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| File:Golden Key.jpg | |
| Formation | November 29, 1977 |
|---|---|
| Type | Honor society |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Location | |
| Website | www |
The Golden Key International Honour Society (formerly Golden Key National Honor Society) is an Atlanta, Georgia-based non-profit organization founded in 1977 to recognize academic achievement among college and university students.
Golden Key has chapters at colleges and universities in Australia, The Bahamas, Canada, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States. Membership into Golden Key is offered to undergraduate and graduate students recognized to be among the top 15% of their class by GPA. Lifetime membership is given to those who pay a one-time fee, which as of 2017 is $95 in the United States.
History
Golden Key National Honor Society was founded at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia in 1977. The original intent of the society was to create a new academic honor organization that was the equal of longstanding honor societies such as Phi Beta Kappa, but which did not carry the same perceived elitism of older institutions, operating more strictly on merit standards (by accepting students in the top 15% of their college classes, and permitting part-time and transfer students who excelled academically). The society expanded over the course of the 1980s on a minimal budget, increasing the number of schools at which it had chapters and membership at those chapters. In the late 1980s, the society began attracting corporate sponsorships and holding large sponsored networking events, arguing that the strategy increased students' competitiveness in the job market. It expanded to Australia in the mid-1990s, and in 2000 changed its name to Golden Key International Honour Society in order "to reflect international presence".
By 2002, the society was "one of the largest collegiate honor societies in the world", with an annual budget of US$10.9 million and over 120,000 inductees annually.
Membership and activities
In its early years, Golden Key anticipated volunteerism drives on college campuses by organizing community service efforts, such as working in soup kitchens, reading to children at libraries, and doing tax preparation help for low-income and immigrant populations. Since chapters are not centrally managed, charity and volunteer efforts are now fostered through a system called SPARK a Change, which allows chapters to determine the causes they support and the level of involvement of students. Golden Key offers résumé and graduate program assistance, career planning and opportunities, leadership opportunities in local chapters, and networking events. It also offers scholarships, awards, research grants, travel support for academic conference attendance, and student loan debt relief to its members.
Golden Key maintains offices in Australia, South Africa and the United States.. Its operations in these three countries as well as in Canada and New Zealand are audited annually. These audits are performed by independent accounting firms and are performed to ensure that the Society properly files all required information and tax returns in the several jurisdictions in which the Society operates. Information from these audits is included in the Society’s annual report which can be accessed online at www.goldenkey.org.
The Society also publishes a complete listing of the recipients of its scholarships and awards annually. The Golden Key Annual Scholarship Report can also be found at www.goldenkey.org.
In The United States Golden Key operates as a not for profit and has been grated 501 ( c ) 3 status by the Internal Revenue Service. This status is reserved for Charitable, Religious or Educational not for profits. Golden Key’s status as a 501 ( c ) 3 organization means that donations to the Society are deductible on donors’ U.S. federal income tax returns.
Golden Key International Honour Society is governed by an independently elected Board of Directors. The board consists of highly regarded individuals from universities, businesses and not for profits. These voluntary board members receive no compensation and are legally responsible for ensuring that the Society operates within its charter and in accordance with the various laws and regulations within the jurisdictions where Golden Key operates.
Golden Key has awarded almost 15 Million dollars in scholarships and awards to the members. Thanks to support from corporate partners such as Bank of America, GEICO, AT&T, South African Breweries, Bank of Montreal and many others, Golden Key routinely spends more on programming than it collects in membership fees. The Society’s audit reveals that in 2015, Golden Key spent $1.25 USD on programs for every $1.00 USD it collected in dues. Almost 2.5 million high achieving students have joined Golden Key. Many of the members are Rhodes and Fulbright Scholars. Golden Key members are routinely found in leadership roles across all professions and career paths. Two Governor Generals of Australia, a former Canadian Prime Minister, astronauts, University Presidents and other notables such as Bill Clinton, Desmond Tutu, Bill Ford, Elie Wiesel, Dolly Parton, Stephen King, Tim Tebow, Ronald Reagan, Elizabeth Dole, Ian Thorpe, and James Holmes have proudly accepted honorary membership into the Society.
Golden Key maintains membership in:
• AACRAO: American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
• AAGE: Australian Association of Graduate Employers
• ACE: American Council on Education
• ACPA: American College Personnel Association
• AFP: Association of Fundraising Professionals
• GCN: Georgia Center for Nonprofits
• IEASA: International Education Association of South Africa,p> • NACADA: National Academic Advising Association
• NAFSA: National Association of International Educators
• NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
• NCHC: National Collegiate Honors Council
• NSPA: National Scholarship Providers Association
• NZAGE: New Zealand Association of Graduate Employers
• SAGEA: South African Graduate Employeers Association
The Better Business Bureau gives Golden Key an A+ rating as of October 2017.
References
- IRS Search for Charities.
- "Golden Key International Honour Society website Locate A Chapter".
- ^ Kristen Wyatt, Golden Key Shows Tarnish, Critics Say. Washington Post, April 21, 2002.
- ^ Andrew Brownstein, "Dishonor Society". The Chronicle of Higher Education. March 22, 2002.
- Tom Joyner, The Honour Society. Honi Soit, May 31, 2016.
- "Golden Key International Honour Society website Our History".
- ^ Brian Carr, Golden Key International Honour Society: A Georgia original, recognizing young leaders worldwide. Georgia Center for Nonprofits, May 2015.
- https://www.gcn.org/articles/Golden-key-International-Honour-Society Golden Key International Honour Society: A Georgia original, recognizing young leaders worldwide
- https://www.gcn.org/articles/Golden-Key-International-Honour-Society
- https://www.bbb.org/atlanta/business-reviews/youth-organizations-and-centers/golden-key-international-honour-society-in-atlanta-ga-4144