There are no other solutions.
Just to understand the logic behind it:
If you go to the hilton you pay the hilton and you receive a receipt from this company. It is your decision if you are ok in paying that company and to use its service.
In the case of Esino Lario you join an association, since we are not the hilton, we are not a company and we are managing the event with volunteers and a completely different structure to make a 761 village capable of hosting a quite large event without being structured to do so (we are literally creating most of the things from scratches). The aim of the association is to manage events and specifically Wikimania. Once the event is over the association will have 0 budget (used to cover with the income received from the registrations the expenses related to the members-participants); the association and the membership – as the name of the association clearly communicates - is meant for Wikimania 2016. A committee would have been an easier structure (we initially registered it as a committee) but this December 2015, in Italy committee do not exist any longer as registered institutions (but we want an officially registered institution to make everything clear and correct even if of course - as many of you know - it is complex and longer than doing things informally).
It would have been nice to have Wikimedia Italia managing all this, but in 2014 Wikimedia Italia decided that it was too complicated and they did not have enough staff to do it.
So in Esino Lario we applied for fundings through Associazione Amici del Museo delle Grigne Onlus (an association of volunteers without staff)
and we established this new association to make the management and the accountability of Wikimania possible, transparent and correct (also in this case an association of volunteers without staff).
This choice was thought through and please do not hesitate to ask any further question.
thanks
iolanda
If membership is required to be a participant under this structure, such a solution would require all participants to become a member of Wikimedia Italia. Which is maybe less ideal than becoming member of something that is meant to be temporary.
Still it is an odd situation to be honest... Iolanda: are there solutions for people who don't want to become a member, or cannot become a member because of their job etc? Perhaps at a higher fee if necessary (not sure if this construction gives tax benefits etc)
Lodewijk
Lodewijk
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