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FAQ's

  1. After submitting my application, being accepted, and paying fees to the National Board of Directors, what is my next step?

    Your chapter will need to establish an application and guidelines to be submitted by potential candidates for your board to vote on. You will also want to distribute information about your chapter and this application to your community (school counselors, teachers, dentist, media, etc.). An inexpensive way to do this is e-mail. The website (www.s4L.org) will have sample applications from other divisions that you may use as a guide.

    The application for your division will be on your practice(s) website; however, the national website will accomplish the same thing by the user selecting you as an orthodontic-provider and then “clicking” on your name. You’ll need to have your programmer upload your forms to your site.

  2. Does my division need to form any type of corporation or legal entity?

    No. Under our current bylaws no legal entity is required. However, you will operate under the National foundation’s nonprofit umbrella (501 © (3) designation) and be required to meet the national board’s standards. Please refer to the National foundation’s bylaws.

  3. When a donor makes a donation to my division of S4L, what should I do with it?

    You can deposit it into a local account specifically designated for your division of S4L. 100% of funds raised locally stay local. Your division is not required to send a portion in to our national foundation. You will just need a letter, signed by our National President, giving your bank the authority to deposit donations using the Foundation’s national nonprofit status (Federal Tax ID #). Please make sure you keep accurate records of all donations since you will be required to present an accounting to the National foundation no less than annually.

  4. Do you have recommendations of how my chapter should announce to my region what the foundation is about and what we are doing?

    Yes. You may visit our website resources about ‘How to Hold a Press Conference’ or you can contact Michelle Von Fange, national executive director, to discuss ideas for your region.

  5. Do I need a corporate seal?

    No. This applies to the National foundation only.

  6. How many board members should I have and how many meetings are required per year?

    The National Board recommends that you have between 8 – 12 local board members. You may structure your board to meet quarterly or bi‐annually as this may depend on how many cases your division is treating. You have local control so you may structure this according to your division needs. Separate rules may apply for Metropolitan Area Boards.

  7. What are my requirements for tax reporting?

    Your chapter will be required to report to our National Treasurer (Teresa Gast) as she deems necessary to remain compliant. She will supply you with the format and the reports that the National foundation will require. The National foundation is committed to keeping all financial matters as transparent as possible keeping in mind that they still must satisfy the IRS, donors, sponsors, and to maintain a stellar nonprofit reputation.

  8. Why are there a minimum number of cases treated per year?

    The goal of the National Board is to treat as many kids as possible. The first year, the National Board decided on six mandatory cases to be treated with hopes of getting each division to treat more after the first year.

  9. What is the calendar year of Smile for a Lifetime?

    January – December

  10. Are there a certain percentage of division donations that are required to be submitted nationally?

    No. Our National Board is proud to proclaim that every penny raised locally stays local to treat your division’s kids.

  11. Does it matter who prepares the Smile for a Lifetime’s division financial information?

    Yes, the bylaws of the National foundation require that a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) prepare your financial information.

  12. May our division establish our own levels of giving?

    Yes. Because S4L is nationwide, we understand that economic conditions may be different from state to state. You are encouraged to develop your own local levels of giving. Again, our only requirement is that a CPA prepares your financial information, as the National Treasurer deems necessary.

  13. Should my chapter generate a newsletter?

    Newsletters are a great way to keep the foundation, orthodontic‐provider, and the kids we are serving in the public’s eye. Also, you can thank donors, use testimonials, and spread the good news about what you are doing to your region. E‐Newsletters can be an inexpensive way to achieve the exposure you’ll want.

  14. What if I have a problem with marketing that I cannot find sufficient answers to on the website?

    We have a full-time National Executive Director, Michelle Von Fange. Please feel free to use her as a resource for your division. We plan to establish a password protection (members only) section on our website where divisions can ask questions to other divisions to share ideas. Your division will have the support it needs to become successful.

  15. How can I get a copy of S4L’s logo and how do I choose a printer?

    We have a National Board member, Kim Jenkins at kim.jenkins@massmediamktg.com who will be happy to supply you with the national logo as well as quotes on printing. We also encourage you to check around locally.

  16. Do we have to have print materials?

    The National Board is not going to require that you have print materials; however, we recommend them. Such items you may be interested in are: business cards, brochures, note cards and letterhead.

  17. How can we spend the money that is raised locally and are there restrictions?

    You may want to spend this money treating a case that requires additional dental or surgical services. You may also spend this money on print materials, newsletters, etc. If you have questions about how to spend your funds, Michelle Von Fange will address your concerns with the National Treasurer and/or the National Board. It is important to keep in mind the mission of S4L and that any spending must be in keeping with that mission.

  18. Chapter functions as follows:

    The National Board has the sole right to approve a Metropolitan Chapter either upon the original inception of the chapter or may, if it decides to, modify the original chapter to a Metropolitan Chapter since the National Board does not approve any exclusive geographic areas in its approvals.

    What is a Metropolitan Chapter and how does it work?

    The National Board has historically approved one Orthodontist for one geographic area. There are many metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. where there may be a number of orthodontists that would like to participate as Sponsors. All sponsoring Orthodontists shall be responsible for the payment of the annual dues fee as outlined in the By-Laws of the National Smile for A Lifetime, Inc. The Metropolitan he Metropolitan Chapter must be approved by the National Board and will have the same designation as all of our chapters, for example-S4L-San Francisco Chapter or S4L-Northwest Arkansas Chapter. The sponsoring Orthodontist or Orthodontists would each still be required to make application to the National Board and be individually approved by the Board. The maximum number of sponsoring Orthodontists in one Metropolitan Chapter is calculated by dividing the service area by 125,000. For example, if the service area has a population of 500,000 people, the maximum number of sponsoring Orthodontists would be 4. Each Orthodontist must meet the yearly requirements as prescribed in the By-Laws of the Foundation. The Metropolitan Chapter has its own local board and must be made up of independent individuals. The sponsoring Orthodontist(s) are not eligible for the local board. The National Board recommends that the local board be comprised of a cross section of disciplines such as audit, legal, media, public relations, and persons with expertise in dentistry/orthodontics or oral surgery or banking. If there are multiple applications that are made for approval to one Metropolitan Chapter area, it is the responsibility of the applicants to work together to create the initial board of directors. Since the National By-Laws do not provide for a maximum number of directors, it is possible for a local board to increase as new applicants are approved. Once the Metropolitan Chapter has been approved, the National Board has the right, but is not required to, as part of the approval process to solicit the opinion of the existing Orthodontists that are already sponsoring Orthodontists. Upon approval, each individual Orthodontist will be required to pay the appropriate dues to the National Board. The applications by persons in need of the S4L’s assistance are made to and approved by the local board. New orthodontists requesting approval to be a sponsor in the local chapter must make application and be approved by the National Board.

  19. What are the income requirements for the orthodontic scholarship recipients’ family?

    The National Board suggests but does not require the most recent Department of Health and Human Services’ poverty guidelines. You may obtain this information at http://aspe.hhs.gov/POVERTY/09poverty.shtml. The national mission statement includes the sentence “These purposes shall include but are not limited to providing free dental and orthodontic services to qualified financially disadvantaged children as well as those with special circumstances.”

  20. Can an orthodontic scholarship be revoked?

    Yes, an orthodontic scholarship may be revoked. The orthodontic provider will be asked to place a statement in the scholarship recipients’ file as why the orthodontic scholarship was revoked and stays within the guidelines under section 4.7 Qualifications of Applicants.