[sudo-discuss] [omni-fundraising] [omni-consensus] [BAPS-Organizing] Full Building Purchase Proposal & FAQ

Wed Oct 19 10:48:38 PDT 2016

Now that'd be a hack! :D

CCL's application is pending. Full 501c3 status would probably be most
useful to Phat Beets, actually, as they've had ups and downs with previous
fiscal sponsors and quite a bit going on (employees, products, assets,
etc). Cc'ing Alyssa.

Jenny

Help open a people-powered common space in Oakland, California!
https://omnicommons.org/donate

`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
"Technology is the campfire around which we tell our stories."
-Laurie Anderson

"Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it."
 -Hannah Arendt

"To define is to kill. To suggest is to create."
-Stéphane Mallarmé
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`

On Wed, Oct 19, 2016 at 10:44 AM, Marcus Zamani <lifenowreborn at gmail.com>
wrote:

> After Sudo Room has "donated" its 501c3 to "Omni Commons" and all of that
> transfer work goes through, can Omni Oakland Commons donate its 501c3 to
> some other group?
> Perhaps CCL, YES, ABDC or Liberated Lens feels they're ready to become a
> 501c3? Obviously it's a lot of legal work changing the board, bylaws and
> such and we'd be doing it twice at the same time... but could be worth it??
>
> On Wed, Oct 19, 2016 at 10:00 AM, Jenny Ryan <tunabananas at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Yes, Patrik explained it very well I think - essentially, because the
>> current Omni organization is unable to receive the $1 million donation
>> without becoming a private foundation (since the donor has previously
>> donated to Omni in excess of $5,000), we are going to use the Sudo Room
>> organization to receive *both* the donation and the loan.
>>
>> Before that happens, we will hold annual board meeting for both Omni and
>> Sudo back-to-back:
>>
>>    - At *Omni*'s board meeting, we will dwindle the board down to 3
>>    directors who are not interested in being on the New Omni board, and
>>    consent to transferring our option to purchase to Sudo Room as well as all
>>    current debt to community lenders (~$103,000).
>>    - At *Sudo*'s board meeting, we will consent to changing our name to
>>    'Omni Commons' (Old Omni's official name is 'Omni Oakland Commons'), amend
>>    our bylaws to match Old Omni's, nominate a new board of directors that
>>    consists of one representative from each member collective, adopt Old
>>    Omni's current fiscally-sponsored projects, and recreate Sudo Room (or Sudo
>>    Space?) as a fiscally-sponsored project of New Omni / Omni Commons.
>>
>> Then New Omni / Omni Commons pulls the option, opens escrow, and deposits
>> the $1.95 million + closing costs / transfer tax fees. New Omni owns the
>> building, under the same governing bylaws and Board of Directors as Old
>> Omni.
>>
>> It's still a bunch of work (come join the fundraising or finance working
>> groups and help out!), but waaaay less work than dividing ownership, income
>> and expenses between two organizations.
>>
>> See this spreadsheet for the projected budget once we own the building!
>> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rvkMc5lmd8PovoViNLdv
>> lrv0tSyvrH7iB0SmGqaFec8/edit#gid=1281242457
>>
>> \o/
>>
>> Jenny
>>
>> Help open a people-powered common space in Oakland, California!
>> https://omnicommons.org/donate
>>
>> `~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
>> "Technology is the campfire around which we tell our stories."
>> -Laurie Anderson
>>
>> "Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining
>> it."
>>  -Hannah Arendt
>>
>> "To define is to kill. To suggest is to create."
>> -Stéphane Mallarmé
>> ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
>>
>> On Tue, Oct 18, 2016 at 5:06 PM, almaz Y <ahana75 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Patrik that sounds much better and clear. I will read Jenny letter as
>>> well.
>>>
>>> Thank you
>>>
>>> On Tue, Oct 18, 2016 at 4:18 PM, Patrik D'haeseleer <patrikd at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi Almaz,
>>>>
>>>> The current idea is to essentially use the "shell" of the 501(c)3
>>>> organization that the Sudo folks set up, but change its bylaws and board
>>>> such that the new organization is governed by the delegates meeting,
>>>> exactly matching the current Omni organization. And likely change its name
>>>> to something like "Omni 2"
>>>>
>>>> Also make sure to check Jenny's latest thread: the very latest
>>>> development is that this new "Omni 2" 501(c)3 could receive *both* the $1M
>>>> donation and the $1M loan from our generous benefactor, which would hugely
>>>> simplify things.
>>>>
>>>> The people currently in the Sudo collective would have no more control
>>>> over the new "Omni 2" than any of the other collectives. They could set up
