[Chapter-delegates] LoA for good or bad?
Christopher Wilkinson
cw at christopherwilkinson.eu
Wed Mar 28 06:42:42 PDT 2012
+1 CW
On 28 Mar 2012, at 15:13, John More wrote:
> Norbert and Veni 1+
>
> Having paid staff and an office are essential tools for any
> successful chapter in any worldwide NGO, such as ISOC. Volunteers
> are essential for leadership and contacts, etc., but without staff
> to plan for and carry out events on an ongoing basis and to
> supplement the efforts of volunteers who often must manage their
> businesses and jobs, the chapter cannot really be that effective.
> One successful model is for the central organization to train
> interns and then second them.
>
> I have previously put forward the importance of paid staff.
> Naturally the availability of funding (and training) is important
> for Chapters located in regions with fewer resources. At the same
> time, it should be a requirement that the Chapter raise some money
> (even a nominal amount). Charity is not a good model. No financial
> contribution, no ownership -- a primary principal of organizing.
>
> John More
>
> ISOC-DC
>
> On Mar 28, 2012, at 3:15 AM, Veni Markovski wrote:
>
>> Correct. We got also additional support through the Global Internet
>> Policy Initiative - a program ISOC should have been funding today,
>> as they stopped functioning because of lack of money. It was
>> through GIPI that we got the legal expertise we needed about 10
>> years ago, and support for going to meetings, etc.
>> Worth considering from Isoc.
>>
>>
>> Btw, it seems we are sharing here ideas how not only to make Isoc
>> better, but to make it a great organization. It would be good to
>> see some follow up on those ideas. They are based on experience
>> from many chapters, different cultures, etc., and could be perhaps
>> the missing part at Isoc.
>>
>> On Wednesday, March 28, 2012, Eduard Tric wrote:
>> +1 here , too.
>> When we were proposed to start a Romanian chapter long time ago,
>> i've asked a friend , chair at that time of another chapter , what
>> do we need to run a chapter, the answer was "energy and a mailing
>> list" .
>> We still have the energy , but wee needed more than the mailing
>> list to function , it was an investment so far : office space
>> (people like also to have physical meetings ) , internet ,
>> electricity. Having all that + energy was still not enoug , for
>> years Isoc Romania was more a club of Internet enthusiasts running
>> Internet -related projects than a well-known and respected local NGO.
>> The boost in terms of awareness was the Inet Bucharest and our bold
>> position and initiative on ACTA issue.
>> Now we are well known,it's a fact.
>> To become respected, we need (at least ) : synchronization with
>> other chapters and HQ , especially on policies issues, and yes,
>> some funding to run the chapter (especially the legal part of our
>> actions is very costly , we cannot be efficient on policies without
>> a local lawyer support ).
>> Regads,
>> Ed
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Veni Markovski" <veni at veni.com>
>> To: president at isoc-kh.org
>> Cc: chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org
>> Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 9:37:27 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Chapter-delegates] LoA for good or bad?
>>
>>
>> Norbert, +1.
>> Isoc Bulgaria started being active, when we got some funding.
>> Before that it was mainly thanks to the efforts of the board
>> members, who were spending their own money and time to keep the
>> chapter moving. If I wasn't a CEO of an ISP, and co-founder, AND my
>> business partner wouldn't have agreed to let me allocate the time
>> for that... I wouldn't be even on this list now.
>> Paid staff brought the chapter in another dimension. Our committed,
>> humble and totally workohollic people are known to many of you.
>> Julia and Dessi have made wonderful things at Isoc BG and continue
>> doing them.
>> But I've argued many years ago that Isoc HQ could afford pay staff
>> at chapters, which would have.made the chapters stronger. HQ chose
>> a different path, and so far they've used only one person from the
>> chapters world - Jacek, who is now working for Isoc. The regional
>> directors are a good idea, but they need more support - from the
>> chapters to do their job. And that's a problem, as you properly
>> point out, chapters don't have staff to work for free. So, a
>> suggestion might be for HQ to create a pool for supporting not just
>> projects, but chapters personnel hiring. My bet is that on average
>> $ 10,000 per chapter will be enough. Average, because some don't
>> need it, and some need only $ 1,000 per year.
