[Foundation-l] Chapters

[Jimmy Wales]

On 8/10/11 7:22 PM, Birgitte_sb at yahoo.com wrote:
>  As for the rest I encourage you to exercise your
> moral duty by helping the chapters fulfill the reporting
> requirements, implement the financial controls, and operate
> transparently. You have been through this all before.  You were the
> chairman of the board when WMF was struggling with all of these
> items, so why not use your experience directing WMF through being out
> of compliance with such things to mentor those chapter which are struggling?

Of course.  My past experiences are what allow me to approach these 
difficult issues without blaming anyone, and I think that the chapters 
should not feel blamed.

Growing from a barely functioning chapter - usually just a group of 
people who made a proposal and did all the hard work to get through the 
chapter approval process - into a successful, effective nonprofit 
organization with strong financial controls, transparency, training, 
oversight is really hard work.  Delphine has spoken eloquently about it.

A model which dumps too much money/responsibility onto a chapter before 
they are ready for it is not a valid service to anyone.  A model which 
allows chapters to go off the rails with little or no recourse other 
than some kind of disastrous legal battle or something would also not be 
a valid service to anyone.

When I look at the track record of many chapters to date, I see that 
we've asked too much, too soon, and it's not causing happiness.

I think the new approach, if thoughtfully pursued with lots of 
good-faith input and collaboration by all, can really make a huge 
difference.

--Jimbo