>>>> a new nonprofit organization - essentially having "donated" their old
>>>> 501(c)3 to Omni - or they could become a sponsored project of Omni 2.
>>>>
>>>> Patrik
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, Oct 18, 2016 at 3:47 PM, almaz Y <ahana75 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I don't think Sudo buying half of the building is good idea. Some Sudo
>>>>> members already feel they have higher power now in this building and their
>>>>> are not welcoming to other people. If they own half of the Omni they will
>>>>> have more power to reject or kick out another collective.
>>>>>
>>>>> The mission statement of the Omni Commons will change. Please look for
>>>>> a different options.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thank you,
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Sat, Oct 15, 2016 at 4:58 PM, Lesley Bell <zvezdalune at gmail.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Alice, in theory it's a good solution, but for the amount of money
>>>>>> being contributed, it has to be a well-established, existing nonprofit.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Not sure about the land trust, though.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Sat, Oct 15, 2016, 9:32 AM beehappysolutions <
>>>>>> beehappysolutions at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I’ve seen a sign on telegraph ave southbound of the 24 frwy over
>>>>>>> pass that says something like “east bay community sharing”  and I had the
>>>>>>> idea -
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> If they are a registered 501c3 why not buy a nonprofit for the
>>>>>>> purchase of the Omni building - I think all you would have to do is change
>>>>>>> the names of the officers.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I apologize if this is a stupid idea
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> and I apologized for not getting to Wednesdays sudo meeting - but
>>>>>>> family happens
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> with love
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Alice
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> > On Oct 13, 2016, at 12:18 PM, Yardena Cohen <yardenack at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>> > What if Omni shares ownership with Bay Area Community Land Trust?
>>>>>>> Last
>>>>>>> > year the fundraising wg was leaning towards schemes like where
>>>>>>> BACLT
>>>>>>> > owns the land and Omni owns the building. BACLT is a 501c3 and the
>>>>>>> > kind of property stewardship we're assigning to "Omni2" is already
>>>>>>> > their core mission.
>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>> > I'm sorry to say, I don't think power balance issues can ever be
>>>>>>> > eradicated while Sudo owns half the building. One of the most
>>>>>>> > important powers at Omni is the power to reject or kick out another
>>>>>>> > collective. Not that I foresee anybody actually kicking out Sudo,
>>>>>>> but
>>>>>>> > over the past few years, Sudoroom has exercised its blocking power
>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>> > prevent several new groups from joining or remaining in Omni
>>>>>>> (Creative
>>>>>>> > Empowerment Project, Oakland Nights Live), and to prevent other
>>>>>>> Omni
>>>>>>> > groups from making important operating decisions which affected
>>>>>>> their
>>>>>>> > status - such as Buried Seeds decreasing their rent, Homes Not
>>>>>>> Jails
>>>>>>> > being a member collective without paying rent, Black Hole using the
>>>>>>> > basement, Backspace's various plans, etc. Who would be able to hold
>>>>>>> > Sudoroom to similar standards it's held for other groups? It's not
>>>>>>> > about whether we trust each other. If you have to say "trust me"
>>>>>>> then
>>>>>>> > you don't just have a "perceived power imbalance", you have a real
>>>>>>> > one.
>>>>>>> > _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> > sudo-discuss mailing list
>>>>>>> > sudo-discuss at lists.sudoroom.org
>>>>>>> > https://sudoroom.org/lists/listinfo/sudo-discuss
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list
>>>>>>> sudo-discuss at lists.sudoroom.org
>>>>>>> https://sudoroom.org/lists/listinfo/sudo-discuss
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> consensus mailing list
>>>>>> consensus at lists.omnicommons.org
>>>>>> https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/consensus
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Almaz Yihdego, MPA
>>>>> www.globalcommunicationservices.org
>>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Almaz Yihdego, MPA
>>> www.globalcommunicationservices.org
>>>
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>>
>>
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>>
>>
>
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