[Foundation-l] Omidyar Network Commits $2 Million Grant to Wikimedia Foundation

[Robert Rohde]

On Wed, Aug 26, 2009 at 12:09 PM, Thomas Dalton<thomas.dalton at gmail.com> wrote:
> 2009/8/26 Guillaume Paumier <guillom.pom at gmail.com>:
>> Hello
>>
>> [I didn't read the whole thread, apologies if this point has already been made.]
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 26, 2009 at 2:20 PM, Thomas Dalton<thomas.dalton at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Those answers don't address the fact that you've just given a seat on
>>> the board to someone that has just given you a big pile of cash.
>>
>> It is very common for members of the board of a non-profit
>> organisation to donate money to support this organisation.
>
> I agree, but the WMF isn't like other non-profit organisations. It is
> far more community driven. The community is worth far more than a few
> million dollars.

And?  Do you plan to change the amount you work on the project over
this?  Does anyone else?

Yes, the Board should be concerned about how their actions impact and
are perceived by the community.  However, in this case, even if we
assume the seat was outright "bought" for $2M, I don't think there are
that many people in the community that will really care.  In an ideal
world, maybe we'd never make deals like this, but in a pragmatic
world, I don't think this particular deal will lead to much general
outrage.

-Robert Rohde