Is your homeschool group “just a bunch of moms”?

Homeschool moms are intelligent, capable women. Hundred are running businesses and nonprofit organizations very successfully and legally.

I’ve heard this too many times from homeschool group leaders to ignore it any longer.

“We’re just a bunch of homeschool moms”

It’s usually used along with one of these sentences,

…therefore we don’t want to (or need to) ...

  • be formally structured
  • follow the law
  • pay taxes
  • apply for tax exempt status
  • pay our workers as employees (according to the law)
  • record our income or expenses
  • notify our church host of the for-profit nature of our group, etc…

I’ve heard or read just about every one of these excuses!

Does saying “we’re just a bunch of homeschool moms” imply that:

  • homeschool moms are incapable of running legitimate businesses or nonprofit organizations?
  • homeschool moms can’t understand legal and tax issues?
  • homeschool moms are claiming ignorance as a defense against obeying the law?

Homeschool moms are intelligent, capable women. I know of hundreds of homeschool moms running businesses and nonprofit organizations very successfully and legally. I know some that are accountants and lawyers or, in the true spirit of homeschooling, are self-educated to understand complex tax and legal situations.

So let’s not imply that homeschool moms are not capable or not intelligent by saying “we’re just a bunch of homeschool moms”!

Instead, we should do what we do at home with our children:

Get educated about the legal and financial aspects of running a homeschool organization.

I have resources to help:

 

Carol Topp, CPA

Helping Homeschool Leaders who are smart and capable!

 

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3 Comments

  1. What if the group gets together and doesn’t do ANYTHING with money? Not asking for donations, not paying dues, etc. Are they still required to become a formal group?

  2. LH,
    I guess a tiny group that doesn’t collect any money is more like a play group or group of friends gathering.
    They may be very informal, especially if a small sized group.

    But sometimes the group may need to organize formally (including a name and bylaws) if

    • they wish to use public space such as a library
    • they wish to purchase insurance because of risky activities including sports or driving or caring for other people’s children
    • have policies and guidelines for membership and mission

  3. Thanks, Carol. At this point, our group has a name but no bylaws and is just an informal group of whoever can make it to playtime/socialize. Anyone can join and participate. I will keep this information in mind in case we grow. 🙂

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