[Chapter-delegates] Note to Chapters - DRAFT

[Walda Roseman]

To Chapter Delegates,

Recently there has been a strong and useful discussion regarding the nature of chapters, funding of chapters and administrative support for chapters, among other broader themes.  I would like to help bring some clarity to these issues for everyone.


  1.  The ISOC Board of Trustees recently adopted an updated set of by-laws that specifically affirmed the role of chapters in the governance and mission of the Internet Society, explicitly acknowledged the right of Chapters to form an advisory group, and increased the number of Trustees to be elected by Chapters.  This was a meaningful and far-reaching show of resolve for the key role of Chapters within the Internet Society.
  2.  Chapters, as stated in the by-laws, are autonomous groups of ISOC members formed explicitly for the collaboration, promotion and execution of the mission of the Internet Society.  This autonomy comes with both rights and responsibilities, including a high degree of self-determination and cause-based organization management.
  3.  The funding of the Internet Society staff, projects and tools with proceeds from the Public Interest Registry was determined by the Trustees in 2007 and has been reconfirmed through a disciplined and transparent annual budget development and review process by the Board.  A growing portion of these funds has been apportioned for the exclusive support of ISOC Chapters.  This includes support staff, travel and event funding, tools development and deployment,  and capacity development.
  4.  There continue to be unmet needs of chapters with respect to day-to-day management, among which tasks include member and financial administration, member communications, press relations and outreach, though few chapters experience these gaps in equal measure.
  5.  Chapter input into strategy, policy and project development is valuable and valued at all levels - global, regional and local.  IPv6, DNSSec, ITE/IXP, and policy related to governance, technology and international regulation, as well as greater visibility and understanding for the IETF and the open standards process, are on-going examples of very successful chapter collaboration with ISOC staff. We recognize that additional ways to take advantage of this collaboration are needed. A number are under development and are being rolled out for Chapter use.

To comply with the intent of the updated by-laws as well as with the Board of Trustees' support for strong and engaged chapters, Chapter Development Staff have embarked upon three key projects with direct Chapter involvement and leadership:

  *   Administrative support - Through a recently convened working group of chapters, suggestions for how best to address issues by the chapters are being discussed. Guidelines and proposals leading to deployable solutions will be developed and shared with the full Chapter community.  While we all know that no one solution will fit all chapter needs, we hope that we will be able to further help chapters address a number of key challenges.
  *   Collaboration with Chapter leaders in formation of  a Chapter Advisory Group. Note that monthly regional chapter webinars are now the norm.
  *   The sourcing and deployment of a web-based platform for deep and flexible engagement involving a variety of levels, topics and methods.

The ISOC Board of Trustees is also committed to the regionalization of our organization, which means the development of more resources in the regions themselves, and hence greater local and regional collaboration with chapters.  This priority on effective regionalization is fueled by the understanding of the individual character and priorities of each region, and by the ability of regionally-based staff and members  working together to best understand and address them.

When we speak of the growth of The Internet Society we should be sure to include that there are now 99 chapters around the world.  This has been a rapid development that should please all members.  Staff is dedicated to providing support that has real impact on chapter effectiveness, including operational and management efficiency.  We hope that we can all pause to appreciate this success, the issues it has brought forth and the collaborative spirit it takes to improve our impact for the Sustainable and Open Internet.

Best regards,

Walda

Walda Roseman, Chief Operating Officer
The Internet Society
1775 Wiehle Avenue
Reston, VA 20190 USA
Office: +1 703-439-2764
Cell: +1 202 256 4843
email: roseman at isoc.org
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