Responses below...
On Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 10:47 AM, Theo10011 de10011@gmail.com wrote:
I meant to ask earlier, since the fundraiser already started and this is being announced now.
No relationship between this announcement and the fundraiser. The Trust has been in the works for months, but it takes months to get the approvals to launch it.
Is this trust set-up to participate in the annual fundraiser?
Again, the trust is setup to support program work in India. It was not set up as a vehicle for the annual fundraiser.
processing donations on-behalf of WMF internally? or would it seek to do so in future? I know you mention FCRA and external funding after approval but what about internal funding through the annual fundraiser.
Our fundraising team did ask (literally this week) if the Trust might be able to process payments for bank transfers (which is an option they would like to offer Indian donors) and requires a domestic processor of some sort. We are looking into this with lawyers and accountants, but from my perspective, I'd rather not have the Trust involved in the annual fundraiser. It would help us all (meaning everyone involved in India) to have funds available domestically to avoid the issues with international funds transfers mentioned earlier, but I don't want it to be a distraction from the priority in India - working with the community and chapter to good program work that advances the mission. Fundraising in India is nice to have, but money isn't really our greatest challenge.
More directly to your questions...the Trust is an independent org, so technically it cannot serve as an "internal" processor for WMF. The question of "seeking to in the future" is open (as it should be because there is no need to close doors at this time), but I shared my current view.
Theo
Best,
Barry
On Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 10:41 AM, Hisham hmundol@wikimedia.org wrote:
cross-posting to foundation-l & internal-l from India Community list; apologies if you've read this already.
hisham
Begin forwarded message:
From: Hisham hmundol@wikimedia.org Subject: Wikimedia India Program Trust Date: November 11, 2011 9:55:00 AM GMT+05:30 To: Wikimedia India Community list <
wikimediaindia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
Hi Folks, I'm writing to share an update with you on certain developments of
relevance to the Wikimedia movement in India.
Announcement of Wikimedia India Program Trust For some time, efforts have gone into creating an organization that
would provide an appropriate structure to support Wikimedia program activities in India. Aspects such as the current regulatory framework (regarding funding, taxation, etc.) as well as the legal protection for
the
India team have been considered to determine this structure. In this context, a host of options (e.g. subsidiary, branch, Section 25) were evaluated and a determination was made towards an independent non-profit public trust. Legal advice has been taken at every stage in this
decision.
A new entity, the “Wikimedia India Program Trust”, has now been formed
and registered (in Delhi.) This will be the organization that will eventually drive India programs and house the team in India.
Why an Independent Public Trust? The Trust will provide an effective vehicle within India to marshal
resources to support programs and partner with local institutions. The objective of the Trust is to promote the objectives of the Wikimedia movement and work closely with the Wikimedia community on various
projects
with an India focus. It is important to understand that the Trust will
not
have any editorial control over content on any of the Wikimedia projects. The Trust is a not for profit organization.
Introduction of Trustees Trustees have been identified based upon their support for Wikimedia
movement's principles and plans in addition to having reputations for
good
governance and management.
Sunil Abraham and Rahul Matthan have been requested to be the initial
Trustees. Both are friends of Wikipedia and have extensive experience.
Sunil is Executive Director of the Centre for Internet & Society (CIS),
is a long term advocate of free software and IP reform and has been supporting the Wikimedia community and movement for some time now.
Rahul is a partner and heads the technology practice at Trilegal. He
brings deep expertise and relationships that will be valuable for the
Trust.
These initial Trustees will serve for a term of three years at the
maximum. All additional or subsequent Trustees will serve on rotation in accordance with a trustee selection plan that will be prepared.
Trustees will not be compensated for their services.
Governance, Funding, Financial Standards & Communications of the Trust The Trust will be governed by Trustees who will provide oversight and
guidance regarding the operations and governance of the Trust.
Since the Trust is an independent organization, it will require funding
for its operations which is in compliance with the legal and regulatory framework in India. It will seek funding from private donors within India as well as external sources.
The Trust has the support of the Wikimedia Foundation which is a United
States based non-profit foundation. However, in India all non-profit organizations need to be in existence for 3 years before they can receive funding from sources outside India. In the interim, they can apply for prior-permission under the FCRA regulations to help expedite the process. As a result, the Trust will shortly be applying for approval to receive funds from the Wikimedia Foundation in the future.
As a Trust, we are required to have an independent external auditor. We
have appointed KPMG. KPMG is experienced in auditing non-profit companies and are also auditors for the Wikimedia Foundation.
Annually, the Trust will publicly disclose it's independently audited
financial statements.
The Trust will publish a monthly newsletter outlining its current
activities and future plans. This will commence in December 2011.
Operations of the Trust The trust deed under which the Trust must operate clearly states that
the purpose of the Trust is to independently promote the growth of volunteer activities within India in support of effective and
unrestricted
dissemination of free knowledge to the public.
I will serve as the Executive Director of the Trust. Once it is
possible, additional employees will be brought on to the Trust
The Trust will eventually have an office in Delhi.
In the interim, I have personally secured temporary office space to
facilitate establishing the Trust and its mission. It is located at Top Floor, G-15, Hauz Khas, New Delhi - 110 016. It's a couple of minutes
walk
away from IIT Flyover and Hauz Khas Metro. Do drop in! It's a small but cozy place and we'd love to have you over!
Conclusion We continue to make progress in setting up program activities to
support
the growth of Wikimedia in India. We have a long way to go, but are glad that we are starting to build a solid foundation.
The following link is for FAQs on this (and related) topics:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FAQ_India_Programs/FAQ_Wikimedia_India_Progra...
As always, do reach out if you have any comments or questions.
Warm Regards,
hisham
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