Fink:FDN
The Fink Developer Network
Everyone involved with Fink is interested in improving our service to the community. For this reason the Fink Developer Network has been created and a certificate of incorporation has been filed with the Division of Revenue of the state of New Jersey on April 13th 2004.
The Board
This incorporation has been approved and the first board of trustees consist of the following people:
Christoper Zubrzycki (cirdan)
Benjamin Reed (RangerRick)
David R. Morrison (drm)
Peter O'Gorman (pogma)
David Sebastian Hoehn (dmalloc)
Paperwork
Those interested in the official paperwork may review the original letter of incorporation. The final goal is to reach tax-exempt status granted by the IRS to nonprofit organizations. While the initial members of the Board of Trustees have financed the incorporation process, we require some help to ensure the progress of this project.
Costs
So far around $1300 from private funds have been invested.
To complete the process of attaining non-profit status an amount of circa $2000
dollar would have to be invested, additional to the money that has already been put into this project.
The costs can be proportioned as follows:
A $500 retainer has to remain for the quarterly costs of required work by our lawyer.
A $1000 retainer is needed to complete the filing and acquiring non-profit status from the IRS.
Around $100 are needed to pay for business cheques and around $25 a month are
needed to pay for the corporate checking account.
While such costs as the $25 fee for the corporate checking account can be covered by a member of the
Board of Trustees the remaining amount is where we have to rely on your help.
Donations
To ensure that you understand what you would donate your hard earned money for and to explain how we will treat your donation a few words of explanation. Fink believes in sharing and as such we believe in open book keeping. All donations made to the Fink Developer Network are public. You may request that your name is not listed, yet the amount and the date of your donation will be made public on the FDN website. The amount of money taken from those donated funds and the reason why will also be made public on the web-site.
You will be donating money to the Fink Developer Network; this is a legally incorporated company you are not donating money to an individual, but to all members of the Board of trustees.
However, since the Fink Developer Network does not have non-profit status yet, we cannot offer you any donation receipts to receive tax refunds. If at all possible we shall issue retroactive donation receipts once the IRS has confirmed our non-profit status.
The big why
Why is the Fink Developer Network important?
There are various good reasons for a Fink Developer Network, the most pressing
ones probably are:
- Putting Fink under a legal umbrella thus partly indemnifying the core developers from most legal threats, as well as protecting them from costly claims for compensation.
- A legally protected way to accept monetary donations as well as donations in kind, ensuring the resources needed to improve and further all services provided to the community by Fink.
- Providing means of actually paying contributors to work full time on packaging or development of Fink
- Providing means to support and afford a build farm
- Providing means to supply core developers with necessary hardware to further develop Fink
- Providing measn to host additional services such as the PDB and Wiki on our own infrastructure, putting it fully under Fink's control
This shall also include the financing and planning of conventions as well as merchandising to fund the
Fink Developer Network from the revenue of such goods.
We are legally bound to adhere to all the rules and regulations set forth by
the state of New Jersey, additionally we will try to make the Fink Developer Network as transparent as
we possibly can.
Right now we are dependant on your help. If you feel that you would like to do
so, please provide us with as much feedback as you can!