Heh. If this discussion gets too technical we can move it off-list. At the moment if Fundraising just wants to say "we'll work on this for future improvenents to the Bitcoin donation system" and posting that statement in the blog entry and the donation screen would be ok IMO.
I am rarely satisfied with "it's complicated" as an answer to anything. (: Pine On Jul 30, 2014 2:47 PM, "Pete Forsyth" <petefors...@gmail.com> wrote: > Sure -- I think it's a perfectly legitimate question to ask, and reasonable > discussion to have. It just appeared to me that you were expecting a > detailed explanation from the chief revenue officer, which didn't seem like > a reasonable expectation. Maybe I was wrong though. If others want to use > this list to debate the finer points of US tax law and effective privacy > practices for donations, I won't be the one standing in the way :) > > Pete > > > On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 2:39 PM, Pine W <wiki.p...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > In the crowdsourced world, I like to think that we evaluate ideas and > > programs based on their merits rather than who makes a decision. I grant > > that some heirarchy is good and necessary, and in this case the heirarchy > > made a reasoned decision to include Bitcoin in the donation options, and > > did so in a way that makes a lot of sense except that one of the primary > > attractions of Bitcoin, privacy, seems to have not been a priority. I'm > > asking about how this can be addressed. It's possible that WMF can't > offer > > to accept anonymous bitcoin donations at all, but as an optimist I like > to > > think that it can, and my experience with other nonprofits is that > > anonymous donations are possible. > > > > Pine > > On Jul 30, 2014 2:26 PM, "Pete Forsyth" <petefors...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > Pine, I think Lisa already answered your question -- it's complicated. > > It's > > > possible (based on my limited knowledge, anyway) that what you suggest > is > > > possible; but she never said it was impossible. She said it was the > > safest > > > approach, given a complicated scenario. This is her professional > > expertise, > > > so we have to assume a basic level of competence to make those judgment > > > calls. > > > > > > Don't we? > > > Pete > > > [[User:Peteforsyth]] > > > > > > > > > On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 2:14 PM, Pine W <wiki.p...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > Hi Lisa, > > > > > > > > Hm, that is different from my understanding of the IRC. You are > > required > > > to > > > > offer a receipt, not to actually send one if the donor declines, > right? > > > > Then you could have a checkbox to disable personal info and the > > receipt. > > > > You could also enable anonymous donations under $5000 or whatever the > > > > threshold is for reporting the donor's info to the IRS, right? > > > > > > > > Pine > > > > On Jul 30, 2014 2:06 PM, "Lisa Gruwell" <lgruw...@wikimedia.org> > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > As Andrew said, it is complicated. We decided that asking for the > > > > > information was the safest approach and best enables to comply with > > > U.S. > > > > > laws as well as laws in other countries. For example, we are > > required > > > to > > > > > send a receipt for tax purposes to U.S. donors who give over a > > certain > > > > > amount and we have already today received gifts through bitcoin > over > > > that > > > > > threshold. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:22 PM, Pine W <wiki.p...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > Nonprofits in the US are only required to report major donors > > AFAIK. > > > > > > Bitcoins aren't assets with more complicated transfer rules like > > > real > > > > > > estate or stock shares. Simple property donations like a can of > > food > > > > for > > > > > a > > > > > > food bank don't require identification info. > > > > > > Pine > > > > > > On Jul 30, 2014 1:01 PM, "Andrew Gray" < > andrew.g...@dunelm.org.uk> > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > Hi Pine, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The IRS link includes the note that: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > "A payment made using virtual currency is subject to > information > > > > > > > reporting to the same extent as any other payment made in > > > property." > > > > > > > > > > > > > > - no expert, but I suspect this is the explanation. Because the > > IRS > > > > > > > treat bitcoin as "property" (like, eg, shares) rather than > > > currency, > > > > > > > it triggers different - and presumably more complex - reporting > > > > > > > requirements. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Andrew. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 30 July 2014 20:20, Pine W <wiki.p...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > > There is a post on the blog saying that bitcoin is accepted > but > > > > there > > > > > > are > > > > > > > > several questions about why WMF is asking for contact info. > Is > > > that > > > > > an > > > > > > > IRS > > > > > > > > requirement? Might want to post the reason in the blog entry. > > > AFAIK > > > > > > with > > > > > > > > the nonprofits I donate to none require personal info for > small > > > > > > > > contributions. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > > > Pine > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > > > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > > > > > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > > > > > > > Unsubscribe: > > > > > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > > > > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org > > > ?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > > > > - Andrew Gray > > > > > > > andrew.g...@dunelm.org.uk > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > > > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > > > > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > > > > > > Unsubscribe: > > > > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > > > > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org > > > ?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > > > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > > > > > Unsubscribe: > > > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > > > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org > > ?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > > > > Unsubscribe: > > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org > ?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > > > Unsubscribe: > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > > _______________________________________________ > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
