[Foundation-l] Fundraising Letter Feb 2012

[phoebe ayers]

Hi Lodewijk,

In this board meeting we were trying to see if we had a general
consensus on the direction we wanted to go (rather than take a final
vote). There are still lots of aspects to be resolved, though -- what
the FDC looks like, what criteria are used for payment processing, and
many more things. Our calendar is unchanged: we do intend to discuss
fundraising in Paris with everyone, we will receive Sue's final
recommendations in early-mid March; and we will plan to take a final
vote at (or perhaps just after) the Berlin meeting.

So yes, we all agree that a real life discussion is important. So is
lots of information -- legal analysis, etc. -- which we may not have
seen all of yet (I'm not sure what you mean by an inventory). We also
thought, though, that it would be bad to talk about this for two days
in the Board meeting and not report back to the community about where
we were at :) Hence, this letter. It's not a final decision, but it is
an indication of board consensus and direction.

best,
Phoebe


On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 1:07 AM, Lodewijk <lodewijk at effeietsanders.org> wrote:
> Hi Ting,
>
> thank you for the letter. Could you clarify to what extent this is the end
> decision, and how much discussion/process should be expected ahead of us?
> Going up to this board meeting I have heard both the opinions that the
> final decision would be made quickly, and also that definitely no decision
> would be made, but rather an inventory, which would allow for a real life
> discussion in Paris/Berlin with other stakeholders.
>
> Lodewijk
>
> No dia 9 de Fevereiro de 2012 09:11, Ting Chen <tchen at wikimedia.org>escreveu:
>
>> The Board approves the following letter to be sent to the community:
>>
>> Dear members of the Wikimedia Movement,
>>
>> As you are probably aware we have been discussing the the future of
>> fundraising and fund dissemination for the Wikimedia Movement for almost 6
>> months now. After discussing fundraising and funds dissemination at this
>> past meeting, the board has drafted the following statement. It our
>> intention to discuss these matters in the coming weeks to come to a final
>> decision mid March.
>>
>> But first we would like to thank everyone who took part in the discussion
>> so far and spent their valuable time providing us with their viewpoints
>> which we have of course taken into account in our decision making process.
>> We hope that you will continue to participate by giving feedback on this
>> letter.
>>
>> ==Funds dissemination==
>> The board wants to create a volunteer-driven body to make recommendations
>> for funding for movement-wide initiatives (Working title: Funds
>> Dissemination Committee, FDC). The Wikimedia Foundation has decision-making
>> authority, because it has fiduciary responsibilities to donors which it
>> legally cannot delegate. The new body will make recommendations for funds
>> dissemination to the Wikimedia Foundation. We anticipate a process in which
>> the Wikimedia Foundation will review and approve all but a small minority
>> of recommendations from the FDC. In the event that the Wikimedia Foundation
>> does not approve a recommendation from the FDC, and the FDC and the
>> Wikimedia Foundation aren't subsequently able to reach agreement, then the
>> FDC can ask the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees to request the
>> recommendation be reconsidered.
>>
>> #the FDC will be a diverse body of people from across our movement (which
>> may include paid staff) with appropriate expertise for this purpose, whose
>> primary purpose is to disseminate funds to advance the Wikimedia mission;
>> #the WMF staff will support and facilitate the work of the FDC
>> #Proposals can range from one time smaller contributions for small
>> projects from individuals to larger financing for operational costs of
>> chapters or associations
>>
>> The board intends to evaluate this process together with the FDC and see
>> if it is working.
>>
>> ==Fundraising==
>> Our thoughts on fundraising are less specific. We have come to the
>> following two statements which are important
>>
>> * If and when payment processing is done by chapters, it should be done
>> primarily for reasons of tax, operational efficiency (including
>> incentivizing donor cultivation and relations), should not be in conflict
>> with funds dissemination principles and goals, and should avoid a
>> perception of entitlement.
>>
>> * The board is sharpening the criteria for payment processing. Payment
>> processing is not a natural path to growth for a chapter; and payment
>> processing will likely be an exception -- most chapters will not do so.
>>
>>
>> The Wikimedia Board of Trustees
>>
>> NB: Please note that rather than spend a LOT of time on wording at this
>> time, the board preferred to amend the above text if necessary when moving
>> towards a resolution. This letter indicates our intent, and we may
>> "wordsmith as needed" in our final resolutions.
>>
>> --
>> Ting Chen
>> Member of the Board of Trustees
>> Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
>> E-Mail: tchen at wikimedia.org
>>
>>
>> ______________________________**_________________
>> foundation-l mailing list
>> foundation-l at lists.wikimedia.**org <foundation-l at lists.wikimedia.org>
>> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/**mailman/listinfo/foundation-l<https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l>
>>
> _______________________________________________
> foundation-l mailing list
> foundation-l at lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l



-- 
* I use this address for lists; send personal messages to phoebe.ayers
<at> gmail.com *