[Chapter-delegates] Message from Internet Society Audit Committee Chair

Sun Nov 8 17:58:53 PST 2020

AGs are worried about abuse of non-profit organizations.
v

On Sun, Nov 8, 2020 at 6:13 PM sivasubramanian muthusamy <
6.internet at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> Dear Vint,
>
> Somewhat of a pointless question: Why does the Attorney General constrain
> and disadvantage purpose not-for-profits ?  Renders not-for-profits weak.
>
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 9, 2020 at 3:14 AM vinton cerf via Chapter-delegates <
> chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org> wrote:
>
>> the USG sets conflict $ limits at $25!!!
>>
>> v
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Nov 8, 2020 at 4:42 PM Veni Markovski <veni at veni.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I don’t remember (it was perhaps 15 years ago), but the issue today is
>>> different. It is normal to expect that active people in their respected
>>> countries may decide to join a chapter and its board. I don’t say “staff”,
>>> as I don’t know how many chapters actually have budget to hire staff.
>>> Boards are usually non-paid position.
>>> I find it counterintuitive from ISOC to put such a request to the
>>> chapter-elected trustees.
>>> Note that I’m not talking about other organizations that may provide
>>> people from their leadership to serve on the BoT, just about the chapters.
>>> Surely an admin support of $2K cannot be considered seriously as such a
>>> big conflict that a Trustee won’t be allowed to... what? Vote ISOC budget?
>>>
>>> May be there’s some very simple explanation, which I just can’t see in
>>> the text of the document or in Andrew’s emails. It may be my problem alone,
>>> but I see other comments, by other people, who have even more questions.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, Nov 8, 2020 at 16:31 vinton cerf <vgcerf at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> veni,
>>>> at the time you were on the ISOC board and chair of ISOC Bulgaria, it
>>>> might be that there were no pecuniary considerations provided by ISOC to
>>>> the Chapters. In that case, perhaps no conflict?
>>>>
>>>> v
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, Nov 8, 2020 at 4:09 PM Veni Markovski via Chapter-delegates <
>>>> chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi.
>>>>>
>>>>> On Sun, Nov 8, 2020 at 15:35 Andrew Sullivan via Chapter-delegates <
>>>>> chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On Sun, Nov 08, 2020 at 11:06:35AM -0500, Veni Markovski via
>>>>>> Chapter-delegates wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> >— run for the BoT of ISOC and give up the work they do in their own
>>>>>> >countries
>>>>>> >— never run foe the BoT, and keep work with their chapters foe the
>>>>>> good of
>>>>>> >the national Internet.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> That appears to me to be a false dichotomy.  As I have said
>>>>>> repeatedly, there is no requirement to give up membership in a Chapter.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> And I didn’t talk about membership in a chapter.
>>>>>
>>>>> The requirement is that one not be a Trustee and an officer of any
>>>>>> Chapter at the same time.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Right. That’s what I was talking about.
>>>>>
>>>>> I believe that there are many examples of people working in a Chapter
>>>>>> -- indeed, very actively -- without being an officer of that Chapter.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> That’s correct, too.
>>>>>
>>>>> I find it somewhat distressing, indeed, to read the apparent
>>>>>> implication that the only important people in a Chapter are its officers.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I don’t think I’ve ever used the word “important”, but we are in a
>>>>> mailing list, which is called “chapter delegates”. If one is not a member
>>>>> of the chapter leadership, (s)he won’t be able to read it. That doesn’t
>>>>> make these people important (not sure why you came up with this word?), but
>>>>> just what the name suggests - chapter leaders.
>>>>>
>>>>> The idea that someone cannot be a chapter leader and a Trustee of ISOC
>>>>> is definitely new (I was a Trustee and chair of the board of ISOC Bulgaria
>>>>> at some point), and to me makes no sense. Let’s not forget — as many have
>>>>> pointed out — that sitting in the chapter leadership is usually a volunteer
>>>>> position (same as being an ISOC trustee, right?), so I’m still not sure
>>>>> what conflict of interests there might be, and also not sure why one
>>>>> wouldn’t excuse themselves from issues that may be perceived as conflicting.
>>>>>
>>>>> Actually, one could argue that if there are no interests, the
>>>>> chapter-elected trustees won’t even run for the BoT.
>>>>>
>>>>> Perhaps someone at ISOC could provide us with a short list of where
>>>>> former and current Trustees are coming from with regards to them being
>>>>> members of chapter leadership? It may turn out that you are right, and then
>>>>> that won’t be an issue at all? Or may be the majority of them come from the
>>>>> chapter leadership and that’s normal as they have shown long-term interest
>>>>> in serving not only their countries’ Internet community,  but the global
>>>>> one, too?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Best regards,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> A
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Andrew Sullivan
>>>>>> President & CEO, Internet Society
>>>>>> sullivan at isoc.org
>>>>>> +1 416 731 1261
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> As an Internet Society Chapter Officer you are automatically
>>>>>> subscribed
>>>>>> to this list, which is regularly synchronized with the Internet
>>>>>> Society Chapter Portal (AMS):
>>>>>> https://admin.internetsociety.org/622619/User/Login
>>>>>> View the Internet Society Code of Conduct:
>>>>>> https://www.internetsociety.org/become-a-member/code-of-conduct/
>>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>>
>>>>> Best regards,
>>>>> Veni Markovski
>>>>> http://www.veni.com
>>>>> pgp: 5BA1366E veni at veni.com
>>>>> <http://www.veni.com/>
>>>>>
>>>>> The opinions expressed above are those of the author,
>>>>> not of any organizations, associated with or related to
>>>>> the author in any given way.
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> As an Internet Society Chapter Officer you are automatically subscribed
>>>>> to this list, which is regularly synchronized with the Internet
>>>>> Society Chapter Portal (AMS):
>>>>> https://admin.internetsociety.org/622619/User/Login
>>>>> View the Internet Society Code of Conduct:
>>>>> https://www.internetsociety.org/become-a-member/code-of-conduct/
>>>>>
>>>> --
>>>
>>> Best regards,
>>> Veni Markovski
>>> http://www.veni.com
>>> pgp: 5BA1366E veni at veni.com
>>> <http://www.veni.com/>
>>>
>>> The opinions expressed above are those of the author,
>>> not of any organizations, associated with or related to
>>> the author in any given way.
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> As an Internet Society Chapter Officer you are automatically subscribed
>> to this list, which is regularly synchronized with the Internet Society
>> Chapter Portal (AMS):
>> https://admin.internetsociety.org/622619/User/Login
>> View the Internet Society Code of Conduct:
>> https://www.internetsociety.org/become-a-member/code-of-conduct/
>>
>
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