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[JNev]

Somebody doesn't get it.  100% of proceeds will go to charity.  TIGHAR is a recognized 501 c 3 public charity.  TIGHAR's is the ONLY effort to solve the Earhart mystery - present or past - that is not a personal or corporate commercial venture.

Colin Cobb's 'Stratus' organization is an 'offshore' (non-US, apparently Irish) so not IRS regulated, but is it private, or an Irish government subsidized outfit or something similar?  Don't know, hadn't thought about that either, really.  I guess it is just the ideas of operation behind the founding of such an entity that would drive it one way or the other (private for profit vs. public not for profit).

I can't answer that BUT would like to respectively point out that Colin is based in Belfast that is a part of the United Kingdom so would be British.  I know you guys sometimes get a bit confused with the whole green issue 

BTW this is on the website

We have applied for 'not for profit' status. Our application is pending at present.

A thousand pardons, Chris, thanks.  And thanks for the dope from 'Stratus' - I'm sure the UK has its own version of the 'not for profit' that is schematically similar to that of the US.

[Ric Gillespie]

There seems to be a lot of confusion and misconception about the American system of charitable giving.  For example, "nonprofit" organizations are free to make all the "profit" they can. What they CAN'T do is distribute profit to shareholders or investors.  The money must be used for the organization's "exempt purpose" (in TIGHAR's case, historical studies and education).
When I find some time I'll elaborate. 

[Krystal McGinty-Carter]

No dis, no corners!  Watch the pom poms, they can ruffle the eyes... 

I think what Ric is reminding us of is that TIGHAR IS an "outside organization", so to speak.  Meaning, I think, that it is not set up as a profitable corporation that in turn might 'return' something from profits to charity - technically speaking, there are by definition no profits.  It may be that an advantage is seen by it being geared more toward maximizing donations toward a common goal that donors ascribe to.

Rah rah....and stuff. :p I'm obviously having an embarrassingly difficult time getting my point across. Let my sleep-deprived self try this again.

Making a preemptive statement that "If everyone donates and we are able to get to Niku next year AND we are able to find the Electra, we will donate X amount of money to United Way/ UNICEF/ Save the Cookie Monster etc."  COULD come across as "We expect a to make a massive profit  off of your small donation." (Mind you, I IN ABSOLUTELY NO WAY think this about TIGHAR.)   You know, I know, we all know that the discovery of the Electra will be huge. Not just huge. Suborbital. It will be monumental turn in the history of aviation and will generate new following and new support AND any money that comes of it will undoubtedly be put back into TIGHAR to fund new projects.  But we have all been following this for a long time. The, often uninformed, general public tends to make their own assumptions, and those assumptions are not always correct. I work with two non profits, charities to help burn survivors and their families, and like TIGHAR, they are very noble causes but there are people who scrutinize their every move, right down to what kind of food they serve during fundraising events. People have gone so far as to question the heads of one of the organizations (A husband and wife. The husband nearly lost his life to catastrophic burns) if ANY of the money they raise goes to help ANYONE, and three people have sued (Unsuccessfully)  for feeling that enough money didn't go to a specific person/event/fund etc.   Im just saying, its a fine line. Im not questioning TIGHAR's status as a non profit in any way.

Did that come out any better? No? Ok. More coffee.

[Ric Gillespie]

Husband/wife teams running nonprofits being vilified?   Nonprofits being sued by donors?  Unheard of!

[Krystal McGinty-Carter]

Husband/wife teams running nonprofits being vilified?   Nonprofits being sued by donors?  Unheard of!

I know, right?!

[JNev]

No dis, no corners!  Watch the pom poms, they can ruffle the eyes... 

I think what Ric is reminding us of is that TIGHAR IS an "outside organization", so to speak.  Meaning, I think, that it is not set up as a profitable corporation that in turn might 'return' something from profits to charity - technically speaking, there are by definition no profits.  It may be that an advantage is seen by it being geared more toward maximizing donations toward a common goal that donors ascribe to.

Rah rah....and stuff. :p I'm obviously having an embarrassingly difficult time getting my point across. Let my sleep-deprived self try this again.

Making a preemptive statement that "If everyone donates and we are able to get to Niku next year AND we are able to find the Electra, we will donate X amount of money to United Way/ UNICEF/ Save the Cookie Monster etc."  COULD come across as "We expect a to make a massive profit  off of your small donation." (Mind you, I IN ABSOLUTELY NO WAY think this about TIGHAR.)   You know, I know, we all know that the discovery of the Electra will be huge. Not just huge. Suborbital. It will be monumental turn in the history of aviation and will generate new following and new support AND any money that comes of it will undoubtedly be put back into TIGHAR to fund new projects.  But we have all been following this for a long time. The, often uninformed, general public tends to make their own assumptions, and those assumptions are not always correct. I work with two non profits, charities to help burn survivors and their families, and like TIGHAR, they are very noble causes but there are people who scrutinize their every move, right down to what kind of food they serve during fundraising events. People have gone so far as to question the heads of one of the organizations (A husband and wife. The husband nearly lost his life to catastrophic burns) if ANY of the money they raise goes to help ANYONE, and three people have sued (Unsuccessfully)  for feeling that enough money didn't go to a specific person/event/fund etc.   Im just saying, its a fine line. Im not questioning TIGHAR's status as a non profit in any way.

Did that come out any better? No? Ok. More coffee.

I think the point is, TIGHAR's 'exempt purpose' does not include raising monies for UW, etc., but for the research and education stated in her charter.

Ric's made a good point - that such an organization may be very profitable - but the difference between it and a private concern or publicly held corporation, etc. is that there are no share holders receiving 'profits', rather the 'profits' must be plowed back into the 'exempt purpose' (its reason for existing as a tax exempt entity) of the organization.

