[Wikimedia-l] Setting up a Wikimedia Trust (was: Endowment)

[Mathieu Stumpf]

Le 2013-03-15 15:14, Federico Leva (Nemo) a écrit :
> Creating a new thread because the other is apparently running in 
> circles now.
>
> phoebe ayers, 14/03/2013 21:38:
>> Yes. In an university context, which is what I'm most familiar with 
>> (and
>> where endowments are very common in the U.S.), there is often a 
>> specific
>> "endowment campaign" to plan for and build the endowment that is 
>> separate
>> from normal fundraising -- for instance, you might have a dedicated 
>> team
>> that would work on the endowment, solicit wealthy donors, etc.
>
> Thanks for this, you reminded me that I sometimes should try to put
> at profit some 12 months spent writing the bylaws of the most
> important university of Italy (by LERU standards). :p
>
> (Some) universities can have endowments because they are
> multi-centuries insitutions with stable stuff to do and because
> they're deeply rooted in their territory (be it a country or a region
> or whatever).[1] On the other hand, they often have to set up
> different structures for more ephemeral tasks, so they may own
> foundations or for-profits.[2]
>
> The WMF has the opposite problem than a university, i.e. it's busy
> with mostly short-term goals (few years) and that's most of its
> budget, because Wikimedia projects are innovation and without that
> they die etc. etc.
> So why not use the same approach, just reversed? Make a spin-off for
> the long-term purposes that are currently not covered anywhere. For
> once I did an attempt at being a bit imaginative, consider it just a
> thought experiment if you wish:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Trust
>
> Nemo
>
> [1] Harvard, for instance, is a special case because it aims at being
> not only the best USA university but the center for the best minds of
> the world, so "the world's university".

With all due respect: what a pile of meaningless bulshit formulation! 
To begin with, who pretend to establish an order which enable to have a 
"university podium"? I hope for them such a pitiful goal is not an 
official statement.

> [2] Big donors and investors want to see some effect for their
> donation (that ideally is not selfish). For instance, if I'm a rich
> widow with, say, 50 million € to give away in my will,

Are you aware that this example bring no rational evidence, while it do 
participate to ambiant misogyny? Why not just a rich woman, or even a 
rich person?

Now, don't resent my remarks, it's just to share what it make me 
feel/think.

kind regards,
mathieu

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Association Culture-Libre
http://www.culture-libre.org/