[Foundation-l] Statement to the Associated Press

[Andrew Whitworth]

On Mon, Mar 10, 2008 at 4:51 PM, Nathan <nawrich at gmail.com> wrote:
>  Who is preaching for that level of transparency, except for you?

It's probably only me. I did preface my first email by saying that I
was a radical on this issue.

>  ... you say that donors expect that
>  donated money will rarely if ever fund a dinner out, I don't think you are
>  correct about that. If a donation from me (which, in full disclosure, I
>  haven't yet made) funded a dinner between Jimmy and a potential large donor,
>  or even a collaboratve dinner between staff and consultants or some other
>  arrangements... I would be perfectly happy with that, it is a legitimate
>  expense.

As with any issue, there is plenty of gray area. There's always a
difference between a legitimate business expense and frivolous
extravagance. I still stand by my position that if you aren't prepared
to share with the public (and more specifically, the donors) the
details of your expenses, then you probably shouldn't be spending the
money. If it's a legitimate business dinner with prospective donors,
there is no reason to be ashamed or embarrassed about that. It's
possible, of course, to leave the name of the donor and the amount of
the donation private.

--Andrew Whitworth