You both have made the point very clearly that 'non-profit' status hardly takes an organization out of scrutiny's way, and there will always be those who question how they are run, right down to the quality of the chicken salad served at a fund-raiser... stock-funded publicly held corporations get the same from share holders, trust me, right down to CEO salary, and chicken salad served at the annual meeting...

[Monty Fowler]

... stock-funded publicly held corporations get the same from share holders, trust me, right down to CEO salary, and chicken salad served at the annual meeting...

Waitttttt ... you guys get chicken salad?!?!?!?!?! I thought there was something lacking the day-old donuts and cold coffee approach of my stockholder's meetings ...

LTM,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 ECSP

[Jeff Palshook]

Ric,

On October 02, you reported in this thread that an initial deposit of $41,300 was due to be paid by October 31 to reserve the Nai'a.  Of that $41,300, $14,400 still needed to be raised as of Oct. 02.  It's now November 1.  What is the status of making that Oct. 31 payment?

You also reported that an additional $111,350 is due to be paid for the Nai'a charter by December 10.  What is the status of raising that sum to meet the Dec. 10 payment deadline?

Jeff P.

[Ric Gillespie]

On October 02, you reported in this thread that an initial deposit of $41,300 was due to be paid by October 31 to reserve the Nai'a.  Of that $41,300, $14,400 still needed to be raised as of Oct. 02.  It's now November 1.  What is the status of making that Oct. 31 payment?

The $41,300 deposit payment has been paid.  A huge THANK YOU to all who contributed.

You also reported that an additional $111,350 is due to be paid for the Nai'a charter by December 10.  What is the status of raising that sum to meet the Dec. 10 payment deadline?

Looking good.  Our first of three $50,000 Sponsor Team Members just committed today.  We are in discussion with six other applicants.

[Andrew M McKenna]

TIGHAR Niku VIII Team Supporters

For those of you who have (or know people who have) American Express (AMEX) rewards points and wish to support TIGHAR by donating up to 500,000 points this year, you can convert those points to cash in TIGHAR's pocket through the following process.


Info on the Members Give program can be found here:

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/content/members-give.html

 Log on to your Amex Account online

Look for the Rewards section

Select  "MORE WAYS TO USE POINTS"

Select "Members Give"

Select the link under REDEEM NOW
https://amex.justgive.org/basket?acton=logout

To avoid duplicate steps later in the process, the best thing to do is create an AMEX Members Give user name and password in advance of trying to donate points.  If you don't do this step first, they will make you do it in the middle of the process, and then you have to start all over again.


Once you have an account with JustGive.org, you should be able to donate AMEX Rewards points to TIGHAR

Select "GIVING BASKET" at the top right

Under "Create your Giving Basket" select "Add Charities"

In the "Search for a Charity Here" box, type in International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery and press GO

On the right, select "Donate Now"

You will be given a choice of donating cash via your AMEX card, or points up to 500,000 points in a calendar year at $10 for every 1000 points, i.e. 500,000 points = $5,000.  If you donate more than 500,000 points, the formula is $5 per 1000 points, so I'd recommend not giving more than 500,000 points this year, and if inclined donate again after Jan 1, 2015.

You will go through a check out process and receive an email confirmation.

TIGHAR should receive the cash equivalent for your points in something like 6 weeks - right about when the next payment is due.

Using AMEX points is a relatively painless way for folks to donate, and a lot of businessmen have a stash of points built up due to business purchases. 

Other frequent flyer programs may have a way to donate the points or cash value to TIGHAR.

Just an alternative way to ask for support.


Thanks in advance to anyone who donates through this channel. 

Andrew

[Ric Gillespie]

Thanks Andrew.  I've been meeting to post your tutorial on the AMEX Members Give program but for the last few days I've been buried in media.

[Krystal McGinty-Carter]

Thanks Andrew.  I've been meeting to post your tutorial on the AMEX Members Give program but for the last few days I've been buried in media.

Ill bet!  This is such great news! I hope the renewed media attention is garnering more support.  Wish I could be one of the $50K contributors.

[Monty Fowler]

Wish I could be one of the $50K contributors.

$50,000 at one go is really, good, BUT - let's all remember, The People are going to find Amelia and Fred. Every donation is important because it pushes us one tiny step closer to the ultimate goal.

I do what I can, when I can, and I encourage everyone reading this to do the same. Remember, the Great Pyramid is a bunch of relatively small stones piled up into something that is, well, Amazing.

LTM, and another check will be on its way today,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR no. 2189 ECSP

[pilotart]

Great idea prompted by this thread.

I have been a frequent Amazon Prime customer for years.

This year, they added the "Amazon Smile" Program which
automatically donates to a charity of your choice for each purchase:

What is AmazonSmile?
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. You can choose from nearly one million organizations to support.

Their 'Turbo-Tax' Deal added 10% to my Tax Refund this year in the form of an Amazon Gift Card which greatly increased my spending there ($2500+ since tax refund)

How much of my purchase does Amazon donate?
The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price

http://tinyurl.com/kcpaxl2

When you go to select your 'Amazon Smile' Charity, just Search TIGHAR
or tighar and Amazon will instantly show:

The International Group For Historic Aircraft Recovery
Location: Oxford, PA
To Promote Responsible Aviation Archaelogy And Historic Preservation

Categories: Historical Societies and Related Activities

› Change your charity

Thanks to the prompt from this thread, I just changed my charity to TIGHAR.

[Ricker H Jones]

Thanks, Art...I just signed up on the Amazon Smile program with Tighar as the charity in time to do my Christmas shopping.
Rick