Just a credit crunch thought, but some of us don't like cheques sitting ideal. A cheque that is cashed up2 a couple of weeks after I have posted it, I can cope with, but a cheque that is going to be cashed months later isn't a good idea. Instant transactions are the norm now and it is so easy to forget that a cheque was written after say a month.
Many of us donate to WMF anyway, how about if we can prove we donate we get an associate membership without voting rights if we send in all our WMF paypal receipts? Although associates would have voting rights on constitutional matters.
Michael
2008/11/28 michael west michawest@gmail.com:
Just a credit crunch thought, but some of us don't like cheques sitting ideal. A cheque that is cashed up2 a couple of weeks after I have posted it, I can cope with, but a cheque that is going to be cashed months later isn't a good idea. Instant transactions are the norm now and it is so easy to forget that a cheque was written after say a month.
You can wait until the account is open before sending in your application, they're just accepting them early from people that want to get it out of the way. Unless you plan to stand for the board, you can probably just turn up to the AGM and join on the door.
Many of us donate to WMF anyway, how about if we can prove we donate we get an associate membership without voting rights if we send in all our WMF paypal receipts? Although associates would have voting rights on constitutional matters.
WMF is completely separate, I don't think accepting donations to them in exchange for membership of the chapter is a good idea. At the moment there is just one type of member and that's full membership of the company ("guarantor membership" as the previous incarnation called it). It's possible other forms of membership will be created in the future, but the board decided to leave that decision for the AGM or the next board.
On Fri, Nov 28, 2008 at 11:19 AM, Thomas Dalton thomas.dalton@gmail.com wrote:
WMF is completely separate, I don't think accepting donations to them in exchange for membership of the chapter is a good idea.
Yes, yes, yes. Linking chapter membership to WMF donations is, in my opinion, even worse than wholesale redirect of donations. It's maybe not illegal (I presume a board is entitled to set its requirements for membership and options of payment relatively freely), but it sends very dangerous signs about the degree of, well, "connectedness" of the two organisations. You want to avoid this, *especially* in the UK with its current libel legislation...
Michael
2008/11/28 Michael Bimmler mbimmler@gmail.com
On Fri, Nov 28, 2008 at 11:19 AM, Thomas Dalton thomas.dalton@gmail.com wrote:
WMF is completely separate, I don't think accepting donations to them in exchange for membership of the chapter is a good idea.
Yes, yes, yes. Linking chapter membership to WMF donations is, in my opinion, even worse than wholesale redirect of donations. It's maybe not illegal (I presume a board is entitled to set its requirements for membership and options of payment relatively freely), but it sends very dangerous signs about the degree of, well, "connectedness" of the two organisations. You want to avoid this, *especially* in the UK with its current libel legislation...
Michael
really not sure of the position of WMFUK2 - memorandum, constitution, not really sure what banks need at the moment.
As for associate members, they wouldn't have anything to do with either WMF or WMFUK2, there is no firm link. A constitution could open itself up to many kinds of people (the reality is that it would not choose to albeit a donator to foundation which sanctions chapters in its name shouldn't pose those risks.)
Thanks for every1s time at the moment and things are doing well. If was simply an idea if we are stuck again for 18months without paying fees in.
m
Thanks for every1s time at the moment and things are doing well. If was simply an idea if we are stuck again for 18months without paying fees in.
If that happens (in fact, if it's just 6 months), the board have agreed to step down and allow someone else to try - it really shouldn't take more than a few weeks, tops, to set up a bank account, if it does then something is seriously wrong.
On 28 Nov 2008, at 12:54, Thomas Dalton wrote:
Thanks for every1s time at the moment and things are doing well. If was simply an idea if we are stuck again for 18months without paying fees in.
If that happens (in fact, if it's just 6 months), the board have agreed to step down and allow someone else to try - it really shouldn't take more than a few weeks, tops, to set up a bank account, if it does then something is seriously wrong.
I would be very surprised if we don't have the bank account set up by christmas (although it's out of our control how long the co-op takes to process the application); as soon as we have the bank account we'll start processing the membership applications received so far, and any applications received after then should get processed very quickly. As Thomas says, if you don't want a cheque hanging around until the bank account is open, then the best thing to do is wait for the bank account to be opened and then send us your application.
With respect to donations to the WMF counting towards membership: we are currently a completely separate company/charity from them, and even once we have a signed chapters agreement we'll still fairly remain separate. Membership (of any type/kind) of Wiki UK Ltd / Wikimedia UK shouldn't depend in any way on donations to the WMF.
Mike
wikimediauk-l@lists.wikimedia.org