<div>Howdy</div><div><br></div>First off, I want to make clear that I do support this donation as I think the cause is a fantastic one.<div><br></div><div>That said, I think there are some issues with the way the donation has been handled. </div>
<div>As I did not recall reading anything about the donation previously, I have checked through the linux-aus archives and could not see any emails that were specifically around this topic. If I have missed it, the fault is mine and much of the below won't be applicable. </div>
<div><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 9:46 AM, Donna Benjamin <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:donna@cc.com.au">donna@cc.com.au</a>></span> wrote:<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
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So - is it appropriate for LA to support the initiative?<br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Almost certainly, but, at least in this case, it does not appear as though any member consultation (be it the grants process or otherwise) has taken place, which unfortunately raises warning flags for anyone with an interest in the organisation's financial governance. </div>
<div>Whilst it is true that this may not be a grant per se, a similar level of scrutiny needs to be applied, particularly around what outcomes can be expected from the donation. Being a donation, there is not the same expectation of any Return On Investment as there would be for a grant, however for the donation to be considered a 'good' one, there must be a demonstrable outcome of some form. In this case, my opinion would be that a reasonably detailed report of the Ada Initiative's activities after 6-12 months would be appropriate, but others may feel differently (This may have been implied, however it was not made clear anywhere). </div>
<div>I understand that the council are well within their rights under the organisation's constitution to make any donation they deem in line with their goals, however I feel a process similar to the grants one needs to be in place. </div>
<meta charset="utf-8"><div><br></div><div>I suspect that another conversation may need to take place about the formal procedure for LA making donations as opposed to grants. </div><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
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If yes, then given the project is calling for cash, that support would<br>
best be delivered in the form of a donation. What level of donation<br>
would be appropriate?<br>
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Is $5,000 too much or too little?<br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Possibly, however this question cannot easily be answered, which is a large part of the problem. There has not been sufficient information provided around what this money will actually be spent on to decide what is a reasonable amount. The Projects section of the <a href="http://adainitiative.org/" target="_blank">http://adainitiative.org</a> website lists some things that it will likely go towards, but I feel that more concrete information should be provided in advance. </div>
<meta charset="utf-8"><div><br></div><div>At the end of the day, I don't think anyone is disputing that this is almost certainly a worthwhile cause for LA to support, however the lack of advance consultation with the community will (should) always raise eyebrows, even if everything is 100% above board. </div>
<div><br></div><div><br></div><div>-Josh</div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div></div>