[TriLUG] my vote on corporate status

[Alan Porter]

I know that our discussion has had a lot of holes in it,
and it probably leaves most people feeling like we're
going nowhere... or maybe going in circles.

However, it has been very good for me to see what the
group wants.  It's hard to gauge the interest level of
the group (for program topics *and* for organizational
issues).  So this is precisely why we are having a vote
this week -- the steering committee needs to know if
anyone cares one way or the other.

In fact, over the last week, the overall discussion has
swayed my position.  I was once strongly in favor of
operating as an informal club.  I wanted us to focus on
the technology and fellowship without being distracted
by the other stuff.  My primary concern was the limited
nature of volunteer effort, and I did not want to burn
out our volunteers with administrative tasks.

But now, I can appreciate the benefits of our non-profit
corporation and our 501(c)(3) tax-exemption status.  And
I can see that it's probably worthwhile to (pay someone
to) do the necessary paperwork to get everything back into
compliance.  After that, the recurring stuff should be a
breeze.

My initial resistance was not from *doing* the actual
paperwork, but from not knowing which paperwork was
necessary and sufficient.

Recently, I have been in contact with the NC Center for
Nonprofits, and it looks like they have a lot of good
resources for groups like ours.  One of the biggest issues
that non-profits face is staying in compliance.  They handle
that kind of stuff every day.

So I am encouraged.  And I plan to vote for keeping our NC
non-profit incorporation, reinstating our federal EIN and
re-applying for 501(c)(3) status.

Thanks for having this discussion with us.

Alan Porter
2010-2011 SC chair









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