Journey to a Non-Profit
The Fairbanks Interior and Crochet Community IKCC evolved from what began several years ago as a UAF campus social club called the “Knanook Knitters” We were a group of like-minded knitters meeting to help each other develop our knitting skills while sharing resources and teaching others. The club met monthly for three or four years at the Wood Center. As our skills grew, we began to participate in community events such as the MLK Jr. Day of Service and knitting hats for the Rescue Mission.
Over time the campus group changed, reorganized and evolved. In 2015 we officially became The Fairbanks Knitters Guild (Guild), with an executive board to decide courses of action and make decisions for the future. A sub group of the Guild was the “Sales Team” which recruited members and offered hand knit and crochet items for sale at the Farmers Market and various bazaars. Our goal has always been for those involved to have fun, to learn, improve and share skills, and to encourage all fiber arts in the Fairbanks community through inspiration and education.
Since the Sales Team was a for-profit group, and the larger Guild was a not-for-profit group, for accounting purposes, we wanted to clarify the difference by separating the two entities into different organizations with different focuses. In 2018 the two new groups officially became separate businesses, each with its own license and focus.
The non-profit organization is now known as the Interior Knit and Crochet Community (IKCC). We wanted to keep the positive, community-based direction that began with the Fairbanks Knitters Guild: We wanted to maintain focus on the enrichment, education and encouragement of both knit and crochet arts in the Interior of Alaska. We chose to broaden our identity, welcoming a larger number of artists, residents and skill-levels by reflecting these values in our new name. The Sales Team is now Fairbanks Knitters, LLC, and its knitters are still required to maintain membership in the IKCC.
We currently meet every 3rd Sunday of the month at Raven Landing for social knitting events (SSKs), designed to offer assistance and technique sharing in a casual setting. The IKCC is also continuing annual retreats and charity drives each year, as well as its support of the Tanana Valley State Fair and the Fairbanks Fiber Festival. This year, we are updating technology by adding a website and online membership form, and implementing the changes associated with the new organization, such as our logo, Facebook page, application and Board of Directors. As our membership grows, we hope to add more events, a Master Knitter class series, knit alongs and field trips. Stay Tuned!