[OpenID] Several Questions for the Current & Future Board

[Johannes Ernst]

Financials != budget. I recall seeing only one balance sheet and  
profit & loss statement, ever, in all of my time on the board. I would  
agree that budgets can be yearly, but was not my point. Given this, I  
believe my statement "not even the board has had insight into the  
financials" is correct.

Re the CRC work: I personally got on the phone with every board member  
that I could get a hold of in the week before I asked for funding the  
external consultant -- you will recall that you and I talked about it,  
too, on the phone, prior to the board meeting. So I'm at loss to  
understand what you mean by not having been consulted.


On Dec 12, 2008, at 22:39, Dick Hardt wrote:

> 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

Johannes Ernst
NetMesh Inc.

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