Association Discussion

kite-4-life · #1 03-23-2008, 01:05 PM

The sample card was bright and durable, the self sealing pouch was a little cheesy, but would work. (The included wide plastic strap broke and the card is gone.) IMO, it needs small metal keyrings top and bottom to keep it from flapping and getting pulled off in the water.
I like the patch idea but its too hard to see, no contact info, and a visiting kiter doesnt want to be sewing on his vacation.
About 1st meeting: It is to bring together the ones who have already been helping me with K4L, and people who want to start and LEAD an assn.(Its the same stuff with a little less board structure) I am having trouble figuring out how to do this seperately

and legally

any tax or non-profit experts out there?

Galego · #2 03-23-2008, 03:21 PM

how about a wrist/ankle/necklace band with bar code or RFID tag ? its small enough to not impact anything yet its connected to the rider him/herself and not a piece of gear that can be lost, stolen, borrowed, broken, forgotten. if its made stylish enough than i/people would want to wear it with pride all the time. the bar code or RFID tag could be linked to the persons name, status or level of certification and any other pertinent info. just having it on would be id enough but the info could also be read with a small hand held tag reader.

bryanleighty · #3 03-23-2008, 04:05 PM

lets keep the churning of ideas on the specifics out of this thread for now..
i think the first steps need to be taken before the wave of "whats the exact best way to implement tags/signs/etc" eats up this thread.

thats my 2 cents.

im on board for sure..

jakester · #4 03-23-2008, 08:45 PM

I KITE PRIMARILY AT SUNSET PARK, A CITY PARK IN TARPON SPRINGS.
I WAS GOING TO SUGGEST TO THE LOCAL GUYS THAT WE POST SOME
"GUIDELINES FOR SAFE KITING", SO I SUPPORT YOUR EFFORTS. IMO, GUIDELINES, RATHER THAN RULES/REGS ARE LESS INVASIVE AND WHEN A NEW KITER COMES TO THE PARK, THEY CAN BE DIRECTED TO REVIEW THE GUIDELINES B4 THEY LAUNCH. MOST OF US AT THE PARK ARE CAUTIOUS ABOUT RIDING IN THE SWIM AREA WHEN PEOPLE ARE PRESENT (AND MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER WHEN THERE ARE SWIMMERS PRESENT) AND DO NOT LAUNCH AROUND THE BEACH-GOERS.
PERSONALLY, I AM NOT THE ENFORCING (COP) TYPE PERSONALITY AND I BELIEVE THAT STRICT RULES/REGS MAY EVENTUALLY LIMIT OUR FREEDOMS WITHIN THE SPORT. IN OTHER WORDS, IT WOULD BE EASIER TO SET SOME GUIDELINES FIRST AND THEN TIGHTEN THEM UP FROM THERE, AS NEEDED.
(ONCE YOU LET YOUR KIDS PLAY IN THE STREET, IT'S HARD TO TELL THEM NOT TO NOW). I AM ALL FOR SAFETY WITHIN THE SPORT AND I AM SURPRISED AT HOW MANY KITERS I HAVE MET THAT DO NOT HAVE THE BASIC SAFETY CRITERIA I LEARNED IN THE WSW SAFETY CLASS AND MY LESSONS...IF THIS IS GOING TO BE A TAMPA BAY AREA ASSOCIATION, MAYBE HAVING THE MEETING CENTRALLY LOCATED MAY BE A SUGGESTION
(CLEARWATER AREA??) THANKS FOR ALLOWING MY HUMBLE OPINION...

amber · #5 03-23-2008, 09:17 PM

quick note (hopefully)...sorry bryan, i agree with you that there are a lot of things to work out before the specifics but while everyone's thinking about it, the reason we weren't going to settle on wristbands was because although it identifies riders, people need to be able to see from a decent distance what color the rider is. That won't work with something so small.

What else needs to be done in the meantime? As for info about the association, is anyone involved in any other local associations we could learn from? I know there are sailing associations that exist and also waterski clubs... but the clubs are governed by a nonprofit board, so that makes it complicated again.

Any legal experts who can tell us the minimum that we need to do right now in order to make this legit? I think that there's always room for details but at this point, we need to keep things as SIMPLE as possible. No need to make things any more complicated than need be this early in the game...

kite-4-life · #6 03-23-2008, 10:14 PM

I hear ya Bryan, and thanks for the support!
You guys want simple, and I will TRY to deliver.
I have spent the whole weekend trying to figure out structuring and how to make this work around my own efforts, and relay the information in the proper manner. Too much or too little info could not be good, and a lot of my research is irrelevent to an association only. I have meeting 1 outline, goals and positions/duties ready to post, but these are some VERY IMPORTANT first questions when starting an association.
It boils down to forming and operating an association legally.

1. It can be run as a regular"for profit" business very easily and pay taxes, charge membership fees for operational expenses, etc., however donations and contributions are not tax deductible for donors. I say for profit because thats how IRS classifies it, if you're not exempt, you're a "for profit" business.
2. Or, you can apply for exemption and face the scrutiny of IRS of being a non-profit public charity. Its definitely not easy, but there are ENDLESS benefits to this, and would be able to seek major funding from many sources to grow the organization in all areas. I will spare you the details, but it is HUGE.Organizational structure is the same either way and requires joining many of the same associations to get maximum support.(more on this later)

Quite honestly #1 is our short term simple solution.
#2 is my personal goal and thats how I have researched it and structured it prior to these conversations. Either way, I will still pursue this on my own, or as a group if you like my ideas.
CHOICES:
*We can do #1 only if thats what is decided. Not a problem.
* We can do #1 and evolve into #2 and it is legal. If that is what is decided and eventually obtained, the "org." would absorb ALL operating expenses of an association, and be paid for with tax deductible donations, grants, fundraising, etc., resulting in many more benefits for "members", more positive programs, and increased image in the public eye.

*I will explain some of the benefits of #2 on the beach or at a meeting, it will absolutely blow your mind! Guaranteed success and MANY, MANY sources of funding on local, state, and federal level. Also many sources of donations from existing non-profits.

I know that my personal goals are not everyones and do not expect everyone to beleive in/support them. Thanks for bearing with my long winded posts!
We will figure this out. Let's try to sort out this question and I will post relevent meeting topics and outline jobs and duties.
Later

Kitespear813 · #7 03-24-2008, 11:09 AM

Kite4Life,

I am involve with a local spearfishing club that, was facing many of the same issues that you are, I talked to the President who is also a lawer, and he suggested that you start here. This is a copy of all our club records and status, He said you could use some of the documents as templates to get started, as most of them are standard format. Let me know if you have any questions.

http://www.sunbiz.org/scripts/cordet...s_filing_type=

kite-4-life · #8 03-24-2008, 10:27 PM

Thanks Kitespear!
I am still seeking a location for 1st meeting on Sunday. The location I had fell through.
I will not be posting further info on the forum.
Thanks for the posts, PM's, and emails. Your support is greatly appreciated!
Happy kiting!

(813) 389-3683 Steve
steve@kite4life.org

Woodson · #9 03-26-2008, 08:14 AM

Bravo to you Steve and our community for moving forward with this initiative. I am more than happy to contribute my time and money to this cause. I will be on my way back from kiting in the keys on Sunday, but will plan accordingly for all future meetings.

Again, kudos to you for putting this together.

Bryan W.