Time to start a new association?
To constitute an association that will operate at Södertörn University, the following three steps must be followed. Once you have done 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. There are two different types of associations within SöderS:
Educational association means that the association targets a specific program or subject and brings together students under one interest via the chosen education.
Interest groups can be anything from an ideology to sports, games or culture, where the group brings students together through a hobby or commitment.
Write statutes!
You need to formulate what are the basic rules of the association. Below is a downloadable template that we strongly recommend you use.
The statutes are the association's framework and describe the association's name, democratic structure, purpose and more. They are an incredibly important piece of the puzzle to ensure the democratic structure and the survival of the association. In order for the statutes to be approved by the Swedish Tax Agency and SöderS, at least the following points must be included:
1 § Name, seat and association of the association
2 § Purpose of the association
3 § Membership
4 § Year of operation
5 § Annual meeting
6 § Dissolution of the association
Hold annual meetings!
The association is formed at the inaugural annual meeting. At the meeting, participants will decide on the association's statutes and vote in the first board. A board must consist of at least 3 people, including a president.
Register your association with the Swedish Tax Agency
Your association should register with the Swedish Tax Agency to obtain an organization number. An organization number is required to be able to apply for grants or obtain bank cards in the name of the association.
To register with the Swedish Tax Agency, the association needs to submit:
- Signed board meeting minutes from the inaugural board meeting with decision on at least two signatories
- Adopted statutes
- Signed minutes of the annual meeting
Start an account on Hitract
Hitract is the app used by associations in SöderS to keep a live membership register and to create and manage events.
Please contact mito@hitract.se or ask the SöderS Communications Officer or Secretary General for support with first contact.
Open a bank account
A bank account is not a must, but can be useful if your association will have money moving in and out of the association with some regularity.
A bank account itself costs to set up and maintain (either a start-up fee or an annual fee), and these vary between different banks. SöderS now has an agreement with SEB that means that associations interested in starting up a bank account can do so without start-up costs - something that can otherwise cost several thousand kronor. "If an association needs to open a bank account but has perhaps previously been hindered by high start-up costs, this could be a good option. The offer means free start-up of a bank account with SEB for 1-2 years ahead (from 2024-11-19).
Procedure for opening a bank account:
- Setting up a bank account involves a similar process to registering with the Tax Agency. The same association documents should be ready to be submitted.
- Decide to open a bank account at a board meeting and choose the bank.
- Gather the necessary documents and have them at hand when contacting the bank.
- Contact the bank of your choice to open an account for your non-profit organization.
- Fill in the requested forms provided by the bank, submit and wait for a reply.
If SEB is the chosen bank:
- As an association belonging to SöderS, you get free start-up costs while the running costs are regular.
- As an association, you apply for a bank account on SEB's website as a non-profit organization with reference to your relationship with SöderS.
- The association will be contacted by the bank via email with further instructions. The bank handles the matter centrally but must follow SöderS's local agreement with SEB Huddinge on free start-up costs.
- In cases where this does not work, please refer to the 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. Contact SöderS for further support.
Important! See the section on handover to ensure that the process with the bank does not fall through the cracks when a new board is appointed.