One of the goals of the Ada Initiative is to prevent volunteer burn-out, both in our own volunteers and in the wider community. The open tech/culture community has lost too many valuable people to burn-out over the years, especially people who advocate for women. One way we do this is by encouraging people to take “volunteer vacations.” Another way is supporting people when they want to change volunteer roles or organizations.

We also believe it is important to have new blood in leadership, bringing in new people with different ideas and rotating out veterans. By bringing in new people from different fields and backgrounds, we have a better chance of staying relevant and effective. We’ve continued to add new people to the Ada Initiative advisory board and always on the look-out for people with new and unique experience to join us.

As part of this strategy, we periodically poll our board of advisors and ask who is ready to step down for a while. This time it is Mitchell Baker, John Ferlito, and Sulamita Garcia. Here’s a little more about them and their work for us.

Mitchell Baker

Mitchell Baker was one of our earliest advisors, bringing her experience as founding CEO of the Mozilla Foundation and a lawyer to the table. Mitchell got us off on the right foot both legally and organizationally. Her advice and support were crucial to our launch and in forming the Ada Initiative organization. Mitchell wrote about her time at the Ada Initiative in a post on her own blog.

John Ferlito

John Ferlito is president of Linux Australia, the peak body for open source software in Australia, and founder or CTO of several businesses. Since our co-founder Mary Gardiner and our first conference, AdaCamp Melbourne, were in Australia, John’s advice on doing business and working with sponsors, the press, and the open source community in Australia was especially useful. John also championed Linux Australia becoming the Ada Initiative’s first corporate sponsor.

Sulamita Garcia

Sulamita Garcia has been an outspoken and enthusiast advocate for women in open source for many years, beginning with LinuxChix Brazil. In addition to working as an open source community and strategy manager for Latin America, Sulamita has lived and worked in countries around the world, so her advice helped us with our goal of being an international organization. Her perspective as a RHCE-certified Linux expert and one of the most experienced advocates for women in open source was also valuable.

Please join us in thanking Mitchell, John, and Sulamita for their service! We look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.

Wikimedia Foundation

Gayle Karen Young, Chief Talent and Community Officer of the Wikimedia Foundation, had this to say about working with the Ada Initiative: “Their project work with us has included evaluation and recommendations on our recruiting methods, policy development, and training development, all with an eye towards our joint goal of supporting women in open technology and culture. We have adopted a policy on creating safer spaces at our events and conferences, we have looked at the way our job descriptions are written and how they are posted to better understand how we may unintentionally discourage women, and they were instrumental in providing input into our sexual harassment prevention training program. The Ada Initiative has been a joy to work with and a true partner in supporting an inclusive culture here at the Wikimedia Foundation.”

Mozilla Foundation

We advised the Mozilla Foundation on next steps to take after a community debate on the role of the Planet Mozilla blog aggregator. Mitchell Baker, Mozilla Foundation chairwoman, says “The Ada Initiative helped us work through some very tricky and emotional issues within our community. TAI was easy to reach, thoughtful in approach and very helpful. We promptly made an unsolicited donation so that this much-needed service from TAI can continue to be available to everyone.”

O’Reilly

We helped O’Reilly develop a blanket conference code of conduct for all their conferences, sharing resources like the Geek Feminism Timeline of Sexist Incidents, the example conference anti-harassment policy, and our knowledge of which techniques worked best in the past to communicate expectations of attendee behavior.

Google

We worked with Google’s Events Marketing team to develop and adopt an anti-harassment policy for applicable Google events, following calls for such a policy from Google employees.

Linux Foundation

We worked with the Linux Foundation to develop a custom anti-harassment/diversity policy designed for their more corporate, structured conference environment. “The Ada Initiative helped us quickly and efficiently build a policy that works for our many events,” says Amanda McPherson, Vice President, Marketing and Developer Program. Open technology and culture communities vary greatly, and we are happy to work with organizations to adapt policies to their specific needs.

