|
| |
A large
number of members of the International Tree Foundation are very concerned about how the
charity is being run by the Board of Trustees of the International Tree Foundation, so
concerned that they called a EGM in October 2009 and proposed a resolution of no
confidence in the Board.
The Main
issues and concerns members of the International Tree Foundation had are as follows:
- Trustees are spending an excessive amount on staff costs and
overheads which exceed the charities income.
- Trustees do not have an adequate rescue plan - despite
taking on a new paid Director in 2008 to raise grant funding. The Director has raised no
grant funding in 2009.
- Trustees appear to be non compliant according to the Charity
Commission rules, as they appear to have put a hold on spending any of the £335,000
Reserves on the Charity Objectives. They are only spending the Reserves on staff and
overheads.
- Trustees have badly mishandled restructure of the Charity's
Branches which has resulted in all branches leaving the charity except for one.
- Trustees have mislead Branches and members on numerous
occasions.
- Trustees have appeared to have acted illegally and
undemocratically by previously not putting forward resolutions submitted by members.
- The Trustees have not been open and transparent by refusing
to supply information to members.
The
International Tree Foundation EGM took place on Friday 30th October. The members who
called the EGM presented their issues and concerns to the Board (click here for copy of the slides) and
asked them to answer some key questions.
The Board refused to answer any of the
questions which are listed below.
- Does the Board not agree, that if the Income is less than
the total of Staff and Overhead costs - the charity is not viable?
- Why did The Board agree for the new director not to raise
any grants in her first year of her office?
- Can the Board explain why the Management Accounts were
incorrect to a total of £120,000 as at the end of 2008
- Why has the Board put on hold any expenditure on Charity's
objectives from the Reserves when the Charity have over £335,000 of Reserves, but
continue to spend the Reserves on staff and overheads.
- How do the Board justify investing Reserves in long term
equities when they should be spent on charity objectives.
- Why did the Board try to keep confidential the information
that members did not have a vote
- Does the Board agree that the handling of the Branch
Restructure was handled very badly, as a result they have destroyed all branches except
one and will lose many members
- Why have you not been open and transparent?
Unfortunately due to the complex nature of the issues and concerns
many members did not understand the issues and the Proxy vote failed to support the vote
of no confidence in the Board
of the International Tree Foundation.
Click her for full details of the
supporting documentation.
|