[LGM] finances

Fri Nov 24 01:49:23 UTC 2017

2017-11-23 20:28 GMT-05:00 Frank Trampe <frank.trampe at gmail.com>:

> Hi, Louis.
>
> The hang-up on SPI is not internal to LGM at this point. I was indeed
> unable to get the finance committee together, but the organization as a
> whole did approve sending the letter, and I will send it next week. The
> next series of hurdles will involve identifying what steps we need to take
> in order to satisfy SPI requirements. We will have a better idea of that
> once we receive a response to the letter.
>

Ok! Great! Thanks Frank!

>
> Hi, Dave.
>
> Does the beneficiary organization need to be a 501(c)3? If not, we could
> have an organization set up next week and a bank account by mid-December.
> If it must be a 501(c)3, I might be able to persuade a local 501(c)3 to
> step in this one time.
>

Hi Frank (again)!

The canadian org was not under 501(c)3 and Google did send the money to us,
with a PO and an Invoice. As a non-profit it was not subject to income tax.
If you ask a regular company to invoice Google, this will be a revenue to
that company, subject to income tax. If you can persuade a 501(c)3 org to
handle such an amount of money for a relatively short period of time, it
would be preferable, I think. No income tax would be involved and the money
could transit back to SPI without fiscal impact on both organisations, when
all is settled.

If this is feasible, Dave will have a solid ground for the money to land
and thus will be able to ask the subsidy in confidence.

All in all, I think it’s great if we can take this opportunity to solve 2
things at once: the organisation and the budget! If we do end up with 15K
as a start, this amount will probably be enough to cover most of the needs
for the 2018 edition.

Thanks to both of you!

