The section on donations in version -03 says (skipping the editors' notes):
5.3 Designated Donations, Monetary and In-Kind
Donations are an essential component of funding. The IASA undertakes
no direct fund-raising activities. This establishes a practice of
separating IETF administrative and standards activities from
fund-raising activities, and helps ensure that no undue influence may
be ascribed to those from whom funds are raised.
ISOC shall create and maintain appropriate structures and programs to
coordinate donations intended to support the work of the IETF, and
these will include mechanisms for both in-kind and direct
contributions to the work supported by IASA. Since ISOC will be the
sole entity through whom donations may be made to the work of the
IETF, ISOC shall ensure that those programs are not unduly
restrictive. For the benefit of individuals, smaller organizations
and countries with developing economies, ISOC shall maintain programs
that allow for designated donations to the IETF.
In-kind resources are owned by the ISOC on behalf of the IETF and
shall be reported and accounted for in a manner that identifies them
as such. Designated monetary donations shall be credited to the
appropriate IASA accounts.
In the discussion on this subject, Lynn St. Amour raised the issue that the
words on "designated donations" were, in her words, "unnecessarily
restrictive and too proscriptive; and will significantly reduce needed
flexibility".
This was interpreted by some as saying "there should be no donations that
are designated solely for IETF support".
There has been strong pushback against this from other people; people have
pointed out that one such program already exists (the platinum membership).
I also went over this in some detail in my "finances note".
The discussion made clear that people are not strongly wedded to any
particular *size* limit for the designated donations; people have said that
the 100K/year commitment level is "very high", but fully accept that any
such program will have to be able to pay for its own overhead.
I think there is IETF consensus that we want designated donations to exist,
as they do today. This principle needs to go in - and indeed, it is touched
upon in other places in the BCP.
But I do not see the need to put much restriction on the way it is set up.
Suggested modification to the middle paragraph:
ISOC shall create and maintain appropriate structures and programs to
coordinate donations intended to support the work of the IETF, and
these will include mechanisms for both in-kind and direct
contributions to the work supported by IASA. Since ISOC will be the
sole entity through whom donations may be made to the work of the
IETF, ISOC shall ensure that those programs are not unduly
restrictive.
ISOC shall maintain programs that allow for designated donations to
support the work of the IETF.
The "not unduly restrictive" part should take care of the "I want to give
ten dollars" issue. And I reworded the last sentence to make it match the
first one, and not cause red herrings about whether the IETF exists as
someone who can hold money (it doesn't).
Does this make sense to people?
Harald
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