Determine the purpose of your group and proceed to fullfill that purpose, keep it simple to encourage more participation from members.
suzanne :
I know that the US is more litigation crazy than Canada but this is a worry that needs to be addressed in setting up a guild. Then is a guild in need of insurance to protect against litigation or to cover its costs? Where necessary people need to be protected from others. I just thought, niavely, that quilting should not be a contentious hobby.
dee :
get together with fellow quilters &make a decision. Next visit w/local shop owner(s). Publicize & have an organizational mtg. If any of you have friends in guilds elsewhere, invite them. we have 150+ members &just celebrated our 15th year. guilds are great learning groups.good luck.
Norah Been there done that :
Formalizing a quilting group will result in changes and some long time members may leave--I've never clearly understood why, but it happens. Becoming a Guild means you can pool your money to hire speakers and teachers, buy books, and in some places gain access to meeting space. Incorporation as a non-profit may be required as well. Incorporation is another matter and my opinion is that most groups do it to "protect" their officers from litigation. It gives the group legal status, separate from its individual members. The paperwork and legal issues can be complex, but once incorporated the Guild can sign contracts. Good record keeping is required and continuity of information from one set of officers to another is crucial.
Connie :
One pro that I often take advantage of as a guild member is that many fabric stores offer discounts on purchases for card carrying guild members. Our group also gets mailings from various quilt related companies (publishers mostly) with special group offers and discounts on subscriptions. Every dollar saved leaves more for fabric!
nancy vase :
to me club denotes a social group. to me a guild is for those who are more seriously devoted to what they are doing. it also implies the notion of a medieval guild where members studied their craft with the intention of constantly honing their skills rather than just having fun. i feel it indicates the group is truly committed to what they are doing. it does not, however, imply they don't have fun and enjoy being together for other reasons as well. it is a kind of intent with a serious purpose behind it, in another sense giving importance to what they do both individually and as a group.
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