Seems like we could do a couple of things:
1, 2, & 3. BASIC legal entity to manage the domain
4 & 5. A separate org consisting of some of the coworking operators/
advocates that address these two issues.
6. Yet another org to address this issue.
Therefore, say, 100 people join #1-3, maybe 10-15 for 4&5, and another
10-15 for #6. Some people will be in all three groups, or just one.
Totally voluntary. Each group will grow organically or just exist for
that one project.
Jerome
______________
BLANKSPACES
"work wide open"
www.blankspaces.com
5405 Wilshire Blvd (2 blocks west of La Brea)
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.330.9505 (office)
On Feb 26, 2010, at 11:31 AM, Mike Schinkel wrote:
I'll come back to the issues that Alex threw out a while back,
paraphrased. There are several issues/topics.
1.) Recapitalizing the domain purchase.
2.) Protecting the domain (likely in a trust.)
3.) Long term management of domain (maybe a co-op, non-profit,
simple LLC w/bylaws, or we can risk doing nothing.)
4.) Branding of "Coworking" so that we can promote it, help others
market the concept, and help the "average joe(sephine)" to
understand what it is and is not.
5.) Creating (some form of) an association that can provide services
to member orgs, like negotiate for collective partnerships and
discounts, etc.
6.) Running a conference (and I'd like this to be in the form of a
co-op, even if the co-op lasts only for the length of each
conference.)
There may be more, but there are at least these. Point of note, not
everyone agrees with all these goals, some don't agree with any. But
each issue can be addressed separately or some can be merged.
Hopefully this list can help us identify what we are discussing in
any given response on this list?
-Mike Schinkel
Ignition Alley Atlanta Coworking
http://ignitionalley.com
On Feb 26, 2010, at 12:26 PM, Derek Young wrote:
I have been lurking on this conversation so far, but here are a few
thoughts:
The greater the complexity of this organization, pseudo-
organization, or bank account, the less likely it is that the
organization will represent the greatest number of coworking spaces.
1. Keep it simple. Fine, we decide to organize in some way. This
group is extraordinarily diverse. Let's keep the organization as
flat as possible, be inclusive as possible, and only raise what we
think we need for 1) the objective or 2) a series of objectives + a
small percentage contingency. This prevents a hierarchy of spaces
and people. This also means that there isn't some big surplus of
cashing sitting around in a bank account for us to worry about.
Should the group suddenly disappear, our greatest loss would be
trust and not money. One of Suite133's partners is president of our
local downtown business association. While very old school in
membership, the issues we're talking about are amazingly similar.
2. The right answer may be some form of non-profit / membership
based organization. Something that I don't think has been mentioned
would be for us to find a fiscal agent willing to handle our money
and non-profit status while we figure things out. Plus, we could,
in theory, apply for grants to support something like a conference.
There are fees involved, but it's a lot cheaper than incorporating
- then changing our minds. Shunpike.org, for example, does this for
arts organizations in Seattle/Tacoma and has been a regular user of
Suite133 for nearly a year. I used this model when setting up a new
non-profit a few years ago in partnership with our local community
foundation.
I just saw Alex's email ... I'll stop now and chime back in next
week.
Derek Young
Suite133 - Tacoma, WA
de...@seasonalview.com
On Feb 26, 2010, at 8:55 AM, Alex Hillman wrote:
If you're interested in creating an entity to help support the
conference you want to run, then I say: do it! There are future
endeavors that may even be able to find value in supporting or
being a part of that supporting entity. But trying to make it an
umbrella for EVERY possible thing that comes up in the future is
not something I think is a mission I can support.
Mixing it in with the ownership of the domain, my tax liabilities,
and the direction of the larger community is a different issue
though, and one that the group does not seem to cohesively
support, myself included.
None of us would be here having this conversation today if that's
how this movement had started.
-Alex
/ah
indyhall.org
coworking in philadelphia
On Fri, Feb 26, 2010 at 11:35 AM, rachel young <rac...@camaraderie.ca
> wrote:
Exactly why do people want to set up a charitable organization?
What would it get us?
Charitable organisations mean something different in some
countries. In Canada, a charity is only one type of non-profit
organisation, and is one that is more a stringent structure
because it can issue tax receipts for donations. A corporation can
still be a non-profit (one that operates for self-benefit and that
redistributes surplus towards its goals) without being a charity.
I admit that I've been skimming some e-mails in the last few
days. Did someone recommend an actual charity? Or do you mean to
ask why people are interested in forming a non-profit?
I am in favour of forming some sort of organisation, traditional
like a non-profit (but not a charity, I don't think we need
charitable status) or co-operative, as a way of formalising all of
us as a cohesive industry, as long as it is still a legal entity
in some form.
The domain purchase is only one issue. There has been talk of a
conference (which I still dig), leveraging our collective buying
power, etc. These are all things that one cohesive body could do,
and since there has been/could be money involved, it would keep it
all legal and with checks and balances. Alex is the most awesome
person to manage the domain issue, but I do worry if managing the
funds could have any sort of negative taxation impact on him,
which of course none of us would want. Forming a separate legal
entity could solve/avoid just such an issue.
The buying of the domain was the first time that money has come
into the equation and that was an anomaly IMO.
So then, what if something else comes up that involves money? How
many times will there be an exception? Who knows if there will be
a next time, but there also wasn't a first time until the domain
issue came up, so it is possible.
r.
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