Re: [fsfc-discuss] Incorporation, charitable status registration

[Russell McOrmond]

On 11-09-26 10:21 PM, Christopher Hart wrote:
> Hi from Montreal,

  Hello from Ottawa,

To see who I am, see http://flora.ca

> About whether there should be an organization at all: it's not obvious
> to me which charitable groups in Canada do anything like what the FSF
> does in the US. I saw a post on the list suggesting to go through
> Creative Commons Canada, but that may not be ideal
> [http://wiki.creativecommons.org/FAQ#Can_I_use_a_Creative_Commons_license_for_software.3F].


  I don't think Creative Commons is the right place either, as it has 
different goals.   Creative Commons goes beyond the Free Culture 
movement, and even the Free Culture movement is very different with 
different issues than the Free Software movement.

  That said, there may be people-support within CIPPIC.ca to help with 
some of the legal details if we need it.


  In the USA there are a number of different groups with non-profit and 
charitable status.  As an example beyond the FSF, the Software Freedom 
Conservancy http://sfconservancy.org/ helps software projects with the 
paperwork/etc to get non-profit and charitable status.


  What I've always been interested in for Canada is something that does 
that type of roll, as well as policy work.   I don't think we need this 
single organization to have software projects within it like the GNU 
project does, but hopefully build the expertise like the SFConservancy 
does to help Canadian projects get themselves set up.


  I don't know the limits on advocacy work.  I know charities that do 
lobbying, but don't know if that work has to specifically be funded 
separately from charitable work.  I don't really know the tax system in 
Canada, or what the limits/problems would be.


Note: When we get further beyond initial conversations it might make 
sense to contact Bradley M. Kuhn who has some experience with the US 
situation.

Off topic, but Bradley and Karen Sandler host an OGGcast where they 
sometimes mention what the SFC does... http://faif.us/



> As for specific initiatives, I think the first baby step is to get
> incorporated and registered to accept charitable donations. Do you think
> the incorporation documents and charitable status registration will
> require lots of details on the mission? I have only done this kind of
> thing for regular corporations which only need vague or high level
> constitutions.

  I believe it will.  It is the specific activities that would get 
charitable status.  While anyone can become a non-profit as long as they 
fulfill specific criteria, charitable status for charitable work is much 
more strict from everything I have heard.


> Can we organize a meeting for introductions of active members and to
> figure out where to go next?

   I drop into Montreal from time to time, and would be willing to do 
so for a specific meeting.  I think it may be useful to do some 
organizing on-list and through online means before we start to pay $$ to 
get face-to-face meetings organized.

--
 Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/>
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