Mission:   Through the building and wearing of movie quality costumes from the Star Wars Universe, we will focus on charitable events and other opportunities in the community to provide new smiles to people of all diverse backgrounds, with the intent to spread good will, and bring joy to children and adults, while making a positive difference in the lives of others.  We will contribute to our local community of Ohio through supporting various charities and causes that are important to our members, and participate in family focused events, while also building a camaraderie with fellow members of our group and also other like-minded individuals.

Vision:  Our vision is to bring characters from the Star Wars Universe to life for fans around our State of Ohio for the purpose of making people happy while also focusing on helping various charities with similar goals.  We want to provide a drama free community where our members are respected by one another and all strive to focus on our mission and also focus on growing camaraderie with existing and new members, as well as other like-minded individuals within our community, while empowering all of our members to be able to have a voice and an impact in our organization.

Organizational Structure: Galaxy United is registered as a non-profit organization in the state of Ohio. We are currently waiting for our 501c-3 confirmation from the IRS. We operate as a non profit company in accordance to the laws of the State of Ohio as well as follow the proper guidelines and reporting set forth by the IRS and Federal Government.

We are governed by a Board of Trustees consisting of up to 9 individuals depending on membership size but always consisting of an odd number of individuals. For example, the goal for the size of the board will be a ratio of 1 trustee per every 10 members. (1 trustee at 10 members, 3 trustees at 30 members, 5 trustees at 50 members, 7 trustees at 70 members, 9 trustees at 90 members and higher). These exact ratios will be determined at a later time.

One of the trustees will be appointed as the Director of Trustees.  This is the person responsible for coordinating the operations and control of the organization by direction of the board.

All trustees will be voted on by membership (the club founder will be placed as the first Director/trustee) and will serve a two year term.  The position of Director will be voted on by the trustees to serve a two year term in July.

Once the club is an appropriate size, 3 sub committees will be set up.  These committees will be led by 1-3 trustees and will also include qualified members from membership if needed.

  • Membership Approval – Committee of 5 individuals (min 2 boards members) responsible for costume approval, background check verification and onboarding new members into the organization per our membership guidelines.
  • Event coordination – Committee 5 individuals (min 2 board members) responsible for coordinating events and overseeing communication to our charitable partners.  General members are encouraged to proactively look for opportunities to better our communities and can act as leads at events but this committee will oversee and assist to make sure events are handled in a professional manner.  This committee will also proactively look for new partners and opportunities for our membership to fulfill our mission.
  • Diversity/Well-being Committee – Committee of 3 individuals (min 1 board member) that will make sure we provide a safe environment for all membership, partners, and patrons to have the opportunity to fulfill our mission in an un-discriminatory manor.

Other positions and committees can be created at the board’s discretion.

Code of Conduct: A Galaxy United recognizes that its costumes represent characters from the Star Wars saga, and all members are expected to portray those characters in a tasteful and professional manner any time they are in costume.  The following is a list of guidelines that should be followed.

  • Members are expected to be courteous and respectful towards their fellow members, the greater Star Wars community, and the general public.
  • The organization will not tolerate discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, religion, creed, nationality, sexual orientation, age (as long as the minimum age of at least 18 years or higher if required by local law has been reached), or physical handicap.
  • Galaxy United will not tolerate any type of bullying and will investigate every situation that is brought to our attention. If the board of trustees find that there is a pattern of potentially abusive behavior, then that could be grounds for possible punishment up to removal from the club.
  • We will review suspensions and disciplinary actions of other costume clubs and reserve the right to in-act the same punishment if our board thinks it is appropriate or deny membership due to past issues.
  • We will not tolerate the practice of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment by any of its members. This includes unwelcome conduct that violates applicable local laws concerning sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature.
  • Members are also expected to show respect for all users/visitors to the website, respect all opinions of users/visitors to the website, and comply with policies and procedures.
  • Members must not use foul language, obscene gestures, and the use of alcohol or tobacco is prohibited while in costume and in view of the public, especially children. (However, any convention or gathering where adult content is prevalent and/or is not considered an official event, these standards may be relaxed.)
  • In accordance with directives from LucasFilm, Ltd., members must not use their approved costumes for personal profit, either within or outside of the clubs activities.
  • Acting in a threatening or violent manner, theft, and illegal substance abuse are all prohibited, as they are unacceptable behavior in a professional environment.
  • Membership can be denied or suspended for violating any of the above as well as other illegal or inappropriate behavior or at the discretion of the board of directors.

Merchandise: A Galaxy United is a club based on the copyrighted property of Lucasfilm Limited and has no legal rights, as an organization, to profit from the sale of merchandise that utilizes the intellectual property of Lucasfilm Limited or its affiliates.  All Merchandise, Promotional and Public Relations materials, and use of our name and logo that is used to promote the organization must be approved by the board of trustees in accordance to the rules set forth by Lucasfilm. 

Any merchandise utilizing our corporate logo that does not use LFL intellectual property does not fall under LFL guidelines and can be sold to the public with proceeds going to “A Galaxy United” non-profit charity organization.

Disclaimer: A Galaxy United is a volunteer non-profit organization organized in the State of Ohio. It uses intellectual property under authorization of LucasFilm Ltd. as a Star Wars costume group. Character represented by club members and are not provided by LFL/Disney. Galaxy United is not sponsored by Lucasfilm Ltd. Star Wars, it’s character, costumes, and all associated items are the intellectual property of Lucasfilm and Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. used under authorization. No members receive compensation from our non-profit organization or LFL/Disney.