Time to start a new association?
To set up a association group to operate at Södertörn University, the following three steps must be followed. Once you have completed these, you can then apply for membership of the student union!
Gather round!
Gather a group around your new idea, brainstorm and identify what type of association you would be. Within SöderS, there are in fact two different forms of association:
Education förening means that föreningen focuses on a specific programme or subject and brings together students with a shared interest through their chosen course of study.
Interestförening can be anything from an ideology to sport, gaming or culture, where föreningen brings students together through a hobby or a shared interest.
Draft statutes!
You need to set out the basic rules of förening. Below is a downloadable template which we strongly recommend you use as a starting point.
The Articles of Association form the framework for förening and set out förening’s name, democratic structure, purpose and more. They are an incredibly important piece of the jigsaw in ensuring the organisation’s democratic structure and the survival of förening. For the Articles of Association to be approved by the Swedish Tax Agency and SöderS, they must include at least the following points:
Section 1: Förening’s name, registered office and association
Section 2: The purpose of Förening
3 § Membership
Section 4 Financial year
Section 5 Årsmöte
Section 6: Dissolution of föreningen
Hold annual general meetings!
At the inaugural meeting of the annual meeting, föreningen will be formed. At the meeting, participants will decide on föreningen’s constitution and elect the first board. A board must consist of at least three people, one of whom must be the chair.
Register föreningen with the Swedish Tax Agency
Your association should register with the Swedish Tax Agency to obtain a company registration number. A company registration number is required in order to apply for grants or to obtain a bank card in the association’s name.
To register with the Swedish Tax Agency, föreningen must submit:
- Signed board meeting minutes from the statutory board meeting with a resolution on at least two authorised signatories
- Adopted statutes
- Signed minutes of the annual general meeting
Open an account on Hitract
Hitract is the app that föreningarna at SöderS uses to maintain an up-to-date membership register and to create and manage events.
Contact mito@hitract.se or ask SöderS’ communications officer or Secretary-General for support with the initial contact.
Open a bank account
A bank account isn’t essential, but it can be useful if, in your association, you’ll be receiving and sending money on a fairly regular basis.
Opening and maintaining a bank account involves costs (either a set-up fee or an annual fee), and these vary between different banks. SöderS now has an agreement with SEB which means that associations members interested in opening a bank account can do so with no setup fee – something that might otherwise cost several thousand kronor. If a association needs to open a bank account but has perhaps previously been put off by high set-up costs, this could be a good option. The offer provides a free bank account with SEB for the next 1–2 years (from 19 November 2024).
Procedure for opening a bank account:
- Opening a bank account involves a similar process to registering with the Swedish Tax Agency. The same förening document must be ready to be submitted.
- Decide to open a bank account at a board meeting and choose a bank.
- Gather the necessary documents and have them to hand when contacting the bank.
- Please contact your chosen bank to let them know that you wish to open an account for your association charity.
- Complete the requested forms provided by the bank, submit them and wait for a response.
If SEB is the chosen bank:
- As a association member of SöderS, you’ll have no set-up costs, whilst the ongoing costs are standard.
- As association, you should apply for a bank account via SEB’s website as a non-profit organisation (association), referring to your connection with SöderS.
- Association will be contacted by the bank via email with further instructions. The bank will handle the matter centrally but must adhere to SöderS’s local agreement with SEB Huddinge regarding the waiver of set-up fees.
- In the event that this does not work, please refer to SöderS contact person Lars Näsholm.
- If for any reason it does not work despite reference to SöderS' agreement with the bank or SöderS' contact person Lars Näsholm, please contact SöderS for further support.
Important! See the section on handover to ensure that the process with the bank does not fall between the cracks when a new board is appointed.