Re: [Debconf-team] [rt.debconf.org #1965] The relationship between DIVA and SPI in terms of sponsorship money
On Tue, Mar 8, 2011 at 11:23 PM, Adnan Hodzic <adnan@foolcontrol.org> wrote:
> The issue of whether Debian should trust DIVA with its money has been
> brought up on #debconf-team. I think this a completely unnecessary
> topic to be discussed.
The questions raised on IRC weren't about trust, there's no problem
with that. People simply want to know the legalities of the
situation. This means you need to cite specific statutes etc.
(probably after speaking to an accountant/a lawyer), not just remind
us that you've already been working hard! :)
- Can DIVA hold money *on behalf of* Debian (which does not itself
exist as a legal body)? At the moment several organisations hold
money on behalf of Debian, including SPI and FFIS, but DIVA would need
to put in place appropriate structures to distinguish Debian money
from its other funds. Actually taking Debian money also requires
Debian (not just DebConf) approval.
- Once DebConf is over, we would want to transfer remaining Debian
money out of DIVA. In many countries there are restrictions on what
non-profit organisations can do with their money: what are the
relevant rules in Bosnia?
- Once DebConf is over, we would want to transfer remaining Debian
money out of Bosnia. Can you check the details of what rules might
affect what could be (if we're lucky) a large transfer out of Bosnia?
We've had problems in the past where money got stuck in DebConf venue
countries due to local rules. Even where transfers are permitted,
there can be bureaucratic requirements, or tax issues that get in the
way. Of course, in this case the transfer could be more politically
sensitive, if it's seen to include money given by the government that
they expected to be spent within Bosnia!
To answer your other general question, yes, in the past we've
attempted to spread out where sponsors paid in their money, in
particular to try to avoid unnecessary currency conversions. It's
also e.g. better for tax reasons for US donations to go to SPI.
--
Moray
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