AUGD: Re: User groups and Florida Statute
AUGD: Re: User groups and Florida Statute
- Subject: AUGD: Re: User groups and Florida Statute
- From: email@hidden
- Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 07:44:53 EST
Hello Virginia
I thought your question was so good I am posting this to our Yahoo! Group and the Apple User Group Bulletin. I am sure that this question has come up with others.
First, I am not an attorney or representative of the Infernal Revenue Service. My comments are not to be construed as legal advice. I encourage you to contact a tax lawyer for that.
That said, "To incorporate, or not incorporate ... that is the question?" How can we keep providing the service we want and not run afoul of the law?
There are many 501(c) groups. Our PBMUG chose to become a not-for-profit fraternal corporation under Florida and federal statutes. Although we are nonprofit, we cannot solicit donations that those giving could deduct the value from their taxes. They could give, but not deduct. We have to provide a disclaimer stating this in any correspondence with anyone - vendor or private citizen.
As for fundraising and raffles, I would never encourage anyone to knowingly break the law, but if the total annual income/outgo of your club is under $25,000 a year I cannot think the IRS would spend $100,000 prosecuting to recover pennies.
I know that the Florida Association of User Groups had a great discussion at their last conference regarding this.
There is, also, a lot of good information at The MUG Center
Let's run this up the flagpole and see who salutes it.
Hope this helps.
Gary E. Kampel
User Group Regional Liaison
Southeast USA
In a message dated 11/24/07 5:37:18 PM, email@hidden writes:
Gary, I am the president and editor of the Bay Area mac User Group of W. Central Florida. First of all I don't know what email address you have for me but I think it is email@hidden
Something came up this last week or so that involves Florida drawings and I did not put it on the yahoo groups board because I thought the board was for multiple states and would not interest all.
If you check out this site:
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL="">
it appears that we cannot have any drawings or raffles because we are not a 501C of any sort.
What do you now about this if anything? What does your group do on this? We had someone investigate and it seems that we cannot quality for a 501C
If that is the case, then our group cannot have any drawings anymore and that's a bummer..
what are your thoughts on this?
thanks loads for your help.
Virginia Chilcote
President
Bay Area Mac User Group
W. Central Florida
www.bamcentral.org
=
**************************************
Check out AOL's list of 2007's hottest products.
(http://money.aol.com/special/hot-products-2007?NCID=aoltop00030000000001)
_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
Augd mailing list (email@hidden)
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
This email sent to email@hidden