On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 1:39 PM, Gordon Joly gordon.joly@pobox.com wrote:
At 12:15 +0100 14/8/08, Thomas Dalton wrote:
I would agree with that. Maybe there is a need for "Friends of Wikimedia UK" membership? In the same way that you are a "friend" of your favourite charity e.g. The British Museum.
There already is, that's what Gordon was talking about. You can be a "member", which just means you pay some money each year and just generally support the chapter, like a "friends of" thing, or you can be a "guarantor member" which involves paying slightly more each year and gets you a vote at the AGM and means you can stand as director. It also means you are liable for up to £1 of the company's debts if it gets wound up (goes bankrupt).
Yes, that's what I meant when I said the member hold the liability.
I looked again at this page:
http://www.wikimedia.org.uk/membership
So, for 25 quid you can become a "Friend of Wikimedia UK" - is that correct?
The company in question is a company limited by guarantee, which aims to become a charity. I have asked in the past if the "guarantor members" will be allow to become "guarantor members" of the Charity. Not sure I recall the answer...
Gordo
--
I'm not sure I understand the question, Gordon. The company will (hopefully) gain charitable status. There will not be a new body that is the charity. So the charity and the company will be the same thing and 'guarantor members' of the company will become 'guarantor members' of the company registered as a charity. (At the same time the board members will take on additional responsibility as charity trustees.) Or did I miss something?
Cheers,
Andrew