The 'incorporation' decision

This legal information is for people who are thinking about setting up (or have just formed) a new community group in Victoria. Before making the decision whether or not to incorporate, your group may wish to:

• think about its aims, funding, activities, and a range of other preliminary issues; and
• decide whether it wants to be a not-for-profit organisation

(For more information on each of these topics see  Getting started > Before you start).

Following this, one of the next things your group may wish to think about is whether to incorporate. This decision has important legal consequences, particularly for people who are going to be on the board or committee of management of a not-for-profit group.  The fact sheet below provides a general overview of some of the main differences between an ‘unincorporated’ and an ‘incorporated’ group. However, given the importance of the decision about whether or not to incorporate, this may an issue on which your group may want to seek specific legal advice.