At 12:04 PM 1/25/2002 -0500, Ian Koller wrote:
>> computer museums ... could make it happen profitably?
>Are you advocating organizations registered, or presenting
>themselves, as non profit organizations making a profit ?
>Like this one? ...
> http://www.threedee.com/jcm/about/index.html
> http://www.threedee.com/jmosn/
> http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/jfoust_at_threedee.com/
Who's representing themselves as non-profit? Not me. I have
web-only "museums". If you want to visit, you probably have
to promise to buy lunch and I'll walk you into the basement
for the guided tour. Watch out for spiders and centipedes.
Nowhere do I state that I or these museums are non-profit.
Are you aware that some museums are for-profit corporations?
In fact, even a "non-profit corporation" under US IRS law,
and under Wisconsin law that I've researched, can perform
a fair amount of fundraising, buying and resale (that is,
public sales dedicated to making money). You are limited
to the number of days per year you do it, and to total annual
amounts, and that the profits go to the group and not an
individual. This explains, for example, how an otherwise
non-profit organization can hold a rummage sale twice a year.
All of my for-pay consulting, sales, writing, junk buying and
reselling is under the umbrella of Syndesis Corporation, a
for-profit S-corp since 1987. So yes, I encourage for-profit
reselling of old computer equipment, whether it's by me or a
computer club.
http://www.threedee.com/jcm/rescue/index.html
is much more explanatory than the links you mentioned, and
http://www.threedee.com/news/history.html is much more
entertaining.
I once researched this because at the UW-Madison / State of
Wisconsin surplus sales, non-profits can shop a day before
the public. This would allow me to pick up the good stuff
ahead of the usual suspects. I seem to remember that the
threshold was about $15,000 a year, but resale was limited
to a few days a year.
My antique computer buying and reselling could stay
below that limit. (Technical bonus question: does an eBay
auction count as 1 day or N days?) Also, I'd have to pay
about $500 to set up a true non-profit corporation, and
I'd need to recruit a legit Board to administer it.
I've never gone to the trouble.
- John
Received on Fri Jan 25 2002 - 11:16:27 GMT