[Chapter-delegates] Recent Correspondence from the Cambodian Chapter
Winthrop Yu
w.yu at gmx.net
Sun Sep 29 04:22:16 PDT 2013
(y) Christian!
WYn
On 9/29/2013 6:04 PM, Christian de Larrinaga wrote:
> 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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