<div dir="ltr">I think that's an excellent idea Elisa. You're full of them recently :D<div>The figure seems reasonable to me and I like the idea of keeping the funds local. This makes sense when the amount is low enough that international transfers would be cost prohibitive.</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, 1 Nov 2021 at 21:56, eli <<a href="mailto:elipuccioni@gmail.com">elipuccioni@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Thanks so much everybody, and Greg please keep raising these questions, I'm learning a lot from them and I value your experienced opinion on OSGeo procedures.</div><div><br></div><div>I totally agree, I should have asked for more detailed information for the grants that require money in advance, I'm sorry about that and I'll make sure it won't happen again. I'm going to contact Lani and ask for a more detailed quote, even if I will assure her that the grant is approved and will specify with her what we require if they underspend (i.e. giving the money in excess to a local charity chosen by us if under $200 AUD, sending back the money to OSGeo if the money in excess are more than $200 AUD). I've chosen the $200 AUD mark as it's roughly a fifth of the required budget, but happy to hear your suggestions on this too.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding the conflict of interest, in this case we had two members of the group directly involved in the event (Carrol and Nemaia) and both restrained from voting. As we still had 3 voting members and all 3 approved the grant, it passed on as the majority of the group did vote yes. If we didn't have the majority of the votes we would have asked the Board to intervene and decide if approving or not the grant. I will make sure to write down all of this in the procedures!</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers,</div><div>Elisa<br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">Il giorno mar 2 nov 2021 alle ore 17:09 Edoardo Neerhut <<a href="mailto:eneerhut@gmail.com" target="_blank">eneerhut@gmail.com</a>> ha scritto:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Thanks for the civil discussion everyone. Great points all around and I think we're mostly aligned.<div><div><br></div><div><b>Fiji approval</b></div><div>If my approval is needed, I approve in this case to ensure Fiji can put together the breakfast/dinner next week. Elisa, can you give them written approval so they are confident the money will be there and they can put the event on?</div><div><br></div><div><b>My concerns</b></div><div><ol><li>The request for funds was a guesstimate. We need better than this in future. We should have a venue and reference to prices that can be compared to the cost per head estimate.</li><li>What happens if the dinner has half the number of attendees, gets cancelled, or just doesn't cost as much as estimated? What happens to that money? These are rather likely scenarios so I think we need a disclaimer that outlines what happens in the result of underspending while also stating that OSGeo Oceania is contributing the requested amount only in the case of overspend.</li></ol></div><div><b>Approvals going forward</b></div><div>I don't think I should be the one reviewing/approving. In future I would like to see the board set a budget for the Microgants Committee and let the committee operate that fund with the transparency Greg mentioned. I thought this was the financial process already, but I agree more info and access on Loomio is better so that the board can step in for fiduciary reasons. Hopefully rarely.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, 1 Nov 2021 at 20:51, Greg Lauer <<a href="mailto:gregory.lauer@gmail.com" target="_blank">gregory.lauer@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div id="gmail-m_-975831366140278766gmail-m_-6895223046856137808gmail-m_835990614794172071gmail-m_5597572657473725459gmail-m_6830710071000204106gmail-m_-1999309239788320341__MailbirdStyleContent" style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:left" dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-size:13.3333px">Thanks Eli for the very comprehensive email </span><span style="font-size:13.3333px">outlining</span><span style="font-size:13.3333px"> your thoughts. To be transparent I questioned Eli on a transfer and this is were </span><span style="font-size:13.3333px">this</span><span style="font-size:13.3333px"> email derived from. </span><span style="font-size:13.3333px">The key issue was being asked to send $900 overseas to a Western Union account with out any supporting documentation (who, what were etc.). The issue was not about the committees decision to make and/or authorize a grant.</span><br></div><div><span style="font-size:13.3333px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:13.3333px">In answering Eli's questions:</span></div><div><span style="font-size:13.3333px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:13.3333px">1. I am in complete agreement that the board should not interfere on the day to day running of committee(s). As per Ed's comments, in my mind it more about transparency, and Board members have a fiduciary duty to manage funds. With the Microgrant fund this was (initially) easily done by board members having read only access to Loomino (not sure why this stopped) With other grants there doesn't seem to be a transparent process to follow. I should add, in my mind, the Board have the right to 'Audit' decisions at any stage (although in reality this should be very rare).</span></div><div><span style="font-size:13.3333px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:13.3333px">2. Again to be clear the board should not be involved in the decision making at a committee level. The only area that should have some Board over-site is Conflict of Interest (and this been raised before) and general understanding of processes. I my mind, again , this is about transparency. </span></div><div><span style="font-size:13.3333px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:13.3333px">3. I will split this into two. </span></div><div><span style="font-size:13.3333px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:13.3333px">In terms of "</span><span style="font-size:10pt">guarantee do we have that the money is spent on what it was originally agreed to", with post </span><span style="font-size:13.3333px">payment</span><span style="font-size:10pt"> this is </span><span style="font-size:13.3333px">reasonably</span><span style="font-size:10pt"> easy to manage. With pre-</span><span style="font-size:13.3333px">payment</span><span style="font-size:10pt"> I think we need to set the </span><span style="font-size:13.3333px">expectations</span><span style="font-size:10pt"> clearly with the grantee, in </span><span style="font-size:13.3333px">writing (form letter)</span><span style="font-size:10pt"> and </span><span style="font-size:13.3333px">acknowledged, of the obligations.