Notice of Electronic Vote

[Deb Whitehorse]

An important message from IDNIYRA Commodore Warren Nethercote:

IDNIYRA will be conducting an electronic vote beginning Tuesday, October 30, 2018.

The Governing Committee has learned that in 2010 IDNIYRA obtained a tax number (an ‘EIN’) from the IRS, but that we never followed through to establish our status as a 501(c)(3) organization. We are an incorporated as a non-profit in Michigan, but separate application is required to establish our non-profit status with IRS. Completion of our application to IRS requires an addition to our constitution to define what would happen to our assets in the event of dissolution, and specifically that assets will not go to individual members, but instead to a successor organization with similar objects. We encourage you to support this addition to our constitution.

The Governing Committee is bringing this matter directly to a member vote by means of electronic voting. Should you not receive an email inviting you to vote by Wednesday, October 31, 2018, please send an email to Deb Whitehorse secretary.idniyra@gmail.com with your name, correct email address, and sail number, together with when you last paid membership dues.. We can then add you to the voting list and send a ballot to you. Both email address and sail number are required to allow for those members who share an email address, or use a third-party email address.

Warren Nethercote,
IDNIYRA Commodore

[Deb Whitehorse]

From IDNIYRA Commodore Warren Nethercote:

Results of Constitution Amendment Ballot

From October 30th to November 6, 2018, IDNIYRA had its first electronic ballot to consider the following amendment to the organization’s constitution, necessary for IRS recognition of the organization as a non-profit.

ARTICLE XIV – DISSOLUTION OF IDNIYRA
Upon dissolution of IDNIYRA, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose.

Ballots on ElectionBuddy, a third-party voting application, were sent to 198 members via email in accordance with the constitution and by-laws.  One invitation could not be delivered.  One hundred and four members voted, with 101 supporting, 3 opposing and none abstaining from the proposal.   With 97 percent of those voting approving the proposal, the proposal carried (the Constitution requires that 3/4 of those voting approve a motion to amend the constitution for it to carry).  The IDNIYRA can now proceed to apply for non-profit status with IRS.

Participation of 53 percent of the IDNIYRA electorate in this ballot represents the highest return rate in recent IDNIYRA ballots, suggesting that our adoption of electronic voting will improve governance of IDNIYRA.  We will reserve time at the 2019 IDNIYRA AGM for a discussion of lessons learned from this first electronic ballot.

Warren Nethercote, KC 3786
IDNIYRA Commodore