How to promote Plug's value - was: Are Social Networks ...

[Lisa Kachold]

All,

On Wed, May 8, 2013 at 5:01 PM, Michael Havens <bmike1 at gmail.com> wrote:

> What is the point, really, in becoming a non-profit group? I mean, you'll
> still have installfests and montly meetings. NOthing will really change
> except maybe a status symbol thing.
> :-)~MIKE~(-:
>

Good questions, good discourse, such open discourse is recommended for any
LUG (and on the Linux LUG HowTo's everywhere) from the early days:



Nonprofit status would allow for Grants (like Heatsynclabs enjoys) which
would allow for internships or Linux Professional Institute funding for
special projects.  Nonprofit status would allow people who donate to the
LUG to write that off on their taxes; which would allow for larger games of
all kinds.   Some LUGS are so flush they have Linux Meetup groups, where
people also socialize for political and/or activist events that the users
submit directly to meetup.com.  [Houston]

Non-profit status would allow the PLUG to provide business internships
under a known technical banner,  (with a certification that's respected and
provides an alternate to Community College education for those who excel
that way) and/or participate to Google's Summer of Code or the Gnome
project, taking on Summer Interns and sending up mentors (like other LUGS
do) as recommended for "accomplished LUGS" and seen in California, New York
and Oregon.

Non-profit status, as well as ELECTED officers, are not only recommended,
but they are the basic items that allow for a large number of people to
interact at a greater open source level.  It's the growth from depending on
people to depending on roles that are well fleshed out along a success road
that is clearly defined and in place in other LUGS.

>
>
> On Wed, May 8, 2013 at 4:49 PM, Stephen <cryptworks at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> My issue with the broad statement of growth is a simple why. Growth for
>> its own sake is not always a good thing. But growth to expand knowledge to
>> others is a different thing wich i can get behind. Same thing for most
>> change, change for its own sake is usually counter productive.
>>
>
Perhaps.  Stephen, once you have seen or working within a large successful
LUG with ALL of the recommended items (see
http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/User-Group-HOWTO-6.html#ss6.3) you might like
I do, appreciate each.  We in the PLUG are failing (or ignoring ) the
following:


>>   *** Secure dedicated leadership.
>>    * Follow Linus Torvalds's /benevolent dictator/ model of leadership.
>>   ******* Take the big decisions to the members for a vote.
>>
>>   *** Find way to raise money without dues: for instance, selling
>>  GNU/Linux merchandise to your members and to others.
>>   *** Consider securing formal legal standing for the group, such as
>>     incorporation or tax-exempt status.
>>
>>   *(**** Elect formal leadership for the LUG as soon as practical: Some
>>     helpful officers might include President, Treasurer, Secretary,
>>     Meeting Host (general announcements, speaker introductions, opening
>>     and closing remarks, etc.), Publicity Coordinator (handles Usenet
>>     and e-mail postings, local publicity), and Program Coordinator
>>     (organises and schedules speakers at LUG meetings).
>>
>  While there are officers (well, maybe a President...), NONE have ever
been ELECTED and instead consist of the SAME few people laughingly asked to
be part of the vague (and as yet unidentified) members of the Steering
Committee by Hans.  Again, who are these people steers; where are they
documented; what are their functions?  Who have they been for the past 10
years?  How were they selected?

>    ****** Provide ways for members and others to give feedback about the
>>     direction, goals, and strategies of the LUG.
>>
>
>>   ****** Archive everything the LUG does for the Web site.
>
>
>> I think ibe af we want change then we need to decide what we want to
>> happen. If we want to become a not for profit organizchangau'll still
>> hation then we need to find someone with the spare time to follow it
>> through. But we all have day jobs and families and lives in general.
>>
>
It's easy:  It's written project - if one person drops the ball, the paper
and steps still exist, just assign another; if you lose a driver to New
York on a road trip, the course is easily defined.  It's just paper and
legal hoops plus some  fund raising.

But Non-profit status does require Officers, and a structure.  It's a
corporation that is managed via a group, essentially.  Powerful stuff for
grants and education and open source sponsorship.

http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-501c3-Nonprofit-Organization


>> I do have some spare time so if someone who was working the not for
>> profit project wants to contact me off list i am willing to take a look at
>> the process.
>>
>> Right now aside from our events becoming a not for profit is a very group
>> empowering goal and one of the only ones i can see as a group desired task.
>>
>
See - I hear people say these things ALL THE TIME, and have been approached
(as the Hackfest inceptor and Administrator for many years now) by a huge
number of people who were never asked about important decisions (like the
website and especially the ability to submit copy and archive
presentations) and/or were qualified, and ready to volunteer for a great
project (like the Non-profit status), of which everyone was enthusiastic
(for 5 years now), and yet, no delegation or project ever occurred.    Why?
 What keeps the great work and growth from happening?

These are not personal attacks on Hans.  I agree Brian is awesome!  This is
simply part of the recommended steps for LUG growth.

> --
>> A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from
>> rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
>>
>> Stephen
>>
>
-- 

(503) 754-4452 Android
(623) 239-3392 Skype
(623) 688-3392 Google Voice
**
it-clowns.com <http://it-clowns.com/c/index.php/hackfests>
Chief Clown
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.phxlinux.org/pipermail/plug-discuss/attachments/20130509/1d982671/attachment.html>