I think right now we need to focus on publicity. But as pointed out on [[Wikipedia talk:Press release: Wikipedia surpasses Britannica]], we shouldn't do that until the wikipedia foundation is open for donations. So... ...What's being done about this? What can I do to help? I know there is a website for a company somewhere that will do donation transactions for non-profits for free (I'll go look into that now.) Anyhow, who is working on this, and what can I do to help move it along?
-- Michael Becker a.k.a. Mbecker a.k.a. MB
---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: Jimmy Wales jwales@bomis.com Reply-To: wikien-l@wikipedia.org Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 08:21:00 -0700
Is it true that GNU/Linux is to MS Windows as Wikipedia is to MS Encarta? A reporter from Wired Magazine asked me a similar question the other day, except regarding Britannica. (Mav was making a more subtle point here, the reporter was just asking about our competition with traditional proprietary products.)
My answer was that unlike an operating system, in which there is a significant learning curve and significant network externalities that prevent people from switching, there is basically no cost for users of Britannica to switch to a GNU-free alternative of equal or better quality.
Here I am a total linux and free software geek, and yet, I have two computers on my desk -- one is Linux for actually doing work, and one is Windows because, as a businessman, I'm always getting proposals and contracts in Microsoft .doc format, and people are always asking me to put together spreadsheets in Excel format.
None of those kinds of considerations apply to texts. The field of competition is much more level for upstarts, because there are very low costs of switching.
Consider our textbook initiative. There's a small cost to professors or teachers to switch from existing proprietary texts to our new texts (which don't exist yet, of course), but it's pretty darn small. In my experience, they already undergo those costs from time to time anyway as department heads or administrators change to the latest new textbooks from a competing publisher.
So, unlike the software world where entrenched use is slowing the adoption of free alternatives, there's really nothing standing in our way of "World domination. Fast."
--Jimbo _______________________________________________ WikiEN-l mailing list WikiEN-l@wikipedia.org http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
webmaster wrote:
I think right now we need to focus on publicity. But as pointed out on [[Wikipedia talk:Press release: Wikipedia surpasses Britannica]], we shouldn't do that until the wikipedia foundation is open for donations. So... ...What's being done about this? What can I do to help? I know there is a website for a company somewhere that will do donation transactions for non-profits for free (I'll go look into that now.) Anyhow, who is working on this, and what can I do to help move it along?
I don't think that publicity needs to be a major focus at all. It didn't take a lot of publicity for WP to catch EB. Our product is our best publicity. An occasional news release when something notable happens may be all the publicity we need. What would we be trying to accomplish with publicity?
Ec
webmaster wrote:
...What's being done about this? What can I do to help? I know there is a website for a company somewhere that will do donation transactions for non-profits for free (I'll go look into that now.) Anyhow, who is working on this, and what can I do to help move it along?
Well, you could forward any information you find on to me, but there's not a lot we can do. We're waiting for the IRS to say that we're a 501(c)(3), and they are waiting on me to finish the application. :-)
--Jimbo
--- Jimmy Wales jwales@bomis.com wrote:
webmaster wrote:
...What's being done about this? What can I do to help? I know there is a website for a company somewhere that will do donation transactions for non-profits for free (I'll go look into that
now.)
Anyhow, who is working on this, and what can I do to help move it along?
Well, you could forward any information you find on to me, but there's not a lot we can do. We're waiting for the IRS to say that we're a 501(c)(3), and they are waiting on me to finish the application. :-)
--Jimbo
We're also waiting for you to finish the application :-)
===== Christopher Mahan chris_mahan@yahoo.com 818.943.1850 cell http://www.christophermahan.com/
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A non-profit can accept donations without a 501(c)(3) status, it only means the donations are not tax exempt for the donor if the 501(c)(3) status is not given (and maybe the organization will have to pay taxes if it does not spend the donations on some valid expense within its purpose). As well any determination letter is usually valid retroactively from the date the organization came into existence so if any tax payments are sent to the IRS to make sure the organization is not penalized the money is refunded when the exemption is recognized. See IRS Pub. 557 at page 4, col. 3 (Rev. May, 2003). This is true if 1023 is filed within a 15 month period from formation (page 17).
In any case if the organization has a clear exempt purpose and does not receive more than $5,000 in income per year. See IRS Pub. 557 at page 18, col. 2. The word foundation does not refer to the use of this word in the organization's name, 'foundation' is a term of art used in tax law to distinguish public charities from organizations that are private foundations that fail the public charity support test (page 27) or are a 509(a)(1) organization (page 30) and most likely your organization is a "publicly supported organization" under that category (page 31-34).
Therefore you "foundation" does not necessarily have have to apply to the IRS for exempt status if it is not endowed by an individual but receives wide public support. You can start receiving donations right away in such a case.
Unless, of course, the reason for starting this not for profit organization is to obtain an excess benefit.
If you don't believe me (and why should you believe me, I am only a not-for-profit organization lawyer, why would I know anything?) you can check this by looking at the IRS publication http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p557.pdf It does not seem to me to be intelligent to assume that you cannot accept donations when there are indications you possibly can. (this is not a solicited legal opinion, if you wish a legal opinion, please contact my office as I have previously stated I would be willing to do pro bono work for your folks). Good luck. alex756 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Christopher Mahan" chris_mahan@yahoo.com To: wikien-l@wikipedia.org Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2003 7:54 PM Subject: Re: [WikiEN-l] World domination. Step one
--- Jimmy Wales jwales@bomis.com wrote:
webmaster wrote:
...What's being done about this? What can I do to help? I know there is a website for a company somewhere that will do donation transactions for non-profits for free (I'll go look into that
now.)
Anyhow, who is working on this, and what can I do to help move it along?
Well, you could forward any information you find on to me, but there's not a lot we can do. We're waiting for the IRS to say that we're a 501(c)(3), and they are waiting on me to finish the application. :-)
--Jimbo
We're also waiting for you to finish the application :-)
===== Christopher Mahan chris_mahan@yahoo.com 818.943.1850 cell http://www.christophermahan.com/
Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ WikiEN-l mailing list WikiEN-l@wikipedia.org http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
Alex R. wrote: <a whole bunch of excellent stuff>
Alex, can you contact me with your phone number?
---Jimbo
We're also waiting for you to finish the application :-)
Gosh people seem ansy these days. A man can only do so much by himself... I propose we take a collection and send a lawyer or three down to San Diego to stand over Jimbo's shoulder and "assist" him in filling out the 10xx))z(3)... whatever... Im sure that would get it done quicker.
Sarcastically, -S-
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