Starting / Growing Your Basque Club
Our federation is built upon the foundation of member organizations (Basque clubs, educational groups, etc.) that were self-formed years ago by dedicated local individuals; i.e., clubs were created at the grass-roots level.
At one point all our member organizations started by getting a small group together to join in pursuing a common goal. This might well have been a small group meeting at someone's house or over a meal. Sometimes it even takes looking through the local phone book to find Basque names!
So what can NABO do for your club? It depends. In the end, our federation is only as strong as its parts and that's our member clubs--each club must build itself. It takes a group of dedicated local individuals to start the Basque fire and keep it burning. Since the question is eventually asked, it must be answered: NABO does not have financial resources to provide forming clubs. But there are some things that NABO can offer its members that derives from our shared resources:
Membership Drive
Elkar Ezagutzea-Club
Seven Essentials of a Basque Club
The 3 T's of a Basque Club: Time, Treasure & Talent
Public Relations
Non-affiliated / forming Basque clubs
Club self-assessment
Joining NABO
GETTING STARTED. Phonebooks are great tools for discovering who might be in your area. Mountain Home's club did this a few years ago and found several new members who had thought about joining, but needed a little push. The next step should be an initial meeting, perhaps a dinner, to discuss what direction the club should go in. Will they be a dance club, a supper club, a mus/briska club, a pilota club? That group should determine dues, and events, etc. Once established, the club should register with the Secretary of State and the IRS as a 501(c)(3). This will allow for tax exempt status.