Linux Australia

We advised Linux Australia on both the immediate handling of a violation of their conference’s anti-harassment policy, and on the development of long-term diversity initiatives for the organization as a whole. John Ferlito, president of Linux Australia, says “Over the last 12 months Linux Australia has been undertaking policy initiatives which amongst other things include issues surrounding diversity and discrimination. The Ada Initiative has helped in this process by providing useful advice and insights into the issues involved. The Ada Initiative’s consulting program has helped ease the burden on the scarce resources of a volunteer run organisation.”

Thank you

Your donations make this work possible. We don’t charge for consulting for many reasons:

• Many of our clients are non-profits and can’t afford expensive consulting services
• Often clients need advice quickly, sometimes within a few hours
• We want the barrier to positive change for women to be as low as possible
• We don’t want to profit from other people’s misfortunes

If we can find a way to charge for consulting in some cases without running into these problems, we may begin doing so, but for now, it’s all free.

Many of our consulting clients have gone on to become Ada Initiative sponsors, which is a nice vote of confidence. But what is most important is that every time we help a non-profit, foundation, or company figure out how to better support women, we are accomplishing our mission: increasing the participation and status of women in open technology and culture.

First, an urgent request: If you have donated to the Ada Initiative and your employer matches donations to U.S. non-profits, please submit your request for a matching donation by June 1, 2012 as that is the deadline for many matching donations. We estimate that we qualify for at least $5,000 USD and perhaps as much as $10,000 USD or more in matching donations, which for us is enough money to fund an entire program the size of Ada’s Advice. See the entry on matching donations in our FAQ below for more information.

If you’re one of the many people who has been waiting to donate until we have tax-exempt status, you can donate to the Ada Initiative now.

Why is tax-exempt status important?

The United States government supports non-profits working for the public good in two major ways. First, it grants qualified non-profits exemptions from certain taxes. Second, it allows people who donate to tax-exempt non-profits to deduct those donations from their income on their U.S. tax returns (tax-deductible donations). In other words, a non-profit organization with tax-exempt status can save a lot of money on taxes and raise more money in donations, and it can use that money to achieve its mission (in our case, increasing the participation and status of women in open technology and culture).

Not many people know that an organization can be a non-profit but not tax-exempt. Registering as a non-profit is trivial, but getting tax-exempt status is much harder. This is due in part to a long history of organizations and people trying to avoid paying taxes by illegally funneling money through a non-profit. The United States Internal Revenue Service (the IRS, responsible for collecting federal taxes) has created a large set of rules for tax-exempt organizations and requires a lengthy application and examination process before it grants tax-exempt status to a non-profit.

The Ada Initiative and tax-exempt status

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know we’ve blogged extensively about our application for tax-exempt status. We applied for tax-exempt status in October 2011, and the IRS granted us tax-exempt status on May 14, 2012, extending retroactively to the date of our incorporation, March 18, 2011.

We put a lot of effort and money into acquiring tax-exempt status swiftly because it helps both our donors and the Ada Initiative. In particular:

• U.S. donors can now claim all donations to the Ada Initiative, past and future, as tax-deductible
• Donations to the Ada Initiative now qualify for many employer donation matching programs
• The Ada Initiative qualifies for many free or discounted services, including online payment processors
• The Ada Initiative can use services available only to tax-exempt organizations
• Donors have more confidence knowing we meet the IRS standards for a tax-exempt non-profit

As a concrete example of the benefits, most online payment processors only allow tax-exempt non-profits to collect donations with their service (PayPal being the notable exception). Many of our donors wanted options other than PayPal for donations, such as Google Checkout, and we now have the option of providing that.

We want to take this opportunity to thank our lawyer and law firm, Michael Durham of Caplin & Drysdale (coincidentally, the same law firm where Stephen Colbert’s lawyer Trevor Potter works). Without Michael’s expertise in non-profit law, our tax-exempt status would have been delayed for many more months, causing us to miss some crucial matching donation deadlines. We also thank all of our supporters, who made it possible for us to do this work, and our advisors and board members, who gave us assistance and advice.

