| February 6, 2017 -- Just as I thought we had finally turned the corner and all Secretaries were on the “same page” with me on the subject of shipping charges for certificates from National Grange… along comes change! As of March 1, 2017, shipping charges will go up $1.00 on Golden Sheafs and 75 Year Certificates. Everything else is the same. To order a single Golden Sheaf (for example) it would be $10.00 for the certificate and $4.00 for shipping for a grand total of $14.00. The shipping charge does not increase if there are more than one certificate in the order. For example, an order with three Golden Sheaves would be $34.00. Checks for these items should be made out to “National Grange” and not the Connecticut State Grange. Payments for seals ordered through the State Grange Central Office should be made out to the “Connecticut State Grange.” Checks made out improperly will be returned, thus delaying delivery of your seals/certificates.
I would like to thank all of the Secretaries and Granges who have been so diligent this past year in getting their Quarterly Reports in to me on time. The number of Granges behind in dues payments has dropped considerably to only a few each quarter. However, the same cannot be said about other information/ payments. Less than half of our Granges returned their bonding payments by the deadline (Jan. 15). We are still receiving Dues Receipt payments from last summer’s printing. There were also a good number of Granges who did not submit information for the 2017 State Directory.
Every attempt was made to get up to date information on these Granges but it’s difficult (especially in Fairfield County) when a handbook is not available. Waiting for information to be submitted ultimately delays printing and distribution to our members. Please think about returning requests from the Central Office as soon after receipt as possible. We understand that it is necessary at times to wait for information to become available to you.
On the subject of Bonding — our list to National Grange has been submitted with ALL of our Granges listed. This means all Granges that did not respond have been renewed at last year’s level. Those Granges should have received a billing from me for their coverage. All other Granges were renewed based on the requests submitted to the Central Office.
I am often asked, “Who is covered by bonding.” The misconception is that the Secretary and Treasurer are the only members covered. This is not true. All officers and members of your Grange are covered by the Bonding Insurance.
In the coming weeks I will begin filing the 990-N e-postcards with the IRS. If your 990 was filed by me last year, it will be filed by me this year. I usually don’t begin filing until after Feb. 1. It may take longer this year with the changes in the process instituted by the IRS. However, all Granges will receive confirmation from me when the filing is complete so you don’t have to wonder if it has been done. If you do your own filing and have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. If I don’t have an answer, I will try to find an answer for you.
I have received requests for assistance from several Granges in the past few weeks regarding EIN numbers and non-profit status. Unless there is a Grange that I am not aware of, all of our Granges are either a 501(c)(5) or 501(c)(8). What’s the difference? A 501(c)(5) “provides for the exemption from federal income tax of labor, agricultural, or horticultural organizations.” A 501(c)(8) is a “fraternal beneficiary society, order, or association.” The State Grange and many of our Subordinates are 501(c)(8) but there are still quite a few that are classified as 501(c)(5). Finding your EIN number is easy—it is listed on the 990N confirmation sheets sent out to you by me each year- it’s in the upper right corner of the form. Your 501 status is not so easy. To find out definitively, you should either refer back to a declaration letter sent to your Grange by the IRS many moons ago or you can contact me in the off chance that I have already confirmed this with the IRS for your Grange. Unfortunately, doing this requires a long wait on the phone and I can only request this information for one Grange per phone call. You are welcome to do this on your own by calling the IRS number dealing specifically with non-profit organizations. Do not call the general information line.
Some Granges have gone under the assumption they are 501(c)(3) simply because they are “nonprofit.” This is incorrect. To my knowledge, most, if not all, of our Granges are NOT 501(c)(3). However, the State Grange Foundation was established to give Granges an avenue tax deductible giving. Please contact the Central Office or Gordon Gibson (President) if you would like more information about the Foundation and what it can do for your Grange.
Have I lost you yet? My apologies for the longwinded nature of the column this month. It’s important information that can’t be emphasized enough!
Until next time… stay warm! |
