[Chapter-delegates] Bank Accounts was - deadline for admin funding

[Andrew Sullivan]

Hi,

On Sat, Jul 11, 2020 at 05:15:59PM +0800, Winthrop Yu via Chapter-delegates wrote:

>IIRC, the "Chapters Letter" was largely a top-down set of conditions 
>set by ISOC HQ. If there were any compromises made on the Chapter 
>Letter, i do not recall them at the moment and would appreciate being 
>reminded of them.

I'm afraid I can't speak about the negotiations: I was not a party to them, since they generally happened before I joined the Internet Society staff.  What I do know is that chapters were then and remain independent organizations, and by the time I started a significant majority had already signed, suggesting to me that whatever negotiation happened met their concerns.  After all, if not, they would not have signed, since plainly the loss of many chapters over such a dispute would have been bad for the Internet Society and therefore the management of the time would have taken concerns into account.

>During one of those calls i recall ISOC HQ (Chrstine?) mentioning that 
>alternatives would be provided for this "bank account in the chapters' 
>name" requirement. Again IIRC, "alternatives" mentioned included 
>possibly coursing funds thru a fully and legally registered NGO in 
>that country (perhaps somewhat similar to the "fiscal sponsorship" 
>mentioned by Judith and Joly)' or to a bank account jointly in the 
>name of two or more chapter officers certified by that chapter.

One of the problems with recollection is that it's not the same among everyone (even if everyone was present), so I just couldn't speak to what you remember even if I'd been on that call.  Regardless, I believe that it _would_ be possible, under the current chapter engagement letter arrangements, for a chapter to find a home inside an NGO who can provide the requisite financial shelter.  I believe (but cannot confirm) that this is a funds-flow model that has been used successfully by other US 501(c)(3) charities.  Chapters are independent organizations, and the effects of the law between the US and any other country is not something I feel competent to speculate about, but I suspect this model is something that needs to be worked out case by case.  I am also reasonably confident (but not certain, and I'm working to get better information) that it would not be acceptable for the Internet Society itself to be facilitating that relationship.  I am quite confident that the "two or more chapter officers" approach is not acceptable given the constraints under which we work.

> yet now we are informed that even those chapters 
>who do already have a bank account in their name but are not formally 
>registered as a "legal organization" may be denied funding.

I have read this thread many times as well as the chapter engagement letter form, and I do not see this claim.  Can you point it out to me, please?

Best regards,

A

-- 
Andrew Sullivan
President & CEO, Internet Society
sullivan at isoc.org
+1 416 731 1261