History of NCF and the Board

1
Introduction

• History of NCF and the Board
• NCFs Offerings 1) Access 2) Community
• How members make use of NCF today
• Donations and the renewal process
• Roles with a Governance Board

2
NCF Mantra

• NCF is a large group of people joining together
  to share costs, doing something good for
  themselves and their community
• NCF facilitates Vibrant Community Interactions
• NCF People helping people
• NCF Ottawas online Public Commons
• NCF helps make the National Capital region
• a better place to live

3
History of NCF

• NCF surfs the wave of internet success (but falls
  off in 1995 and then treads water)

4
Started in 1991, Underway in Late 1992

• The National Capital Freenet project was started
  in November 1991 when George Frajkor and Jay
  Weston of the Carleton University School of
  Journalism approached Dave Sutherland, Director
  of Carleton's Computing and Communications
  Services with information about the Cleveland
  FreeNet.
• The founding National Capital Freenet Organizing
  Committee was comprised of Dave Sutherland, June
  Hacker, Tambrae Knapp, George Frajkor, Jay
  Weston, Warren Thorngate, Ross Mutton, Robin
  Allardyce of Carleton University and Richard
  Mount of Mount, Yemensky, Daigle, Barristers and
  Solicitors.

5
Based on FreeNet software by FreePort

• Details are fuzzy, but apparently
• FreeNet menu system software was developed by
  University of Toronto co-op students for
  Case-Western Reserve University in Cleveland,
  Ohio
• FreePort was incorporated in the US as a
  company to hold the property rights to the
  FreeNet software and to control the product and
  name
• NCF purchased the FreeNet menu system software
  for US600 and installed it on UNIX machines
• NCF organized itself to use (not develop) FreeNet
  community network software
• Warren Thorngate (Carleton psych prof) ran weekly
  classes to teach people how to be information
  providers (menu builders)
• Staffing plans included project administrator, a
  systems administrator and five part-time
  personnel two subscription and operation
  assistants, a writer/trainer, a researcher and an
  accountant

6
Remember back in 1993?

• DOS, Windows 3.1, and 486 processors
• Windows 95 was two years away
• Email limited to academics and hi-tech workers
• 2400 baud modems were common, and 9600 modems
  were high speed
• No ISPs back then internet, whats that?

7
Catching the Wave (1993)
15000
14000
13000
12000
11000
10000 9000
8000
7000
6000 5000
4000 3000 2000
1000 _________________________________________
________________ jan feb mar apr
may jun jul aug sep oct nov dec jan feb
(1993)
(1994)
Accounts
8
Catching the Wave (contd)

• 2400/9600 (high speed) modems
• FreeNet was a miniature, self-contained version
  of the modern-day internet
• Content organized into categories by the Main
  Menu (now Yahoo does that for the modern
  internet)
• Organizational content in FreePort menus (now
  organizations have content in web sites)
• Publicized by Ottawa Citizen (for free)
• Funded by start-up grants
• Hands-on board (founders), with no staff
• High-skill volunteers (eg., s/w development)
• 15,000 accounts by end of 1993

9
Surfing the Wave Heady Times (1994)

• 9600/14.4K modems
• Publicized by Ottawa Citizen (for free)
• Staff Executive director, Office manager,
  Fund-raiser
• Grants and donation drives
• Interest groups stake claims in this New World
• Will every city, town, and village run its own
  FreeNet?
• Language rights, gay rights, commercial rights,
  privacy rights
• Jostling for menu position (today, jostling over
  domain name)
• Policies developed with eye toward
  national/global significance
• FreePort threatens NCF with a lawsuit over use of
  FreeNet name
• 60,000 (?) accounts by end of 1994
• ED brings in Boardwalk board development seminar
  Board sees logic of governance model (but still
  operating as management by committee with 15
  bosses). No matter, its hard to fail in this
  phase!

10
Wipe-out! WWW ISPs Arrive (1995-96)

• 14.4K/28.8K modems
• Arrival of Windows 95, WWW browsers, and PPP
• World wide web and internet become household
  words
• But NCF is text-based FreePort menus
• City-based comnets not seen as the future
  global, Yahoo
• Ottawa Citizen leaves NCF starts its own site
  and ISP
• NCFs easy ride on the wave of success is over
• NCF fails to catch the next wave (PPP, WWW)
• FreeNets failing across the country
• Web-based comnets are soaring (TheGlobe.com
  hits 600M)
• NCF faces shortfalls
• Membership levels decline
• Grants dry up fund-raiser (a.k.a. grant getter)
  let go

