[Talk-us] U.S. Local Chapters

[Sarah Manley]

All,

I was planning to send a similar email this week, so Kate, thanks for
beating me to it. I agree that it is important to get the US chapter up and
running, and that local groups can then use the national non-profit status
for their efforts. One place we may want to look to as an example is the
Wiki Media Foundations Chapter agreement and processes (
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Step-by-step_chapter_creation_guide ). I know
that folks at OSMF are working on the agreement with the foundation, and I
think we can start a team to look into gaining non-profit status.

The best bet is probably to form into committees to carry out the needed
steps. So far, some folks who want to be involved have signed up  here:
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Foundation/Local_Chapters/Proposed_Chapters

I can create a new page that is Foundation/Local_Chapters/United_States
where we can form into the committees and start to delegate tasks. We will
most definitely need a lawyer, accountant and some start up funds.There may
also be organizations that exist that can help us in the process ( If anyone
is in NYC, i know the foundation center helps with this:
http://www.foundationcenter.org/getstarted/faqs/html/starting_nonprofit.html).
Since there is a strong DC team and its the capital, it may be good to
incorporate there.

I can also volunteer to be a lead contact in California. I know the state of
CA is already using OSM, and is interested in becoming more involved(
http://recovery.ca.gov/HTML/RecoveryImpact/map.shtml). I also have a
contacts at WikiMedia Foundation if we would like to ask them any advice.

Best,
Sarah

On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 8:50 PM, Peter Batty <peter at ebatty.com> wrote:

> Based on some of the other discussion I've seen about local chapters, it
> seems as though it may well be useful for us to have an OSM legal entity in
> the US for various reasons. So if it's not too much hassle to set up I think
> it's probably worth doing. I would vote for doing just one at the US level
> though, I think that more local groups (state level etc) can just be
> informal organizations as they are now, and can use the US local chapter if
> and when they need a legal entity.
> So I'd be supportive of setting something up, and happy to help out.
>
> Cheers,
>     Peter.
>
>   On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 9:39 PM, Kate Chapman <kate at maploser.com> wrote:
>
>>  I currently do work with my local group that organizes around a wiki
>> page: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/MappingDC   I think there
>> potentially can be some cash flow.
>> We have been approaching local governments to get permissions to import
>> their data.  In the case of the District of Columbia we can just download it
>> off their website.  Some our municipalities there is a fee for them to make
>> a DVD of their data.  There are individuals willing to pay in order to
>> obtain the data, but it does amount to cash-flow.  There may be other
>> situations where organizations would like to donate equipment such as GPS
>> units as well.  Also when dealing with NGOs and governments having legal
>> standing can also potentially give us more weight as well.
>>
>> Also since OSMF is U.K. based they can't necessarily handle legal issues
>> within the United States depending on the scope of them.
>>
>> I'm not saying it is necessary to form a legal entity, but I don't think
>> it is totally black and white either.
>>
>> -Kate Chapman
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 11:19 PM, Bill Ricker <bill.n1vux at gmail.com>wrote:
>>
>>> At least some US local cadre organize around the state and city
>>> wiki.osm.org pages, with just an event announcement on the list.
>>> eg http://wiki.osm.org/wiki/Boston
>>>
>>> I've been around 501(c)(3) and related state incorporation and
>>> charitable regs more often than I'd like. I'd rather spend my mapping
>>> time mapping and leave any corporate governance to the OSMF and
>>> CloudMade.
>>>
>>> Incorporation is useful if there are assets or liabilities.   I don't
>>> see a cash flow in a OSM chapter.  If there isn't enough cash flow to
>>> pay for Directors' Liability Insurance, incorporating just focuses
>>> Liability on the Officers and Directors. The asset is the Map date,
>>> rights for which are held by OSMF.  CloudMade and the OSMF should
>>> handle the legal issues. Let's map.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Bill
>>> n1vux at arrl.net bill.n1vux at gmail.com
>>>
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
> --
> Peter Batty - President, Spatial Networking
> W: +1 303 339 0957  M: +1 720 346 3954
> Blog: http://geothought.blogspot.com
>
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