Secretary's Message
At this time all lodges with the exception of one, has received
their 2008 packets and are running smoothly. Many lodges have already
sent in some per-capita payments which I truly appreciate. That
First deadline is March 1st. Hopefully everyone will elude that
$50.00 penalty for lateness and get their per capita in ASAP.
The Spring Board meeting is fast approaching. I always encourage
secretaries to try, if possible, to attend some of these meetings.
I do understand the financial crunch that all lodges are facing
during this time. Please keep good communication going between you
the Lodge Secretary and me the state secretary during the year.
I am always there for you and will always try to help make your
job easier. Before long June will be here and the second Deadline
will appear. That is also the time that you will be receiving from
me, the state conference packet. I will need to have returned to
me ASAP all your delegate information (credentials). Also, that
is the time to notify me of your Necrology names if any so that
I can make them a part of the State Memorial program during the
conference.
In closing, I hope that the information above will be of help
and also a reminder to all secretaries.
God Bless.
Fraternally,
Mickey Esposito
IRS Reminds Small Tax-Exempt
Organizations of the First Filing Date for the e-Postcard Electronic
Notice
WASHINGTON –– The Internal Revenue Service today reminded
small tax-exempt organizations of their new annual electronic filing
requirement as the first filing deadline of May 15 approaches. Organizations
can file by going to the appropriate
page on this Web site.
Beginning this year, most organizations whose gross receipts are
normally $25,000 or less must file Form 990-N, also known as the
e-Postcard. Previously these small organizations did not have an
annual filing requirement.
“The e-Postcard is fast and easy. An organization just quickly
answers a few questions online,” said Steven T. Miller, Commissioner
of the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division of the IRS. “It’s
free, totally paperless and will help ensure integrity and transparency
in the tax-exempt community.”
The first e-Postcards are due by May 15, 2008, from small tax-exempt
organizations whose tax year ended on December 31, 2007. For organizations
with a tax year that ends after December 31, 2007, the e-Postcard
is due by the 15th day of the 5th month after the close of their
tax year.
It is important for small organizations to file the e-Postcard
because, under the Pension Protection Act of 2006, if an organization
fails to file for three consecutive years it will lose its tax-exempt
status.
Some organizations do not have to file including organizations
that are part of a group return, as well as churches, their integrated
auxiliaries and conventions or associations of churches.
Related Items:
New FOPA Software Released
Lodge President’s and Secretary’s who attended the Membership
Meeting at the 64th Annual FOPA State Conference were treated to
new software demonstration from OpenOffice. OpenOffice is a free
software suite that mirrors Microsoft’s Office Suite. Enclosed
on that CD are templates that will fill in the membership information
on the state’s membership card blanks and State FOPA Membership
Certificates. What surprised us that many lodges did not know this
item was available for purchase. This item has been available and
can be ordered from the state secretary. See your “Per-Capita
Information” sheet that was enclosed with your yearly supply
of membership cards.
If you were unable to attend and wish to have this software, please
contact kessler@fopaohio.org or mje@fopaohio.org. For voice, please
call (513) 662-3000. This software will only be shipped to the lodge’s
President or Secretary of record. There will be a minimum charge
of $5.00 for postage and handling. You can also download the software
and templates below at no charge.
Word of Caution; With all new
software and templates, there are learning curves. DO NOT use a
blank membership card or Membership Certificates for testing. Enter
information into all fields and print a few sheets on blank paper
first to see if all the information lines up correctly. Look at
your current pre-prints for guidance. All printers are going to
act differently. Experiment with a few blank sheets of paper and
hold up the printed sheet against the blank membership pre-print
card or Membership Certificate to a light bulb or sun-lit window.
The fields can be moved on the templates. If you need assistance,
feel free to email kessler@fopaohio.org
or call Rich Kessler @ (513) 662-3000. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO USE
THIS SOFTWARE OR TEMPLATES. IT IS ONLY OFFERED AS A CONVEINANCE
TO THE LODGES. We are also not liable for any loses incurred by
your local lodge. Use commonsense and ask questions before you proceed
if you are not knowledgeable about common installation of programs
to your computer.
Downloads
If you have OpenOffice already, you can just download the templates
below to have the ability to customize the state issued membership
pre-print blank cards and Membership Certificates.
Download the free office suite
Membership Card
Template_Revised - click here to download
FOPA
Membership Certificate Template - click here to download
Installing the Software & Templates:
• After downloading, Double-click on “OOo_2.0.3_Win32Intel_install”
• Follow the onscreen instructions to install the software
• Right-click on the “Membership Card Template_Revised”
& “FOPA Membership Certificate Template” - click
“Send To” - click “Desktop” or “My
Documents”
Please note where you place these templates.
What’s so great about OpenOffice.org?
As the name suggests, OpenOffice.org is the most open office suite
available:
• no commercial licenses or software compliance issues to
worry about
• available on all major computing platforms
• the first office suite to comply with the OASIS OpenDocument
format
• the source code for the software is freely available under
a full OSI certified license
OpenOffice.org is synonymous with quality
• the roots of OpenOffice.org go back twenty years, creating
a huge wealth of experience
• hundreds of thousands of users have participated in the
beta testing of version 2
• with a fully open development process, OpenOffice.org has
nothing to hide - the product stands or falls on its reputation
OpenOffice.org is friendly
• the software looks and feels familiar and is instantly usable
by anyone who has used a competitive product
• it’s easy to change to OpenOffice.org - the software
reads all major competitors’ files
• OpenOffice.org is supported by a global community of friendly
volunteers, only too happy to provide assistance to newcomers and
advanced users alike
What’s in OpenOffice.org?
WRITER is OpenOffice.org’s word processor: use it for
anything from writing a quick letter to producing an entire book
with embedded illustrations, cross-references, tables of contents,
indexes, bibliographies... Auto-complete, auto-format, and real-time
spelling check make light work of the hardest task. Writer is powerful
enough to tackle desktop publishing tasks such as creating multi-column
newsletters, brochures – the only limit is your imagination.
Use CALC to bring your numbers under control. This powerful
spreadsheet has all the tools you need to calculate, analyse, summarise,
and present your data in numerical reports or sizzling graphics.
A fully-integrated help system makes entering complex formulas a
breeze. Sophisticated decision-making tools are just a few mouse
clicks away. Pull in external data using the Data Pilot, and sort
it, filter it, and produce subtotals and statistical analyses. Use
previews to select from thirteen categories of 2-D and 3-D charts
including line, area, column, pie, XY, stock and net with dozens
of variants.
IMPRESS is the fastest, most powerful way to create effective
multimedia presentations. Your presentations will truly stand out
with special effects, animation and high-impact drawing tools.
DRAW will produce everything from simple diagrams to dynamic
3D illustrations and special effects.
New to Version 2, BASE enables you to manipulate database
data seamlessly within OpenOffice.org. Create and modify tables,
forms, queries, and reports, either using your own database or Base’s
own built-in HSQL database engine. |
