[Fsfe-portugal] Re: To use APRIL experience!

[Frederic Couchet]

Hugo Nogueira <address@hidden> writes:

> Fred, we think that creating our association by basing
> its goals and characteristics on those of APRIL is a good
> idea, since that APRIL has a several years old experience.
> 
> Certainly that some characteristics are not perfect and you 
> think of a better improvement of them.
> 
> In your view, what do you think we could add, modify or delete from 
> the caracteristics of the APRIL in order to create the Portuguese
> Association.

1) Legal aspect :

you can use our statutes like a template :
http://www.april.org/association/statuts.html (sorry, only in French,
but Hugo can read it)

You can modify maybe one point, in article 9 :

  Administrative council : ... The members are elected by cooptation... 

This mode of election has been chosen to ensure that the association
will keep the same original goals (decided by the founder members),
and to avoid the potential problems of "entrisme". But I think, you
can choose to elect the administrative council by the general
assembly.

The article "gratuité du mandat" is important : the members make
contributions by ways of honorary activity or through holding a
position in the association.

Try to check with lawyer about specifics points to be able to become
tax-deductible association in Portugal (it will help raising funds).

2) day after day aspect :

- set up a web site with official information (what will do the
association, statute, "Réglement intérieur" or internal rules ?, how to
become a member, list of administrative council, how to contact the
association (for people and for journalists) ...

- put on the web some minimal information : what is free software,
what is GNU ...

- set up a page of potential speakers for events

- set up private and public working groups where the members (and not
members) can be involved (translation, documentation ...)

- contact Portuguese LUGs to explain why and how join your association

- set up a "members intranet" (private or public) with a description
of the working groups, a task manager, a document explaining how to
contribute, the reports of the administrative council meetings ...

- set up public mailing lists (e.g: for press releases, for announce
of events ...)

- keep an historic of your activities

- send a press release for your creation

- ...

I'm about you know that already.

Fred.
-- 
Petition contre les brevets logiciels http://petition.eurolinux.org/
Frederic Couchet Tel: 06 60 68 89 31 / 01 49 22 67 89 APRIL
http://www.april.org/ Free Software Foundation Europe
http://www.fsfeurope.org/