Newsletter of the East Bay Chapter of STC
November/December 2002

Director-Sponsor Report:
Adding Value for Members

by Bonni Graham
Region 8 Director-Sponsor

October 2002

By now, you've probably noticed that the STC web site has a member's only section, moving certain features behind a secure login based on your membership number and a password assigned by the main STC office. If you haven't noticed, shame on you - the STC web site contains a lot of useful information no matter what your involvement with the organization.

In January 2001, the STC Board of Directors voted to change our policy to allow chapters to restrict certain informational items to members only. We evaluated the variety of information available on chapter and the Society web sites, and decided that some of it could legitimately be placed behind a login. After further discussion, we decided to extend that change in policy to the main STC web site as well.

Primarily, the items "behind the curtain" are the Society-level job listings (for membership enhancement value) and the member directory (to protect your privacy even better).

You may be asking why are some items restricted to members but not all? The answer lies in our status as a charitable organization (which enables members, among other things, to claim STC dues as a charitable donation). Bill Stolgitis, in the October 2002 Tieline provided the following background and insight:

Background

Since 1968, when STC was reorganized as a 501(c)(3) charity, STC has devoted the substantial part of its efforts to activities within the scope of its charitable purposes. These activities (e.g., publications, conferences, research, scholarships) can be found in STC's Articles of Incorporation and its bylaws.

In keeping with its charitable status, STC has made these services available to members and non-members alike. The IRS, however, recognizes that while conducting the daily business of a charity, there will be some activities essential to the charity's well-being that are not, strictly speaking, charitable in nature. The IRS allows these activities so long as they do not constitute a substantial part of the organization's activities.

For STC, such activities have included selling advertising (magazine and journal), renting the mailing list, and providing employment information (clearly not within the scope of STC's charitable purposes). These activities have always constituted an insubstantial part of STC's total activities.

Restricting Services to Members Only

STC is fully engaged in many activities that are within the scope of its charitable purposes. And these services must be made available to members and non-members alike. As mentioned above, STC is also allowed to engage in activities that are not within the scope of its charitable purposes so long as these activities are "insubstantial" (a minor financial burden). These non-charitable services may be restricted to members only.

Thus the new main site has been arranged to better expose the value of being an STC member. Chapters may, as well, choose to limit access to various services they provide, so long as doing so does not create an undue burden on the chapter finances. In addition, actions that contribute directly the STC's charitable purpose (such as seminars or chapter meetings) may not be restricted to members only, although members may be given preferential pricing.

If you have any questions on this policy, contact your Director-Sponsor or the Society office.

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