[Noisebridge-discuss] Emergency Hack Politics Session (TODAY [Tuesday] 8:00 PM PDT)

[Andy Isaacson]

On Tue, May 24, 2011 at 03:20:22PM -0700, Ronald Cotoni wrote:
> I do not think this should be held at noisebridge.  Earlier on the
> list it was mentioned that political things could jeopardize our non
> profit status.

Noisebridge as a 501(c)3 cannot lobby or advocate political positions,
or we risk losing our tax-exempt status.

OTOH, I as an individual definitely *can* make political statements in a
space provided by a 501(c)3.  I can even do so at events sponsored by
the 501(c)3, subject (I think) to certain constraints.

AFAIK a group of people meeting at the space does not rise to the level
of "lobbying or advocacy".  We should probably check with someone who
knows more detail as to when we need to be careful.

I am quite confident that tonight's meeting can go ahead without
endangering our 501(c)3 status.  Hopefully we can do more research to
learn what guidelines we should follow in the future.

Thanks,
-andy