Starting an Association
8/19/2008 11:55:49 AM
Any Phi Beta Kappa member seeking to organize an association should first review the information in the "Associations Handbook" (PDF). If you have questions, the Alumni Relations Coordinator will be happy to answer them and to assist you as you move through the process.
Once you feel confident about the procedures, you're ready to find out if other Phi Beta Kappa members in your area are interested in organizing an association. Prepare a letter announcing that you hope to form a Phi Beta Kappa association and explaining the purpose of the association. All associations should have community-oriented programs as their primary purpose rather than, for example, helping to establish a Phi Beta Kappa chapter at a nearby college or university campus.
Give the Phi Beta Kappa Society's national office the ZIP codes for the areas you would like to canvas for members. Send your full name and address, the name of your college or university and the year of your election to the national office, or submit this information along with your request to the Alumni Relations Coordinator. Phi Beta Kappa will generate a complete contact list of local members for you, available electronically or by mail.
If the responses you receive indicate that there's enough interest to proceed, choose a convenient location and invite interested members to an organizational meeting to elect officers and discuss the kinds of programs that your association would like to sponsor. The group will also adopt a constitution and bylaws. Model association constitution and bylaws are shown in the aforementioned handbook.
The next step is essential, but it is sometimes overlooked in the early stages of an association's development. The group must request recognition from the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Send a letter to the national office of Phi Beta Kappa asking to be recognized as an unchartered association (the difference between "chartered" and "unchartered" is explained below). Be sure to include the number of active members in your association, the geographical area the association will serve and a clear description of your proposed activities.
If the standards are met, your association will be officially recognized as an unchartered association by the Phi Beta Kappa Senate, the Society's governing body. It will be included in the list of active Phi Beta Kappa associations, both chartered and unchartered. Members in your area who ask the Society about associations will be referred to your group.
Only chartered associations may send voting delegates to the triennial meeting of the Council of Phi Beta Kappa, where major decisions about the Society's activities are made and new chapters are awarded. Here are the criteria for obtaining an association charter:
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The association must have a history of three years of continuous activity as an unchartered association and a minimum of 25 dues-paying Phi Beta Kappa members.
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The association must sponsor at least one general meeting each year. The association must also sponsor at least one activity per year that promotes the ideas and ideals of the Society. Such activities might include a public meeting; awards; or programs recognizing scholarly achievement in secondary schools, institutions of higher education, or the community at large. The association must promote Phi Beta Kappa and its purpose as stated in Article 11 of its Constitution: "The purpose of Phi Beta Kappa is to recognize and encourage scholarship, friendship and cultural interests."
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The association must have adopted a constitution and bylaws consistent with the models approved by the Society. The association must have an executive committee consisting of the officers of the association and the immediate past president.
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The association must submit an annual report of its membership and activities, as requested by the secretary of the Society. The association must also pay the Society an annual fee of two dollars per member.
When the association is ready to seek chartered status, it must apply to the Phi Beta Kappa Senate. The application must include detailed information about the scope of the association's activities and membership, a list of its charter members and payment of the one-time charter fee of $250. When the charter application is approved, a charter document is prepared and presented to the association.
Once chartered, the association is expected to maintain an active existence and membership in its community and to report regularly on its programs to the Society. In addition, the association is encouraged to participate in the Society's governance by sending an association representative to each triennial meeting of the Council of Phi Beta Kappa as a voting delegate, and the association is asked to contribute annually to the Society a portion of dues collected from its members to support the attendance of association delegates at the triennial Council meetings.