[vox] Social gathering tonight! (Tue 3/7)

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Scot A (gvlt55 at gmail.com):

> Bill,
> It's actually a good thing you mentioned the non-profit status concern.
> The one place I have contacted about this  informed me that they only cater
> to not for profit organizations.

There are two primary ways to interpret that.  The straightforward way
is to assume that they have an actual need for imposing that
requirement.  The slightly jaded interpretation is that they're
using an easy way to cull inquiries.  Sometimes, when management
_really_ wants to cull the herd, what you hear is 'Do you also have an
IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter to prove you're a charity
non-profit?'  And then you hear 'Does your event have documented
liability insurance providing at least $1M in coverage?'  And eventually
(or at some point) 'Do you have a sponsor who works here?'  Which is why
it's handy to have inside contacts in places.

If you are the Facilities Department for a highly desirable meeting
location, you (1) are in a position to be very picky, especially if the
outsiders wishing to reserve your facility aren't paying money, and 
(2) appreciate gracious ways to say 'no' that make most people go away
without making a fuss.  Telling outside applicants, especially ones who
nobody inside knows and can vouch for, they haven't jumped through the
right legal and bureaucratic hoops does the trick nicely.

In a minority of cases, the question arises because the facility is
owned and operated by, say, a 501(c)(3) charity that therefore is
legally required that most of the activities it hosts and sponsors also
qualify under that highly restricted and privileged IRS category.  That
doesn't mean they _may not_ host non-charity events, just not amounting
to a significant percentage of their operations -- and the easy way to
simplify matters is to be picky.  (After all, if you're just some dude
off the street, why would they depart from the path of least resistance
to be nice to you?)