The organization I intend to create is less of a conventional guild, not exactly a school, and perhaps not a religion. I'm trying to determine the best way to set up formal structures, or if informality and being more "membership by deed" rather than by a formal application makes the most sense.

• The intent is for players to take on a role of an exploring historian and cartographer, who wears certain attire to identify their purpose, and deals more in information than money whenever possible.

• Everyone will have access to reports and archives of members, but only contributors may participate in editing, compiling, and consolidation.

• Copies of compilations are meant to go to academic archival hubs across the land (at least one per kingdom), and these compilations are further sorted and reconciled at a Sedecim-specific gathering.

• The mark of a true member is having no secrets, though you may be asked to keep some sensitive information private as it pertains to the laws of the land. Being stopped by others who are seeking information, or have information of their own to share, is always a welcome exchange.

• The role-play of the group is that no god of Elyria actually cares or deals in history, so the most divine beings when it pertains to this are the common folk of the world, and that the gathering and recording of all perspectives of history is up to us.

The loose membership structure is kind of the sticking point. The formality of a guild or business might be more than me or any member specifically wants to handle, and the expenses and expectations may slow down productivity instead of enhancing it. Because it isn't exactly a profit-focused group, making a guild and using it as a sales hub doesn't seem as worthwhile.

A school seems a bit more in line, but I feel like it has it's own set of limitations, specifically that they're meant to be localized where I'm looking to do something widespread, and membership to multiple participating schools is not in the game's mechanics.

An association suffers the same way as the school, as it is meant to be a public service for a region, but not a global effort.

A faithless cult is not an option. There's nothing about the group's philosophy that forbids practicing any religion, so that really wouldn't work.

A family just wouldn't work.

Is there another type of group I'm missing? Otherwise it seems like a wholly informal group will be the way to go, and I just need to start writing RP content to get people sold on it.