Rhinebeck Museum trouble

[falconer]

I think he has put up the supports in case of heavy snow. However Aerodrome officials, or someone, has put up posts with pieces of plywood blocking the front of his hangar, no explanation given.

[Paul Revere]

More grist for the mill--

The National Charities Information Bureau was founded in 1918 to investigate the many war relief funds which were springing up and raising large sums of money. Over the years the NCIB has established and updated standards for non-profits which are nationally accepted and used by non-profits to set policy and make decisions. In 2001 the NCIB merged with the Council of Better Business Bureaus Foundation and its Philanthropic Advisory Service to form the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.

Let's take a look at some of the NCIB standards--


Governance, Policy and Program Fundamentals
1. Board Governance:
The board is responsible for policy setting, fiscal guidance, and ongoing governance, and should regularly review the organization's policies, programs and operations.

Fiscal guidance includes responsibility for investment management decisions, for internal accounting controls, and for short and long-term budgeting decisions.

The board should have:

a. an independent, volunteer membership;

The ability of individual board members to make independent decisions on behalf of the organization is critical. EXISTANCE OF RELATIONSHIPS THAT COULD INTERFERE WITH THIS INDEPENDANCE COMPROMISES THE BOARD.


d. SPECIFIC TERMS OF OFFICE FOR ITS OFFICERS AND MEMBERS

h. policy guidelines to avoid material conflicts of interest involving board or staff;

In all instances where an organization's business or policy decisions can result in direct or indirect financial or personal benefit to a member of the board or staff, the decisions in question must be explicitly reviewed by the board with the members concerned absent. (Would this include having the organisation's insurance agent on the board? Or one of its airshow pilots?)

i. no material conflicts of interest involving board or staff;

j. a policy promoting pluralism and diversity within the organization's board, staff, and constituencies.

2. Purpose:
The organization's purpose, approved by the board, should be formally and specifically stated.

The formal or abridged statement of purpose should appear with some frequency in organization publications and presentations.

3. Programs:
The organization's activities should be consistent with its statement of purpose.

4. Information:
Promotion, fundraising, and public information should describe accurately the organization's identity, purpose, programs, and financial needs.

Not every communication from an organization need contain all this descriptive information, but each one should include all accurate information relevant to its primary message.

THERE SHOULD BE NO material omissions, exaggerations of fact, misleading photographs, or any other PRACTICE WHICH WOULD TEND TO CREATE A FALSE IMPRESSION OR MISUNDERSTANDING.

[Paul Revere]

7. Annual Reporting:
An annual report should be available on request, and should include:

Where an equivalent package of documentation, identified as such, is available and routinely supplied upon request, it may substitute for an annual report.

a. an explicit narrative description of the organization's major activities, presented in the same major categories and covering the same fiscal period as the audited financial statements;

b. a list of board members;

The listing of board members should include some identifying information on each member.

c. audited financial statements or, at a minimum, a comprehensive financial summary that 1) identifies all revenues in significant categories, 2) reports expenses in the same program, management/general, and fund-raising categories as in the audited financial statements, and 3) reports ending net assets. (When the annual report does not include the full audited financial statements, it should indicate that they are available on request.)

In particular, financial summaries or extracts presented separately from the audited financial statements should be clearly related to the information in these statements and consistent with them.


8. Accountability:
An organization should supply on request complete financial statements which:

a. are prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), accompanied by a report of an independent certified public accountant, and reviewed by the board;

and

To be able to make its financial analysis, NCIB may require more detailed information regarding the interpretation, applications and validation of GAAP guidelines used in the audit. Accountants can vary widely in their interpretations of GAAP guidelines, especially regarding such practices as multi-purpose allocations. NCIB may question some interpretations and applications.

b. fully disclose economic resources and obligations, including transactions with related parties and affiliated organizations, significant events affecting finances, and significant categories of income and expense;

and should also supply

c. a statement of functional allocation of expenses, in addition to such statements required by generally accepted accounting principles to be included among the financial statements;

9. Budget:
The organization should prepare a detailed annual budget consistent with the major classifications in the audited financial statements, and approved by the board.

Program categories can change from year to year; the budget should still allow meaningful comparison with the previous year's financial statements, recast if necessary.



For more see http://www.give.org/standards/ncibstds.asp or go to www.give.org for lots more.

Hmmm, it says that the BBB Wise Giving Alliance will investigate complaints about charitable organisations.....

