[hackerspaces] please link to your bylaws

Leigh Honeywell leigh at hypatia.ca
Thu Mar 5 16:50:44 CET 2009


nicolle n. wrote:
> wow...i didn't realise there were so many levels of non-profits and 
> charities and all in Canada.  that's interesting...and sounds a lot more 
> complicated than it is here in Illinois.  that's good to hear you 
> figured out all the paperwork, though.  :)
> 
> good luck on the bylaws!
> 
> nicolle

It sounds complex but it ended up making life much easier for us.  The 
approvals process for charities is long and complex, while for 
non-profits it's dead simple.  We don't get all the benefits (primarily 
being able to issue tax receipts, but also eligibility for stuff like 
Google Grants (http://www.google.com/grants/)).

We would not have been able to tax issue receipts for membership fees 
anyway because one gets a "tangible benefit" for them.  Access to a 
physical clubhouse is even one of the listed examples of this term in 
the Ontario incorporation guide.  That said, we issue receipts to 
members who ask for them so that they can write membership off as a 
business expense, which has basically the same tax savings if one is 
self-employed or has some self-employment income.

-Leigh


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