[Chapter-delegates] Funding and a modest proposal for chapters and events

[borka at e5.ijs.si]

+1
Excellent  analysis Dave.

Borka


On Fri, 15 Mar 2013, Dave Burstein wrote:

> Folks
>     What would happen if ISOC shifted 10% of its current budget to low cost
> local initiatives (as suggested) and modest transportation reimbursements to
> members for international events? 
> 
>     I bet the result would be far more bang for the buck than the same money
> spent on staff  and the current travel expenses.  Think how much the
> chapters could achieve with a few hundred thousand, much less 10% of the
> $30M ISOC budget. 
> 
>     Currently, ISOC is spending several million dollars each year supporting
> the chapters. It's in the budget as "internal communications" and dozens of
> other titles, as well as those specifically assigned to regional/chapter
> work. Folks like Paul Brigner and Sally Wentworth are knocking themselves
> out to help the chapters. This isn't a criticism of their efforts. 
> 
>     The current system has a place, but is brutally expensive. It appears a
> few hundred people are "active volunteers" in ISOC, although overall events
> pull more. That means we're currently spending several thousand per active
> volunteer. I think if some of that centrally spent money went directly to
> chapter expenses, the results could be extraordinary.
> 
>      How can we make this happen? One possibility is not to hire for the
> senior economics advocate currently listed as an open job, which is budgeted
> at several hundred thousand dollars. There is no shortage of economic
> analysis from ISOC's allies in policy and one more economist will add little
> to the discussion. 
> 
>     Think how much more that money could do build the chapters and the
> direct international work of ISOC members. 
> 
>     Let's find a way.  
> 
> Dave Burstein
> 
> p.s. How I calculate that ISOC is spending several million on member and
> chapter support. The work of supporting them is shared among a few dozen
> people. When you think of the percent of the time of regional directors,
> more senior people, communications people, and their support and supervisory
> staff, it's easily 10-15 "full-time equivalents," some paid in the six
> figures. Alternately, if you assume that 20% of ISOC's effort is aimed at
> the chapters, that's $6M/year.  
> 
>     I'm not disagreeing with spending the money on chapter support; instead,
> I'm suggesting some be spent by the chapters locally, efficiently and in
> small amounts.
> 
>      Much better results per dollar if done well, I think.
>    
> 
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> Editor, DSL Prime, Fast Net News, Net Policy News and A Wireless Cloud
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