CallForParticipation

Call for Participation

At the last PSF board meeting, we have decided to form a new committee with the aim of increasing public support for Python and the PSF.

Background

The PSF wants to file for approval as 501(c)3 non-profit organization or in plain terms as "public charity". To get accepted as public charity, the PSF will have to prove overwhelming public support for itself to the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) who has the authority to give us this status.

Now, since non-profit in the eyes of the IRS is mainly about taxes, public support maps directly to funding from the public. The PSF will have to pass a so-called 1/3 public support test to convince the IRS of having enough public support to be called an official public charity. The rules are rather complicated, but all boils down to getting as many small donations as we can.

So much for the financial side of things. Another major concern that we have is the feeling that the PSF does not have public visibility in the IT world, probably not even within the Python Community itself.

Both tasks, increasing the visibility and, as a result, attracting donations, require some serious work. We will have to figure out how to setup a funding web-site, where to register to legally be enabled to do online funding, etc. but most of all, we'll need to reach out to the public in all possible ways.

This is where the work of the Public Support Committee starts. And this is also an opportunity for the PSF members to chime in.

More information about the PSC is available online in the PSC Wiki at:

http://www.zope.org/Members/lemburg/psc-wiki/FrontPage

Staffing

We would like to staff the PSC as a small but very efficient committee of PSF members (including board members) to investigate, install and manage whatever is needed to implement these tasks.

Ideally, the participant should have some background in at least one of these areas:

writing and sending out press-releases
researching legal requirements (US and international)
researching tax requirements (US only)
setting up and running online payment services
investigating and implementing marketing strategies
design and creation of marketing materials (e.g. press kits, broschures, t-shirts, etc.)

paul (Apr 4, 2002 7:17 am; Comment #1)

Regarding raising visibility and getting many small donations as proof of viability, here's an idea: launch a campaign for the EuroPython? conference. Plan to take small contributions (20 Euros) and give a receipt. Tell everybody a month in advance that you are going to do it and then remind them a couple of times. Have the keynoters remind people as well.

I think you'll easily get over 100 donations of 20 Euros plus signatures endorsing the psc idea. Not a lot of money, but a lot of support.

On a second note, all this talk about getting charity status makes me wonder if we should just go find an existing umbrella to get under (such as the Apache Software Foundation).

sdeibel (Apr 4, 2002 11:40 am; Comment #2)

An important way in which other members can help is by building a network of contacts with prominent and/or profitable users of Python. I've been doing this and it works.

This type of networking is important so we can:

(1) Obtain $ contributions and broader support base through: (a) Additional PSF members (b) Non-member contributions

(2) Obtain additional exposure for Python in the form of: (a) More advocacy via prominent users' existing PR channels (b) Short quotes endorsing Python for use in PSF press releases (c) Python Success Stories showcasing what Python can do

Items (2)(b) and (2)(c) are happening already and have become an effective vehicle for forming a network of prominent Python-friendly PR and marketing contacts.

You can help just by virtue of knowing people. Please email sdeibel at wingide.com for details.