You can create a community of mothers and circles of mothers as an informal community, but it can also be registered as a legal organization.
Most mothers’ circles operate as civil, non-profit organizations, but there are also social enterprises whose main source of income is the provision of services.
It is worth preserving the informal nature until the activity becomes regular, but as soon as the need for regular activity, a stable team and a building arises, it is worth thinking about legal personality. As a civil organization, it is easier to negotiate with the municipality, lobby local politicians, represent the interests of mothers at the local level, request support from state and corporate bodies, and start tenders.
Steps:
1. Vision
How do you imagine the life of the mother circle and community? What will our weekdays be like, what is the ideal community like for you? what do you want to create?
Who is the target group? Who would visit the programs? What programs will there be?
What expenses should be expected and what types of income could be obtained?
2. Legal form
Once you have a vision, it’s easier to find the legal form that best fits it. There is a Mother’s Center, which is a local NGO, and there is also one, which ostensibly operates as a cafe or business, while providing a space for communities of mothers.
Find out what non-profit and for-profit forms operate in your country, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each, how much does it cost to create and maintain, how complicated is it to create (does it require a lawyer?) and maintain it (annual report, tax return, accountant does it require)?
Based on this information, you can decide together what kind of form it is worth to operate.
3. Set up
Set up your Mother Center and register into the MINE network! 🙂