Meeting: Committee (2010-11-09)

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Revision as of 11:49, 7 October 2017

Start: ??:?? 9 November 2010

Agenda

Attendance, absence, apologies, previous minutes.

Attendance: John (chair), Adam (minutes), Craig, Charles, Brian (observing)
Apologies: Andrew
Absent: Sarah

Reports

Treasurer

Craig informed the committee that we had been accepted as a Tier 1 Chapter for the forthcoming WMF fundraiser. The only outstanding issues were to finalise the new bank account (specifically for the fundraiser) and the Donor Privacy Policy, the latter having been drafted on commwiki. The forms for the new bank account were with the bank, and Craig was to follow up with the bank on Wednesday.

Craig raised the concern about how money is to be collected for the fundraiser. He informed the committee that the Merchant Gateway forms have not yet been lodged because they require the bank account details, and these details are not currently available. However, Craig had been in contact with his counterpart in the WMF, and it was believed that using PayPal as the principal online payment method would be the best way forward, even though it was felt that PayPal might not be ideal long term. Craig had also checked with his counterpart in the WMUK, and they were using the same approach. There was further discussion of this issue later in the meeting.

Craig also noted that we had received a $100 donation today, but it had not yet be receipted. John inquired if it was anonymous and thus if the donation should be listed on the thankyou page, to which Craig responded that he had not had the opportunity to ask.

Email

As Sarah is currently unavailable, John had been receiving email directed to the secretary account until Sarah can return.

There have been three non-spam emails sent to the contact@ account, and these have been forwarded on to OTRS. There have been no emails to the secretary@ account.

Discussion

Fundraiser

Brian informed the committee that the fundraiser is due to start in six days. However, it may not be possible to meet this deadline if Brian did not hear back from Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV). Brian noted that he had also not yet heard from NSW or Queensland, but that Victoria was the key concern due to the process that had to be followed there. He mentioned that last year joining late was an option, but Craig reported that this would not be possible this year, as the agreement was quite restrictive, and therefore we had to either go for the whole time or are unable to be involved. Brian commented that he was unsure when they would hear back from CAV, but that he would ring them tomorrow, and that CAV normally responded within 28 days to applications. Given that there was nothing to be done about whether or not CAV would be able to be finalised in time, Craig suggested that we proceed under the assumption that it would be settled by the due date.

There was some discussion about the Landing Page which was now working at:

http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/WMFJA1/AU

It was noted that other Chapters had not yet highlighted the split between Chapters and the Foundation for donations as was being done on the WMAU page, but Brian emphasized that he believes we have a responsibility to do so.

OTRS Accounts

John inquired whether or not members of the committee would like to be added to the OTRS queue in order to view the Wikimedia Australia contact emails, noting that most other Chapter committees have access to their respective queues. John also nominated some other Australians who could be approached, but Craig suggested that we see whether or not the extra hands were required first.

This led to a discussion about how we should respond to queries through OTRS, with John noting that other Chapters are saying that committee members should not act on requests for assistance, and that the main benefit was to view emails and responses sent to the chapter. In response to a query from Brian, John stated that the emails to the queue were addressed to the chapter and specific to Australia, but that they were regarding Wikipedia. Brian highlighted that responses to these OTRS tickets must avoid giving the impression that Wikimedia Australia is responsible for Wikipedia.

Secretary's position

As Sarah has not been in contact with the committee, having previously informed the committee that she would be unavailable for a time, there was discussion about the situation regarding her position. As the Chapter's constitution does not currently allow committee positions to be filled unless either a) a General Meeting is called, b) the person is no longer a member of the organisation, or c) the committee member resigns, it was felt that the best move would be to nominate people on the committee to fulfill some of her duties until she was able to return. Specifically: Craig to handle Fundraiser-related duties, Adam to take minutes, John to manage the email, and Charles to take on any other duties. However, as the only pressing issue was the postal address, and that was handled separately, it was decided to allow another day to confirm her status and to pass a resolution if needed once that time had passed.

It was also noted that the resignation process for committee members in the constitution may need to be amended to read that the committee member would need to inform the Secretary or President of their decision, as currently it only states that the member should contact the Secretary.

Motions

PayPal and Bendigo Bank online merchant service

As we had signed and submitted the Fundraiser Chapter agreement, we needed to confirm the use of PayPal (or alternative) for the purposes of receiving donations. Craig tabled an example PayPal cost breakdown (in Australian dollars):

Monthly Income Per Transaction Transaction Price Example
$0.00 - $5,000.00 2.4% + $0.30 $2.70 on a $100.00 transaction
$5,000.01 - $15,000.00 2.0% + $0.30 (Merchant rate qualification required) $2.30 on a $100.00 transaction
$15,000.01 - $150,000.00 1.5% + $0.30 (Merchant rate qualification required) $1.80 on a $100.00 transaction
$150,000.01 1.1% + $0.30 (Merchant rate qualification required) $1.40 on a $100.00 transaction

Given the expected volumes, Craig noted that this would equate to 1.5% + 30c from each donation. John suggested that we need to confirm whether "per month" is "per calendar month" or not, as we may face higher charges in the first month if it is. No major concerns about the use of PayPal were raised, although Brian noted that it costs more than a direct internet bank transfer for subs.

This raised the question as to whether or not the Bendigo Bank online merchant gateway would be a better choice. It was suggested that it might be possible to do both, but that the advantage of the Bendigo Bank was lower transaction fees, but higher setup costs:

Bendigo Bank
$195 Set up Costs.
$35 Monthly Fee.
1.38% Merchant Service fee on Transactions.

There was some discussion that people may have money in PayPal accounts which they might wish to donate.

Motion: that the Bendigo Bank online merchant service will be set up to place funds into the Fundraiser account, and that PayPal donations will be accepted to place funds into the Fundraiser account.

  • Moved: John
  • Seconded: Adam
  • Opposed: None
  • Abstained: None

Carried without dissent.

Change of address

There was discussion in regard to changing the mailing address of the Chapter, which currently is to a PO Box managed by Sarah. Discussion revolved around changing it to Craig's PO Box for the purposes of the Fundraiser, or to organise a WMAU-specific one. The latter could redirect to Craig's (or another, as needs arise), but the first option was quicker, and both may need to be moved with future committees.

Motion: The postal address listed on the website for fundraiser and financial matters will to be changed to the treasurer's PO box.

  • Moved: John
  • Seconded: Craig
  • Opposed: None
  • Abstained: None

Carried without dissent.

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