Linux/Unix Group structure

[rodney at sabletech.com (Rodney Thayer)]

sorry if this got asked before, but just how much was the insurance and what
is it insurance against?

At 03:38 PM 10/2/96 -0000, you wrote:
>
>
>John Abreau wrote in a message to Mike Bilow:
>
> JA> * Basic membership: free, open to all
> JA> We'd require that people actually become members, but at no
> JA> cost for the basic membership.
>
> JA> * Sponsoring membership: an annual fee
> JA> Sponsoring members would be listed on our web pages. We
> JA> could provide other perks for sponsoring members, such as
> JA> email forwarding, and/or space
> JA> for a personal web page.
>
> JA> The main revenue source for the group would be classes. It
> JA> might make sense to also have a "Corporate Sponsor" class.
>
>Speaking as someone who has served as an officer of numerous such
>organizations, you're plain nuts to do this with a free class of membership. I
>understand the motivation, but my experience is that the vast majority of
>people simply will not do anything unless you ask them, but most are quite
>happy and willing when asked.  Most organizations of this kind have annual dues
>on the order of at least $5 or $10, and this sort of minimal fee makes possible
>a whole lot of other things that could not be done otherwise.
>
>You want to have meetings and teach classes.  Many facilities are perfectly
>willing to donate space to do such things, but will require that your
>organization have some legal status such as incorporation and insurance.  My
>amateur radio club, for example, cannot even use state land such as parks
>without proof of insurance, although the state does not charge a fee.  When we
>set up informational booths in shopping malls, the only condition is that we
>provide proof of insurance.  When we held a flea market in the gymnasium of a
>private school, all they wanted was proof of insurance.
>
>How are you going to pay for the insurance?
> 
>-- Mike
>
>
>
>

               Rodney Thayer <rodney at sabletech.com>       +1 617 332 7292
               Sable Technology Corp, 246 Walnut St., Newton MA 02160 USA
               Fax: +1 617 332 7970           http://www.shore.net/~sable
                           "Developers of communications software"