</span><span style="font-size:13.3333px">I am not so worried about Microgrants but but </span><span style="font-size:13.3333px">believe</span><span style="font-size:13.3333px"> larger grants require extra steps.</span><span style="font-size:13.3333px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:13.3333px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:13.3333px">In most cases we reimburse grantees based on pre-approved submission of receipts or similar. This is a simple and very easy way to manage and very transparent and ensured that the monies was spent as There has been (and will continue to be) cases were this is not practical and we will need to send monies in advance. I am very confident this can be managed transparently but in my mind requires a couple of extra steps (for example a simple agreement signed by the grantee acknowledging the terms of the grant etc). </span></div><div><br></div><div>4. I have answered above - there will always be cases to make money available in advance, and we should support that, with appropriate safeguards</div><div><br></div><div>To be very clear this is not aimed at Eli or the grants team at all - 110% supportive of the work they are doing. If anything this is a bit of a swing back at the board (myself included) in that we need to provide better support to the committees so they can spend money on these types of things and have clear guidelines in place. It is not fair for Eli to have to try and navigate this without board support.</div><div><br></div><div>In terms of the outstanding grant to Suva we need to resolve this reasonably quickly. If Eli and he team have approved this we need to make it available. <span style="font-size:10pt">For me a very brief email with the grantee, purpose of funds ('Lunch for Suva Hub'), some very basic accounting/proposed line items (30 x lunch @ $10 etc) would suffice. If it is a there is a potential conflict of interest (i.e Board member, contractor, friend etc) then a very short statement how this was mitigated. Although I would feel more conformable with a written acknowledgement from the grantee, I accept that we are running out of time here.</span></div><div><span style="font-size:10pt"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:10pt">Greg</span></div>
<blockquote type="cite" style="border-left-style:solid;border-width:1px;margin-top:20px;margin-left:0px;padding-left:10px;min-width:500px">
<p style="color:rgb(170,170,170);margin-top:10px">On 2/11/2021 9:14:57 AM, Edoardo Neerhut <<a href="mailto:eneerhut@gmail.com" target="_blank">eneerhut@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</p><div style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><div dir="ltr">Hi Elisa,<div><br></div><div>Thanks for following up with a board email on this topic. Here are my 2 cents on each topic.</div><div><ol><li>I agree with Elisa that the board should not weigh on each application. That shows a lack of trust in the committee and I don't want that to be the case. It'd be great if this information is available to the board for fiduciary reasons via Loomio or elsewhere, without the board needing to chime in.</li><li>I don't have concerns with this currently, but the clearer we can make this each cycle, the better.</li><li>For additional context, Greg raised a valid point about whether it is acceptable to send money without a clear idea of where it is going. We should focus on what the "clear idea" part here means and incorporate it into policies for both Good Mojo and Microgrants. Specific policy changes we could might make for funding in advance include:</li><ul><li>A detailed quote from the good or service provider that(s) that breaks down the projected cost</li><li>A contingency plan if the quote diverges from actuals</li><li>Receipt to be provided within x number of days after the event</li></ul><li>Case by case. We know money in advance is particularly important for the Pacific. If we set a cap on advanced fundings, we're effectively discriminating on the funds they have access to. Instead we should have stricter controls on what a valid request is (see point 3 above).</li></ol><div>On currently pending applications, don't be afraid to ask for more information to solidify the application. If we can do this quickly, we can ensure everyone gets the money they need before the conference next week (ahhh it's next week!!!).</div></div><div><br></div><div>Cheers,</div><div><br></div><div>Ed</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, 28 Oct 2021 at 19:08, eli <<a href="mailto:elipuccioni@gmail.com" target="_blank">elipuccioni@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex;min-width:500px"><div dir="ltr">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Hi all!<span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">As we are in full swing with both microgrants and Good Mojo
applications, I had a few important issues brought to my attention and I’d like
to discuss them with all of you before carrying on with the grant group jobs.<span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The main concerns are rotating around how we approve a
microgrant and a GM request, the way we have decided to send funding (that’s
especially for GM), and the way I have communicated them to the board. More
specifically these questions have been raised:<span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:107%"><span>1.<span style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span>Original
application - what is money being spent on? Can the board have access to the
full application?<span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:107%"><span>2.<span style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span>How and
why the application has been approved, and if there were any conflicts of
interest, how they have been managed<span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:107%"><span>3.<span style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span>What
guarantee do we have that the money is spent on what it was originally agreed to?<span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:107%"><span>4.<span style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span>Why
does the money need to be paid in advance? (that’s referring to Good Mojo only).
