<div dir="ltr">Hi Eli<div>Thanks for this work - I remember last year there was also some discussion on this. </div><div>Here are my thoughts:</div><div><span style="color:rgb(89,89,89);font-family:Calibri;font-size:11pt;font-style:italic">1) Original application - what is money being spent on? Can the board
have access to the full application?</span><br>
<ul type="disc" style="margin-left:0.375in;unicode-bidi:embed;margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in">
<li style="vertical-align:middle;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt;color:rgb(89,89,89)"><span style="font-style:italic;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11pt">This has to sit with the grant group
and should sit with them and not be open up to the board. We shouldn't be
micro-managing these things.</span></li>
<li style="vertical-align:middle;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt;color:rgb(89,89,89)"><span style="font-style:italic;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11pt">Loomio is a great vehicle for this
as the action is simple after consideration has been given. </span></li>
<li style="vertical-align:middle;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt;color:rgb(89,89,89)"><span style="font-style:italic;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11pt">Perhaps there just needs to be a
brief summary in point form in Loomio in an attached excel/doc???</span> </li></ul><span style="color:rgb(89,89,89);font-family:Calibri;font-size:11pt;font-style:italic">2)How and why the application has been approved, and if there
were any conflicts of interest, how they have been managed</span><br><ul type="disc" style="margin-left:0.375in;unicode-bidi:embed;margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in"><li><span style="color:rgb(89,89,89);font-style:italic">So I see the difference between the 2 programs is
that one is applied for (the Microgrants) and the Good Mojo is at the Board's
discretion and to be able to funnel funds in areas that show they need some
backing or for some ideas - perhaps there is a governing statement on what
criteria it meets. </span></li><li><span style="color:rgb(89,89,89);font-style:italic">The Good Mojo fund policy is something definitely to
be worked on, but from my perspective, if the board agrees to it, and it is
something that benefits the community to participate in OSGeo Oceania
activities, then I think it is currently fitting the bill.</span></li>
</ul><div><font color="#595959"><i><br></i></font></div><div><span style="font-style:italic" lang="en-AU">3)</span><span style="font-style:italic" lang="en-US"> What
guarantee do we have that the money is spent on what it was originally agreed
to?</span>
<br><span style="font-style:italic" lang="en-AU">4)</span><span style="font-style:italic" lang="en-US"> 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>
<ul type="circle" style="margin-left:0.75in;direction:ltr;unicode-bidi:embed;margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in">
<li style="vertical-align:middle;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt;color:rgb(89,89,89)" lang="en-US"><span style="font-style:italic;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11pt">I am happy for it to be built on
trust. The only thing here is are we meeting the requirements for when we
get audited? Will receipts do it?]</span></li>
</ul><div><font color="#595959" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.6667px"><i>On the last note:</i></span></font></div></div></div><div><ul type="disc" style="margin-left:0.375in;direction:ltr;unicode-bidi:embed;margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in">
<li style="vertical-align:middle;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt;color:rgb(89,89,89)"><span style="font-style:italic;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11pt">If the group is happy the
requirements are there for the funding to be given, I think it needs to be
given to ensure the requestee is ready for the conference. </span></li>
<li style="vertical-align:middle;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt;color:rgb(89,89,89)"><span style="font-style:italic;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11pt">If someone from the finance
committee sits on the microgrants/mojo group, and they are ok with it,
then I can't see why there is an issue for it to be transferred. </span></li><li style="vertical-align:middle;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt;color:rgb(89,89,89)"><span style="font-style:italic;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11pt">I don't know enough but is there a limit that the group can approve up till until the board needs to be involved? Perhaps this can work that under $1k is approved by the group and then over that it just needs to be tabled at the next board meeting or via Loomio? I just don't want it be too micro-managed but am also aware of our role as caretakers for theses resources. </span></li>
</ul><div><font color="#595959" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.6667px"><i>Thanks again for your stewardship in these great endeavours. </i></span></font></div></div><div><font color="#595959" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.6667px"><i>Cheers</i></span></font></div><div><font color="#595959" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.6667px"><i>Em</i></span></font></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, Oct 29, 2021 at 12:08 PM 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">
<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>
</div>
_______________________________________________<br>
Oceania-Board mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Oceania-Board@lists.osgeo.org" target="_blank">Oceania-Board@lists.osgeo.org</a><br>
<a href="https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/oceania-board" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/oceania-board</a><br>
</blockquote></div>