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Hey everybody! This is Peter Joseph of The Zeitgeist Movement

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with a June 2016 update.

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As has been talked about for some time,

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I'm here to finally announce that the Zeitgeist Movement is officially a

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501c3 nonprofit organization.

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For those unfamiliar, a 501c3 NPO is a tax-exempt institution

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designed to not only take tax-deductible donations in the US,

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but to have the advantage of obtaining reduced rates in general commerce,

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such as discounts on renting event spaces, and so on.

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In short, this new element of TZM is designed to improve

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our most core administrative tasks,

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something that has been needed for a good while now.

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In form, as required by US law, an NPO consists of a board of directors,

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and this team oversees the core global administrative tasks.

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As far as the specifics, examples of current needs include

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funding website work, covering admin and hosting fees,

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improved development and promotion of global event days

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such as the Media Festival and Zeitgeist Day,

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expanding public relations work

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including better social networking strategies,

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and so on. Lots to be said.

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There's also an interest to create a better communicative structure,

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specifically to help chapters,

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while ensuring reliable and even full-time

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working project heads when needed,

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to help assist volunteers and increase efficiency.

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In fact, as many know,

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projects such as the Global Redesign Institute

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unfortunately really can't develop without this new level of support.

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I get asked all the time about GRI and the reality is

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there's simply limits to what an all-volunteer structure can accomplish,

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given such heavy ambitions.

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Needless to say, as a fundamentally grassroots and volunteer-based movement,

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we all still have day jobs, bills, debt, health issues and other

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basic liabilities that exists outside of our activist interests.

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Time is, sadly, literally money in the current society,

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and as I've often said, activism is really kind of a “luxury.”

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The kind of mobilization really needed for true social change

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is constantly inhibited by the grand inefficiency

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and survival pressures of our market-driven world.

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And while TZM has worked around this problem for years with

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great progress and consistency,

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it now requires increased time and resources,

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and hence the need for increased financial support.

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And to give some perspective, which I hate to point out,

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but believe it or not well over a $100,000 has been spent in support

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of TZM Global alone (that’s not including regional chapters)

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over the past 8 years.

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And that money has come from very few people,

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creating a disproportionate burden. Now, as an aside,

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anyone who has been with TZM for a while knows that I personally

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have been against this kind of incorporation since the beginning.

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Money and markets are the deepest source

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of corruption and dehumanization on the planet today,

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and the last thing I ever wanted to see

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was TZM turn into anything that looks like a business,

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which is the fatal flaw of most NPOs that profess to do good.

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And while cynics will of course condemn this move

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as being against the values promoted by TZM,

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if there's anything that the global administration has proven

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in our 8 years without taking direct donations,

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8 years of total dedication without any solicited external support,

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we've proven that there is a deep integrity,

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transparency and trusted intent with the Movement.

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So to be clear, the core work of TZM is still volunteer at all internal levels.

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The board of directors of the NPO does not - I repeat does not -

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take a salary. The board are volunteers like everybody else,

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with allocated funds going to related expenses

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on the external, such as web site administration again, programming,

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hosting event needs, audiovisual labor,

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project organization and so on.

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The money goes to specific Movement tasks to improve efficiency

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and get things done right,

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not the NPO administration directly; it's very important to point that out.

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It's also not a blind kind of donation thing which is common where people give,

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and you really have no clue where anything actually went.

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Everything donated and allocated will be explained in a report

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that's issued annually by the NPO at the end of the year.

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So that's about it. Now,

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there's a donation button at thezeitgeistmovement.com under Support,

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and there will also likely be

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periodic crowdfunding projects that we've been talking about

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in the near future as well, for specific purposes.

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For example, one idea is to create a pre-hosted

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global website infrastructure for all chapters,

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allowing increased ease of use with little needed website admin skills

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and zero cost to the chapter coordinators themselves.

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It would be a great thing to provide to ease things.

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Another idea is to work with a professional public relations firm

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to assist bringing TZM’s message

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to major TV shows and larger order press outlets.

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As of now, we have been working solely by word of mouth organically,

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with literally no direct public relations strategy; very organic.

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So it's time we

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start to think about this in a different way and get more serious.

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Overall I personally see this as a new phase of the Movement,

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turning our global mission into a more streamlined machine,

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carving the way towards a truly positive future.

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If you have any questions or concerns, an email has been set up:

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npo@thezeitgeistmovement.com.

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You can also see more data under the Support link,

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and much more will be discussed about this new development as time moves forward.

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www.thezeitgeistmovement.com