Should we fix a threshold of $500 to send money in advance or not?<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span>I haven’t yet
consulted all the rest of the Grant group people about these issues, but I’m
sure they will be happy to step in the conversation if needed. I’d like to write
down my point of view about the questions raised, but I’m really happy to get
all the feedback and advice possible, as I feel that can lead to a better and
faster process to grant funding to the community.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span>Regarding the first
question: up to this moment the grant group discusses the applications via email
and Loomio and I have only reported the results to the board during board
meetings. I’m more than happy to open the Loomio discussion threads to all the
board to read, but I might ask, if possible, not to intervene in the discussion
directly and contact me for any issues, ideas or feedback. I feel if we need to
wait for the input of other 6-7 people that could considerably delay the process.
But happy to discuss it! Also, if any other person would love to join the grant
group and be actively involved in the discussion and voting, you’re all welcome
(board members and community members alike!). I will try to cut the
communications via email about the applications and put everything on Loomio. Sometimes
it has been faster just to forward the applications directly to the rest of the
group instead of copying and pasting it to Loomio, especially for the four GM requests
we’ve received, as they don’t have an application form but are sent directly to
the grants email. But I have of course all the emails saved; in case the board
wants to read them (respecting of course the privacy of the people involved).<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span>Regarding n.2. we
do have a guideline here in the Microgrant document (<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QqVd5LT4l6cwr5WZXYV1AX8X09T48irv/edit" style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:107%">https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QqVd5LT4l6cwr5WZXYV1AX8X09T48irv/edit</span></a>)
and we have followed it. It addresses both how to approve an application and
what we do in case of conflict of interest. The GM funding purpose is
explained, not yet completely, in this document (<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F0hgEyBPJ2EL0jZtqn0Av88Zmg6eTS7mUCEdEALujOg/edit#heading=h.95t0ev3wjads" style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:107%">https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F0hgEyBPJ2EL0jZtqn0Av88Zmg6eTS7mUCEdEALujOg/edit#heading=h.95t0ev3wjads</span></a>).
We have not created yet a complete guideline for the GM as we’re still in the
process to reorganise it to fit the new post covid reality and we’ve decided to
adapt the microgrant process to fit the GM requests of this year. I expect it
will be quite different from next year on (or at least I hope), maybe including
more events/activities in its scope, but for 2021 the GM funding is still
closely linked to the conference and has been sent or will be sent to hub
coordinators only. I do agree we should have written down a more comprehensive document
and I apologise for that, but in all honesty, we haven’t had time. I will
fill this gap asap after the conference, as I will need to organise another
meeting with the rest of the group to put them down together and it’s not
possible now. In order to build back the board's confidence in our process, I’ll happily
explain all the steps we have taken to approve three out of four requests for
this year.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span>I think questions 3
and 4 are both referring to the Good Mojo requests, as it’s very rare that we
send microgrants in advance (it has happened only once, I think, just at the
beginning of the programme). I’d like to point out that for us the GM requests
are different from the microgrants: they are used by the hub coordinators </span>to
deliver initiatives related to inclusion, diversity, and sustainability. The
hubs are part of that, they're not outsiders asking for money to deliver their
own programs.<span> We of course request
receipts to be sent after the event is completed and we have a small system in
place in case not all the money is spent. In case just a small amount of money
is left, we will ask the organiser to donate them to a local charity of our choosing,
in case the amount is big, we will request a transfer back. I realise that this
system is based on trust, and I appreciate that not all the board members will
feel confident with it. We’ve put it in place especially for the GM applications
made by the hub organisers, as they are active members of the community who we
often know and have been working with. We feel they are entitled to be trusted, and
maybe receiving the funding in advance can help them organise a better
conference or reduce the stress. Of course, I think it’s important to discuss
this part with the rest of the board in case you don’t share the same
perspective.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span>One last note on it,
following the above principles we have already sent GM funding to Kiribati, but
we’re holding the funding for Suva. Kiribati request was quite smaller than Suva,
and below $500 AUD, so it has been suggested to put $500 as threshold on the
amount of money to be sent in advance at this stage, till at least we have all
the guidelines written and approved. I think that could be a good idea to discuss
together, even if personally I’m not convinced that it’s completely fair. I
think that if a GM application is solid and approved, it should get the funding in
advance even if above the $500 AUD. The GM funding itself is rarely above the
$1000 mark anyway (well, at least it hasn’t been for this year!) and right now we
only have 2 requests of funding in advance, one already paid. So I’d say let’s
go ahead with Suva too, and then maybe change the procedure, if needed, from
next round?<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span>Thanks all for
reading this long email, I’m really looking forward to your feedback and
suggestions!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Cheers,</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Elisa<br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span><span></span></span></p>
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