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Matrix.org Foundation accounts filing overdue by three months

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Re: Matrix.org Foundation accounts filing overdue by three months

#31

Post by rschulman »

I am one of the other Guardians (aka Members of the Board of Directors) of the Matrix Foundation and I can confirm that we submitted the paperwork on time in October 2020. I remember because I had to go to some extra lengths for the process as a non-UK citizen.

I'm not surprised that Companies House is lagging behind right now. Basically everything is broken because of Covid, I can't imagine non-profit paperwork is at the top of the priority list. I will also say, as someone who has worked most of my professional life in non-profits, government paperwork is the bane of everyone's existence and having some sort of screw up (whether it is your fault or not) is practically a rite of passage.

As Arathorn mentioned in a sibling, we're chasing down our accountants to see if we can get this sorted out, but this isn't a sign of any larger trouble than a paperwork mixup.

Re: Matrix.org Foundation accounts filing overdue by three months

#32

Post by jcims »

alohapersona wrote: post #27
jcims wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No shade here, just curious. You(?) created this issue for the 2019 financials and are circling back around for 2020. Is this something you do for other orgs/projects or is there something about matrix.org where you feel it is particularly important?

As a donor I feel that organizations should provide some details how donations are used. I'm requesting the same from other organizations I'm donating to if those organizations are more than just three persons working on a free software project in their spare time. Originally donations to matrix.org foundation were supposed to be used to fund matrix protocol work and to hire a developer. This is still listed as a goa…

Great answer thank you. Agree that transparency is important when accepting donations, I'm sure sometimes it's a pain to prioritize vs any fires that are going on at the time.

Re: Matrix.org Foundation accounts filing overdue by three months

#33

Post by eganist »

teruakohatu wrote: post #30
eganist wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It might be worth the quick math. As I put (edited, really) in my top comment, it's mostly just to have an entity you can reasonably go after if they goof. A related question: Considering how far back this goes, what's stopping you from naming them? Is resolution in progress, or have they just been dead silent?

> what's stopping you from naming them? And why do you care so much who they are? They didn't harm you and in reality they didn't harm anyone. In the real world people don't deal with minor contractual grievances by naming and shaming.

> And why do you care so much who they are? They didn't harm you and in reality they didn't harm anyone. In the real world people don't deal with minor contractual grievances by naming and shaming.

Knowing who's reliable is everything.

The extended thread above yours adds extra light:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25903101

Re: Matrix.org Foundation accounts filing overdue by three months

#34

Post by eganist »

Arathorn wrote: post #29
eganist wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It might be worth the quick math. As I put (edited, really) in my top comment, it's mostly just to have an entity you can reasonably go after if they goof. A related question: Considering how far back this goes, what's stopping you from naming them? Is resolution in progress, or have they just been dead silent?

They haven't been dead silent; last update was on Dec 15th saying they had been syncing with Companies House and the submission was in hand. I don't particularly want to name them though given I genuinely don't know at this point whether the bug is with Companies House or the accountants, and given the drama this has raised, I have no desire for a lynch mob to descend on them if they haven't done anything wrong.

That's fair. So long as they're still working with you through it (and if they goofed, are working to resolve it), it's fine. I was concerned for a moment they'd ghosted.

Re: Matrix.org Foundation accounts filing overdue by three months

#35

Post by johnchristopher »

alohapersona wrote: post #9
johnchristopher wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are donations bringing in more money than Matrix's contract with gov. agencies and other clients ?

Contracts with govs involve the for-profit New Vector Ltd. / Element and not the not-for-profit Matrix.org Foundation.

Ah, thanks.

Re: Matrix.org Foundation accounts filing overdue by three months

#36

Post by Arathorn »

Nextgrid wrote: post #23
eganist wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're under a bright enough limelight as of late, and especially right now, that the administrative overcharge of a reputable accounting firm such as any of the Big 4 may be worth the returns in the form of improved accountability - heh - and donations. It'd be nice if you could commit to this. If your accountants are lagging by almost 3 months without filing an extension, you owe it to your donors. Blaming the acco…

Maybe there's something I'm missing but why are these accounts still not filed electronically? My accountant can do it just fine. Unless there's a specific reason why these accounts should be done on paper, the more reasonable and cost-effective solution would be to switch to an accountancy practice that isn't stuck in the past and there are plenty of those beyond the "big 4".

Our accountants say:

> It is due to the fact the organisation is a community interest company. CIC’s have to complete a CIC34 form, these forms have to be filed alongside the accounts which has to be done via postal methods with a cheque for payment. There is no online method at the moment to file CIC34 forms.

> Companies house, are from what I’ve heard, very particular about the CIC34 forms.

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