[OpenID] Several Questions for the Current & Future Board
Dick Hardt
dick.hardt at gmail.com
Sat Dec 13 06:39:02 UTC 2008
Like Scott, I am disappointed by your comments Johannes. Please see
responses inline ...
On 12-Dec-08, at 12:04 PM, Johannes Ernst wrote:
> Sadly, so far not even the board has had insight into the financials.
I think you can only speak for yourself Johannes. We had a budget for
2008. As treasurer I put together a budget for 2009 which was
approved. Given the lack of strategic and tactical direction of the
board, I put together the best budget I could with the input
available. I don't recall you objecting to either of the budgets.
> Every board I've ever been associated reviews the financials of the
> organization at or before each board meeting, even if it is only a
> formality.
I have been on two different non-profit tech organization boards over
the last 11 years. We do an annual budget that we approve. We check in
at six months.
> I went on an extremely broken record for something like a year,
> before a (single, one-time, and incomplete) set of financials was
> provided on November 4th, I believe.
As I told the board and the board agreed -- there was little value in
spending board time reviewing financials if nothing unusual was
happening. See below for the only expenditure that was not in the
budget. I was frustrated as well with the lack of financial statements
provided by our ED, but given the bank balance information, I had
confidence that we did not have any major financial irregularities.
> Sometimes we did get a bank balance in board meetings, which is
> better than nothing but a bad governance tool. The funny thing is,
> we kept making spending decisions on the board without having
> anything resembling a budget that would educate us whether or not we
> actually had the money to spend.
Speaking of funny things, the one major expenditure that was made by
the board that was NOT in the budget was the customer research project
that you spearheaded. As treasurer, I was disappointed and surprised
that I was not consulted about the expenditure, but you pushed it
through at a board meeting I was unable to make. Given that we had the
funds, I did not make an issue out of not being consulted -- but I
find it ironic that you of all people are calling the board
financially irresponsible.
While I appreciate your energy and commitment you have made to OpenID,
I find this politicking self serving and counter productive. Please
stop for the good of the community.
-- Dick
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