discuss: VolunteerMatch will not accept LDP (was Re: EIN)
Subject:
Re: [discuss] VolunteerMatch will not accept LDP (was Re: EIN)
From:
Rick Moen ####@####.####
Date:
17 Apr 2007 01:18:38 -0000
Message-Id: <20070417003711.GV21603@linuxmafia.com>
Quoting David Lawyer ####@####.####
> Perhaps we should get 501c status but the IRS says that you have to be
> either a corporation, trust, etc. to do so. Perhaps LDP should
> incorporate.
1. Beware that the numerous 501(c) categories are _quite diverse_.
The requirement for "corporation, trust, etc." sounds like 501(c)(3),
which is the category for tax-exempt charities. It's the most
time-consuming and demanding category to get, and also the one with the
most severe restrictions on what the organisation may then do.
I've seen quite a number of computerist groups naively assume that they
should apply for tax-exempt charity status, without any idea what's
involved. They tend to find out that they're mistaken -- sometimes, the
hard way. This is one of the reasons I put the "Common Misconceptions
Debunked" list into the Linux User Group HOWTO.
2. Incorporation is likewise covered in "Common Misconceptions
Debunked".
I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad idea to apply for either of those
things; I'm just cautioning that computer groups should beware of
entering into such projects without any clear idea of what they're
doing, how, and why.
