The Challenges that we face in our decision to go into medicine, our academic work load, and affect on those we love are enormous.
The OPM forum helps us face and overcome those challenges.
But OPM is also challenged with the money it takes to support this forum.
I have recently donated $500.00 dollars to OPM and have challenged my company to provide a matching grant.
I now challenge all of you to also match this $500.00
Donate whatever you can, $1.00, $5.00, $10.00 and lets see if we all together can match that $500.00
All donations are tax deductible
send your donations to:
OldPreMeds, Inc.
PMB #363
5065 State street
Saginaw, MI 48603
Thank you all
Richard S. Levy
Richard,
Wow! Thank you so much for your generous contribution. If we could just get all members to donate even a small portion of that amount, it would enable the organization to grow and develop into a group that would be unsurpassed in its ability to help the nontraditional student prepare for and conquer medical school.
As you stated, OPM is very challenged to meet the financial demands of supporting the forums and continuing to grow and improve. Thank you again for your generous contribution! And for anyone else who is thinking about contributing, please follow Richard's lead and help OPM continue to grow stronger and develop more ways of assisting each member through the med school saga.
Rich,
OPM wishes to express its sincere gratitude to you for your generosity. From the beginning, OPM has subsisted on the volunteerism & donations of its members.
That said, as you astutely pointed out, as OPM grows and expands the services & benefits provided to the membership; so does the operating costs. As always, we are solely dependent upon the continuous altruism of our members. At this time, OPM is in the process of having its Federal 501Â(3) status made official (until we reach a specified threshold of donations, it is not necessary to file the expensive and voluminous application - but many companies will not honor our tax-exempt status w/o the Federally issued number); so we are filing the paperwork before it is necessary.
The company that Rich works for has a policy of 100% matching of donations made to 501Â(3) organizations. All members of OPM should check to see if their employers offers a similar benefit. And, for those of you unaware, all moneys that you donate to a 501Â(3) organization are Federally tax deductable on your Federal form as well.
All of us have benefitted in one form or another from OPM and what it offers to it membership. OPM is now asking the you reciprocate by increasing your involvement and by donating funds. Yes, we're all on a tight budget…so, if you can only spare $5 or $10 – that is still wonderful! With in excess of 1700 members, $10 each would cover our operation and projects expenses for some time to come and still afford us the opportunity to expand our benefits & services.
Furthermore, every single person who runs OPM does so on a strictly voluntary basis. Not one single person receives any compensation for their services to OPM. However, all of us that you interact with receive nothing more than the satisfaction of helping others to walk the path that we walk or seek to tread.
Again, OPM sincerely appreciates Rich's generosity. If you wish to donate funds to OPM, it is very simple to do. Make all checks or money orders out to: OldPreMeds, Inc. & mail them to:
OldPreMeds, Inc.
PMB #363
5065 State Street
Saginaw, MI 48603
We also have an account set up on PayPal, but since the PayPal people take a commission off of the top of your donation, we'd certainly prefer that you simply mailed your donation to us. If you want a receipt for your donation, be sure to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for it to be returned in. If your donating $500 or more, you will definitely need to have a receipt. The Feds require a receipt for all donations of $500 or more taken off of taxes.
Please take a moment to donate to OPM's future.
Sincerely,
To update on this process, I have met with our attorney (sounds very odd to say that) and the wheels are turning. The gentleman I have asked to help us file the necessary moundof paperwork feels very confident that the Holy Grail of tax-exemptness – 501 c 3 status will be ours. The process will cost OPM b/t $1150 and $1500.
Now you ask why we are devoting so much of our precious resources to officially designating ourselves as a 501 c 3 corporation? According to Federal guidelines, if a group meets the requirements of a 501 c 3 corp, but takes in less than x-amt in annual gross income, then it is unnecessary to file this application until you exceed the specified annual gross receipts threshold. However, the downside of not having filed is that no company we conduct business with is obligated to allow us to forgo taxes due on sales unless we have the Federally granted 501 c 3 ID number. In addition, even though all member contributions are 100% Fed tax deductible, if that member gets audited, OPM does not have that ID number to provide our member to substantiate their deduction claim. So, you the member, who was gracious enough to assist our organization, comes under the gun and OPM is unable to fully stand behind you.