FAQ

If you already filed your taxes for the time of your donation, you should consider filing a revised tax return. If you have not filed your taxes for the time of your donation, simply treat your donation like any other tax-deductible donation. In either case, you should also find out if your employer matches donations to non-profits and apply for the matching donation.

Restating a tax return costs time and money and may not be worth it for the money you save. Here is a quick guide to estimate the benefit of restating your tax return.

We will be re-issuing valid donation receipts to all Ada Initiative donors during this week by email. If you do not receive one, that is probably because there was a problem with delivery to the email address we have on record for you. Email us and request a receipt explicitly if you do not receive a receipt by May 28, 2012.

Q: What is a matching donation and how do I apply for one?

A: Many employers will match employee donations to tax-exempt non-profits. For example, Google will match donations 100% up to a certain per-employee limit if the request to match the donation is submitted within one year of the donation. Other company’s programs may differ. To find out if your donation is eligible, ask your HR department or search for “matching donation” on your company intranet. Often matching donation applications require the recipient’s Employer Identification Number (EIN). Ours is 45-1135048. You may also need a copy of our letter of determination from the IRS. If your matching donation program relies on looking up organizations in the public IRS database of tax-exempt organizations, keep in mind that we will not be in that database until the next update on June 14, 2012 (see this question for more detail). You will also need the valid donation receipt that we are emailing this week.

Please keep in mind that many matching donation programs have deadlines for applications, often one year after your donation. Since many major donations were made in June 2011, the deadline for your matching donation may be in only a week or two!

Q: I want to donate now, what does this mean for me?

A: It means that if you file a U.S. tax return, you can subtract the amount of your donation from your taxable income. Talk to your tax advisor for details. You can donate here.

Any new donations would also be eligible for employer matching donations immediately, if your employer has a matching program. You should receive an appropriate receipt by email automatically after making your donation.

Q: I don’t file a U.S. tax return, does this affect me?

A: It does not affect your taxes. This tax-exempt status is granted by the U.S. government and only applies to U.S. tax returns.

If you work for an organization with headquarters in the U.S. or significant business presence there, your donation may still be eligible for employer matching. Check your company policy as discussed in the question about matching donations.

Q: Do you also plan to apply for tax-exempt status in other countries?

A: We very much appreciate that donors outside the U.S. would prefer to receive tax deductions too, but due to the high costs involved we currently have no plans to seek charitable or tax-exempt status in any country other than the U.S. Applying for tax-exempt status is often very expensive and may impose significant additional restrictions on our activities. Since we have significant operations in the U.S. and the bulk of our donations come from the U.S., it made financial sense for us to apply for tax-exempt status in the U.S. This isn’t the case for other countries; for example, while we also operate in Australia, it is much more difficult and expensive to get tax-exempt status in Australia than in the U.S., and as a result it does not make financial sense to become tax-exempt in Australia.

Q: Does this restrict the Ada Initiative’s activities?

A: Yes, we must obey the rules for tax-exempt organizations in the U.S. These include restrictions on how we spend money and requirements to file detailed financial reports.

Q: Is this decision preliminary or final?

A: This is a final grant of tax-exempt status. It can be revoked only if the IRS concludes that the Ada Initiative is not obeying the rules for non-profits and issues a revocation of our tax-exempt status. You can search for revoked tax-exempt grants here.

Q: How can I confirm that the Ada Initiative is tax-exempt?

A: The IRS operates a tax-exempt organization lookup service. The Ada Initiative will be listed in that database after the next time they update the database, on June 14, 2012. Until that time, you can use a copy of our letter of determination to prove tax-exempt status. An EIN (Employer Identification Number) is sometimes used to verify tax-exempt status. Ours is 45-1135048. Again, keep in mind that the IRS public database of tax-exempt organizations will not contain our entry until June 14, 2012.