11
Survival (1997-2000)

• 14.4K/33.6K modems
• NCF belatedly adds PPP access service and Lynx
  (text web browser)
• Account renewal program averts funding disaster
• Insufficient resources to keep up with the times
• NCF no longer trendy NCF never organized to do
  development
• Volunteers dry up
• Tough times test managements skill to even keep
  NCF afloat
• Membership levels decline steadily
• Shortfalls loom to avoid lay-offs leading to a
  death spiral, NCF seeks contract revenue (but
  further reducing NCFs ability to keep up with
  internet services)
• Cleveland FreeNet packs it in FreePort
  corporation is long gone
• Communication problems lead to crisis (Oct-Dec
  2000)
• Surprise termination of Executive Director
  contract
• Split board, each calling for resignation of other

12
Reorganization (2001)

• Board strengthened substantially at March 2000
  AGM governance model begins functioning after ED
  on-board
• Core staff in place (ED, system admin, office
  admin)
• Membership levels begin to steady at 7,000 (but
  at half of sustainability level)
• Contracts with potential synergies pursued
• HRDC thin client
• SmartCapital webmail, extended access, thin
  client
• NCF still has a good reputation (from the 1994
  days) in certain camps
• Tens of thousands of departed members may
  disagree
• Points awarded for survival, longevity, and good
  intentions

13
History of Revenue, Weekly Usage, Staff
Not shown Value of many non-cash donations
Exec Director
1995 WWW, ISPs 1996 FreePlan, PPP 1997 Renewal
program
Lisa
Chris
Ian
Fundraiser
Gordon
Sys Admin
(amortization in other) (unique users excl
Mitel?)
Ian
Roy
Yannick
Andre
Admin Coord/Mgr
Kyla
Sheila
14
NCFs Offerings

• Dial-up Access
• Online Community
• Internet Services

15
NCFs Access Offerings

• NCF offers dial-up access (text or PPP)

Dial-Up Access method Dial-Up Access method
Text PPP
1993 Direct connection to NCF (users computer is dumb and NCFs computer runs applications) (didnt exist in 1993)
2002 Direct connection to NCF (users computer is dumb and NCFs computer runs applications) Direct connection to the Internet (users computer runs internet client tools, eg., browser, email)
Access is valuable, and is the foundation of
NCFs ability to earn donations.
16
Use of Text Access is Fading
Dec 1996
Dec 2001
17
Characteristics of NCFs Dial-up Service (theory)

• (Marketing story)
• NCF's dial-up features
• access to all the usual PPP-based internet
  services, plus special text services ('FreePort')
  not offered elsewhere
• generally 33.6K baud rate
• generally available (busy signals may be
  encountered occasionally, requiring a few redials
  to get service)
• no connection limit, unless there is congestion,
  in which case, guaranteed at least 2 peak hours
  per day and unlimited non-peak hours
• people to answer questions online, and (limited)
  help by phone
• Thousands of people find NCF's 33.6K modems
  quite adequate for their everyday email and web
  browsing.

18
Characteristics of NCFs Dial-up Service (reality)

• (Problems need to be corrected)
• You can dial the same number and get different
  (confusing) responses (depending on which
  terminal server answers)
• if you can get a response at all (busy or
  endless ring)
• 14.4K (OK for email) to 28.8K (adequate for
  browsing?)
• Modem-sharing system isnt functioning for all
  ports
• NCF has a modem-testing system to obtain service
  quality data
• Flakey (see modem test results)
• Your experience may vary
• People using NCF and accustomed to its quirks
  obviously find it tolerable, but its a barrier
  for new members and contributes to attrition

19
Recent Modem Test Results (520-9013)
20
Recent Modem Test Results (520-1135)
21
NCFs Online Community Offerings
Presentation method Presentation method
Text Web
1993 FreePort community services (web didnt exist in 1993)
2002 FreePort community services No community services (cant even look up an NCF user ID)
At NCF, community interaction is still limited
to the text world (five years after the world
went WWW, NCF still has no web-based online
community services software). NCF needs to buy
and install web-based Online Community software.
Refer to http//builder.cnet.com/webbuilding/pages
/Authoring/CommunityTools/ for a short, readable
overview of whats available and widely used.
22
Online Community Software Make or Buy?

