[Chapter-delegates] Recent Correspondence from the Cambodian Chapter

[Christian de Larrinaga]

Would it be fair to characterise the main points from this debate as
Chapters must be independent from ISOC on the one hand and on the other
Chapters must receive administrative financial funding from ISOC?

I don't see how "direct" funding from ISOC to chapters for such basic
local organisational requirements satisfies that description.
There is an English expression "Who pays the piper plays the tune".

What might work is for ISOC to establish a chapter secretariat service
that allows chapters to outsource some routine basic administrative
tasks in particular those that relate to their ISOC relationship and
agenda building.

This could be budgeted and valued in some way to be determined between
ISOC and chapters. It could also potentially be managed regionally
although local data protection and security laws would need to be taken
into account.

It could also be useful to provide access for chapters to a shared
resource perhaps outsourced for expert marketing, event development and
fund raising support. This could help build local self sustainability as
well as guide and develop local skills in these tasks.

Chapters could then be sure they are managing their own agenda and have
their own administration but benefit from having access to a shared ISOC
chapter secretariat available to outsource to. Some chapters might be
sufficiently established that they can manage this basic level of
administration internally without recourse to the secretariat. Others
might benefit significantly.




Christian


Veni Markovski wrote:
> 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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