Kutz Family Association: Can we come together and get started?

Hello, Cousin Kutzes and those who are related via Kutz lineage!

I am looking into the possibility of creating a Kutz Family Association. There are some reasons that I believe could be good for doing this, the article below gives an overview. It can be found at this link: http://www.familyhistoryquickstart.com/family-history-association/

I have put my own comments in brackets like this [...]: 

A family organization can be a great way to keep the family history and records of your family together as the family grows bigger over the decades and inevitably further apart as the family tree expands.

One of the problems as the family tree expands is that "Aunt Susie" has family history information and keepsakes that "Cousin Albert" has never seen but would probably like to see. [We can digitized these so family members all over can appreciate them, and if they ever were to be lost or destroyed, we still have record of them.]

There are family history stories and documents that need preserving, and family websites can certainly help share information, but once a family has really grown over a number of generations, it’s very easy to lose track of what’s happened to important records. [These should definitely be digitized in a high quality format and shared so that current family members, as well as future descendants can appreciate these for years to come.] When family history stories are posted online, many don’t have adequate reference citation. You may also be performing genealogy research that a distant relative already has completed but hasn’t made available online.

Creating an Official Family Association:

As we grow up, it’s inevitable that families drift apart after just a few generations. It’s quite understandable because new families are created as the family tree expands, and it’s hard to get together with the distant relatives.

Family Organizations and Associations: 

One solution is to create a Family Association. You can set up your organization any way you want. One option is to register your organization as a non-profit; the other option is just to have a small informal organization.

You may want to weigh the benefits and drawbacks. A formal, nonprofit can provide tax-exempt status, protect you against liability (very important in this day and age), and let others make donations that are tax exempt. 

The website http://www.legalzoom.com can help with getting started if you prefer an online resource, but LEGAL DISCLAIMER, talk to a lawyer in your state that specializes in non-profits. 

Regulations can vary from state to state on how you need to organize your association. A non-formal organization is probably better than nothing but does open you up to liability issues and does not offer tax exempt status. It really may depend on your vision of the scope of the association and how long you want it to last.

Things to consider for your organization:

Scope of the Family Association – Do you want to limit your organization’s focus? There are a number of ways you can define as the scope of your organization. Just to name a few ideas:

• Descendants of a particular ancestor

• Focus on a certain surname or group of surnames [I lean towards this one.]

• Focus on a certain location

• Researchers within a certain area

What the Association can Do: 

There are a lot of things that the organization can do. Below are a few ideas:

• Organize family history information

• Research genealogy

• Create published [and/online] family history books

• Organize reunions [I am considering having an annual family reunion during the Kutztown Folk Festival, the week of Fourth of July. This would give out of the area relatives more to do in the area to make the trip even more worthwhile.]

• Run a family history website related to the organization’s focus

• Send a monthly or quarterly newsletter to keep people in touch

• Host meetings to collect and share information about the family line [These could be organized as online teleconferences or webinars that people can call in for if they aren't tech-savvy, but still want to participate or listen in.]

• Hold learning sessions for those interested in genealogy [Also can be done online via teleconferencing that people can view with computer and mobile devices as well as call in by phone. Ahead of these, people can submit questions that can be answered in the session.]

• Act as a center point for information and contact about family history work on your particular focus [We can create a family contact list or family directory, for those who want to opt in to this, so we can contact one another to stay in touch.]

• Coordinate research efforts [Organize Skype or other group video sessions for people with similar research interests to collaborate and learn from one another.] 

• Keep people focused to keep the research work moving forward

Who’s Running this Thing? – You will probably want to have officers (if you’ve gone the formal way or not). 

Some officers you might want to have in your organization are:

• President 

• Vice President

• Treasurer

• Membership Administrator

• Editor

• Publisher

• Website Dude/Technical Specialist

• Historian

• Public Relations Specialist

Family Association Quick Start:

1. Decide if you really want to spend the time

2. Develop the focus and mission of the association

3. Contact family members you’ll want to involve

4. List projects you’d like to accomplish (rank projects in terms of priority)

5. Find a local lawyer to aid the legal process and setup

6. Define roles and rules for the association

7. Begin working on your projects

8. Spread the word

[My note: I've looked into what it takes to form a non-profit organization, and the various structure options as well as the paperwork involved in each. Each state has its own chapter of: https://www.councilofnonprofits.org

Yesterday I went to the Oregon office and got some practical information for us.

Each state is different, but it is likely we will need at least 3 board members to organize.

I suggest we begin with at least these: President, Treasurer, Membership Administrator (who, if they can, may also help with Public Relations Specialist, but with help and input from others.)

I wonder who out there would like to help make this a reality? I can be a leader and somewhat of a visionary. I can do a lot of work, but for this to be sustainable, we will need others amongst us who want to be a part of making it happen.

Please share your thoughts and list what experience/ interests of those listed above you might consider volunteering to help with.

I can host a group video/call in meeting where people who are interested can come together to discuss this and questions they may have.

Also, please tell others you think might be interested, who aren't online, about this project idea.

I will set up a discussion chat meeting online when people have stated their interest and ideas about this. Also, please post your questions. Thank you.

I would love for us to make this a reality for us and our descendants to benefit from!]

The below photo is an Aug 14, 1938 photo of the 17th Annual Donkel-Dunkle Family Association Reunion at Kutztown Park. If anyone knows the names of people who might have been there, let me know! So far I have zero names. Like some say in Kutztown "We are all related."