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

[Tony Anderson]

Hi Caryl

I totally agree. We should not require dues. We can ask for donations.

While the story is confused, my understanding is that the funds which 
you described as 'carelessly disbursed' were from a grant and not from 
donations to Sugar Labs.

Tony

On 05/24/2016 08:40 AM, Caryl Bigenho wrote:
> 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 
> <mailto: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:
>
>       o funding travel expenses for project developers to attend
>         relevant conferences.
>       o domain name fees, bandwidth costs, and computer equipment
>         purchases.
>       o purchasing media for distribution of project software at
>         conferences and events.
>       o paying key developers on a contractual basis to improve the
>         project's software and its documentation.
>       o sponsoring and organizing conferences for the project.
>       o trademark registration and enforcement.
>       o 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 check
>
>     Please make your check payable to:
>
>
>     Software Freedom Conservancy, Inc.
>
>     and place this note in the memo field:
>
>
>     Directed donation: Sugar Labs
>
>     Checks should then be mailed to:
>
>
>     Software Freedom Conservancy, Inc.
>
>     137 MONTAGUE ST STE 380
>
>     Brooklyn, NY 11201-3548
>
>     USA
>
>
>     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
>
> _______________________________________________ IAEP -- It's An 
> Education Project (not a laptop project!) IAEP at lists.sugarlabs.org 
> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep

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