Hi, I was (and still am) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the past week without any Internet , and that is why I have been quiet on this topic.
That which I have seen is correct and seems to be zeroing in on the issues: o lobbying o membership and I believe that for the most part GNHLUG could go either way, as a "3" or a "6". People are correct regarding the lobbying of a "person who happens to be a member of GNHLUG" and GNHLUG itself. And it is correct that the "3" can lobby to a certain extent, but it can not be a "significant" amount of its revenues/effort, etc. A "6" does not have limitations on this, which is why you will probably find trade unions and groups like AARP as a "6" rather than a "3". I think the implications to GNHLUG would probably be strongest if we, as a group, decided to have a booth at a trade show to lobby against patents (for instance). If the booth was funded by individual members of GNHLUG, staffed by people who happened to be members of GNHLUG, etc. there would be no problem. On the other hand if GNHLUG voted as a group to use their funds (and a major portion of their funds) to "lobby" with this booth, then things might get a little sticky. This has been my experience with USENIX, which is a 501(c)3 and who is constantly diligent about exactly what they do with their monies along these lines. I suggested a 501(c)6 at the time because under the current administration USENIX was advised that they were clamping down on 501(c)3 submissions, and that it was easier to get a 501(c)6. If you wanted to apply for a "3", fine, but USENIX's lawyer was saying it was harder to get, and seeing that we have a lot of strong-willed people in our group who might want to have the group actively lobby for things, I suggested going the route of the "6". If we wanted to do more "charitable" things in the future, we could also set up a sister organization as a 501(c)3 (or utilize the one mentioned earlier in the thread) to capture donated money for special events, projects, etc. My two cents. Warmest regards from Ethiopia, md _______________________________________________ gnhlug-org mailing list gnhlug-org@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-org/
