User Groups Do you Know ?
Liability Insurance Program for FACUG Members - Contact the President for further information.
Vendor Presentations - Is your group having difficulty finding vendors for presentations?
1. Find groups near you that meet the day before and/or the day after your meeting date, and work cooperatively with them to schedule presentations. If there are none, consider changing your meeting date.
2. Obtain a good database of vendor name, addresses, contacts, phone numbers, email addresses, products, etc. Download a vendor database from APCUG, and/or obtain a vendor database from Larry Tyler
3. Prepare a form email letter which will supply group information to vendors. Prepare a form email letter supplying information for vendor presentors 45-60 days before their presentation. This also acts as a reminder to the vendor.
Software Review Program - Does your group have one? If not you should! This is a key program in building a user group.
Tax Exempt Status for Your Group - Does your group have federal tax exempt status? Some reasons to have this status are no federal taxes and reduced tax filing requirements, reduced post office rates for mailings. possible state sales tax exemption, use of public facilities not otherwise available, and more.
User Group Home Page - Does your user group have a home page? A home page can give your group visibility to members, prospective members, vendors. It can (more currently than any other medium) display your group's objectives, mission statement, activities, membership information, meeting information, special events, SIGs, contact persons, product reviews, membership application, etc. It is only limited by your ingenuity.
Starting a Home Page:
1. We need a Web site.
APCUG will supply one free if your group is a member. So will AOL if you have someone using AOL. If not, most Internet Service Providers will supply space to their customers. Or you may get an ISP to give you a free space in return for giving them some advertising, etc. in your newsletter. PC RAMs has a free site with Mindspring, and gives them some exposure in their newsletter as well as having them do a presentation now and then.
2. We do not know HTML to write a home page.
You do not have to know a thing about HTML or the technical end of writing code. Find a member who uses America Online. He or she can download a free copy of AOL Press . This is an excellent and easy to use program. A member may also obtain free space for a home page on the AOL site. FACUG's first home page was on AOL. You can download a free copy of Microsoft Front Page Express. If you or your "Webmaster" have any questions now or in the future, get in touch with the FACUG Webmaster.
Newsletter Advertising- advertising for Non-Profits. It seems that ,like the IRS, the Postal Service and its Postmasters often do not really know the regulations. The definitive publication on this is as follows: (text taken from the post office site):
Publication 417 - Nonprofit Standard Mail Eligibility
Nonprofit Standard Mail Eligibility Nonprofit and Other Qualified Organizations Publication 417 October 6, 1996 Transmittal Letter
A. Explanation. This publication discusses eligibility, authorization, and mailing rules for the Nonprofit Standard Mail rates.
B. Additional Information. Copies of this publication can be obtained at all post offices, business mail entry units, and postal business centers.
Apparently you can have advertising legally. The publication can be downloaded from http://www.usps.gov. Do a search for Publication 417. File is 500K long. Probably be better if you can get one from the local Post Office. This is the definitive answer, and will finally dispell all the rhetoric surrounding this issue.