Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are you a 501c(3) organization? Are you a charity?
A: As of October 26, 2011, we are a 501c(3) charitable organization back-dated to July 30, 2010. The letter can be seen here.
Q: I want to donate something. How do I do this? Can I deduct it on my taxes?
A: If you are a member, a post to the mailing list with a picture of what it is helps a lot. If you aren't a member, send an email to president<at>dallasmakerspace.org describing what you'd like to donate and/or why. For info on deductions please refer to the IRS site "Stay Exempt".
Q: Where are you located? How do I get there? Where do I park?
A: Please see the front page for these details.
Q: I want space to put my (car/train/device) at the Makerspace. Can I do this?
A: In general, most of us try to avoid leaving anything at the Makerspace that occupies valuable floor space with regards to personal projects. However, for projects that involve a good portion of the membership this can usually be allowed. Please see the Rules and Policies page for more details.
Q: I'm at the Makerspace, where is everyone?
A: If it's during the week, then probably at work--surprisingly, many of our members have day jobs. Although not all of them. Some of us have night jobs. Some of us have no jobs. It varies. If it's on the weekend, then probably with families, friends, recovering from the Thursday meeting, doing local hacking, or planning on what to do at the Makerspace. The best thing to do is hop on freenode IRC, #dallasmakerspace, and scream. Also you can send an email to the mailing list announcing your presence and what you're up to. Please see the "How To Reach Us" section on the front page for details.
Q: My fob isn't working!
A: If you need in *right now* and your fob isn't working, please call the main line at 214-699-MAKR (214-699-6537). If your fob isn't working and you don't need in *right now*, please contact a treasurer via email at treasurer<at>dallasmakerspace.org, or the president at president<at>dallasmakerspace.org .
Q: Do you recycle? I have <thing> and want to recycle it.
A: We have a special section in our garage set aside for "upcoming recycle things" and "free things no-one wants." The City of Dallas has a fairly progressive recycling system which we use through members for things like aluminum cans, plastic, etc. For electronics there is a company that we contact periodically to come and collect all the large recycle stuff. They require at least 3 large items before it is worth their while.
Q: I have a cool project.
A: Great! Blog about it! Post pictures! Send emails regarding it! Make a wiki page! We really like to hear about what people are working on and if we can help out!
Q: I want to make a blog entry on our blog page.
A: Great! Our blog software, WordPress, makes it easy for any member to login and create a draft page to go into the public blog. At that point it is a simple process for one of our admins to proof it and publish!
Q: I want to help with the wiki, but I don't know how.
A: Check out the Wiki section of the Help Us page for more info. If you don't know wikiformatting, I suggest reading through the Help:Formatting page on Mediawiki/Wikipedia.
Q: I hate Paypal and want to pay with cash! I hate cash and want to pay with Paypal!
A: Please contact our [Treasurer] about payment options. We aren't completely inflexible with regards to membership payments.
Q: I broke something! What do I do?
A: And that "something" is owned by the Dallas Makerspace: If this "something" affects the security or safety of the space, be sure to contact a Makerspace officer IMMEDIATELY! Otherwise, please send an email to, or contact any Makerspace officer, director, or member stating what happened.
A: And that "something" is owned by another member of the Dallas Makerspace: Please send an email to, or contact the member stating what happened, and hopefully plan on making reparations.
A: And that "something" is owned by myself: Ok. While we're all very sorry this happened, be sure to contact the membership to see if anyone would be willing to assist you in either fixing said thing or assist you in replacing it.
