Check #wikimedia-us
On Sun, Jun 1, 2014 at 3:59 PM, ENWP Pine <deyntestiss(a)hotmail.com> wrote:
Hi, it looks like this is happening soon. I can
participate by Skype,
Google Hangout or IRC if you have a wifi connection.
Pine
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2014 09:34:04 -0400
From: anotherbelieverwp(a)gmail.com
To: wikimedia-cascadia(a)lists.wikimedia.org
Subject: Re: [Wikimedia Cascadia] Cascadia page on Meta, and organizing
ourselves
Oops, I forgot to include the link, just in case!
http://wikiconferenceusa.org/wiki/Cascadia_Meetup
Jason
On Sun, Jun 1, 2014 at 9:33 AM, Jason Moore <anotherbelieverwp(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
Bumping this thread to confirm the Cascadia Meetup this afternoon
(4-5:30pm) in Room W300 at WikiConference USA. We will be discussing the
possibility of user group status. Pine, Mako, I understand that the two of
you are committed to signing on as supporters of the Cascadian Wikimedians
User Group. I, too, am willing to sign on, and there are a few people here
at the conference from Portland, Washington State and British Columbia,
some of whom may also be interested. We will see what happens this
afternoon, but perhaps we can at least come up with a solid plan to obtain
user group status ASAP.
Thanks,
Jason
On Wed, May 28, 2014 at 11:31 AM, Kirill Lokshin <kirill.lokshin(a)gmail.com
wrote:
On Wed, May 28, 2014 at 10:53 AM, Lane Rasberry <lane(a)bluerasberry.com>
wrote:
Hello,
The easiest way to incorporate in Washington is to get the minimum number
of people, I think 5, and then just fill out the online form.
To get 501(c)(3) if an organization has been registered for three years
without failing the yearly report or having members go wild, then the bar
to get non-profit status is greatly lowered.
If I were to propose a route going forward, it would be this:
1. As soon as three supporters are identified, send an email
requesting usergroup status. There is really no review process for this and
it is just something that is granted on request. The group's history far
exceeds expectations of applicants.
I should point out that this isn't really the case. While the review
process for user groups is simpler and shorter than the review process for
chapters, there *is* a review. Depending on whether there will be bylaws
that need to be reviewed (which may be the case if the user group is going
to incorporate), I would expect the review to take anywhere from a few
weeks to a month or two.
1. If five supporters can be identified to sign on to incorporate,
apply as a non-profit organization and operate indefinitely with no budget
and few projects. Have the work of the chapter be endorsement of
community-organized events, and possibly oversight of coffee funding which
is accepted not by the chapter but by an individual organizer if funds are
ever needed at all.
One other option that you may want to consider is that of fiscal
sponsorship through another Wikimedia affiliate, whether or not you
incorporate. For example, Wikimedia DC recently set up a fiscal
sponsorship arrangement with the New England Wikimedians user group, in
which WMDC will hold the user group's funds in one of our bank accounts and
take care of disbursements, expense reimbursement, and financial
bookkeeping and reporting for the user group. If something along these
lines is of interest, I'm certain WMDC would be happy to assist Cascadia as
well.
1. If five people either want non-profit status and wish to pay $2500
or seek pro bono filing, then they could do that. Otherwise if the five
supporters just wait three years after filing the price and complexity goes
way down and they could do the paperwork themselves. Otherwise, the
organization could persist indefinitely without nonprofit status and so
long as it never touched money there would be no concerns.
Is there actually a change at the three-year mark with regard to the
federal 501(c)(3) filing, or is this something specific to non-profits in
Washington? The IRS has done away with the preliminary/final
determinations for public charity status; and, as far as I was aware, that
was the only real difference for organizations filing earlier or later.
Cheers,
Kirill
--
Kirill Lokshin
Secretary | Wikimedia District of Columbia
http://wikimediadc.org | @wikimediadc
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