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| Author |
Message |
| 25 new of 115 responses total. |
keesan
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response 9 of 115:
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Feb 1 17:51 UTC 1999 |
I was told I had been mailed a receipt, when i did not want one. I propose
sending paper receipts out only to people who respond to an email asking if
they want one. And that these emails be sent out only to people who have
donated over $249, since you don't seem to need a receipt otherwise.
I object to this waste of paper, postage, and Aruba's time. (He also sent
me out a nice apology for having sent the receipt, which wastes more time).
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janc
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response 10 of 115:
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Feb 2 18:16 UTC 1999 |
I think that is a dubious idea. I think it is more of a waste of Mark's
time to have to send email to everyone first, and collect up a list of
who does and does not want a receipt than it is just to send them to
everyone. This idea significantly raises the complexity of the job and
makes it a task that requires work at multiple sittings with extra
bookkeeping instead of a job that can be done at a sitting. But the
only person who can judge what is an effective use of Mark's time, and
how much Mark's time is worth relative to paper and postage is Mark.
Any way he wants to do it is fine with me. If I were doing it, I
wouldn't install any kind of institutionalized program to not send
receipts to people. If I happen to know for certain that a certain
person doesn't want a receipt, and if it happens to be convenient to
clip them out of the mailing list, then I'd do it. If not I'd just mass
mail them.
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keesan
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response 11 of 115:
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Feb 2 21:36 UTC 1999 |
I hereby state that unless the policy is somehow revised so that I can be
assured of not getting a receipt unless I indicate clearly that I want one,
I will not be donating over the maximum amount for which I will not be sent
a paper receipt. I object strongly to sending out wasteful pieces of paper
not only to people who do not need them, but to people who specifically do
not want them. What number of people donated over $249 this year? What
number of people have specifically asked for a paper receipt (considering that
you don't need them for under $250)?
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aruba
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response 12 of 115:
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Feb 2 23:11 UTC 1999 |
One person donated over $250, and 4 people have requested receipts.
Would it be enough for you Sindi if I promised never ever to send you a piece
of paper again? I'll be happy to do so, and pass the admonishion on to the
next treasurer.
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keesan
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response 13 of 115:
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Feb 3 02:07 UTC 1999 |
No, I need a promise that nobody will be sent a receipt unless they ask for
one. You have wasted 19 pieces of paper and lots of your time.
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other
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response 14 of 115:
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Feb 3 02:22 UTC 1999 |
i thinkn that the only reason the pieces of paper might have been wasted is
that they did not include the tax id number assigned to cyberspace
communications, which i thought one needed to provide to the irs in order to
legitimize the ddeduction...
what is this, keesan? eco-bullying? surely you have better battles to fight.
do you know how much coal is burned to provide the power used by the grex
computer and all the computers connected to it by users at any given moment?
how about how much pollution is spewed into the atmoshere by the burning of
that coal? what would your response be if the paper receipts that mark sent
out were made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper? (envelopes, too)
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aruba
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response 15 of 115:
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Feb 3 03:30 UTC 1999 |
Hmmm. Dunno about the tax ID number. Let me see if I can find out about
that.
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rcurl
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response 16 of 115:
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Feb 3 05:34 UTC 1999 |
The IRS 1040 forms don't ask for TINs.
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aruba
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response 17 of 115:
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Feb 3 14:44 UTC 1999 |
THe IRS publication I have about receipts doesn't mention needing the TIN
number. It's a fairly informal publication, though, so I will look around
some more.
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dpc
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response 18 of 115:
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Feb 3 16:35 UTC 1999 |
the TIN is helpful to include because if the donor's tax return is
audited, the auditor will need the TIN to check the validity of
the deduction, I would think.
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rcurl
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response 19 of 115:
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Feb 3 16:43 UTC 1999 |
Probably true, but auditing is pretty rare. Nevertheless, I expect to
put another organizations TIN number (and also its MICS number) on
its brochure the next time it is reprinted (after 16 years of not
bothering....).