Louis

>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Nov 23, 2017 at 3:30 PM, Louis Desjardins <
> louis.desjardins at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> 2017-11-23 16:05 GMT-05:00 Dave Crossland <dave at lab6.com>:
>>
>>>
>>> Hi
>>>
>>> Google is a big company, but Google Fonts is not a big team, and it
>>> would be just me handling this, and I don't have time to administer
>>> individual reimbursements. What I do have time for is a single sponsorship
>>> agreement (using a Google template contract) and cutting a single check to
>>> an LGM entity, be that an umbrella one or a direct one.
>>>
>>> Am I right that if Google Fonts was to offer to sponsor LGM with a
>>> single $15,000 payment in December (ie, get the agreement signed before end
>>> of this month, next week, then invoice within first two weeks of December)
>>> then this wouldn't be possible because LGM has no legal entity that could
>>> sign a sponsorship agreement and invoice the money?
>>>
>>> If so, that's a pity, because it may be easier for me to offer than now
>>> then next year, due to the nature of 'end of year' liquidity.
>>>
>>
>> This is a fan-tas-tic opportunity we ab-so-lu-te-ly cannot let go!
>>
>> I strongly urge the LGM organisers to enforce the decision that was made
>> years ago when we thoroughly discussed about the finances as to go for SPI
>> without delay.
>>
>> If we feel we need a vote, then let’s organise one.
>>
>> More infos are posted here:
>> https://www.spi-inc.org/projects/associated-project-howto/
>>
>> It takes a couple months (there is a 60-day delay once the Board has
>> accepted), so we’re not ahead of time. The Board of SPI has to meet
>> (monthly) and analyse the project before they submit it.
>>
>> If this is too long and puts the Google Font subsidy at risk, then the
>> only other viable solution I can think of, is to ask the GNOME Foundation
>> to make the Google transaction for LGM and then transfert that money to SPI
>> once we’re accepted officially. They will be both US 501(c)3 Non-Profit
>> Organizations and so can send money to one another with not fiscal impact
>> (at least, this is what I understand and it would be advisable to check
>> this first with both SPI and GNOME). Whether GNOME would still take a % off
>> the grant remains to be discussed. We should be able to negociate a no-fee
>> transaction for such a particular case.
>>
>> If someone has a better idea, please step in quick. This is an urgent
>> matter.
>>
>> Thanks Dave!
>>
>> Louis
>>
>>
>>>
>>> Cheers
>>> Dave
>>>
>>> On 22 November 2017 at 19:05, Louis Desjardins <
>>> louis.desjardins at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi folks,
>>>>
>>>> After reading tonight’s log, here my 2-cents.
>>>>
>>>> I strongly support that we connect with SPI.
>>>> https://www.spi-inc.org/projects/services/
>>>> and let them handle the money and the reimbursements.
>>>>
>>>> *The tax-deductible thing is really only noise in the discussion. Each
>>>> country handles its fiscal law regardless of others. There is no practical
>>>> solution to this problem. If we go the SPI way, money donated by
>>>> individuals from within the USA will be tax-deducted, other money won’t.
>>>> However, a regular compagny that would provide a subsidy to LGM from
>>>> anywhere in the world will probably enter it into its expenses and thus
>>>> will reduce by the same its bottom line... and hence will pay less income
>>>> tax. Again, not an issue. (Also, considering the average amount we got from
>>>> individuals (in Pledgie), this was less than $50 so tax-deductible would
>>>> only be a fraction of small amounts. Nothing worth establishing a global
>>>> multinational organisation to save little money. Let’s not get hysterical!)*
>>>>
>>>> I suggest we vote on this to give some weight to the decision. If the
>>>> majority votes for SPI, we’re in; money can go there.
>>>>
>>>> What’s left to us is to find sponsors. SPI won’t help us. But they can
>>>> handle the money, in and out.
>>>>
>>>> If we’d prefer, we could vote on the reimbursements and ask if we want
>>>> to pursue, or not.
>>>>
>>>> In any way, we need to clarify things quick.
>>>>
>>>> We also need to think long-term.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers!
>>>>
>>>> Louis
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 2017-11-19 6:36 GMT-05:00 Louis Desjardins <louis.desjardins at gmail.com>
>>>> :
>>>>
>>>>> 2017-11-18 16:13 GMT-05:00 Dave Crossland <dave at lab6.com>:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I think Google Fonts may be interested in this sponsorship, with a
>>>>>> focus on bringing people together to do focused work on Variable Font
>>>>>> support in all libre graphics applications.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Felipe Sanches was working on Inkscape support and got stuck, so if
>>>>>> he can attend and meet Inkscape core devs to make progress towards being
>>>>>> ready to ship, that would be great.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What were the total budgets for lgms in the past?
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Roughly :
>>>>> - Europe LGMs : 10-15K USD
>>>>> - North America LGMs - 20-30K USD
>>>>> - Outside “Occidental North” is much higher (from rough evaluations).
>>>>>
>>>>> The numbers greatly vary from the needs of travellers and we have no
>>>>> way of accurately predicting this until late in the process of organising a
>>>>> LGM (ie, after we know who’s coming from which team, who makes a talk, who
>>>>> animates a workshop, who’s in need of travel sponsoring).
>>>>>
>>>>> If you can have money from Google (say, they reserve an envelope of
>>>>> 15K for Sevilla), the best way to handle it would be through them directly
>>>>> (Google money to sponsored participant directly), using their
>>>>> administrative way, forms, money handling, etc.
>>>>>
>>>>> If this is not feasible but Google accepts to sponsor the event, then
>>>>> we need an organisation to handle this.
>>>>>
>>>>> From experience, the reimbursement process is not easy because of the
>>>>> many variables that are unknown at some point in the reimbursement process,
>>>>> including bad bank infos, missing documents, impossibility to handle a
>>>>> reimbursement based on where in the world the transaction ends (some money
>>>>> get stuck months in intermediary banks). Probably things that a company
>>>>> such as Google would handle best.
>>>>>
>>>>> *
>>>>>
>>>>> To those who have been participating in the past discussions on that
>>>>> subject:
>>>>>
>>>>>    1. I am permanently out of this process now, given a) the level of
>>>>>    dissatisfaction and b) the level of non-enthusiasm the detailed proposals
>>>>>    I’ve made to solve the issue in a sustainable manner have received.
>>>>>    2. We definitely had a final decision of moving to a international
>>>>>    non-profit organisation who already handles the money of many FLOSS
>>>>>    projects, for a decent fee. Side note: I am *very surprised* to see that in
>>>>>    the past 3 years, and after the heavy discussions we had about finances,
>>>>>    nothing has moved forward (although the decision was made). Lots of talks,
>>>>>    no action.
>>>>>
>>>>> It’s never to late for action. Either give up on reimbursements or
>>>>> make it happen.
>>>>>
>>>>> To me, if Dave can have Google be on our side again and handle the
>>>>> reimbursements, I support this strongly. I think it’s the most simple way
>>>>> and it will take away from us the most difficult task in the organisation
>>>>> of LGM.
>>>>> As a long time LGM supporter and organiser, I am still ready to help,
>>>>> with other stuff.
>>>>>
>>>>> Have a wonderful day!
>>>>>
>>>>> Louis
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Nov 18, 2017 10:38 AM, "Gregory Pittman" <gpittman at iglou.com>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On 11/18/2017 10:01 AM, ale rimoldi wrote:
>>>>>>> > hi
>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>> > so, if i understand it correctly, the current status is that we
>>>>>>> will
>>>>>>> > not have any "official" reimbursement of travel costs from the
>>>>>>> global
>>>>>>> > lgm for 2018.
>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>> > if anybody is not comfortable with this, please step up before the
>>>>>>> next
>>>>>>> > lgm meeting and let us discuss it!
>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>> > (for reference: it has also been suggested that we should get (and
>>>>>>> > help...) the teams to collect their own money).
>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I think another way to look at this is to try to see it from the
>>>>>>> outside. Why would or should some outside organization donate to this
>>>>>>> meeting? What's in it for them? We know it doesn't have to be some
>>>>>>> monetary return for some corporation, but still, of the various
>>>>>>> meetings
>>>>>>> and organizations that are out there, why donate to LGM?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> We have to try to begin to answer this question.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Having said this, I have put out a feeler to Red Hat, and so far the
>>>>>>> response has been rather feeble.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Greg
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> Libre-graphics-meeting mailing list
>>>>>>> Libre-graphics-meeting at lists.freedesktop.org
>>>>>>> https://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/libre-graphic
>>>>>>> s-meeting
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>> Libre-graphics-meeting at lists.freedesktop.org
>>>>>> https://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/libre-graphics-meeting
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Cheers
>>> Dave
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> https://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/libre-graphics-meeting
>>>
>>>
>>
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