[Chapter-delegates] Recent Correspondence from the Cambodian Chapter

[Veni Markovski]

Elver, and all,
Replace Estonia with Bulgaria , and I can sign it.
Isoc-Bulgaria had several projects running at the same time, and we were
having paid staff (many here know Julia and Dessi /Dragoslava/), as well as
GOOD stuff to achieve, among which:
- Creative Commons inBulgarian
- changes in the Bulgarian telecom laws to become internet-friendly
- contributions to the ITU
- participation and reporting from ITU big events
- get rid of licenses and regulations of Internet services in the country
- using free and open source software for e-government
- etc

Isoc has contributed a tiny little fraction of our budget, and two years
ago, when we most needed support for fighting with the bad stuff at the
ITU, 3 chapters - Bulgaria, Poland and Armenia - asked for 7500 $. The
request was turned down because "it has been too international"
I rest my case.


On Sunday, September 29, 2013, Elver Loho wrote:

> On 27 September 2013 16:05, Victor Ndonnang <ndonnang at nvconsulting.biz<javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', 'ndonnang at nvconsulting.biz');>
> > wrote:
>
> +1 Ted,****
>
> ** **
>
> I’m following with great attention this discussion initiated by the
> Cambodian Chapter intention to leave the Internet society Great family
> which lead to the old debate about ISOC’s direct financial support to
> Chapters. Before I continue, I would like to clearly express my opposition
> to that. For me, It is important and better for ISOC HQ to empower Chapters
> rather than giving them money. Chapters are not “national bureau” of the
> Internet Society. ISOC Chapters and ISOC Global are partners who share the
> same vision and the mission. The direct financial support to Chapters for
> their administrative and running costs will make the Chapters useless,
> dependent and non-sustainable. If we put in place the systematic direct
> financial support from ISOC HQ to Chapters, we will see many useless
> Chapters flourish around the world only to benefit to that direct financial
> support. ****
>
> ** **
>
> The belonging to the ISOC great family comes with advantages but also
> responsibilities. The Internet Society is already supporting and empowering
> Chapters in many ways:****
>
> **-       **The community Grants programme gives priority to Chapters
> projects****
>
> **-       **The Event funding programme which helps to keep the Chapter
> active each year****
>
> **-       **The Web presence support****
>
> **-       **The travel support ****
>
> **-       **Capacities Building and Leadership Program****
>
> **-       **International Handbook for Chapters****
>
> **-       **Management Tools ****
>
> **-       **Etc . You can
>
> The problem with all of these measures you have enumerated above is that
> they require someone to actually sit down, type out applications, organize
> the people, create a structure for them to work in, and so forth. The
> problem with most NGOs and, I suspect, with most Chapters is NOT that there
> aren't any sources of funding available. The problem with most NGOs and, I
> suspect, with most Chapters is that there isn't money to keep even a single
> person on the payroll whose job it is to get that funding for all the
> projects. To actually run things and organize.
>
> We can have all the meetings we want and we can decide whatever, but at
> some point someone actually needs to sit down and get things done.
>
> This might sound like hyperbole, but steady funding from ISOC HQ to keep
> one person on the payroll to run things would very likely be *more*
> valuable than having access to five times more money as community grants or
> travel support or event funding or whatever. There's a huge amount of money
> available in all sorts of grants programs all over the world. The problem
> isn't lack of project-based money. The problem is lack of money for
> administrative and organizational tasks. You're all talking about lack of
> funding, but you seem to be missing the most important aspect: the kind of
> funding that's actually needed.
>
> Here in Estonia there's a ton of project-based money available, but almost
> zero administrative funding. As a result there are NGOs where people apply
> for funding everywhere and do all sorts of crazy and ineffective and
> useless projects, which look good on paper, but are a waste of time. Why?
> Because from each project they can extract the 20% administrative overhead
> funding. And from that maybe a quarter is used for things that actually
> need to get done. For things, which are truly important. Which no funding
> committee really knows about or understands. Essentially of project-based
> funds 5% is used to do important things while 95% is wasted on ineffective
> and useless [insert your favorite cussword].
>
> Here in Estonia we could get money for doing conferences on
> internet-related topics. We could get money for publishing. We could get
> money to do media projects and online education. We might even get money
