On 28/08/2008, Brian Salter-Duke b_duke@bigpond.net.au wrote:
I am probably talking out of the top of my head, but as a Pom now living in Australia who vists the UK frequently and hopes to meet up with UK wikimedians on one of these visits, I am concerned about all this.
I wonder why you want to be a "company limited by guarantee"? Is that the only way. Would the Clapham Common Tiddlywinks Clus be a company limited by guarantee? Or are there simpler processes. Wikimedia Australia Inc is incorporated as an Association in one State (Victoria). This is what clubs and associations do. It is much simpler than being a company of any kind and it still protects the officers and committee members from liability. Is there nothing similar in the UK?
What does "incorporated as an Association" mean? In the UK, an association is a type of *un*incorporated charity and offers little or no protection for the board. I take it Australia uses different terminology. There is a new type of charity in the process of being designed, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, which gives you the advantages of being a company without all the extra paperwork, but that won't be available for at least 6 months by the look of it. We can, however, convert to it once it is available - it will apparently be designed to make conversion quite simple. At the moment, however, a company limited by guarantee is pretty much the only option that protects the board.
Best wishes from the Oz chapter for a successful rebirth.
Much appreciated, thank you.