[TriLUG] Upcoming vote on TriLUG non-profit status

[Joseph Mack NA3T]

On Thu, 3 Feb 2011, Alan Porter wrote:

> In recent LUG history, +$800 is considered "flush with cash".

the important thing is that receipts and expenses balance 
out on a fairly short (monthly) time scale.

> (1) poor (but with no real $$ needs)
> (2) somewhat disorganized, by corporate standards
> (3) NOT swamped with volunteers (to speak, organize, etc)
> (4) rarely do more than pizza and meetings and IRC

good summary :-)

> I will be happy if we find a match that fits what we 
> really do day-to-day. That means either increasing our 
> volunteer effort or streamlining our club structure.
>
> Since June, we have been operating -- AS IF -- we were a
> non-corporate club.  That is, our bank account is in our
> treasurer's name, with a d/b/a in place for cashing checks
> to "TriLUG".

Say Jeff handles the tax problem left over from being a 
501(c)(3). Are we in a stable state? ie do the State, the 
bank, potential benefactors etc see us as occupying some 
valid and reasonable legal state? (Stan says we're an NP in 
NC)

If so, then we don't have to do anything right? We don't 
need a vote on our legal framework. We can just cruise 
along. I thought we were in a legal limbo and had to do 
something and so we needed a vote whether to go one way or 
another (NP or 501(c)(3)?)

Is the problem that we were a 501(c)(3) till last summer, 
then a plug was pulled and we're no longer a 501(c)(3). OK 
we're in a legal state not of our choosing, but can we 
operate? If we can still operate, why don't we just keep 
going.

If someone wants us to be a 501(c)(3), then let them propose 
a path to doing so and do it.

If we do vote on 10 Feb to become a 501(c)(3), who's going 
to execute it? Do we have a plan for doing so?

Are we in any better position to resume being a 501(c)(3), 
having one been one (the wiki says that we've got a black 
mark against our name)?

> The only real disadvantage we've seen, operating like an
> informal non-corporate club would, has been the missed
> windfall from the Novell group dissolving... not a
> recurring opportunity,

Opportunities are non-recurring. Likewise businesses have 
non-recurring expenses. We have to plan for non-recurring 
events.

Joe
-- 
Joseph Mack NA3T EME(B,D), FM05lw North Carolina
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