On an annual basis, CMG Regions are responsible for filling out and submitting two different forms:
Annual Report (region status as a non-profit corporation):
Each Annual Report is sent by the State of Illinois to CMG’s lawyer, who then sends the form to HQ to fill out. Michelle reviews the form, verifies all the regional officers are current active CMG members, and then sends it to the Regional Chairs for their signature. Once she receives the form back from the Regional Chair, she reviews the regional officer listings for updates, verifies any changes, works with the regions to resolve any issues (if any exist) and then mails the form directly to the Secretary of State of Illinois with a check paying the annual fee. This Annual Report registers the region as active for the current year. Failure to fill out and return the paperwork is considered a "failure to file" resulting in the region being involuntarily dissolved. Annual Reports are due based on their anniversary date of establishment for each region, which is why Annual Report due dates vary from region to region.
Financial Forms (IRS tax information):
CMG’s (including all regions) fiscal year ends annually on March 31st. Financial forms are sent out to each region mid-March (before the end of the fiscal year) to be filled out and returned to CMGHQ, where Michelle gathers them all together, verifies the regional officers are current CMG members and then sends the forms to Stermer (our bookkeeper). Each region has the same due date - it’s April 15th just like our personal taxes. If a region’s paperwork is delayed for any reason then that delays Stermer and can result in a potential for fines. Stermer sends these documents on to CMG’s auditor, who takes this information and prepares tax forms which are then sent out the regions for signature. These tax forms must be postmarked to the IRS by August 15th. Failure to do so results in a potential for fines - the region can be charged daily for every day the tax form is delayed.
