The Walpole FootlightersCommunity Newspapers Best Theater Award

Information for Members


If you're a member, this space is for you!

IMPORTANT:

MEMBER TIME AND TALENT SURVEY: We'd like to get some information about you for our files...Please fill out the Member Time and Talent survey at SurveyMonkey.com. The results will be given to Board members and production managers to help them find people who want to help! Many hands make light work! Click here to take the survey.

If you believe you are a paid member in good standing and have not received the latest issue of Footnotes and a membership handbook, please notify the Secretary at . We will verify your information against our membership database.

We have a membership email list. To have the Secretary add your email to it, write to her at at .

If you're not a member and you'd like to join, dues for 2006-2007 are $20 per year for individuals and $30 for family members living in the same household. To join, go to our online store to pay your dues.

BMI/ASCAP Licenses

The Footlighters are licensees of BMI and ASCAP. If you are working on a sound design for one of our productions, you can verify that titles are covered under our license by searching their web sites:

ASCAP Title Search

BMI Title Search

Volunteer and Get a Tax Break (Maybe)!

At a recent General Meeting, the question of volunteer time and tax deductions came up. Here's the explanation of what can be deducted from the U.S. Treasury:

Question: There is much talk about encouraging people to volunteer their time to help organizations that provide community services. Shouldn't people who do volunteer work be provided with a tax deduction to compensate them for their donation?

Answer: Under current law, volunteers are prohibited from taking a charitable contribution deduction for the value of the services they provided to charities. However, the tax code does support volunteer work for charitable organizations by allowing volunteers to take a charitable contribution deduction for expenses they incur in connection with their volunteer services, but the expenses must be ones the charity would otherwise have to incur, not personal expenses of the volunteer. For example, volunteers may deduct the cost of materials they donate for use in repairs to a church, supplies they use in leading activities at a day care center, or uniforms they wear when serving as nurses' aides. However, volunteers may not deduct personal expenses such as meals eaten during a break in a local service project, transportation to and from a school where they donate their time, or child care expenses.

You can find more information at Charity.com.

Keep a record of the billable expenses you incur for the organization. Send a receipt to the organization and keep a copy for your own tax records. Ask your accountant or IRS representative what percentage of your services can be deducted and if there is a limit. Depending upon the organization, you can deduct anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of your donation. Keep all your receipts in case you are called for an audit.

Documents

Our key documents - our Bylaws, Information Sheet for Cast and Crew, and the Member Handbook (which includes the Bylaws and the Information Sheet) are available below. You'll need Acrobat Reader to read the documents.

  • Bylaws (revised 9/2000)
  • Cast and Crew Information Sheet (revised March 2005)
  • Member Handbook (revised 11/2005)

  • Copyright Walpole Footlighters  P.O. Box 189, Walpole, MA 02081
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