[Ansteorra] Regarding Fund Raising

Tim McDaniel tmcd at panix.com
Mon Oct 22 11:47:26 PDT 2012


On Mon, 22 Oct 2012, dragonetti at generich.com wrote:
> Someone, somewhere, finds the use of the list to call for off-topic
> financial assistance to be particularly distasteful.

Actually, it was not just "someone" but the Webminister of Ansteorra,
which is pretty official.

HOWEVER (after a night's sleep) I just reread what he actually wrote.
Rereading it, I see that I focused far too much on "who benefits from
... a request" and not the THREE instances of the phrase "fund
raising" (five if you count "such a request"):

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.  Understand that
this is not done out of unkindness or an unwillingness to help
those in need but as a matter of mundane law and protection of our
not-for-profit status.  If you have any question or doubt
regarding such a request then please forward it to myself, the
Kingdom Seneschal, or Their Royal Majesties and we will discuss
the matter with appropriate counsel and let you know if it can be
posted or not.  I thank you for your time, cooperation, and
understanding in these matters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Fund raising".  I think he did not in any way say anything about
requests like "ISO ride to Coronation.  I'll pay a share of gas",
"come help me move on Thursday and I'll give you pizza", "Stefan and
Alina are in the hospital/in bad health and they'd appreciate contact"
(which is sadly true), "anyone want to go in on a rattan order?", and
such.

I blush about missing that emphasis.  I believe that I took that
phrase out of its proper context: I think he intended it to apply
specifically to requests for FUND RAISING for individuals.
I apologize to William Cameron deBlakstan for my misreading.
(I believe that a person should not just call good blows that he gets,
but also call bad blows that he throws.  I think I threw a bad blow.)

Mind you, I don't think it endangered the non-profit status, as the
property didn't touch SCA hands and it has been occasional.  There's a
lot of confusion and some misinformation about "inurement" and
"private benefit" -- have we had someone knowledgable talk about them
at Red Tape or King's College or such?  I have a knee-jerk negative
reaction when someone touches on those topics.

But as I wrote, on different grounds I agree with strong restrictions
>>>on fund-raising in particular<<<.  And if requests for benefits
became frequent, then you *could* legitimately ask "is this an
educational association or a lending club/personal fundraising group?"

Again, my apologies to William Cameron deBlakstan, the kingdom Web
minister, whom I think I misread so thoroughly.

Daniel de Lincoln
-- 
Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com



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