Open Letter to DonateWC  ## Metadata - Author: [[marcelbootsman.nl]] - Full Title: Open Letter to DonateWC - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #DonateWC - #Donation - #Transparency Author: Marcel Bootsman Source: Website Reference: https://marcelbootsman.nl/notes/open-letter-to-donatewc date created: 2025-08-23 00:00 --- # Title: Open Letter to DonateWC — Inquiry about Donation Utilization ## Table of Contents: - [📚 Introduction](#-introduction) - [🧾 Donation History](#-donation-history) - [📵 Lack of Communication](#-lack-of-communication) - [📬 Request for Updates](#-request-for-updates) - [🧩 Context: WordCamps & COVID](#-context-wordcamps--covid) - [🗒️ Notes](#-notes) - [🧠 Paraphrase](#-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items (Advocacy & OSPO-aligned Prompt)](#-action-items-advocacy--ospo-aligned-prompt) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [♿ Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🔎 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### References: - DonateWC foundation context: travel sponsorships for WordCamp speakers and volunteers - Open letter: https://marcelbootsman.nl/notes/open-letter-to-donatewc ## 📝 Summary: Marcel Bootsman writes a respectful but firm open letter to DonateWC requesting transparency about how his €8,590.26 donation from 2019 was used. Despite his alignment with DonateWC’s mission and multiple follow-ups (including a registered letter received Dec 19, 2023), he has not received updates since December 2020. He asks for a report on progress, achievements, and challenges, emphasizing donor relations, accountability, and renewed communication. ## 📖 Main Content: The letter balances empathy for nonprofit constraints with a clear expectation of accountability: - A substantial donation (€8,590.26) stemmed from a charity walk (“Walk to WordCamp EU in Berlin”). - Marcel affirms DonateWC’s mission and acknowledges pandemic disruptions to in-person WordCamps. - He highlights a communication gap since Dec 2020 and documents his registered letter received in Dec 2023. - He requests an update via any channel (email, Slack, LinkedIn) and frames transparency as essential to trust and community impact. Personal insights: - This is a model of donor advocacy: specific dates, amounts, and contact attempts increase legitimacy. - The ask is modest: not a full audit, but reasonable reporting on use, outcomes, and challenges. - The tone invites collaboration rather than confrontation, which is more likely to result in constructive re-engagement. ### 🗒️ Notes - Context and Mission - DonateWC: Netherlands-based nonprofit offering travel sponsorships for WordCamp speakers/volunteers with financial barriers. - Alignment: Donor strongly supports the mission and its community benefits. - Donation and Provenance - Amount: €8,590.26 (2019). - Origin: Charity walk to WordCamp EU (Berlin). - Communication Timeline - Last update from DonateWC: December 2020. - Multiple follow-ups by donor across channels since then. - Registered letter sent and signed for: December 19, 2023 (receipt confirmed). - Pandemic Context - COVID paused in-person WordCamps ~2 years. - From early 2023: at least five major WordCamps held—implying activity resumed, hence need for updates. - Request and Rationale - Seeks details on utilization, impact, progress, achievements, and challenges. - Emphasizes transparency/accountability as pillars of donor trust. - Offers multiple communication avenues to reduce friction. - Tone and Framing - Respectful, appreciative, and constructive. - Focus on relationship-building and shared goals. ## 📖 References: - Open letter: https://marcelbootsman.nl/notes/open-letter-to-donatewc ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: 1) Original idea: Marcel believes in DonateWC’s mission and seeks an update on how his 2019 donation was used and what impact it had. - Paraphrase: As a committed supporter of DonateWC’s work sponsoring WordCamp contributors, I’m requesting clarity on the allocation and outcomes associated with my 2019 contribution so I can understand its tangible effects. 2) Original idea: Since Dec 2020, Marcel hasn’t received updates; he even sent a registered letter in Dec 2023 that was signed for. - Paraphrase: After the last communication in December 2020, I’ve not received further responses. To ensure delivery, I mailed a registered letter, which your organization received and acknowledged on December 19, 2023. ## 📰 Newsletter: Learning WordPress & web dev this week: sharpen your Git flows, revisit modern PHP patterns for plugin architecture, and treat yourself to CSS container queries in production. Community highlights: a thoughtful open letter from longtime contributor Marcel Bootsman calls for improved transparency around nonprofit reporting in our ecosystem—especially donations earmarked for travel sponsorships that help speakers and volunteers get to WordCamps. With in-person events back in full swing, this is a timely reminder to document outcomes, publish updates, and close the loop with donors and contributors alike. New plugins worth a look: a lightweight consent manager with zero jQuery, an ActivityPub-friendly social bridge for blogs, and a “no-build” block pattern library that actually respects Core styles. If you’re mentoring new contributors, consider setting up public roadmaps and issue labels like “good first issue” and “needs docs”—small changes, big onramps. Further reading: WordPress sustainability, open governance, and funding models for contributor travel. Bonus: turn your docs into short audio digests so your team can “read” while commuting. Keep building, keep shipping, and—most importantly—keep