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aruba
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response 20 of 115:
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Feb 3 18:56 UTC 1999 |
It sounds like a good idea to me too, and I will include the Tax ID number on
future receipts.
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scott
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response 21 of 115:
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Feb 3 20:30 UTC 1999 |
Sindi, if you don't like the policy, you can call for a membership vote on
the subject. The current policy calls for paper receipts to be sent to
all donors above $75 and to any other donors who request one. There is no
mention of one donor being able to specify who else should receive receipts.
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njohns
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response 22 of 115:
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Feb 4 19:44 UTC 1999 |
This response has been erased.
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njohns
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response 23 of 115:
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Feb 4 19:46 UTC 1999 |
keesan isn't an eco-terrorist. She's following the Golden Rule. "I have the
gold, I rule.
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keesan
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response 24 of 115:
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Feb 4 22:10 UTC 1999 |
I am not specifying who is to be sent receipts, I am just going to make sure
that I am not one of them, and I strongly request that people do not get sent
requests without at least first asking if they want them, and only sending
to people who say they do want them. Since Mark sent out emailed notices that
he would be sending paper receipts, it cannot be any more work to only send
receipts to people to respond to the notices. (He sent me one without waiting
to get my answer first). Would the board be willing to do a revote on this?
Maybe require email notices to donors of $75 or more, and paper receipts to
only people who request them?
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devnull
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response 25 of 115:
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Feb 5 01:42 UTC 1999 |
Mark should be allowed to handle sending out receipts in whatever way he
finds easiest, especially if the postage costs are reasonable.
I don't see where a $75 cutoff necessarily makes sense. The IRS defines
a $250 cutoff.
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i
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response 26 of 115:
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Feb 5 02:02 UTC 1999 |
Membership costs $60/year if paid annually, $72/year if paid monthly. The
idea was almost certainly to send receipts only to those donating above &
beyond normal membership.
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aruba
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response 27 of 115:
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Feb 5 03:22 UTC 1999 |
Right, that was the idea.
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cmcgee
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response 28 of 115:
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Feb 5 04:08 UTC 1999 |
Let the treasurer send out receipts without imposing new, special rules
made up by one user. If Sindi wants to put this to a membership vote,
then she can start the procedure. Otherwise, until the membership
decides, just keep doing whatever the current procedure is.
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keesan
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response 29 of 115:
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Feb 5 04:37 UTC 1999 |
I am not imposing rules, just suggesting that the present ones be modified
so as not to send receipts out to people who do not request them. IF the
board could vote to have a $75 cutoff, they could just as well vote for a $250
cutoff, with email receipts to be sent to anyone who donates over $249, and
paper receipts upon request (asking donors in the email receipt if they want
a paper receipt). What is the point in having a paper tax receipt when the
IRS does not even require one? Anyone else who requested a paper receipt
could also have one. This would save paper, postage, and time.
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scg
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response 30 of 115:
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Feb 5 05:17 UTC 1999 |
(I'm extremely jealous of anybody whose biggest problem is a single, unwanted,
piece of paper)
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aruba
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response 31 of 115:
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Feb 5 14:58 UTC 1999 |
Yeah, I admire your motives, Sindi, but I can't help but think there must be
bigger fish to fry. For starters, Grex easily gets more than 23 pieces of
junk mail sent to our box each year, since we're listed in the Internic
database by virtue of having a domain name. How about working on getting
those stopped?
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devnull
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response 32 of 115:
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Feb 6 00:43 UTC 1999 |
Re #26: I don't understand, though, why it makes any sense to send
receipts for donations above and beyond membership. Perhaps someone
could explain?
Is there some common reason to want receipts other than for tax deductions?
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aruba
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response 33 of 115:
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Feb 6 02:20 UTC 1999 |
People who just paid $60/year (or $72/year) for membership won't get receipts
unless they ask for them; I think that's what Walter was saying in #26.
Quite a few people donate money above and beyond regular membership dues,
however. Most of the people who donated $75 or more in '98 were members who
also sent in money for the Spare Parts Fund. That pushed their total over
$75. Does that answer your question Joel?
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