Thanks for the link, Rogol. It is wonderful to hear that these generous donors have decided to match a deposit of $5 million into the endowment.
It is always a good thing if someone from the board could expand on what (if anything) the board is planning to do with the proposed expenses. The way you're framing this decision is not something I consider fair. Best, Lodewijk On Sat, Aug 19, 2017 at 4:33 AM, Rogol Domedonfors <domedonf...@gmail.com> wrote: > I was surprised to read the record > https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Resolution:Approval_ > of_Endowment_funding_(Fiscal_Year_2016-2017)_and_matching_$ > 5_million_gift_from_Peter_Baldwin_and_Lisbet_Rausing > of the decision to place $5M into the endowment. After the anouncement by > Lisa Gruwell on this list > https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2016- > December/085712.html > there was a discussion of what might be done with the funds raised, and a > number of suggestions were made for how these funds could be used to > directly support the work of the volunteers who contribute the content to > the projects, such as > https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2017-January/085835.html > . > > It is disappointing that the Board has chosen not to fund support of this > kind. What is more than disappointing, but positively disturbing is that > the decision was made in the light of an offer from a donor to match the > sum put into the endowment. I suggest that this was not a fair offer, and > the Board's decision was the wrong one. Effectively this donor has said to > the Board that they will pay the Foundation not to support the volunteers, > and the Board has agreed to follow their wishes. If the donor believes so > strongly in the necessity to build up the mission by means of an Endowment, > why did they not simply gift the money directly into the endowment without > conditions? Equally, if the donor believes so strongly that money should > not be spent supporting the volunteer community, then I challenge them to > say so explicitly in public and to defend their position. > > I call on the Board to explain to the community of volunteers precisely why > they have chosen not to offer that support to the community and to state > that they will not allow future decisions of this nature to be influenced > by the wishes of one donor, however generous. > > "Rogol" > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > wiki/Wikimedia-l > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
