[NCSG-FC] Moving Forward

Mon Jan 16 00:31:37 EET 2017

Hi Sam,

 Milton is the NCUC Treasurer and administers their funds through an organisational account at a bank in Atlanta, Georgia. The NCUC does have a US Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). In recent years the account balance has been in the general area of around $80,000.

 It does not appear as if Robin or anyone else has been using the NCSG as an organ for receiving or spending funds. All seems to have been done at the Constituency level. We appear to be breaking new ground by trying to establish something at the SG level, as required by the NCSG Charter.

 Ed

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 From: "Sam Lanfranco" <lanfran at yorku.ca>
Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2017 3:19 PM
To: egmorris1 at toast.net, "NCSG Finance Committee" <ncsg-fc at lists.ncsg.is>
Subject: [NCSG-FC] Moving Forward   
 Ed.,

As part of getting the history of financials sorted out you might want to ask both Robin Gross and Milton Mueller if they have any information they can share. I hear occasional rumors (false news) that Milton might administer some funds (NCUC?, NCSG?) but I don't know. Would be worth clearing the air there. Also, in other work I do with the International Society on Third Sector Research (ISTR) I get government updates on the tax status of U.S. NGOs. Something in ipjustice was in their releases a couple of times last year. I think that ipjustice administers no funds for anything in the NCSG constituency but am not sure. Robin could be asked to clear the air there as well.

As for NPOC, I am now treasurer and we are in the process of moving the account from Belgium, where Rudi administered it, to Canada, where Joan Kerr and I will administer it. I have our transactions records on the Belgium account for 2014-2015 (in Dutch) and hope to have the 2016 records shortly. Things are not moving as fast on that front as I would like so I had to lend NPOC funds for the successful Hyderabad NPOC outreach session, so I am eager to complete the transfer of funds to the Canadian account.

Tapani is on top of the information with regard to funding the new membership database project.

Sam

On 1/14/2017 9:43 AM, Edward Morris wrote:
  HI Sam,

 Excellent points.

 As we know, the NCSG has no bank account. When Robin Gross was Chair of the NCSG she did raise money and hold events but I believe the financial part was always done through the NCUC.

 Tapani, you've been the leader within the NCSG and NCUC  in trying to both open up the archives of these organizations and to bring transparency into the current processes. Can you tell us anything about the past history of the NCSG FC or, indeed, anything to do with finance in our SG? 

 I do understand we did receive funds last year for the new database. Would you be able to tell us what procedure a group lacking a bank account used to receive and spend the monies? I think that will help identify some areas we need to work on.

 I will also note that in terms of equity, that our SG does include two constituencies that do interact with ICANN in many ways. I take our remit under the Charter to include insuring our two constituencies are treated fairly by ICANN. Thoughts?

 Thanks,

 Ed

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 From: "Sam Lanfranco" <lanfran at yorku.ca>
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2017 9:52 PM
To: egmorris1 at toast.net, "NCSG Finance Committee" <ncsg-fc at lists.ncsg.is>
Subject: Re: [NCSG-FC] Acknowledgement, thanks and request    
   Ed, I think that this is a good and wise suggestion. As a prior step to such a meeting it is important that we, the NCSG Finance Committee, have some historical record of NCSG accounts for the past several years. I for one am completely in the dark as to what funds there are, where they come from, who administers them, and where to find the reports of transactions for the past two or three years.

I would find it embarrassing to have a meeting with Xavier where we put a request on the table to insure that "the NCSG and its Constituencies receive fair and equivalent financial support from ICANN" but were unable to say what we have had in the past, how it was spent, and how it is administered.

Sam

On 1/13/2017 3:58 PM, Edward Morris wrote: 
    Thanks Tapani and Sam. 

 I think we all know that we haven't used the Finance Committee to its full potential. I look forward to working with both of you, the NCSG EC and our great membership in building this vital part of the NCSG.

 The NCSG Charter §2.6.5 states that "when possible, as enabled for example by an ICANN meeting, a face-to-face meeting of the NCSG-FC will be held". To fulfil our Charter obligations, I would like to ask Chair Tarvainen to schedule a full meeting of the Finance Committee for the next ICANN general meeting, ICANN 58, in Copenhagen.

 I would propose that we then ask ICANN CFO Xavier Caldez and his team to shift his committee's presentation and consultation from the General Meeting of the NCSG to that of the Finance Committee. The Charter tasks the Finance Committee to "work with ICANN finance officers to insure the NCSG and its Constituencies receive fair and equivalent financial support from ICANN". I believe that hosting the ICANN CFO and his team at our FC meeting will enable us to do just that.

 Thanks again for your confidence and I look forward  to working with everyone on the FC.

 Kind Regards,

 Edward Morris

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 --  ------------------------------------------------ "It is a disgrace to be rich and honoured in an unjust state" -Confucius  邦有道，贫且贱焉，耻也。邦无道，富且贵焉，耻也 ------------------------------------------------ Dr Sam Lanfranco (Prof Emeritus & Senior Scholar) Econ, York U., Toronto, Ontario, CANADA - M3J 1P3 email: Lanfran at Yorku.ca   Skype: slanfranco blog:  https://samlanfranco.blogspot.com Phone: +1 613-476-0429 cell: +1 416-816-2852 

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