Before you start
So you are thinking about set up a new community organisation?
You may already be thinking about organising a fundraising event for an environmental conservation project, or the activities you are going to run for a group of disadvantaged young people in your local area. Whatever the type of activity, we hope you will find the resources on this website useful to help your group comply with the laws that relate to these and other activities.
However, the legal issues that your group may face don’t just start once your group gets to work. Some important legal decisions need to be made before the group even begins its work. The way your group decides to set up or organise itself may be one of the most important decisions your group may ever have to make. This is because, with the right structure, your group will:
- be able carry out its activities effectively, and in a way that complies with the law;
- minimise the chance the group will run into legal difficulties (and costs) as it grows or changes; and
- be in a better position to deal with legal issues if they do occur.
So let’s start at the start! The resources below are designed to help people think about some of the key issues involved in starting a new community organisation.
Checklist: Questions about your group
This checklist sets out some important preliminary questions you should consider before starting up a new community group. It is worth spending just a quick 15 minutes to answer the questions now, as the answers will help you with further fact sheets in this website – particularly whether you need to incorporate, the most appropriate legal structure and, later, eligibility for tax concessions. Also if your group needs legal help, answering these questions will allow our lawyers at PilchConnect to assess whether your group might be eligible for a referral for pro bono (free) legal assistance.
Fact sheet: What does ‘not-for-profit’ mean?
There is often some confusion about what ‘not-for-profit’ means. Read this fact sheet sheet to determine whether you really want to set up a not-for profit group. This website provides legal information for not-for profit organisations. If, after reading the fact sheet you or your group realise that they want to set up a ‘for-profit’ organisation, there are links in the Related Resources section below to relevant websites.
Related links - Australian Taxation Office (ATO) resources
Related links - for people wanting to set up 'for profit' organisations (businesses)
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If you want to start up a 'for-profit' organisation, this Victorian State Government website has information to help start up a business in Victoria.
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This Federal Government website provides information for people wanting to start up businesses in Australia.