[Foundation-l] Chapters

Wed Aug 31 08:34:55 UTC 2011

On Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 12:32 AM, Arne Klempert
<klempert.lists at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> We did raise the bar for chapters to participate in the fundraiser as
> payment processors. However, IMO the board's guidance provides enough
> flexibility to let more chapters than just WMDE participate in 2011.
> But again, the board didn't make any decision about individual
> chapters, neither in favor of any chapter nor against. Of course we
> had some conversations about the possible impact of our decision, but
> too many things were unclear at the time to tell for sure which
> chapters could participate in 2011. And even today I can't tell, since
> there are ongoing conversations between some chapters and WMF.

For your information.

Some chapters are a little bit confused because what has been proposed
is only the grant agreement and nothing else.

I asked if the proposal of grant agreement was negotiable and the
answer has been "no"!

It means that there was no opportunity for the chapters to discuss and
to solve some issues.

My chapter, for example, can match most of all point listed in the
letter and we were disappointed that it has been considered "not
conform" without any discussion.

The problem was that the documentation was published in our website
and not in meta or in other WMF's web sites, but this is a minor issue
and not a "blocking" problem.

You understand that if the letter says that some chapters can be
admitted if they match some points and after someone says that no
chapters can be admitted, this is more than an interpretation. This a
policy completely different.

Honestly a "temporary" period to give to chapters the possibility to
adequate their infrastructure to the new requests would have been more
appreciated.

Ilario