I can't believe how vicious and self righteous uninformed people can be

It's incredible the kind of stupid things that come from the mouths/ fingers of those who are uninformed! Community Cycles is an awesome non-profit organization of which I am a part! We run programs that help low-income individuals gain access to bicycles for sustainable means of transporation and recreation.


I won't go into a drawn out description of what exactly we do, but you can browse our website (www.CommunityCycles.org) to learn more about the great things we do in the community.


To subsidize our programs, pay our workshop rent, cover our expenses, we sell refurbished used bikes. Of course, the internet is one of the ways we get the word out. We post on Craigslist on a regular basis calling for donations and also advertising things we have for sale.


To which some poor idiot just sent me this reply:

"is this fraud and punishable by law? Umm, didn't you just post on here last week
stating that you needed an entire shop donated to you so that you could build bikes for
low income children?? And now, you've got adult bikes for sale for profit??"


Umm...my first reaction was an angry WHAT THE FUCK?! and yes, my feelings were hurt,
but then I realized how foolish this person is and I had a nice chuckle over it.

Umm...and how exactly does this person think a non-profit survives? A major myth
about non-profits is that they can't make profit.

What is a Non-profit corporation? (From www.legalzoom.com)


A non-profit corporation is a special type of corporation that has been
organized specific tax-exempt purposes. To qualify for non-profit
status, your corporation must be formed to benefit (1) the public, (2)
a specific group of individuals, or (3) the membership of the
nonprofit. Examples of non-profits include religious organizations,
charitable organizations, political organizations, credit unions and
membership clubs (such as the Elk's Club or a country club).


Non-profit corporations enjoy the same limited liability
protection that regular corporations and limited liability companies
enjoy. In other words, your directors, trustees, members, and employees
are not responsible for the debts and liabilities of the corporation.
There are also significant federal and state tax benefits available for
incorporating as a non-profit. But one of the most attractive benefits
of having a non-profit is that you are allowed to receive grants from
the federal government and private foundations.


It's important to note that simply forming a non-profit corporation
does not automatically qualify you for federal and state tax exemption.
Instead, it's only the first step. Only a validly organized non-profit
corporation can take that second step and apply for federal and state
tax exemption. This application is often referred to as the 501(c)(3)
application, since that is the most common IRS code section applicable
to non-profit organizations. In fact, there are more than 20 code
sections where a non-profit can qualify, with the most important being
501(c)(7) for social and recreational clubs.


A non-profit corporation does NOT mean that the corporation
cannot sell goods or services for money. In fact, many non-profits make
money from selling everything from clothing to medical services. A
non-profit can pay salaries to its officers and employees, but it
cannot distribute any profits for the benefit of its directors,
officers or members – for example, in the form of a dividend.