My club is about to start our first year in October. We are trying to figure out whether to formally organize as a non-profit, and how to handle finances. I work in insurance, and I feel like we need insurance to protect the members, which requires money. I also feel like we need money to do fun stuff - club shirts, brewery tours, an eventual barrel?!?!?!?! In order to handle the money we need a bank account, but I am not sure if we need to be a registered non-profit organization in NC to have one.
What have your clubs done regarding this?