>>
>>
>> V.
>>
>> On Wednesday, March 28, 2012, President ISOC-KH wrote:
>>
>>
>> On 03/27/2012 05:33 PM, Victor Ndonnang wrote:
>>
>>
>> Dear Norbert,
>>
>> Thank you very much for your message. Talking about building up a
>> Chapter, supporting its growth and making it sustainable, many
>> Chapters are in the same situation that you are describing. It is
>> easy to recruit volunteers members for the Chapter but very few of
>> those members are prepared to do mandatory work of the Chapter for
>> nothing (unpaid). From developing world perspective, It is also
>> very difficult to recruit members and ask them to pay (membership
>> fees) for doing unpaid work for the Chapter.
>>
>> I hope all this will be taken into consideration in the LoA
>> introduction process. Globally from my personal view, the LoA is
>> not a bad thing.
>>
>> Thanks one again.
>>
>> Best regards,
>> Victor
>>
>> Dear Victor,
>>
>> thanks for your response, sharing information about similar
>> problems when developing a new chapter in a difficult economic
>> environment. You understand our situation, as I understand yours.
>>
>> We all just got a reminder mail about the deadline for submitting
>> applications for Community Grants.
>>
>> We will not submit a request – we had made preparations last year,
>> but had to move towards applications in 2012, as our Secretary
>> found it too difficult to line up the precise detailed data much
>> ahead of time; we hoped to be able to assemble them on the way
>> towards two mayor events. But our Secretary resigned, and it seems
>> to be extremely difficult to find an – unpaid – replacement.
>>
>> I am not arguing against a program for well designed grants with
>> elaborate reporting structures etc. But as far as I can see, there
>> are no Chapter Support grants, only for “projects.”
>>
>> This is true also for the Information Society Innovation Fund
>> (ISIF) aiming at stimulating creative solutions to ICT development
>> needs in the Asia Pacific region.
>>
>> The ISIF objectives list, among others: “Successful and sustainable
>> models for the provision of Internet services.”
>>
>> But how could a young Chapter work on such objectives without a
>> basis in the form of a small secretariat with at least one paid
>> staff, working on the maintenance and development of the Chapter?
>>
>> The present Cambodia model for Internet service providing is to
>> have 10 or 12 (changing frequently) ISPs competing in a tiny market
>> (but the authorities prevent real market-based solutions by
>> administrative interventions, protecting some turfs, not allowing
>> price based competition). - Some of our members are discussing
>> this; but the volatile situation, with frequently changing
>> challenges which would call for quick responses, can hardly be met
>> without a flexibly organized secretariat. - Our March ISOC Monthly
>> Newsletter gives an example how we are till able to act
>> strategically, having established a bit of a reputation, in a way
>> which never could have been part of “project” planning.
>>
>>
>> Norbert
>>
>> -----Message d'origine-----
>>
>>
>> De : chapter-delegates-bounces at elists.isoc.org [mailto: cha--
>> Best,
>> Veni
>>
>> == Sent from my phone, so any spelling mistakes are caused by the
>> touchscreen keyboard. That's a nice excuse, isn't it;-)
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>> Chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org
>> https://elists.isoc.org/mailman/listinfo/chapter-delegates
>>
>> --
>>
>> --
>>
>> Eduard Tric ,CEO, Axetel
>> I encrypt therefore I am.
>> http://www.axetel.com
>> eduard at axetel.com
>> tel: +40740300740
>>
>>
>> DD;;
>> DDD;;;
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>> ,;DG including yours.
>>
>> 6839f52116af1166f4a01e64ad209459f17ecc995c1456a68c7040072a9a58d6
>>
>>
>> --
>> Best,
>> Veni
>> == Sent from my phone, so any spelling mistakes are caused by the
>> touchscreen keyboard. That's a nice excuse, isn't it;-)
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>> Chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org
>> https://elists.isoc.org/mailman/listinfo/chapter-delegates
>
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