[Foundation-l] board candidacies

Sat Aug 12 00:47:20 UTC 2006

Alison Wheeler wrote:
> On Fri, August 11, 2006 21:43, Ray Saintonge wrote:
> 
>>There is a clear distinction between paying a salary to a board member,
>>and reimbursing him for out-of-pocket expenses.  The specific quote from
>>Jimbo is "I have no interest in being paid."  I would not extrapolate
>>from that comment an inference that no-one should be paid.  On the other
>>hand paying the airfare for key people to travel halfway around the
>>world is perfectly acceptable.
> 
> 
> There is a test in the UK that the Inland Revenue (Taxation) use, which
> basically tests an expenses payment as (I paraphrase) "was this cost
> incurred wholly and directly as a result of an activity required by virtue
> of the employment". This principle can be easily and clearly applied to
> consideration of personal expenses in our situation; any costs in excess
> of what the individual would have spent if they had not been carrying out
> an activity on behalf od the Foundation is clearly covered.
> 
> Conversely, I would *totally* disagree with
> 
>>If someone wants to generously pay a board member to give a keynote
>>speech that board member is entitled to keep it.  This is not a matter
>>for our by-laws.
> 
> If someone is given a speech *because* they are from the WMF and
> *representing* the WMF at that presentation, then any fees received are
> the 'income' of the WMF. Obviously, the costs involved with attending the
> location to give that speech (which might include travel, hotel, etc)
> would be payable by the WMF. One can't have it both ways (ie get a fee
> *and* claim expenses)
> 
> Alison Wheeler

Yes

BUT.

The drawline is "being from the WMF" and "representing the WMF"

It is somehow difficult to define when someone is giving speech because 
he is from the WMF and representing the WMF, when this person may also 
be giving the speech as the representant of another organisation (such 
as Wikia for example), or when this person may also be invited to give a 
speech just due to him being famous and having a good vision interesting 
people.

If WMF, then WMF should pay the costs and receive the fee.
If Wikia, then Wikia should pay the costs and receive the fee possibly.
If "self", then speaker should pay the costs and speaker gets the fee.

Sometimes, it is really hard to know.

ant