[Paul Revere]

some more from give.org--

Organizations that comply with these accountability standards have provided documentation that they meet basic standards:

-In how they govern their organization,


-In the ways they spend their money,


-In the TRUTHFULLNESS of their representations, and


-In their WILLINGNESS to disclose basic information to the public.


and-

MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An organization should regularly assess its effectiveness in achieving its mission. This section seeks to ensure that an organization has defined, measurable goals and objectives in place and a defined process in place to evaluate the success and impact of its program(s) in fulfilling the goals and objectives of the organization and that also identifies ways to address any deficiencies. To meet these standards, a charitable organization shall:

6. Have a board policy of assessing, no less than EVERY TWO YEARS, the organization's performance and effectiveness and of determining future actions required to achieve its mission.

7. Submit to the organization's governing body, for its approval, a written report that outlines the results of the aforementioned performance and effectiveness assessment and recommendations for future actions.

[WWIModelGuy]

I have not commented thus far in this forum on the very, very sad ORA situation. The "firing" of 2 fine gentlemen, Tom Polapink and Ken Cassens, whom I both know personally, was the last straw for me. I've written letters to the suggested parties and hope all of our well intentioned actions go toward preserving this great institution. Now knowing Mr. Daley's background explains the totally inappropriate practice of giving helicopter rides during my last pilgrimage to Rhinebeck. God bless police officers, they do all of us a great service in their normal capacity. How this qualifies Mr. Daley for the important task as continuing Cole's dream is way beyond comprehension. Please keep performing the very valuable task of keeping those of us who are a little removed for the situation imformed.

PS Does anyone have any knowlege why a gentlemen like Leo Opdyke, who I believe also happens to live in the area, isn't on the board? Just a thought.

[StolenCub]

The letter campaign is starting to have some effect. I have heard from several forumites whose letters have been answered so they are at least being read. Palmquists Office reports "quite a pile" of inquiries about ORA and they are anwering them one at a time.

Next week the authorities will discuss what can be done to intervene and with any luck we will see something concrete come of it.

If you have not done so already, please write to David Palmquist's office and make your opinion known. The more voices, the more attention will be paid. If you have been meaning to write, but have not yet, please take the opportunity to do so - it can only help.

[Whosaidrats]

From the Poughkeepsie Journal, November 19, 2003:

AERODROME LOOKS TO FIX CASH CRISIS

The article that follows includes the statement:


Tom Daly, the museum's managing director, said the
firings were made partly because of dwindling funding
for the Spirit of St. Louis project. It was unclear how
many employees were fired.

Now, from the Avweb.com web site, January 12, 2004:


Both Kick and Daly said the Aerodrome is financially robust, despite poor weather last year that cancelled some of the shows. "The Aerodrome is fine. Financially and personnel-wise, it's in good shape," Kick said


Well, which is it? Is there a cash crisis, or is the place financially robust? Mr Kick? Mr Daly? And don't try to tell us that firing two people solved a cash crisis at an organisation as big as Old Rhinebeck.

I talked to Chris the other day. I feel bad for him having to go through all this because of the board. The guy has done nothing but bust his butt for the Aerodrome for 18 years without compensation, and the board will not even give him the benefit of the doubt! Everyone knows that Cole was the kind of guy that would give stuff away without paperwork. The whole thing doesn't even make any sense. Of all the things that an antique airplane enthusiast could take at the Aerodrome, a several hundred pound Apollo parachute would be not be one of them. And then to sit on it for 20 years doesn't sound like the motivation of someone looking to profit from stealing it. No, the truth of the matter is that the board finds it's self under fire and is looking to get their punches in any which way they can. They had their chance to drop the charges when the police were in possession of the parachute but they wouldn't. They are just going to drag Chris through the mud and for what? This just totally illustrates why the Aerodrome is in the state it's in. This board has never trusted the people that gave up their weekends to keep the place running.
Tom Daly was quoted in an article as saying that the Apollo parachute is a national treasure. No Mr. Daly, the Aerodrome is a national treasure! Start treating it as such, and stop stabbing those people, who have made great sacrifices for the place, in the back. And don't say that it's not you, that it's the board, because you are carrying out their policies!

I am totally shocked that such a good volunteer has been arrested. Chris has always lent a hand out on the field and is such a hard worker! ..."why wasn't the parachute reported stolen 20 years ago?"
Why did Tom Daly do this to him? This is very bad for the image of the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. No one is ever going to want to volunteer again if this is how their volunteers are treated.
It was bad enough to read about Ken and Scott being let go, and the Spirit of St. Louis project being stopped. That defined reason enough. Why didn't Tom Daly talk to Chris and find out the whole story?

[StolenCub]

Of course the allegations against Chris, Ken and Scott are motivated by sheer baseness of character.

But, if we can take a positive approach to this, the more they accuse the innocent and the wheels turn through the process and exonnerate those wrongly accused, the more those who brought the charges in the first place will look foolish. They are simply providing more grist for the mill and more proof that they are the wrong group to administer Cole's legacy.

Let them fire all the ammunition they want - so far they are all blanks.....