So, it is for OPM’s and OPM members’ benefit that we are going through this process. In the upcoming 2003 Conference & Workshops in DC, we will save a substantial sum of money in not having to pay for taxes on our business transactions with the hotel. Furthermore, were one of our member donors to get audited, OPM can produce our official ID and your deduction is credible…period, assuming you have not fudged.
To facilitate this process and to underwrite the continued evolution of OPM as an organization serving its membership, sometime after 1 January 2003, we will be launching a program that will allow our members to commit to a pledge of support to OldPreMed’s mission & vision (Wow, does that sound like corporate-speak or what?). In essence, there will be a downloadable form that will permit you to delineate your financial commitment to OPM. This program will allow you to donate a lump sum, multiple lump sums or to dedicate to an aggregate donation for the 2003 tax year and schedule your payments to OPM at your convenience. As a part of this service, OldPreMeds will bill you in advance of your payments being due.
Why are we sticking our hands out and asking for $$ yet again? Just in case you did not realize this, the benefits & services that OPM provides to our members is not free. It is paid for almost exclusively through members’ volunteerism and monetary donations. OPM receives a minimal amount of compensation from its advertisers, but we heavily restrict who we permit to advertise to avoid our members being placed onto those pesky SPAM lists & we refuse to foul up our beautiful web site with gaudy & annoying advertising that pops up or obscures the purpose of OPM. We have also worked very hard to avoid the insititution of mandatory annual dues for our members. Honestly, as rapidly as OPM has grown and continues to evolve, annual dues is an inevitability – but, we are hoping to stave that off even longer through this member pledge program.
Just to ameliorate any concerns you may have over where the money goes, no member of OPM receives any monetary compensation for their services. We do contract with outside resources to run the place: our web host, Northerntown Productions (Cheryl the web goddess), Kinko’s (business support) & other retailers for items of need. But there are no staff members, Board members, anyone on the Exec Council or any member of OPM who receives payment of any kind. And, OldPreMeds steadfastly refuses to sell, rent or gift its member database to any outside firm whose intent is to use it for advertising purposes.
That leaves us fiscally reliant upon you, the membership of OPM. We feel that this position is fully justifiable in that the people who benefit from the efforts of OPM are you, the members of OPM. If you desire to be able to continue to count on OPM for the excellent benefits and services that we provide, then we need your generousity to help pay for it.
Thank you in advance for what I know will be a broad & generous response. Keep an eye out for a new link allowing you to download the Pledge Form that I mentioned above. As before, you may also donate to OPM through the PayPal service. Information on how to do so is contained in a related thread in this forum. And, PayPal can now handle many international monetary denominations. For any questions or concerns that you may have, please do not heistate to e-mail me at OldManDave
My sincerest appreciation to you all for helping to keep this organization alive, dynamic and evolving!
I neglected to include in the above post that as a part of the Pledge Program, for individuals who fulfill their donation obligation, OPM will be awarding gifts of OPM paraphrenalia. The items will largely be from the variety that we offer through OPM / CafePress…which you shold all check out anyhow! There is still a Christmas sale ongoing and those items make excellent gifts!
I will create the forms and what-not over the weekend. So, watch for the announcement of the Pledge Program opening sometime early next week.
I would like to join Richard in challenging each member to contribute what they can to OPM. As a non-profit organization, OPM does not have funds outside of donations but is growing as an org every day. While my employer won’t match my donations, I am giving $50 per month to OPM to use as needed. While you might expect that from your national president, I am a struggling student like everyone else, so I know how tough it is. I hope each of you will consider how much OPM has supported you and give generously. I know I would not have reached the point that I am now without the support of OPM. (Senior with 6 hours until graduation, taking the MCAT in April, and applying this year!!) OPM Rocks!!
Kathy 