The Alabama Soap Meeting group began in 1998, and first met in Jennifer Merk's living room, with four people being present. They held a swap, and one of the ladies introduced a bucket wrench to the group-- the very first demo! Since that time, the group has experienced tremendous growth. At this time our intent is to form a more organized group.
The Alabama Soap and Candle Association is a non-profit professional trade association. Our mission is to promote the handcrafted soap and candle industry; to promote fellowship, education, and communication among soapmakers and chandlers, and to circulate information beneficial to soapmakers and chandlers.
Membership is open to those who make handcrafted soap, and/or candles for fun or profit, businesses and individuals who provide ingredients and/or supplies to handcrafted soapmakers and chandlers, and those who wish to assist in promoting the handcrafted soap and candle industry in general.
Each year the ASCA hosts an annual conference. Conferences are usually two days and include keynote speakers, demonstrations, and workshops on a variety of topics relating to soap and candle making. Several vendors attend, showing their wares to members, offering discounts, teaching and answering questions. In addition, there's lots of networking and entertainment. The annual conference is open to members and non-members (although members get a discount on the registration fee).
Activities of the ASCA are funded by membership dues and donations and the activities are carried out by volunteer members. The operations of the ASCA are overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors in accordance with the bylaws. The annual meeting is normally held at the conference each year, giving members and attendees the chance to voice their opinions, present motions before the members and get briefed on the current state of affairs within the ASCA.
ASCA membership entitles you to:
- Use of ASCA logo on your website;
- Discounted registration fees to our annual meeting in June;
- The privilege of using "member, ASCA" on business profiles or resumes;
- An "about me" paragraph on the ASCA website, and link to member's website from the ASCA homepage.
Requirements:
- You must make soap and/or candles, whether for sale or pure enjoyment.
- Membership is limited to those who live within the state of Alabama, with the exception of out of state ASM members who were associated with us prior to 2009, which are grandfathered in.
- You must agree to abide by ethical business practices in regards to your customers and your peers.
- Application must be approved by the Board of Directors.
- Annual dues are $20, with membership period lasting Jan-Dec. If member joins during last quarter of the calendar year, those dues carry over for the next year.
Apply for membership by completing this form. If your membership is approved, you will be contacted with payment information and instructions for submitting your information for the ASCA website.
