[Chapter-delegates] Invitation to Observe ISOC Board Meeting (2-3 November 2024)

Fri Nov 1 11:54:22 PDT 2024

Dear Ted,

I am in receipt of the email announcing this week-end's Internet Society 
and Internet Society Foundation Board meetings, together with links to 
the more detailed agendas plus the very limited supporting information.

I am concerned that no briefing has been given to the ISOC Chapter 
Leadership on what appears to be very substantive issues. Of course I 
appreciate that any such briefing would have been given under 
appropriate Non-Disclosure Agreements.

I wish to raise the following matters in advance of tomorrow's meeting, 
and would request formally that you bring this email to the attention of 
the Board tomorrow. Reading the Proposed Resolution of the Internet 
Society Board meeting approving Board-Designated Funds for the Internet 
Society, I have noticed the allocation of $1,000,000 to be funded by the 
Connected Giving Foundation for several Board initiatives, and am 
concerned at the total lack of transparency and disclosure in relation 
to these matters.

 From the very limited "public source information", including on the 
ISOC Web Site, the "evolution" of the Connected Giving Foundation would 
appear to be:

1. The Connected Giving Foundation was formed in 2019 and became a 
"charitable organisation" in March 2020.

2. Back in February 2020, the then Board Chair Gonzalo Camarillo 
explained that the "Connected Giving Foundation (CGF)" was created to 
take on the function that Public Interest Registry ("PIR") had, once PIR 
was sold and paid for.

/“The mechanism for this is a new supporting organization currently 
called the Connected Giving Foundation (CGF) – though there’s no reason 
that name needs to be permanent – will have roughly the same function as 
PIR has today (i.e. to support the activities of the Internet Society 
and Internet Society Foundation). CGF is the entity that will receive 
the funds should the proposed transaction go ahead.”/ Source: 
https://domaingang.com/domain-news/connected-giving-foundation-and-org-pir-replacement-structure-revealed/ 
<https://domaingang.com/domain-news/connected-giving-foundation-and-org-pir-replacement-structure-revealed/>

3. With the PIR sale having been aborted in April 2020, Form 990 filings 
showed that the Connected Giving Foundation was somehow made dormant. 
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/843558614

4. The proposal for the activation of the “Connected Giving Foundation” 
was discussed in the 5 June 2023 Meeting of the Finance Committee:

/Connected Giving Foundation Proposal
In 2019, the Connected Giving Foundation was formed as a supporting 
organization of the Internet Society to provide supporting activities, 
including investment management of reserves. It has been dormant since 
its inception. A proposal before the committee, and ultimately the 
board, seeks approval to operationalize the Connected Giving Foundation 
to manage and ensure continuous growth of long-term reserves. Ms. Park 
addressed the benefits and areas of consideration, such as operational 
setup and governance.

/5. According to the Finance Committee 4 March 2024 Meeting Minutes the 
following organisations are operational under the remit of the Finance 
Committee:
-    Internet Society
-    Internet Society Foundation
-    Connected Giving Foundation
/
/Form 990 for FY 2022  shows a dormant organisation. However the CFO Sae 
Park’s reporting on Connected Giving Foundation on the Finance Committee 
4 March 2024 meeting mentions:
“/Ms. Park presented the Connected Giving Foundation’s 2023 pre-audit 
financial results, including a Statement of Activities and an updated 
summary of investment results, noting that the Connected Giving 
Foundation’s Board had also received associated financial updates./”

This organisation is not referenced in any other part of the Internet 
Society’s Web Site or reports.

6. The Finance Committee also received an update on the Connected Giving 
Foundation in its 30 May 2024 meeting which is currently listed as the 
latest meeting of the Board Finance Committee ( 
https://www.internetsociety.org/board-of-trustees/committees/minutes/finance/ 
)

Given the above, could you please explain:

a. the rationale for reactivating the "Connected Giving Foundation",
b. who its Board members are and
c. where the funds came from?

Kindest regards,

Olivier

On 01/11/2024 13:40, Rama Rejman via Chapter-delegates wrote:
>
> Dear Chapter Delegates,
>
> The ISOC board meeting will take place this Saturday, 2 November. Open 
> to Observers Session topics will include Community Chair Reports, CEO 
> Report, and Presentation of the 2025 Action Plan, among other things. 
> You can find the full agenda and connection information HERE 
> <https://www.internetsociety.org/board-of-trustees-meetings/183/>.
>
> The Foundation board meeting will take place on Sunday, 3 November. 
> Open to Observers Session topics include updates on the Foundation, 
> Philanthropy, and MANRS, as well as the Five-Year Roadmap and 
> Foundation Action Plan, among other things. You can find the full 
> agenda and connection information HERE 
> <https://www.isocfoundation.org/meeting-agenda/f28-agenda/>.
>
> To access the Zoom meeting join details, you’ll need to click on 
> "Guidelines for Observers" and then agree to the terms.
>
> Regards,
>
> --
>
> Rama Rejman (she/her)
> Community Compliance and Governance Specialist, Community Engagement
>
> rejman at isoc.org <mailto:rejman at isoc.org>
>
> signature_1056792626
> Give a gift of opportunity. _Donate today. <https://bit.ly/3nUsQmJ>_
>
> Read about work we’re proud of in our 2023 Year in Review Report 
> <https://www.internetsociety.org/year-in-review/2023/>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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://community.internetsociety.org.
> -
> View the Internet Society Code of Conduct:https://www.internetsociety.org/become-a-member/code-of-conduct/
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