Apha

Applying For A Regional Club Charter

Before making the decision to form a new Regional Club, first find out if a club exists in your area by contacting the APHA Regional Club Manager. If a club does serve this area, reach out to them for meeting times and an event schedule, and get involved!

The APHA and Regional Clubs are driven by the enthusiasm of volunteers. If the club serving your area does not currently hold any events close to you, let them know of your and perhaps others’ interest in bringing activity to the area. If, however, no club exists to serve this area, then there are several steps to follow:

  1. Keep in mind that an individual cannot form a Regional Club. The Official APHA Rule Book requires that to form a club there must be 20 people in the region who are willing to become members. Of that group, 10 must be APHA members in good standing. All members of the club are encouraged to become APHA members.  Click here for a membership template.
  2. Decide what geographic area the Regional Club will encompass.  APHA requires a list and map of the counties or parishes, provinces or states and/or countries that the club will serve. One of the requirements to maintain a charter is to hold a combination of any two of the following events per year: open shows, APHA-approved shows or trail rides. Find out whether a suitable place to hold APHA shows exists within the geographic boundaries your group has chosen.
  3. Hold an organizational meeting to decide the name of the club and to elect officers and directors.  APHA rules require that the organizers send a letter stating their intent to create a Regional Club 30 days prior to holding this meeting. The letter should be signed by the group of people who are forming the club, and must include the name of the chairperson, the time and place of the meeting and the specific geographic region the club is requesting.
  4. Draw up a set of by-laws and draft a constitution. By-Law Template
  5. If your club plans to incorporate, please contact your Secretary of State. To file for your non-profit agricultural organization status with the Internal Revenue Service, ask for a Federal ID # under Section 501(c)(5) to the IRS.

Regional Club Application Checklist
After you have held your organizational meeting, submit a completed application for Regional Club affiliation to the Association.
Be sure to enclose the following:

  1. Organizational meeting minutes
  2. Constitution (By-Laws) By-Law Template
  3. Maps with proposed club boundaries
    a. Outline club boundaries on map
    b. Shade in area to be encompassed by your club
    c. Submit list of counties if applicable, to be included in your area
  4. Complete list of members (include name, address, phone number and APHA ID# if applicable). Clubs must have at least 20 dues-paying members, 10 of whom must be APHA members in good standing
  5. List of officers, with names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.
  6. Application Charter Request Application 

Office Procedure
When all of the paperwork is received at the APHA office, the Regional Club Manager will submit correspondence to adjacent Regional Clubs telling them of the intent to form a new Regional Club. Also, the name of the club, as well as the proposed boundaries, will be printed in the Paint Horse Journal as a “pending club. APHA-approved Regional Clubs and members will have the opportunity to present any objections to the formation of a new club. Notice of the intention to form a Regional Club must be published at least 30 days prior to consideration of the charter application.
Club Response to New Charter
Board of Directors Charter Approval
Once the area Regional Clubs and members have had an adequate amount of time to respond, the application for charter and input from other Regional Clubs or members will be forwarded to the Board of Directors, the chief elected body of the Association. All applications for charter are submitted to the Board of Directors to be considered at its next scheduled meeting. Board of Directors meetings are scheduled annually by the president and are held approximately every two to three months. The final decision about which charters will be approved or denied rests solely with the Board of Directors.
Once the Board of Directors makes its decision, the Regional Club applying for affiliation will be notified.  The name of the club will then be printed in the Paint Horse Journal as a new Regional Club. In no case shall a club be formed that infringes on or that might create an adverse effect on an existent Regional Club.

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