2011-12 Fundraising and Funds Dissemination process/Questions flowchart

Future of fundraising discussions - Index edit
Guiding Principles discussion Introduction Fundraising principles Funds distribution principles Fundraising models/future discussion Introduction, timeline & faq Goals Zack's observations on online fundraising How long will the Fundraiser keep growing? Wikimedia Foundation staff memo and analysis Recommendations Final recommendations from Sue Editable recommendations based on Sue's final recommendations Draft Recommendations from Sue Draft Recommendations discussion Draft Recommendations Q&A Brainstorming about Recommendation 4 Pros and cons Questions flowchart Fundraising options Alternative recommendations and philosophies Alternative recommendations (Open to all contributions) Recommendations by Tango Wikimedia Foundation resolutions Resolution: Wikimedia fundraising principles (10-9-2010) WMF Board of Trustees letter regarding fundraising accountability (8-5-2011) Resolution: Developing Scenarios for future of fundraising (1-18-2012) Draft Board resolution (2-9-12) Final Board resolutions (3-30-12) FAQ Discussion Wikimedia chapter statements Wikimedia’s culture of sharing (Wikimedia DE) Resolution on principles (Wikimedia UK) The importance of being a Wikimedia chapter (Wikimedia IT) Iberocoop joint statement Opinion French chapter Questions for the German chapter Wikimedia UK response to Sue Wikimedia CH response to Sue Wikimedia NL informal statement Overview of relevant data Sign up to participate Initial Thoughts Draft grantmaking survey Funds Dissemination Criteria мой Resource list (for survey preparation) Where the money comes from today Outcomes Final Board resolutions Creation of the Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC)

I have been thinking about all the questions that one needs to ask and answer -- whether about Sue's proposal or about an alternative, such as chapters continuing to payment process. Below is a long list of those questions. This can go to a subpage if it gets too crazy (maybe if people start answering the questions :) ) Feel free to add in other questions too. Many of these questions are from the discussion above and on the list -- thanks everyone. -- phoebe | talk 03:27, 8 January 2012 (UTC)

This is sexy as hell...who do u think likes to work on that one? Is this a quiz show? Means - my proposal is: erase this site.--Angel54 5 18:57, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

Indeed, this is far too many questions (which is why they were ignored). We are still having very high level discussions about the fundamentals of how we're going to handle our finances. It's too soon to be going into this much detail and a wiki page isn't the place to do it (if you want answers to lots of detailed questions, you need to form a working party to go through them one at a time). It might be worth keeping this list of questions somewhere for future use, but we can't let ourselves get bogged down in such details now. --Tango 19:34, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

well, here they are for future use then. All I can say is, they do have to be addressed at some point! -- phoebe | talk 21:00, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

Scenario: WMF is the only payment processor

1. how does localization of donor appeals etc happen?
2. how does localization of payment methods etc happen?
3. how do folks in various countries get tax-deductibility?
   • They don't, unless the entity they donate to is a charity for which gifts are tax deductable for the local tax agency. This is the case for example for WMF in the Netherlands.
4. what do you do with existing chapter donor rolls – private info etc
5. how does the wmf communicate with local donors?
   1. how does the chapter communicate with local donors?
6. how do chapters “grow organizational capacity” (and what does this mean exactly)
7. how does money get distributed?
   1. Grants (annualized and one time)
      1. how does grants committee make decisions
         1. who is on the committee, and who decides
         2. where do grant guidelines come from
      2. how do chapters et al know that annual programs will remain stable
      3. how do you ensure accountability of money – i.e. no embezzlement
      4. how do you measure accountability – i.e. money is being spent on what it is supposed to be spent on (movement roles recs a good place to start, for instance)
      5. How do you measure program metrics, who measures these and how?
      6. how do we ensure the best group to do something gets the grant?
      7. how do you measure effectiveness and alignment to mission, i.e. why spend the money that way in the first place?
      8. Who do grant recipients report to?
      9. Who keeps an eye on the whole process?
   2. How do you transfer money internationally?
   3. how does money get distributed to WMF programs
      1. under aegis of board of trustees
         1. how does this body maintain community/chapter trust?
         2. How does it incorporate chapter/community feedback & ideas into planning?
      2. via community recommendation body
         1. how is this body made highly functional?
         2. How can body be trusted/adopted by all players?
         3. Does board still have veto rights?
      3. How do you ensure accountability – no embezzlement etc?
      4. How do you ensure program metrics, who measures these and how?
      5. how do you ensure program effectiveness and alignment to mission, i.e. why fund that in the first place
      6. Who does the WMF report to?
8. is there an endowment and if so how do we fund it? How do we ensure long-term stability of hosting the projects, with associated work?

Scenario: Some chapters payment process, some never will

1. how do you pick which chapters payment process?
2. Who picks what chapters payment process?
3. What are guidelines for payment processing?
4. How much do they collect (e.g., to a budget, as much as possible, etc)?
   1. If only to a budget, who reviews these budgets?
   2. If as much as possible, how do you prevent extreme chapter & country disparity (i.e. rich vs poor)
5. how is funding distributed to chapter programs?
6. How is funding distributed to wikimedia core mission, i.e. funding the servers?
7. how is funding distributed to non-core wikimedia mission, i.e. editor decline? (all other questions about distribution, per above, also apply here)
8. How is funding distributed to other groups, i.e. non chapter affiliated volunteers?
9. How are chapters that don't payment process funded?
10. Do chapters contribute to pooled grants?
11. is there an endowment and if so how do we fund it? How do we ensure long-term stability of hosting the projects, with associated work?
12. How do you ensure:
    1. donor privacy
    2. coordination with WMF fundraising team
    3. timely reporting
    4. Donors know who they are contributing to, why, and what that group does
    5. accountability, i.e. no one is embezzling funds
    6. accountability, i.e. money is being spent on what chapter says it is being spent on
    7. program effectiveness and alignment to mission -- i.e. why spend the money that way in the first place
13. how do you deal with transferring money internationally -- esp if laws preventing
14. Who does localization? (i.e. who coordinates with translators etc)
15. Does fundraising agreement equate to other exclusive agreements as well, or just fundraising?
16. who reviews chapters?

Scenario: All chapters aim to payment process, eventually

1. all the same points as scenario two, with additional questions:
   1. how does this work for chapters that are very small or are in places with limited donation possibility
   2. how does this work for chapters in places with extremely difficult or unfriendly laws
   3. how are non-chapter groups/volunteers in those places funded?
      1. How is community input given to this?
   4. At what point and who decides which chapters are ready to fundraise; what is the standard?
   5. who decides what new chapters there are (could be lucrative, under this model). Who reviews?

Scenario: something else entirely

1. describe here. be bold!
2. Hypothetical scenario proposal: WMF payment processes. All chapters and formal groups get baseline funding for conference travel and program work. All chapters get additional fixed amount of money based on their membership count. All other funding comes from revenue generated off the sites. Interest groups can be a part of this scheme if they are an approved group via affcomm. Grants program is open to all. (This is how one of my library organizations operates -- just food for thought! This set up means that the entire local group focus is on program planning, b/c otherwise money is fixed).
3. advertisements, no one payment processes
4. etc.

All scenarios

1. how can we minimize fighting and maximize trust?
2. How can we maximize efficiency and minimize administrative stuff, so we all can do program work?
3. How do we take advantage of what we've got?
4. How do we do the right thing with donor money?
5. How do we steward the projects for the long-term future?