on 6/30/10 10:06 PM, David Goodman at [email protected] wrote: > We are secure because of the volunteers, not the funding. If the > foundation were to disappear, the project could continue. The only > funding actually necessary is for the physical operation of the > project.
Yes! Excellent insight, David. Marc Riddell > > On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 8:49 PM, Birgitte SB <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> --- On Wed, 6/30/10, Veronique Kessler <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> From: Veronique Kessler <[email protected]> >>> Subject: Re: [Foundation-l] 2010-11 Annual Plan Now Posted to >>> FoundationWebsite >>> To: [email protected], "Wikimedia Foundation Mailing List" >>> <[email protected]> >>> Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 3:53 PM >>> Thanks everyone for your comments >>> thus far (and for the thank yous too :)). >>> >>> As we progress through accomplishing the goals of the >>> strategic plan, we >>> will have a better idea of what level our operating budget >>> will need to >>> be to make everything happen and be sustainable. We >>> will have done some >>> experimentation with initiatives like geographic >>> investments and the >>> addition of more roles to support chapters. We don't >>> know what our >>> optimal operating level will be and what fundraising level >>> we can >>> sustain. We have made some predictions based on a lot >>> of factors and we >>> will be able to respond appropriately to new information, >>> changes in >>> circumstances, etc. as we progress through this fiscal year >>> and future >>> years. >>> >>> For the endowment, Eugene really summed up the endowment >>> issue well. I >>> want to point out that typically endowments do not fund the >>> ongoing >>> annual expenses of an organization. A portion of the >>> annual earnings on >>> the endowment may be allocated to help support operations >>> but it is >>> usually a small percentage. In the past, one could >>> estimate 8-10% >>> earnings each year and then allocate some to operations and >>> roll the >>> rest back to the endowment to continue to grow it. >>> Alas, these days, >>> 8-10% returns are hard to come by. Just to put it >>> into perspective, if >>> we were to support a $20 million budget with 5% earnings >>> from an >>> endowment, we would need $400 million dollars. >>> Endowments can be very >>> useful and we will continue to analyze this option for the >>> future but it >>> is unlikely that an endowment would ever provide our entire >>> operating >>> budget each year. >> >> I don't think anyone would expect an endowment to fund all that is being done >> in the current budget. I have always thought of the endowment issue as being >> about always keeping the lights on. Ensuring that the content will remain >> accessible in some worst case scenario. Access is probably the weakest link >> in the whole copyleft paradigm. I think most of us can name examples of how >> contract law has locked up what copyright law couldn't touch. >> >> WMF has not always been as stable as it is right now. Maybe it is hard for >> all the people who joined the movement during this upswing of stability to >> understand quite how some of the earlier adopters feel about the endowment. I >> think it is about people feeling that the work that we have all done is >> secure. Since the WMF is not moving in the direction of an endowment right >> now, it would be nice if they could highlight some other things that secure >> what has already been accomplished. The endowment is not about just about >> funding, I think it is probably also symbolic of endurance to many people. >> There is a worry about the content remaining available in the long term. If >> there is not an endowment to donate towards, I think people could use >> something else to symbolize a commitment to the future endurance of the >> content that has been gathered. >> >> Birgitte SB >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> foundation-l mailing list >> [email protected] >> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l >> > > _______________________________________________ foundation-l mailing list [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l
