We just received our final tax-exempt confirmation from the IRS, and that makes it official. We’re now a 501(c)(7) non-profit social club. This is different than a 501(c)(3) non-profit in that we will never hold fundraisers, people cannot make donations beyond dues, and no one will ever be paid for working on BCADV stuff. We’re a club, not a charity. Volunteer only, forever. Pura vida.
That also means our $30/yr dues aren’t tax deductible like donations are to a charity.
Next steps: the week of the 23rd I’ll be back in town, and @Rich_Strauss @ChrisMunro @RC_John and I will need to set up an appointment to open the club bank account in person. Once that’s done, we’ll be able to start collecting dues, and our club sponsors and partners will go into effect. Things to keep in mind:
Once the bank account is open:
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Partner discounts will only be available to active paid members. Keep in mind: using any one of our partner discounts will likely more than pay for your annual dues. Plus: your dues help keep the lights on in this private, ad-free, distraction-free forum.
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There will be a new MEMBERS ONLY section of the forum. In there, we’ll have members-only rides, private events, one-off deals, and special invitations to a number of events in the future.
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All future BCADV schwag will be only available to members. Obvi.
To be clear: anyone will still be able to use the public forum for free, come on many group rides, skills classes, etc. Just no member benefits or insider rides/partner discounts/private events/etc.
We’ll let everyone know the day the club bank account is opened; most likely ways to pay does will be Zelle and possibly Venmo. And, we’ll keep a publicly available bank statement on the forum in the spirit of transparency. Likewise, we’ll keep a directory of active members that is available to all members.
I’m glad this is done! It was a fuckin’ pain in the ass!
