[IAEP] Fwd: Re: [SLOBS] Motion: Solicit Membership Donations + Public Statements

[Caryl Bigenho]

Hi All….
Busy time for us so I haven't had a chance to chime in on the motion for "dues." I personally do not care to contribute any unearmarked funds to SugarLabs. I am not at all pleased at the way funds have been carelessly disbursed to a select few in the past and feel no need to send my good money off to be used in a similar fashion.
Every year at tax time we enumerate our contributions in support of SugarLabs, and other sub-organizations, and I can assure you they are substantial They include such things as expenses to attend conferences, booth banners, printing costs for hand-outs etc. We reach hundreds of potential Sugar users and, occasionally, potential Sugar  "contributors." 
Meanwhile, SugarLabs funds are freely distributed to others to cover their expenses to do similar things and other things that have far smaller "returns on investment." So, although I cannot vote on this (since I am not a member of SLOB), I do want to voice my opposition to this motion.
I am not alone in this.  
I think if it passes you will lose many members who are strong supporters of Sugar and open source but feel, as I do, that SugarLabs is not the only way to do it. Put simply, they will "vote with their feet."
I have no objection to contributing something "in kind" in lieu of dues… a new banner, some clever swag or the like to use in marketing Sugar and SugarLabs. But, dues… no thanks!
Caryl
From: dave at lab6.com
Date: Mon, 23 May 2016 10:00:14 -0400
To: tony_anderson at usa.net
CC: iaep at lists.sugarlabs.org
Subject: Re: [IAEP] Fwd: Re: [SLOBS] Motion: Solicit Membership Donations + Public Statements

Hi!
On 23 May 2016 at 09:44, Tony Anderson <tony_anderson at usa.net> wrote:
I am not aware of any method to donate money to Sugar Labs. I understand we need to make the donations to SFC and somehow have the money arrive in our funds. 
That's right. 
The #1 service for member projects listed at http://sfconservancy.org/members/services/ is:

Tax-Deductible, Earmarked Donations
Member projects can receive earmarked donations through Conservancy. Since Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) charity incorporated in New York, donors can often deduct the donation on their USA taxes. Additionally, the donors can indicate that their donation should be used to advance a specific member project, and those funds are kept in a separate account for the member project by Conservancy. This structure prevents developers from having to commingle project funds with their own personal accounts or having to set up their own project specific account.
Since Conservancy is a tax-exempt organization, there are some limits that the law places on what member projects can do with their assets, but those limits are the same as if the project was an independent non-profit entity. Usually, the project leadership instructs Conservancy's leadership on how the project's funds are spent. Conservancy spends these funds on the project's behalf on any expenses that constitute appropriate activity under Conservancy's 501(c)(3) not-for-profit mission. Some typical uses of earmarked donations by Conservancy's member projects are:
funding travel expenses for project developers to attend relevant conferences.domain name fees, bandwidth costs, and computer equipment purchases.purchasing media for distribution of project software at conferences and events.paying key developers on a contractual basis to improve the project's software and its documentation.sponsoring and organizing conferences for the project.trademark registration and enforcement.FLOSS license enforcement and compliance activity.
http://sfconservancy.org/donate/ says,

Donate to Our Member Projects
Finally, Conservancy also maintains directed donation programs for its member projects. Donation links for these directed donation programs are typically found on the individual websites of our members.
https://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Sugar_Labs/Donate says,

Mail us a checkPlease make your check payable to:
Software Freedom Conservancy, Inc.and place this note in the memo field:
Directed donation: Sugar LabsChecks should then be mailed to:
Software Freedom Conservancy, Inc.137 MONTAGUE ST STE 380Brooklyn, NY 11201-3548USA
This needs to be made very clear on the web site.

Sure :) Please draft something for what you think should be on the website donation page :) 
    I am not referring to 'lying', I am referring to asking the
    question. If it is a donation, a person can donate what they feel
    comfortable with.
I don't understand your point :)
-- 
Cheers
Dave


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