On 28.08.2011 23:47, Mike Godwin wrote: > Theo writes: > >> Second, it might be some form of elitist outlook if you think accountability >> standards for US Non-profits are more transparent and fiscally responsible >> than say somewhere in EU like Germany, France or the Switzerland. I assure >> you, they are existent, not-minimal and more restrictive than the US. > > of work to solve (and the solution may not be identical for every > cooperating chapter). Wikimedia Deutschland has invested a lot of > effort, for example, in developing a solution that works for the > German chapter, but the solution for another EU chapter (or for > chapters in the Global South or elsewhere) may look significantly > different. > >
This is interesting because what has been pointed out it's that the chapters are insecure and they are risky. This is incomprehensible for chapters that receive an audit every year (audit done by an external company). I would say that in this case what is insecure is not the chapter, which is absolutely complaint with the local law, but it's insecure and unreliable the system of control applied by WMF. The chapters must take care of the local law, and this is sufficient and valid to drive a local fundraising. If the chapters are really independent and they are linked to WMF only with some agreements, I don't understand why we must speak about the US law for an European chapter. The WMF applies the US law to all of their affairs and can monitor and audit the relation with the chapters, but further these relations, the US law stops its validity. I agree that the German model is not valid for all chapters, and this happens for a lot of questions, one important question is that the WM DE manage different quantity of donations and that WM DE has chosen a different organization of the voluntary service. As to evaluate the maturity of a chapter we cannot compare it with WM DE, at the same time we cannot compare the reliability of one chapter applying a law in force in another country. Ilario _______________________________________________ foundation-l mailing list foundation-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l
