[Foundation-l] Fwd: Wikimedia India Program Trust

[wheredevelsdare at hotmail.com]

Bank, Barry. I appreciate what the foundation has done for us, however the bank at your end has proven to be a pain on more than one occasion. We have gone through a lot of unnecessary shit - you would think that international transfers are quite simple in this day and age. They have delayed our payments for weeks on end whiles they debited foundation accounts, which means they were playing with the money interest free all that while! Money mean for the conference. Even when it came, we couldnt trace it due to their methods.

At the end of the day they blamed the Indian Banks. For your information, this happened to 4 different people each having a different bank (one of which was actually the Indian counterpart of the US bank WMF uses).

> Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:55:03 -0800
> From: bnewstead at wikimedia.org
> To: foundation-l at lists.wikimedia.org
> Subject: Re: [Foundation-l] Fwd: Wikimedia India Program Trust
> 
> On Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 9:36 AM, <wheredevelsdare at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> >
> > inline.
> >
> > > Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:21:17 -0800
> > > From: bnewstead at wikimedia.org
> > > To: foundation-l at lists.wikimedia.org
> > > Subject: Re: [Foundation-l] Fwd: Wikimedia India Program Trust
> > >
> >
> > > On the funding issue...this is a bit of a red herring.  As of now, there
> > is
> > > sufficient funds available to the chapter to build its organizational
> > > capacity and execute on the plans that it has laid out. We are working
> > hard
> > > to overcome regulatory issues to the flow of funds that would provide
> > more
> > > resources over time to support work of the chapter, the Trust and other
> > > groups in the community.  The true focus of both the chapter, Trust and
> > > other interested community groups should be on building the capacity to
> > do
> > > effective work that advances the mission.  Money is not the limiting
> > factor
> > > though Indian regulations to create some short term hassles)...it's ideas
> > > and capacity to get things done. That's what we all need to work on and
> > do
> > > so, in good faith, with a shared commitment to the Wikimedia mission.
> >
> > From WCI experience. Its not just regulations, its more than that. Iv had
> > trouble getting funding where the route is clear - and the trouble roots
> > with a particular bank that the foundation used, which I dont care to
> > mention on a public list. Believe you me, these guys were playing around to
> > their benefit at our cost, something which I find totally unacceptable.
> >
> 
> For clarification...when you say "these guys" I hope you are referring to
> the banks, not WMF? We have expended a huge amount of effort to provide the
> funding for the conference and other needs.  It has indeed been hard as the
> banking system is difficult to work with (actually, sometimes it is very
> easy and other times it is shockingly difficult with no pattern), but we've
> done everything in our power to make things work and a lot has gotten done.
> 
> >
> > >
> > > Look forward to joining all of our Indian colleagues at the
> > Wikiconference
> > > India next week...and to continuing to work to achieve our shared vision
> > in
> > > India...
> > >
> > > Barry
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > > foundation-l at lists.wikimedia.org
> > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l
> >
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> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Barry Newstead
> Chief Global Development Officer
> Wikimedia Foundation
> 
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