>1) What are the costs associated with running a user group?
That really depends on how you run the group. If you have to pay for meeting space, that can run into some $$$ pretty fast. Most groups have been able to find meeting space for free through a member working at a company willing to host the group.
The LA and OC groups provide pizza at their meetings, and ask a $5 donation to help pay for that. Our group goes out to Chili's afterwards instead, but provides some snacks during the meeting.
In addition, you may have mailing costs if you send anything out snail mail, and possibly speaker's expenses unless you get a speaker who is willing to pickup any expenses.
>2) Do most user groups charge fees, or not? If not, how do they cover costs?
Our group charges $25/year for membership, and we've got the cheapest membership in Southern California. There are some groups that don't charge anything, but they aren't incorporated, get their meeting space for free, and don't provide any refreshments.
>3) How do you go about gettin speakers, and are there fees associated?
Most of our speakers are local. (It helps having a large community to draw from.) Sometimes we do a speaker exchange with Orange County--they'll send a speaker down to our group, and we'll send a speaker up to theirs. Sometimes I'm contacted by someone who's going to be in the area who will volunteer. Of course, it helps when Devcon is here in San Diego, because then I can grab someone who's here anyway. < g >
>4) Do you setup as a none profit corporation, or is it not necessary?
We did, but it's not necessary. I would recommend it if you intend to charge for membership. You can't get a bank account unless you're incorporated, and banks will charge you if you're not non-profit. (Some will charge you even if you are non-profit, but you can find one that won't.) Another alternative is to keep funds in the bank account of one of the officers (which we did before we got our non-profit status), but that can get messy, and you really need someone who's meticulous about bookkeeping so you know how much is yours and how much is theirs.
