starting a free software club
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I visited the community centre near where I live, and asked about starting a club about civil liberties and computers. The manager told me that the centre charges $45 for each room booking. They waive the fee for registered non-profit corproations. Registering a non-profit corporation costs about $210.
I will put a poster up at the community centre to advertise the club. I'll ask people to sign up before I submit the incorporation form, to gauge interest.
Any ideas on how I can help the club succeed?
They charge 210 dollars for a non profit organization to register with them and yet they demand another 45 dollars for the room?
That's... a little too much I think =S
Well, it's always good to be upfront with people: what is supposed to be like, in each get together of the club. If you won't want people to take their time there to talk about Skype and Facebook for example, you should tell them that.
More important, prepare ahead. What will be the first activity there? What will be the discussion topics? That kind of thing.
Also, you will depend on wether or not people on your area are interested about free software. Maybe you could use the PRISM scandal to call people to join you.... Just an idea.
The $210 are government and private name-search fees for registering a non-profit corporation. The $45 is the community centre's fee. The community centre waives this fee for non-profit corporations.
I changed my mind about paying these fees ... I think I will start informally, meeting at a coffee shop, sort of like how lembas's groups did. I like Andresm's idea about doing a maker-space too.
PS thanks for introducing me to klavaro, Andresm, I will check it out.
So, hows it going? =)
I was going to suggest something similar to that, like "starting a project" not just a club. Like, the people would not just getting together and feeling lazy, they would actually have a purpose together. I am happy Andresm suggested that first =)
I hope your club is moving right along ;)
I dropped off two copies of a poster I made to promote the club. If the manager approves the poster, she'll put one up on the public board. Maybe two if I'm lucky!
On the poster, I asked people to sign up in August, and wrote that we'll have our first meeting in September.
I'm not expecting much interest; I'll be ecstatic if two people sign up. I'll be happy if one person signs up, but I think I'll need at least two for it not to be awkward =P
Cool, I hope you get "extra ecstatic" ;)
Keep up the good work. Let us know how it goes =)
I think a mix of web pages + IRC + fairly regular live meetings would be ideal.
I know a few clubs which meet either in public bars and cafes or at somebody's home.
There was this club in my neighborhood and I went to their meetings a few time but they were way too "practical" for me. I mean they proceeded to install proprietary software as a part of any install and didn't seem to be bothered about it in the least. I guess what I'm trying to say is it's better to have a proper club with fewer members that have a lousy club with potentially a lot of members.
Good luck!
I am a member!
I would make it a DIY workshop or makerspace.
I do something similar in my neighbourhood. I focus it on helping people that are not good with IT and doing local communty projects. For example, an elderly lady wants to learn how to type: I am trying to guide her with klavaro. I am now trying to give the klavaro team some feedback to help this sector of the populaton.
other people come with windows computers with antivirus problems. I tell them about how gnu/linux distributions are better and how I could help them better if they used it. Also about General public licence software. They might probably not want to move away from windows but at least they heard about different options. I also try to install ClamAV on windows with no luck.
I know people who have formed nonprofits associated with churches and it took 21 months to get approval so keep that in mind
What do you mean? Approval to be recognized as a nonprofit organization?
Well, looks like politics work the same speed everywhere =P
Even that isn't specific enough, I mean recognition from the IRS but basically I think that's what you thought I meant. 501(c)(3) status takes a long time, to be specific, unless it is rushed for a charity like Haiti relief.
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