receipts. - On nonprofit transparency in the WP community: “Open letter to DonateWC” - Docs-to-audio ideas: Try text-to-speech tools with Open Graph support for shareable snippets. ## ✅ Action Items (Advocacy & OSPO-aligned Prompt): Use this prompt with each new article you process: “Analyze how this article aligns with my role as a Developer Advocate at GoDaddy focused on open source and WordPress, my educator background (PHP, JS, HTML, CSS, Git/GitHub), and my commitment to onboarding contributors and sustainable funding. Map the article’s themes to: - Open-source advocacy: Which practices, governance models, or funding approaches advance a healthier WordPress ecosystem? - Contributor engagement: What actionable mechanisms (mentorship, issue labeling, travel support, recognition) are demonstrated or implied? - Education: What curricula, workshops, or docs can be created from this content? Provide lesson outcomes and hands-on exercises. - Transparency & inclusivity: Identify reporting/accountability practices and DEIB considerations that foster trust. - OSPO trajectory: Extract policies, KPIs, and stakeholder comms that would fit an OSPO playbook (e.g., funding transparency, impact reporting, risk/compliance). - Action plan: Propose 3–5 concrete steps I can champion on- and off-stage (talks, workshops, repos, dashboards) to build a sustainable, inclusive contributor pipeline.” Apply to this article: - Advocacy: Promote donor transparency norms for community nonprofits supporting WordCamp travel. - Engagement: Suggest a public sponsorship dashboard and routine donor updates. - Education: Create a workshop on “Transparent Nonprofit Reporting for Community Tech Orgs.” - OSPO: Draft a sample policy for funding disclosure, audit cadence, and impact metrics. ## 🧪 Hypotheses: - H1: Regular, specific donor impact updates increase donor retention and average gift size in community tech nonprofits. - H2: Publishing post-event sponsorship reports increases volunteer applications and talk submissions from underrepresented groups. - H3: A transparent ledger of funds allocated to travel sponsorships correlates with higher community trust scores. - H4: Multi-channel updates (email, Slack, LinkedIn) reduce response latency and donor churn. ### 📊 Methodology: - Data sourc - Summary: Marcel Bootsman, a supporter of DonateWC, has written an open letter expressing concern about the lack of updates regarding how his donation has been utilized. In 2019, Marcel donated €8590.26 to the organization, motivated by their impactful work in the WordPress Community. Despite sending multiple requests for information and even a registered letter, Marcel has not received any replies or updates since December 2020. Marcel values transparency and accountability and believes it is important to maintain open lines of communication with donors. He kindly requests an update on the progress made and achievements reached with his contribution. - URL: https://marcelbootsman.nl/notes/open-letter-to-donatewc  Dear DonateWC, I trust this letter finds you well. I am writing to you as a concerned supporter of DonateWC and reaching out with the hope of receiving an update on how my donation has been utilized and the impact it has made. In 2019 I have donated €8590.26 to your organization, driven by my passion for the impactful work you do in the WordPress Community. This donation was a result of a charity walk I did, [Walk to WordCamp EU](https://walktowc.eu/) in Berlin. I really believe in the mission of [DonateWC](https://donatewc.org/), a non-profit foundation in the Netherlands that offers travel sponsorships for WordCamp speakers and volunteers who can't afford it, and in the positive change it strives to bring about. The Covid pandemic has postponed in-person WordCamps for two years, but since the start of 2023 five major WordCamps have been organized. Since the latest update, dated December 2020, I have not received any reply or updates on several requests I have sent regarding the projects or initiatives my contribution may have supported. I have also sent a registered letter, one that has to be signed for upon reception, which was received and signed for on December 19th, 2023. Understanding the challenges that organizations like yours face in managing donor relations, I sincerely appreciate the hard work and dedication of you and your team. Nonetheless, as a donor who values transparency and accountability, I believe it is crucial to maintain open lines of communication. I am eager to learn more about the progress made, achievements reached, and any challenges encountered since my contribution. I believe that sharing these details will not only strengthen the bond between your organization and its supporters but also showcase the positive impact of collective efforts. I kindly request that you provide me with an update at your earliest convenience. Whether it's through an email, direct message on Slack or Linkedin, or any other means of communication, I am eager to hear about the positive changes that my donation may have facilitated. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I appreciate your dedication to making a difference with DonateWC. Sincerely, Marcel Bootsman #### Update January 22nd I have received an email message form the DonateWC foundation owner. I have asked for a return of my donated funds, so that I can donate that to another charity or multiple WordPress oriented charities. #### Update January 25th Today 70% of the funds I have donated to DonateWC have been returned. I have asked for an explanation of why 30% of the donated funds have not been returned., Open Letter to DonateWC, marcelbootsman.nl, 01hn37m4wg9ncrw9fcmc99b32d.