Organisations guide

What does founding an association entail?

An association can be founded by at least three persons over 15 years of age who are prepared to register the association. To found an association, a founding document must be drafted with the association’s rules and regulations attached to it. Brief guidelines for founding an association, including a template for a founding document, can be found on the Finnish Patent and Registration Office website.

Founding an association

Rules and regulations

An association’s rules and regulations must include certain points set in the Associations Act. It is advisable to review the Associations Act in full at least once when founding an association, as many matters that affect associations’ operations are determined in the act. You can also find easily modifiable example rules for different types of associations on the Finnish Patent and Registration Office website. It is beneficial to already think about the future operations of the association while drafting the rules and regulations. What kind of activities do you intend to organise? How will you ensure that democracy among members is maintained even after the founders have left the association?

Associations Act

Launching the operations

After the drafting of the rules and founding of the association, it is time to think about the launching of the association’s operations. Many associations draft a budget and an action plan to guide their annual operations. The aim of those is to determine what kind of activities the association intends to organise and how the association’s funds are to be distributed throughout the term. Realism of the plans should be taken into account while drafting the budget and the action plan. E.g. the available resources and the number of workers have a lot of effect on what kind of activities can be organised. These guiding documents can facilitate the association’s operations. They make it easier to monitor whether the association sticks to what’s been planned or agreed upon. The budget and the action plan should be continuously monitored together with the board in order to keep the association’s finances and operations balanced.

During the association’s first year of operations, it is advisable to pay special attention to gaining memberships, raising funds and establishing the operations. It is beneficial to establish the association’s communication channels right away and to choose them appropriately. Communication should be directed towards those who might be interested in the association, its purpose and its activities.

The best ways to raise funds for an association are to hold some profitable events and to charge a reasonable membership fee. Although most associations working in universities are nonprofit and for the public good, that doesn’t mean that such associations are not allowed to make a surplus. It is actually a positive thing that an association has extra funds to cover unexpected expenses.