On Friday 27 December 2002 11:13 am, Brian Chee wrote: > May I make a small suggestion....how about you folks consider removing a > little of the ego, and if stuff is donated, it can be donated to the UH ICS > department Advanced Network Computing Lab. I'm housing the server as it is, > and can write a donation letter for tax purposes. This way donations are > final, and the donors gets something nice at tax time.
Part of the application for 501(c)(3) status is stating what we intend to do as HOSEF to perpetuate our non-profit charitable status. I am pasting what I have filed with the IRS below. Basically, we break down our mission in percentages. The largest mission of HOSEF is to accumulate, refurbish, and donate hardware. The second is to teach and educate about Open Source through community outreach. The last is to support LUAU through donated space, hardware, and bandwidth. HOSEF is established as a non-profit charitable organization designed to withstand the torrid heats of ego, testosterone, and flame fests. Donations to it stay with it. No one individual controls the fate of the group. I have tried to model the organizational structure on the Open Source philosophies. I intend to announce and organizational meeting in the first few weeks of January to establish a steering committee. I have proposed people in the past who were not interested. Maybe you would be, Brian. Ho'ala expressed interest earlier today. He or your would be and excellent first leader or captain or chair or whatever we want to call it. Donating to UH is good. Donating to Mid-Pac is what we do now. I really feel like we should donate to ourselves, HOSEF. Then we own it, it is not institutional or individual dependant, tax-writeoffs are possible. I am really trying to organize HOSEF as a LONG term solution to the current little issues that arise. I won't be on the island forever, so it is definitely not MY organization, so to speak. It is yours. scott This is the attachment sent to the IRS for our 501 app. Form 1023 Part II Activities and Organizational Information 1. Our primary activity is the collection of donated computer hardware from government and private sources. Using volunteer labor, the hardware is renovated and donated to schools, religious, and charitable organizations. The mission of the group is to promote the benefits of free, Open Source Software. This software is installed on the hardware to make it operable with no licensing fees. This cycle of contribution is the primary activity perpetuating the charitable status. This activity has been ongoing by an informal group of individuals for over a year. It is now being formalized. A local retailer and a local school have donated space where donated hardware is being stored and volunteers meet to refurbish it. The collecting and donating of computers is 70% of the organization's activity. There are always going to be particular needs when computers are installed that cannot be met with donated hardware. Some school projects will need a new server with new hardware. HOSEF intends to raise funds through solicitations and publicity in order to buy these components for the schools. This activity has not yet occurred, but it will be conducted by volunteers willing to spend the time doing it. It is expected to be 10% of the organization's activities. Another 15% of the Hawaii Open Source Education Foundation's activities will be community education and outreach through free seminars and on-site consultations. By inviting educators, other non-profits, and the general public to these seminars, we will have the opportunity to demonstrate the comprehensive capabilities of Open Source Software, all availabe for free. This activity has been ongoing for a few years, again informally, by a few volunteer members of HOSEF. It is anticipated that, beginning in 2003, more effort will be made to invite the public to informational seminars conducted by volunteers in donated spaces. The remaining 5% of HOSEF's activities will be the support and sustenance of the local Linux User's Group called the Mid-Pacific Linux User's Group (MPLUG). This is a volunteer group of computer professionals, students, and enthusiasts organized around an emailing list entitled LUAU. There are no dues and participation is strictly voluntary. This group is the intellectual engine of the Open Source community in Hawaii. Enabling it with donated hardware and network resources can insure its continued contribution to our culture. Heretofore, resources donated to it were not recognized as having been given to any particular organization. These activities will be ongoing and conducted by volunteers. The activities will be organized around the organization's website, hosef.org.