On 23 Jan 2004 at 11:47, Mark Wonsil wrote:

> HP has a few market opportunities that must pass before this
> effort can proceed.

You've hit the nail squarely on the head. It is unfortunate that many
in the community wear blinders to this. HP, as a for profit concern,
wants to milk every penny out of this before they're done. They also
have the stated policy of trying to get their customer base to
migrate. You're quite right that certain events must pass before we
can move forward.

> I think the non-profit status was an emotional choice.

I think people are also missing that there are three distinctions,
non-profit (IRS Section 503.c), not-for-profit and for-profit.
Obtaining 503.c status is very difficult. I was involved with another
group that petitioned for and received 503.c status. It took nearly
two years to receive it. 503.c requires being a charitable
organization and providing to the IRS a plan for funding and
disbursements as a charity. And we need to meet that plan and prove
it to the IRS.

We can't do that. Frankly, OpenMPE doesn't qualify as a charity, so
getting non-profit status ain't gonna happen. So, we operate as a
normal business entity, but on a not-for-profit basis. If we get to
the point where dues/fees are charged, they'll be a business
deduction to businesses, but they won't be a charitable deduction to
individuals. Sorry, but the focus needs to be to business, not
individuals.

Heck, since we, the BOD are the only ones funding this effort out of
our own pockets with hard cash as well as time (and time is money for
those of us that sell our time), it shouldn't matter to anyone else
at this point if it is deductable.


Regards,


M.
--
Mark Klein
http://www.dis.com
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