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Re: Re: (ATMoB:Discuss) last night on TV - the space program - speeches, history, funding, etc

  Yes, thanks for the explanation and the historical 
club context. One could never understand the situation 
without that.

  Doing dark sky support is important and it's good that 
it is being done through other means and organizations.

  The technical explanations of 501c-3, 503-c3 helps to 
understand the role of lobbying in nonprofits.

Bill Shakalis

----
> Please remember Joe, et al: 
> ATMOB is a 503-C3 organization, not a 501-C3. We were ruled a social club at the 
> time the IRS gave our third! tax exempt number. ( Thanks to Mario's efforts). If 
> we do a good job of education, financial record keeping, and secretary's notes, 
> plus send our annual notice to the Secretary of State, then
> the IRS could upgrade the ruling in the future, at our application.
> Paul
> > 
> > From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer (a) attorneyross dot com>
> > Date: 2002/06/12 Wed AM 02:01:22 EDT
> > To: thesis11 (a) att dawt net
> > CC: Kathleen_Cunningham (a) abtassoc dot com,  atmob-discuss (a) atmob daht org
> > Subject: Re: Re: (ATMoB:Discuss) last night on TV - the space program - 
> speeches, history, funding, etc
> > 
> > On 11 Jun 2002 at 10:46, thesis11 (a) att dawt net wrote:
> > 
> > >   I disagree. Non-profits can do lobbying around issues 
> > > that concern their charters, within guidelines set by 
> > > the IRS, with up to a percentage of one's budget. Does 
> > > are charter cover this as well?.
> > 
> > You are quite correct that a 501(c)(3) nonprofit is allowed to do a minimal 
> amount of 
> > lobbying.  But it's always safer to do it through other organzations.  The 
> sanction for doing 
> > too much lobbying is loss of one's 501(c)(3) status.  Most 501(c)(3) 
> organizations which 
> > want to do lobbying set up a separate entity to do the lobbying.  It doesn't 
> matter if it's all the 
> > same people, so long as the funds are kept separate.  A common pattern is for 
> the same 
> > group of people to have a 501(c)(3) organization to do the educational work 
> (which may 
> > include announcements of the events and even endorsements of the other 
> entities), a 
> > 501(c)(4) organization, which can lobby and advocate, but donations to which 
> are not tax-
> > deductible, and a political committee, which can endorse and support 
> candidates for public 
> > office.
> > 
> > -- 
> > A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                           617.367.0468
> >  15 Court Square, Suite 210                 lawyer (a) attorneyross dot com
> > Boston, MA 02108-2503           	         http://www.attorneyross dot com
> > 
> > 
> > 
>