[Ansteorra] Regarding Fund Raising

[Tim McDaniel]

It would certainly be safer for people to post that <name> is having
difficulties (or financial difficulties) and that <name>'s friends can
contact them via <method>, in a way that people can verify.  I've
never heard of the fundraising site mentioned and I don't know how to
tell that any of any funds raised will go to the people.

On Sun, 21 Oct 2012, Webminister, Ansteorra
<kingdom at webminister.ansteorra.org> wrote:
> I have seen, in the last few days, several requests come across the
> list regarding fund raising for individuals.  Although the SCA is a
> family, it is also a not-for-profit corporation.  The litmus test
> for any fund raising operation or request across our official list
> has to be the single question of who benefits from such a request.
> If you ask yourself that question, and the answer is a name or
> names, rather than the Kingdom at large, then the activity must not
> be promoted here on the Ansteorran list.

Please cite the mundane legal rules.

It's common to reply "inurement", but that's a legal term referring to
insiders controlling an organizations to make its assets or benefits
flow to them.  There's a brief explanation
http://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Charitable-Organizations/Inurement-Private-Benefit---Charitable-Organizations
and much more detail at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/eotopicc90.pdf
, "1990 EO CPE Text: C. Overview of Inurement/Private Benefit Issues
in IRC 501(c)(3)".  As the titles indicate, "private benefit" is
closer to being applicable, but so far as I see, the document
indicates that it has to be "substantial", but there's a lot of
details.

This notion also seems unreasonable.  A group is not allowed to
mention that it's asking for donations to Marine Corps Toys for Tots
(a bit of word fame hardly benefits the kingdom)?  I can't mention at
the end of dance that it's ___'s birthday and I invite people to come
treat them to dinner?  Someone can't say at populace that they're
moving next Thursday and would like some help?  Or even ask for a ride
to an event or crash space there (how does the kingdom benefit from
most individual attendees)?

But if the problem is that ansteorra.org is a corporate asset -- I'm
now curious: is it paid for by the corporation or by SCA Inc-Kingdom
of Ansteorra? -- then we should protect the corporation.  Someone
should set up a mailing list elsewhere, on their own dime, and
everyone should go over to it instead.  Then it's as unofficial as
people chatting at a pub after fighter practice, and they can say
whatever they want without any danger at all.

Daniel de Lincoln,
     by the fickle finger of a crown Companion of the Order of the Pelican
-- 
Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com