Board Meeting Minutes and Finances

[MRSBIGBIRD123]

Any updates on the Board Meeting Minutes?

[MRSBIGBIRD123]

Financial statements? Anything? We seem to have a Full Board of Directors, a Mass of Committees but no response to pertinent questions about how this website and group is being run? What is being done with the Members Finances? What is the update on the Non-Profit Status? I do not see any indication of any 501(c)1-7 designation posted. These questions are not here to be dramatic but genuine to a long-time MAAST Family Member who helped start the process.

[FireWater]

It is a question put forth by a charter member.

I do not have all the answers to the questions you asked, but I will try to help. I do not have a time frame for our Secretary to finish up the minuted form the last BOD. I do however know that any answers in regards to all the other questions you mentioned are available at any of the BOD meetings. BOD meetings are still open to charter members as far as I know and they are posted in advance.

[Bill S]

I do however know that any answers in regards to all the other questions you mentioned are available at any of the BOD meetings. BOD meetings are still open to charter members as far as I know and they are posted in advance.

GREAT point, John. There are no "secret meetings" on MAAST anymore, where Board Members are threatened with expulsion if they reveal the contents of meetings/discussions. For those that are TRULY interested, MAAST Board Meetings are open, and visitors (both Web and Charter Members) are not only given an opportunity to participate, they are encouraged to do so. If you want to know what's going on "behind the scenes" at MAAST, just go to the meetings!

[jroescher]

Cheri, and anyone else interested,
I don't have the paperwork and don't know all the legal details, but we now have the 501(c) designation. It is as a Social Organization. We couldn't qualify for the educational status because of what the forums looked like at the time. The Treasurer has the paperwork, but because of a series of family issues hasn't been on the forums a lot lately.

[tebstan]

If you want to know what's going on "behind the scenes" at MAAST, just go to the meetings!

I wouldn't make it to the meetings because of my schedule, but I'd still like to be informed.

We couldn't qualify for the educational status because of what the forums looked like at the time.

Does that mean the status can change? (Would it be reviewed regularly?) What differences would apply?

[hobogato]

yes, the secretary attended the board meeting and will post minutes. i am not sure what the holdup is, but it likely just slipped her mind as it was a brief meeting. those minutes will contain the financial report given by the treasurer.

in regards to the np status:

we were seeking the educational status, but like nearly all other reef organizations we only qualified for the hobby related version of non profit. should we increase our focus on education even more, we can try again for the educational non profit status.

[tebstan]

... should we increase our focus on education even more, we can try again for the educational non profit status.

How can this be done? (Can this be done?) Would it provide any benefit to be considered "Educational" instead of "Social?"

[hobogato]

yes folks, lets leave the drama to some other site please.

for right now, it really doesnt make a difference as we do not have enough money coming in for it to effect us (at least that is the way i understood it when speaking with the cpa). at the time of our approval, there were only two reef clubs in the nation that had the purely educational status of np.

[hobogato]

..Can this be done?..

forgot this part

yes, we have already started work on offering a maast scholarship (working on fine tuning the application process) and working on a program to sponsor high school students who are performing aquatic related experiments for science fair competitions.