(Apparently blue logos are quite popular with the AdaCamp DC sponsors.)

You can sponsor AdaCamp DC too – email sponsors@adainitiative.org to find out more about becoming an AdaCamp DC sponsor today!

An important reminder for those who need travel assistance to attend: some travel assistance is available, including international travel, and the deadline to apply if you need travel assistance is Friday May 11, that is, tomorrow!

Apply to AdaCamp DC now!

Notification dates are:

• Deadline for applications requesting travel assistance: May 11
• Final notification of acceptance for applications requesting travel assistance: May 25
• Deadline for all other applications: June 15
• Notification of acceptance for all other applications approximately every 2 weeks
• Notification of acceptance for all other applications: June 29

If you have any questions about the application process, please email adacamp@adainitiative.org. See you there!

Sponsors

AdaCamp DC is supported by our generous AdaCamp sponsors:

• Silver sponsors: The Linux Foundation, Intel, Facebook, Red Hat, Collabora
• Bronze sponsor: GitHub
• International travel sponsor: Google

Contact us at sponsors@adainitiative.org to become an AdaCamp sponsor today!

by Bernt Rostad

AdaCamp DC, on July 10–11, 2012, will be located at the Washington Post building, thanks to our venue sponsor, SocialCode.

AdaCamp DC sponsors who signed on during April include:

• The Linux Foundation
• Intel
• Facebook
• Red Hat
• Collabora
• GitHub

Applications to attend AdaCamp DC are now open. The deadline for application for travel scholarships is May 11. So far we have over 50 strong applications, includes applicants from India, Brazil, Romania, Egypt, Argentina, Macedonia, Peru, Australia, the UK, and the US. This should be an amazing event!

Google is funding two international travel scholarships for AdaCamp attendees. As you can see, there are far more deserving applicants needing international travel funding than we are able to sponsor at this time. The more sponsors we have, the more travel scholarships we can pay. Email sponsors@adainitiative.org for more information on becoming a sponsor.

Ada Initiative advisors in the news

The BBC interviewed Karen Sandler about the importance of open source in her implanted defibrillator.

Mitchell Baker was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame for her work on Mozilla.

Selena Deckelmann was quoted in an article on sexism in tech in The Next Web.

Rachel Chalmers was promoted to Research Vice President at The 451 Group.

Sumana Harihareswara was promoted to Engineering Community Manager at Wikimedia Foundation.

New board member: Caroline Simard

In our yearly board elections, we elected Caroline Simard to the board of directors. Read more about Caroline in our announcement. We thank Matt Zimmerman again for his excellent service to the Ada Initiative as a board member, and are glad he is continuing as an advisor.

Upcoming appearances

• July 10–11, 2012: Mary and Valerie will both be attending AdaCamp DC.
• July 12–14, 2012: Mary and Valerie will both be attending Wikimania 2012‘s main program.

New sponsors

O’Reilly, the technology publisher and conference organizer and strong supporter of open technology and culture, is the Ada Initiative’s latest Venture Philanthropist sponsor. O’Reilly strongly encourages women to speak at and attend tech conferences, as well as write about technology, in order to expand their influence and career opportunities. See the list of upcoming O’Reilly conferences here and consider submitting a talk proposal. We thank O’Reilly for their support of women in open technology and culture.

New sponsorship level

We added a new sponsorship level: For $500 – $1999, your company can be a contributing sponsor and get your company’s name and a link on the contributing sponsors part of our sponsors page.

Our inaugural contributing sponsors are Mozilla Corporation, Dyn, Inc., CloudMine. Thank you for your support of women in open technology and culture!

Angel funders and major sponsors

We’re taking this opportunity to thank our early funders again. Without their sponsorship and belief in the Ada Initiative’s ability to accomplish our mission, none of our activities would be possible, including the upcoming AdaCamp DC. Thank you again, Linux Australia, Puppet Labs, DreamHost, Ceph, and our Seed 100 funders. Let our sponsors know you appreciate their support!

