connecting*the*dots

I met with Jordan Nance, my lawyer, earlier tonight at The Green Bean. We talked a bunch of shop and chatted about the future possibilities of The People, Yes! It was the first time we’ve met, and Jordan seems like a great guy with a lot of interesting ideas; I’m very enthusiastic about our partnership moving forward.

One part of tonight’s conversation dealt with a 501c (3) provision that (paraphrasing, here), “The corporation, members, etc. shall not use the corporation to lobby legislation for political gain.” Jordan is going to speak to David about the context of The People, Yes! within the parameters of this provision, but we don’t think it’ll be an issue. I mean, I don’t plan on setting a political agenda for the site, though the participants will use the platform as they see fit.

So on one hand, the minimal editorial presence of the officers should keep the corporation well clear of the provision, while the content generated by the participants themselves might be political in nature — from the innocuous (i.e. describing poor community programs) to the explicit (i.e. bolstering a particular campain or party).

It’s a bit of a catch22.

Jordan mentioned that we’ll have to establish a clear narrative to describe the corporation when we apply for non-profit status, so I guess we’ll flesh it all out in the process.

This is why I’m glad I have a lawyer working with me.

By mid-next week I should have the paperwork ready for submission to North Carolina. From there, it’s a four to six-month process with the IRS to establish full non-profit status.

Now that this process has been kicked-off, it’s time to get out into the community and meet with the people and listen to what they want in a platform.

Michele! ;-)