Introduction

Global Voices is a unique organisation—part newsroom, part NGO, and part global social movement. Because of this complex structure, the role of the Board of Directors can sometimes feel opaque to the community. This document is designed to clarify how the board functions, how financial decisions are made, and how you can ensure your voice directly shapes our strategy.

What does the Board actually do?

There is a distinct line between executive management and fiduciary oversight.

• Management (The Core Team): The Executive Director and Managing Director run the day-to-day operations, editorial execution, and grant management. They are responsible for consulting the community, designing operational plans, and proposing the budget to the Board.
• Oversight (The Board): The Board acts as the supervisor of the organisation and holds ultimate fiduciary responsibility. While Management designs the proposed plans, the Board makes the final, legally binding decisions to approve the budget and set the high-level strategic boundaries. Once the Board approves this direction, Management is empowered to make the operational choices on how to execute it.

Are elected Community Representatives equal to Founders and Independent members?

Yes. Absolutely.

There is a common misconception that community-elected board members serve merely as observers or messengers. This is categorically false. Every single member of the board—whether a founder, an independent expert, or a community representative—holds exactly the same fiduciary responsibility and an equal vote on all matters. The community representatives are fully empowered decision-makers shaping the survival and growth of the network.

How does GV fund its operations? 

GV operates in an increasingly difficult philanthropic landscape. We rely on a mix of grant funding (from foundations) and earned revenue (like mission-related translation or consulting services). Much of the funding available to NGOs today is “restricted,” meaning it can only be spent on specific projects, not on core operational salaries or infrastructure.

Why doesn't GV pay everyone who contributes, including volunteers?

GV was founded as, and remains, a hybrid open-knowledge network. Like Wikipedia or Mozilla, the heartbeat of our movement is volunteer passion. Paying thousands of global contributors is not only logistically and legally prohibitive across dozens of jurisdictions, but it would fundamentally alter the ethos of the community. Our paid contractor network exists specifically to build infrastructure, facilitate, and amplify the voices of our volunteer network, not to replace them.

How can I safely share feedback or raise concerns with the Board?

Your ground-level operational reality is the most important data the board receives. You have multiple ways to reach us:

• Directly to your Representatives: You can email your elected representatives (Mamisoa, Sanjib and Gohary) directly at any time.
• Asynchronous Forms: We regularly circulate secure Google Forms ahead of board meetings for you to log operational bottlenecks or strategic feedback.
• Confidentiality: The board takes legal liability and personal privacy incredibly seriously. If you share sensitive operational feedback, it can be anonymised before being presented in a formal board setting to protect your privacy.

Why are some board discussions or documents kept confidential?

• While we strive for maximum transparency and regular feedback loops, the board has a strict fiduciary duty to protect the organisation from legal and financial liability. Confidentiality is invoked only when absolutely necessary—typically to protect the personal privacy of staff and contractors (personnel matters), or to secure sensitive digital security protocols. When a document is confidential, it is to protect the community and the organisation’s legal standing, not to hide governance decisions.

Why do we have two different boards (Stichting Global Voices vs Friends of Global Voices)?

• Stichting Global Voices (SGV) is our core Dutch foundation. It governs all operations, employs our contractors, and is the board on which your community representatives sit. Friends of Global Voices (FoGV) is a separate US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It exists primarily to allow US-based donors and foundations to make tax-deductible contributions, which are then passed through to SGV.
• Maintaining two separate boards is a standard, best-practice governance mechanism that provides an extra layer of financial oversight and protects our operational independence.

How are board members selected, and why do some stay longer than others?

• To maintain healthy governance, the board is composed of three distinct categories.
  • Founders hold permanent seats to ensure the organisation remains anchored to its original manifesto.
  • Independent Members are recruited for specific, urgent expertise (such as fundraising, digital security, or Dutch non-profit law) and serve strict three-year terms to prevent the board from becoming a closed club.
  • Community Representatives are elected directly by volunteers and contractors to three-year terms, balancing historical continuity with fresh expertise and direct community accountability.