Thank you Jaime for this response and for the commitment on making a further update next quarter.
Lodewijk On Mon, Jul 10, 2023 at 9:39 AM Jaime Villagomez <jvillago...@wikimedia.org> wrote: > Hello Everyone, > > We have posted an update on the Endowment talk page [ > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Endowment#Response_to_off-wiki_question_on_mailing_list_about_timeline_for_the_move_of_Endowment_assets_out_of_Tides > ]. > > Best Regards, > > Jaime > > Jaime Villagomez > > Chief Financial Officer > > Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/> > > *Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the > sum of all knowledge. That's our commitment. Donate. > <https://donate.wikimedia.org/>* > > > On Mon, Jul 3, 2023 at 8:59 AM Andreas Kolbe <jayen...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Dear all, >> >> A full year has now passed since the WMF received IRS approval for its >> new, transparent 501(c)(3) organisation, set up to take over the Wikimedia >> Endowment and end almost a decade of financial non-transparency.[1] >> >> Let us not forget – Caitlin Virtue told us over two years ago, in April >> 2021:[2] >> >> "We are in the process of establishing a new home for the endowment in a >> stand-alone 501(c)(3) public charity. *We will move the endowment in its >> entirety to this new entity once the new charity receives its IRS 501(c)(3) >> determination letter.*" >> >> Said determination letter was received[3] in late June 2022 and >> announced[4] in late October 2022. >> >> Today, more than a year on, the Wikimedia Endowment website still says[5] >> that the money – an undisclosed nine-figure sum – is with the Tides >> Foundation. Unlike a standalone 501(c)(3), Tides publishes no audited >> accounts for the Endowment and releases no figures for the Endowment fund's >> revenue and expenses. >> >> The WMF has been talking[6] about this move to a transparent standalone >> 501(c)(3) since 2017. >> >> When will the move take place? >> >> Andreas >> >> [1] >> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2023-03-09/News_and_notes >> and >> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2022-05-29/Opinion >> [2] >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Wikimedia_Endowment&diff=prev&oldid=21366511 >> [3] >> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:IRS_Determination_Letter_dated_6-28-2022_-_Wikimedia_Endowment_(01523354-2xA3536).pdf >> [4] >> https://diff.wikimedia.org/2022/10/26/governance-updates-for-the-wikimedia-endowment/ >> [5] https://wikimediaendowment.org/#contact and https://archive.ph/CjcvW >> [6] >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3AWikimedia_Endowment&diff=16507295&oldid=16503857 >> >> >> On Thu, Mar 9, 2023 at 7:12 PM Lane Chance <zinkl...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> ... >>> > It's not causing any form of disruption to make these changes in a >>> deliberate and thoughtful manner. Everyone can take a deep breath. >>> > Risker/Anne >>> >>> The WMF has never claimed that setting out a fixed timetable that >>> their CEO and the Endowment "agents" can be held accountable to is >>> either impossible or bad. They have been talking this change up for >>> years, and failed to move forward for reasons that have been >>> obfuscated deliberately, as demonstrated by "thoughtful" tangential >>> and delaying responses to basic yes/no questions. Considering that the >>> aim here is ethical accountability, any delay is a choice for >>> "non-accountability". >>> >>> The facts are public, the failure to be transparent or accountable >>> with many millions of dollars is a public failure. The WMF has damaged >>> the reputation of the "Endowment Fund" within its own community of >>> volunteers* and employees, and now risks a loss of public trust in its >>> own claims to its donors and in the media for a declared value of >>> transparency. Let's debunk the myth, as this is now playing pass the >>> parcel with millions of dollars of donated charitable funds, the WMF >>> can no longer have any credible claim to be transparent. This does not >>> pass the sniff test, it wouldn't for any other not for profit or >>> organization that claims to have charitable values or world leading >>> ethics but chooses to hide millions of dollars from correct scrutiny. >>> >>> * Really, do volunteers believe the Endowment Fund is or has done the >>> things it was set up to do? Do we volunteers have reason to be >>> confident that in 10 or 30 years time, these monies will be spent on >>> the original objectives that were claimed for it by Jimmy Wales and >>> others? I no longer have reason to be confidence in these purposes or >>> that this very large sum of money will not be chipped away by "agents" >>> or the careful re-spinning of what the words in the Endowment >>> incorporation mean by the unelected board of trustees that are >>> responsible for it. >>> >>> As a polite observation on "take a deep breath", I would never say >>> that to any member of my staff or a customer with a complaint unless I >>> wanted them to walk out or put the phone down on me. >>> >>> Thanks, >>> Lane >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines >>> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >>> Public archives at >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/M7NFIYBISPN54CF4CZ5QYKBSIONZ3PKR/ >>> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines >> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >> Public archives at >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/AYE7FIW6HSZI4H4QDUO5GN4X6V4RSMIY/ >> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines > at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > Public archives at > https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/JPNXG6VUYIYMFBRH5LIMYNSY3277EROV/ > To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org
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