> for doing some cool and innovative web service, which nobody will use. Lots
> of funding available for all of that. And it's all fairly ineffective and
> the results are hard to measure beyond "we did X". So what is it that
> really needs to get done? In one word: lobbying. Analysing pending
> legislation, going to meetings, talking to politicians and civil servants.
> That's where the problems are, that's where you get actual measurable
> results. Is there money for this? Nope. Zero. No money whatsoever.
>
> So in essence the problems are the following:
>
> 1. You are funding the wrong things. If you want the world to change for
> the better, then ISOC Chapters around the world need to be effective at
> lobbying their governments to adopt all the fine principles for which we
> joined ISOC in the first place. If we aren't even capable of that, then why
> are we even here?
>
> 2. You are funding things in the wrong way. There is no shortage
> whatsoever of project-based funding in the world. The way you get such
> funding is by keeping someone on the payroll who can get it. That payroll
> requirement creates a barrier of entry, which most Chapters are unable to
> get over. So they languish. And nothing gets done. And people get angry and
> threaten to dissolve their Chapters.
>
> We've had this discussion before. The problem is that as Chapter leaders
> we are working on a voluntary basis (most of us, anyway), and we need to
> get things done locally and in our workplace and so forth. We are busy and
> we don't get paid to argue on this mailing list. So if we say that we have
> a funding problem, then we get a nicely worded reply from the ISOC HQ. And
> then we complain a bit more, and we get another nicely worded reply from
> the ISOC HQ. Maybe a meeting happens at the HQ and maybe someone proposes
> that someone look into it and maybe even a committee is formed, or a
> working group, where ideas go to silently die. And since we all, as Chapter
> leaders, have more important things to do, we give up. We understand that
> it's an uphill battle trying to argue with people who get paid to argue.
> I've seen it way too many times trying to convince a politician to do the
> right thing -- he or she gets paid and can run you around in circles all
> day long while you gotta worry about where your next paycheck comes from.
>
> The Cambodian Chapter figured out how to turn the tables. By threatening
> dissolution of their Chapter, they don't have to fight anymore. Now it's
> the ISOC HQ that needs to find a solution and needs to do it quickly. Maybe
> we all need to join the Cambodians out of solidarity. After all,
> administrative funding is an issue for most of us, if not all.
>
>
> Best,
> Elver
> .ee
>
>
>
> ****
>
> ** **
>
> Let come back to issue which brings this discussion live: Making ISOC
> Cambodia Chapter a legal entity in Cambodia. ****
>
> I know how It is difficult to establish a non-profit organization in many
> countries, especially in developing countries. When I started the
> “re-formation” process of ISOC Cameroon Chapter, I made that goal my N°1
> priority and which the help (time and money) of others founding members, we
> achieved it. We had the choice at that time to legalize the Cameroon
> Chapter as a NGO or Association. The process to become an NGO was too
> complicated, so we choice to be registered as an Association (a sort of
> small NGO). This is very important because Chapters can only be respected
> locally and interact freely with government, private sector and other
> groups when they are registered as a legal entity by the local
> administrative authorities. ****
>
> Based on that experience, I suggest to our Cambodia Chapter colleagues to
> explore all alternatives of legal recognition in their country. Be
> registered as a NGO is not the only way to become a legal non-profit
> organization or entity, I hope this is true in Cambodia too. ****
>
> ** **
>
> When the Chapter is registered as a legal entity (NGO, Association…) in
> its respective country, it can easily search or apply to local funding
> opportunities (government grants, big national corporates grants…). The
> formation an ISOC Chapter is a process and Chapter founding members are
> aware during the process that ISOC HQ will not be the only source of
> funding for the Chapter (that’s why there is a mention about “Chapter
> supporters” in the application form and means of funding the draft
> By-Laws). Let’s search for others sources of funding and thanks the ISOC HQ
> for all It is already offering us rather than fighting for something which
> will make us useless. ****
>
> ** **
>
> Sorry for the long email. ****
>
> Best regards,****
>
>
>

-- 
Best,
Veni
http://veni.com
https://facebook.com/venimarkovski
https://twitter.com/veni

***
The opinions expressed above are those of
the author, not of any organizations,
associated with or related to him in
any given way.
***


== Sent from my phone, so any spelling mistakes are caused by the
touchscreen keyboard.
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