Upcoming events for women in open technology and culture

See our calendar for a full listing, and submit any additional events to share@adainitiative.org.

Sponsorship opportunities

The Ada Initiative’s Venture Philanthropist sponsorship program allows organisations to sponsor the Ada Initiative for sponsorship amounts between $2000 and $9999 (USD) with a minimum of hassle. Contact donors@adainitiative.org for larger sponsorship packages.

In addition, Google will be sponsoring two international travel scholarships for attendees of AdaCamp. The deadline to apply for all travel scholarships is May 11. Apply to attend AdaCamp now!

By sponsoring AdaCamp, these organizations are supporting women in open technology and culture in a practical and direct way. AdaCamp DC will be the world’s largest gathering of people working together to increase the participation and status of women in open source, Wikipedia, fan/remix culture, open government, open libraries, and more.

For more information about AdaCamp DC, see the AdaCamp DC web site. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of AdaCamp DC, email sponsors@adainitiative.org and we will send you detailed information on the conference and the benefits of sponsorship.

Location of the channel

Network: Freenode
IRC server: chat.freenode.net
Channel: #adainitiative

A web chat interface is available at http://webchat.freenode.net/

Enter a nickname of your choice in “Nickname” and “#adainitiative” in “Channels”.

Note on channel moderation: We’re not up to following or moderating a fulltime chat channel, so the channel will be set to voice-only (which will mean most people can’t communicate with the channel) when a public chat isn’t taking place. You’re welcome to lurk in there fulltime if that’s easier for your IRC client, but there won’t be activity there outside regular meetings.

If you have any concerns about the channel or anything that happens in it, contact info@adainitiative.org.

(c) Bernt Rostad, CC-Attribution

Applications for AdaCamp DC are now open – apply now!

AdaCamp DC will be July 10 – 11, 2012, in Washington DC, co-located with Wikimania 2012. We are likely to have more applications than available slots, so apply now to have the best chance of attending. Applications close June 15 (May 11 for those requesting travel assistance).

Who should apply

AdaCamp DC will bring together a wide variety of people from open technology and culture, all of whom are working to support women in open tech/culture. We’re looking for people who:

• Participate in open technology and culture: any field involving open/grassroots/community participation and sharing the results of your work for free: open data, open source software, wikis, open government, open libraries, remix/fan culture, open video, and more
• Can share information about women’s experiences in that field, including talking about women’s achievements and the challenges they face
• Want to work together and share strategies to support and promote women in the field
• Share the Ada Initiative’s feminist approach to supporting and promoting women in open technology and culture
• Are young and old; students, professionals and hobbyists; from a diverse range of backgrounds; and reflect the breadth of the open technology and culture field

AdaCamp is open to people of all genders. However, since AdaCamp and the Ada Initiative exist to support and promote women in open technology and culture, prospective attendees who are not themselves women will need to demonstrate a high level of prior engagement and experience with the issues faced by women in those fields in order to be invited.

Find out more about AdaCamp DC at the event webpage.

Sponsors

The Ada Initiative thanks our generous AdaCamp sponsors for making this event possible. Our current sponsors are the Linux Foundation, Intel, Facebook, Red Hat, Collabora, and GitHub.

Interested in becoming an AdaCamp sponsor? Email us at sponsors@adainitiative.org and we will send you more information on the benefits of sponsorship.

After 9 months of incubation, we birthed a beautiful little hackerspace! We’re moving in now, getting our nonprofit status, working on our Kickstarter, figuring out our membership, collecting equipment and furniture donations and startup cash donations…

Until then, stop by and visit us at our weekly open house on Wed mornings 10am-12pm or Thurs nights

Their space is in Adeline St., Berkeley CA. Attendees are all asked to assist in funding childcare.

Got open tech and culture news to share with women in the Ada Initiative’s community? Email share@adainitiative.org.