e-Sword-users.org Future

http://sword-and-scabbard.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-should-happen-to-e-sword-usersorg.html is a blog post that contains the results of both polls.

To the 223 people that did vote: Thank You.

• The poll at the eSword list was in favour of the site running as a one man operation. (34%)
• The poll at e-sword-users.org was in favour of forming a non-profit organization. (45%)

Because the polls had different wording, the results can not be accurately merged together.   However, adding the votes for "incorporate" from the eSword list poll, and the votes for "incorporate as a non-profit" from the e-Sword-users poll, gives us 89 votes.  (The 93 votes results when one includes votes for "incorporate as a for-profit" in that tally.)

Short term:

The website will stay up until 1 October.

I am exchanging emails with a professional accountant, who is mulling over the job requirements.

I will be sending out emails to web designers this week.

Project Schedule:

• Date to be announced:  Submit all legally required financial reports for 2008;
• Date to be announced:  Submit all legally required financial reports for 2009;
• Date to be announced:  Submit all legally required financial reports for 2010;
• Date to be announced:  Submit all legally required financial reports for 2011;

1 May: Mission Statement Completed;
1 May: Define Core Activities;
1 May: Define Beneficiaries;
1 June: Submit Draft Bylaws;
1 July: Complete Bylaws;
1 July: Submit Budget Proposal;
1 August: Submit Website Redesign;
1 September: Submit Fundraising plans;
1 January 2012: Incorporate as a Non-Profit Foundation;

Long Term:
An "arms length" for-profit corporation be established, to generate revenue for the non-profit, by engaging in commercial activities which would otherwise be unavailable to the non-profit.  This strategy does require a professional accountant, to ensure that all transactions are "at an arm's length".

Taxes

Over the past week, I've been reading publications issued by various tax authorities.  I hope that I misunderstood them.  This is one reason why I want a professional accountant on board.

Do we really have to file a Tax return in Australia, because we received donations from Australia? And a tax return in Canada, because we received donations from Canada?  I am not opposed to filing the required paperwork.  I am not opposed to publicly providing copies of the financials to the general public.  Indeed, one of the job requirements of the treasurer/accountant is to make weekly and monthly posts stating the income and outgo of the website.

Unless there is a software program that automatically spits out the paperwork required for each of the 192 countries that have seats in the UN, or the 194 (+ 1) countries recognized by the United States, or the 203 countries listed as such in Wikipedia, or the 248 countries on the ISO 3166 list, or the 320 countries on the Traveller's Century Club list, it is not physically possible for one individual to fill out the paperwork that each potential entity might require.

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This was originally posted to my blog at e-Sword-users.org, in April 2011. (Google claims it was on, or before 23 April  2011.)