[Osmf-talk] AGM

[Mikel Maron]

A longish response in which I answer the question about the invoice, and
diagnose the bigger issue facing OSMF, and prescribe a way forward.

>> forgot to invoice a donor for a $300k grant and nearly lost the money.
> I was very open in the GM today that I think the balloting process was
problematic--I think that is what Steve is referring to.  (I can't speak to
the second half of his post.)

I think I know, and I can clarify -- there was a snafu in the procurement
process, the donation was about $100k, and there was no risk of losing
the money.

In 2023, we organized a successful fundraising campaign
https://blog.openstreetmap.org/category/organisation/fundraising/ (the
total announced results were £373,000, not sure if that's the source of the
$300k figure). Among this fundraising were a couple large (for OSMF)
corporate gifts, one from Microsoft and another that has not yet been
announced (for approximately $100K).  I continue to volunteer in the OSMF,
including as the Advisory Board Coordinator and contact point for
companies. Recently I inquired with the Finance Committee about the
status of the second large corporate gift, as it had taken a long time to
get through terms and procurement. To be clear, the gift was committed in
2023, but only entered formal procurement in Q1 2024. It turned out
the invoice had not been submitted and was overdue from late Q2. On
diagnosis, this was due to a misunderstanding about the procurement
sequence; however, the donation was at no point at risk of being lost.

This does not excuse that the donation should have been tracked much better
through the OSMF finance systems. I'm asking in the FC about how that can
be done effectively. While this is a big miss, I also want to give credit
to the FC for bringing a lot more rigor to the financial management systems
overall, including a good budgeting process.

> I’m told that the OSMF
> I’m also told OSMF

Stepping back from these two issues, I interpreted Steve's email to signal
that the OSMF is a mess overall. I don't buy that (there is a huge list of
where OSMF is doing well) but do think these issues are symptoms of a known
problem. The OSMF has an all volunteer Board which holds a lot of
responsibility and calls on significant time of its members. This time
commitment is expected, but it's not sustainable. This is a well known
dillemma for the organization, and the intended solution is also well
known, to get better support for this responsibility (
https://osmfoundation.org/wiki/Strategic_Plan#Build_organizational_structure_that_is_fit_for_future_purpose_and_carefully_considered_growth
).

Why the big snafu this year? I think if the Board had had a better working
atmosphere, it might have been able to dedicate more time to critical
operational issues as they arise. From the AGM Chair report
https://www.openstreetmap.org/user/Stereo/diary/405356, the Board has not
been able to work well together as a team. I've been on many Boards, and
many of them felt tense and dysfunctional, but this seems like a whole
other level. I've directly worked with all the 2024 Board members -- either
on the Board or in Committees -- and don't recognize the "some people"
obliquely referred to in the report. I know this is a group that can work
well together. The one thing missing from the report is self reflection on
the role of the Board Chair to set a productive working environment. There
are 6 other opinions on that, and some of them are coming out (
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/arnalie-vicario-71745a6b_workplace-workplacesafety-activity-7253577441221189632-AaG9).
Whoever is "at fault", it's clear the 2024 Chair has failed in this
critical task and it's time for someone new to resume the role and get OSMF
on the right foot.

Here's my idea of what OSMF needs to do next.
* Elect a new Board Chair
* Immediate focus on operational excellence in membership and finance
* Dedicated focus in 2025 on defining an executive director role that fits
OSMF needs.

-Mikel
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