Question about non profit uses

A friend and I are considering bringing our non-profit organization into SL. We would use the space for informational purposes as well as holding meetings and maybe some events.

I'm a stickler for keeping within SL's rules, so I need to find out the rules before we go any further in our thinking.

If we were to buy a sim under the non-profit pricing, would we be allowed to rent space to help towards our costs of the sim? We're not looking to make money, but our budget is limited and we would need to be able to generate enough income to at least pay most of the tier fees and things.

Linden's documents say "that a region is not being used for educational or non-profit purposes, either in part or in whole" then they could cancel the deal.

Does anyone know how this language is interpreted by Linden, and if we'd be okay trying to rent out some space to help pay our costs?

I really don't know but if non profits and education can subsidise thier fees via rentals I'd be a bit miffed to be honest.

Their rules are semi-hidden in the right-hand column, at http://secondlife.com/land/privatepricing.php

"In part" is a red flag to steer clear of that kind of thing. But you can always follow what they recommend, contact billing and explain exactly the nature of the rentals you would want to offer, and see if they allow it for your case.

Please talk to the people at Non Profit Commons. They have all the answers regarding non profits in SL.

How come? If a non profit operates on a shoestring, why would doing some rentals be any different from selling cookies or other fundraiser? (Not being snippy, asking a genuine question)

I'm exploring the Non Profit Commons now....very nice place! Thank you all.

Possibly LL's cost of discounted fees gets a special tax treament for 501(c)3 nonprofits; I don't know this, but if so, they'd have to be very careful about keeping the discounts purely for nonprofit activities.

(This next bit is going to sound uncharitable, but...) Operating with discounted fees, nonprofits could easily undercut the prices of full-fee-paying customers, unfairly undermining the competition.

Cheers Qie, I was trying to think how to word that without sounding like a nasty git.

If non profits want to share their tier fees with other non profits/education on one island I wouldn't see that as an issue.

Having an education sim myself I've often wondered the same thing, the conclusions I came to were that a) you would have to rent it out to other education/non-profit organisations and b) you would need to be able to demonstrate that you were not making a profit from doing so.

I've heard of some education sims that give students somewhere to live in order to get them engaging, but in that case they don't ask for rent, and I assume don't allow them to set up shops or clubs etc.

Well, they give space to anyone that fills out a application. They do nto ask for your RL non-profit paperwork.

Perhaps setting up a venue in your island landing zone and making it your telehub would be acceptable. Rent out ad-boards in that area for income. Help noobs there and hold discussions and what-not.

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No, that's not uncharitable at all. It's actually something I hadn't even thought of, and it's a perfectly valid point.

I'm going to still ask around at the Non Profit Commons, but I think we should pursue a different path. The NPC has a nice setup with free office space, and I think that's the way to get started.

There's plenty of grant money out there, and we also talked about looking into a federal grant (USA). With the new stimulus bill, there's more money than ever and the feds just love funding things that seem "cutting edge" to them.

Ack, didn't see your post before I posted. Once I got there, I discovered they have free space, which is fantastic. I'm really impressed by the whole operation, and we intend to join! It's also a great way to talk to others and learn more.

I'm excited about this! Thank you so much, all!

We may find this NPC is enough for our needs, because our main goals are having a presence in SL, providing lots of information, and having a venue to hold regular support groups.

Good. That is the place to get all of your np questions answered, and like you they follow LL's np rules to the letter. If a np is not going to purchase a sim, that is the way to go.

Does this mean that LL are going to be offering lots of banks, automotive makers etc lots of free deals now then?

Pep (Do individuals with kids qualify as non-profit organisations as well?)

Hi Nicoletta......welcome~!!

My kneejerk reaction here is you'd really need to check with Linden labs if you have other questions about doing non-profit stuff in world. Or......the other option is to just go with a full priced sim.....and use what you need for non-profit and the rest you can rent out or whatever you please. But this is an issue to handle with the source, tho I'm sure you're getting good info via the forums.

I actually got involved with the MS Society in-world......(my mom had MS) and wound up doing an area on my own as a non-profit gallery. I only just started.......but since I rent the island from a full estate owner.....I can do as I please with it. Any L's I recoup would go right back into the tier. But, because I did it this way......it's none of LL's concern how I handle my area.

See, that's the thing and why it may not be a good idea to provide information on the forums about np's inworld. You hit the nail on the head. You have USA Federally recognized 501 (c) 3's and you have people such as yourself who are choosing to do what you do and other variations/levels in between. The rules aren't the same across the board and unless you know the details of what someone is doing, and exactly where n the spectrum their particular non profit falls, probably best not to give advice, and let them deal with LL and with non profit Commons inworld, to get the right answers, for them. Good answer, Milla.