George are you marking  <forum read >
 pet peeve  -what happened to spring - may get snow flurries tomorrow.

Yes Martin,
I did hit that (almost-useless) 'Mark Forum Read'  past-tense button, multiply-multiple times too!

[E: I had many (multiple times) complained about the integrity of the 'false-unread-yellow-tag'
thing before; maybe this thread particular stands out b/c it is 'pinned'? I once started a thread about
the subject (F4F=bugs), but now the thread seems to have vanished?]

Yeah,  weather is crazy; for the last 2-3 days, it was like summer time (80*F) here!
It had something to do with the jet-stream; recently it having a had DEEP-dip-south on the west-USA.
Right now, it is back to a wintery-cold-windy-raining monster!

Very nice to know about foundation! for all the people who love and grow figs around the world. In the meantime I like to introduce you our project's facebook page http://on.fb.me/10xxm6f here we share all our experience that completes 10 years and we are so passionate to share it 

The 2013 Fig Fiesta will be held at Encanto Farms Nursery, September 7th.

Information.

I will be there Jon!

Jon
I need to donate one of my "Dominick Fig" to the foundation. He would be so proud of this.Please tell me how
Coop

December 7, 2013

Today we received our IRS letter approving our 501(c)(3) status.

Way to Go!

Jon, does that have any affect on the tax treatment for donors of donations made earlier in the year or is it just from this point forward?

No. There is a long explanation of how it all works, but the short answer is that all contributions made since our incorporation (07/02/2012) are grandfathered in as deductible.

Just made a donation,thank you for keeping these trees for our future generations to enjoy.

So happy things are going well for the Foundation. 

FYI on 501(c)(3) organizations:  In order to keep 501(c)(3) status, be sure to file Form990 annually (by 5th month and 15th day after tax year ends--e.g., if you close your year on Dec. 31, file by May 15th). If possible, use the Form 990-N (e-file), which will allow the IRS to post your status quicker to the "Yellow Book" (aka Publication 78) which signifies to tax filers that the Foundation is a tax-exempt/deductible organization. The "Yellow Book" is now available as on online app called "Select Check" and, once Form990s are processed, can be viewed by citizens at the IRS website: http://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Exempt-Organizations-Select-Check  "SelectCheck" does not post your funding and expenditure details, but confirms exempt status so donors can be certain that their charitable donations are legally deductible. "Charity Navigator" is currently the most widely used charity watchdog site in the US. If you choose, you can submit the Foundation to this organization to be posted with details. However, CN rates charities based on their inflows and outflows, so if the Foundation is in a "saving-up" phase, it may not score well until proceeds are spent and can be analyzed based on the effectiveness of outflows. Just a thought.

Best wishes for a great year ahead!
Rick

Rick, yep, always paperwork when dealing with the IRS.

Our information is now viewable at The San Diego Foundation here.

is that Black Madeira on the link above? 

This is so great. Thank you for all your work. And for passing it along to future fig growers. I just donated!

hey pete yo are very close to me im in goldsboro

Very valuable information about the forum.  Thanks.

Hi, Jon! We're hoping that we can continue some financial support through sales of fig cuttings on eBay with part of any proceeds coming to the Fig Foundation. It's been over five years since we retired Paradise Nursery here in Virginia Beach, and it would be nice to have the trees provide for figs everywhere before we sell the farm. It's hard not to know if the new owners will appreciate the figs or whether they will be ripped up. (Ack!)  I'll keep you posted on  how it goes - I did put a mention on the eBay listings (look for seller "vbgarden") and am hoping we'll have some good news for you!
all the best,
Sybil

Thank you for your support. i hope the trees continue to be enjoyed by the new owners. It would be a shame to lose them.

Hello,

I just already sent an email but it won't hurt to post it here, too.

I have to go a bit further back: As I'm a gamer, 
I tend to buy games from time to time. And one of the 
best places for relativly cheap games is the "HumbleBundle"-project.
It's collaborating with big game publishers and 
it's 'pay what you want' and a minimum of 10% goes to charity. 
Lately, you can activly chose,what organisation should receive 
the 10% donation. I searched with keywords for 
"Figs 4 Fun Foundation" (and "The San Diego Foundation") 
- but they weren't listed. 
It might be a good idea to ask them for registering this foundations 
in the humble store. Could be potential extra money for the good cause! :-)
Here is the link: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/select-charity/search

Best wishes from your supporter from Germany!

Jon, a truly worthwhile cause! Thank you for the opportunity for me to enjoy this forum and, to contribute, in a small way, to this cause.
God Bless,
Meg

Yes hear hear.  It might seem a little over the top, and I have to say that exploring the world of figs with everyone here on this amazing forum has renewed my excitement in life and my faith in the compassion and generous nature of human beings.  Thank you everyone and blessed Holy Days to you and all you hold dear.