• In 1992, FreePort online community software
  package was purchased and then enhanced by a few
  industrial-strength software development
  volunteers (NCF had attraction power in 1994).
  Enhancements may be why NCF survived while other
  FreePort-based FreeNets failed.
• Recommend doing the same now (but dont count on
  help)
• Find a package that is
• Full-featured as can be afforded (community is a
  big part of NCFs purpose)
• If its based on low/no-cost open technologies
  easily installed at home (eg., Apache,
  MySQL/Postgress, PHP), more likely to attract
  enhancement by volunteer developers
• Dont contract development of homebrews
  (life-cycle cost is too expensive)

23
How people use NCF today

• 7,000 members
• Useful, low-cost ISP
• Pockets of community interaction

24
Usage FreePort community services

• Items in the period 2002 Feb27-Mar6, ranked by
  number of users
• All Guest --Registered Users--
• ----Uses---- Uses Uses Users Ratio Admin
  Item/Service-----
• 30320 (32) 1 99 2754 10.9 1
  Service FreePortPPP
• 20195 (21) 0 100 1849 10.9 0
  Service PPP-login
• 10125 (11) 2 98 1126 8.8 1
  Service FreePort-menu-system
• 7691 (8) 0 100 848 9.1 0
  Service mail-mr
• 20446 (21) 1 99 601 33.7 1
  Service nr/mgnr-newsreader
• 2881 (3) 6 94 433 6.3 1
  menu.main
• 844 (1) 0 100 218 3.9 1
  Service mail-send
• 548 (1) 1 99 155 3.5 4
  Service lynx-web-browser
• 629 (1) 4 96 94 6.4 1
  Service who
• 248 (0) 3 97 60 4.0 0
  Service time-remaining
• 468 (0) 0 100 54 8.6 9
  Service mail-BBelm
• 173 (0) 2 98 32 5.3 3
  Service telnet-other
• 87 (0) 8 92 30 2.7 13
  Service userInfo--get-from-name
• 98 (0) 5 95 29 3.2 7
  Service userInfo--get-from-ID
• 81 (0) 0 100 25 3.2 0
  Service irc

25
Usage FreePort, whats first

• First selection on Tuesday, March 05
• 823 55 Service mail-mr
• 127 8 FreePort-menu-system-exit
• 78 5 Communications Centre
• SEEN_MOTD Read your favourite
  newsgroups (FavList)
• 42 3 NCF and Usenet Newsgroups
• SEEN_MOTD Read your favourite
  newsgroups (FavList)
• 42 3 Service mail-BBelm
• 36 2 E-Mail
• See who your new e-mail is from
• 34 2 Service lynx-web-browser
• 30 2 Service mail-send
• 22 1 Service mail-from
• 20 1 Buy and Sell area
• Computing buy sell
  (ott.forsale.computing) gtgtgt
• 14 1 World Wide Web (WWW)
• NCF launch pad to the web using
  LYNX 2.5FM-ncf browser
• 14 1 NCF and Usenet Newsgroups

26
Usage Newsgroups served by NCF

• Count Newsgroup
• 1 3162 ott.forsale.computing
• 2 2010 soc.culture.scottish
• 3 1306 ott.jobs
• 4 1168 ott.general
• 5 1077 rec.video.desktop
• 6 942 ott.forsale.other
• 7 812 soc.genealogy.britain
• 8 663 ncf.sigs.religion.christian
• 9 611 ncf.agm2002.general
• 10 605 alt.obituaries
• 11 603 comp.unix.solaris
• 12 600 ncf.general
• 13 576 soc.culture.indian
• 14 569 rec.video.production
• 15 535 comp.sys.mac.system
• 16 523 comp.lang.perl.misc
• 17 474 soc.men

March 5, 2002 (to all users of NNTP)
27
Web Pages Hosted By NCF

• Three types NCF itself, Personal, and
  Organizational
• NCFs popular pages are personal pages
• NCF itself
• Portal page, office pages, AGM and Board pages,
  etc
• NCF-specific Help pages (non-specific help
  elsewhere)
• Personal
• Approximately 10 of members have web pages
  (home pages)
• Most are less than 250K bytes
• Largest is 43M bytes
• Some personal pages are businesses run by the
  member
• Organizational
• One or two hundred?

28
NCF Portal Page
29
NCFs Most-served Homepages 1st
Contact address is in Florida
30
NCFs Most-served Homepages 2nd
This site contains stories in which you will
find depictions of violence and explicit sexual
content - Andrew Nellis (a former NCF board
member)
31
NCFs Most-served Homepages 3rd
Richard Webbs directory of local businesses
32
NCFs Most-served Homepages 4th
All about sharks!
33
NCFs Most-served Homepages 5th
Film reviews, film facts
34
NCFs Most-served Homepages 6th
weblog of Mark Woods of Perth
35
Sample Organizational Page
36
Sample Organizational Page 2nd
37
Sample Organizational Page 3rd
38
Internet Congestion at Carleton
Maxed out, meaning unacceptably poor response
time for users waiting for web pages
Acceptable during summer and when Carleton
students are on holiday.
39
Donations and renewals

• Keeping NCF afloat, and independent

40
How Donations Renewal Work

• NCF issues annual guidance to members about what
  would be a reasonable donation, explaining
• Enough to cover expected expenses
• Plus some extra to cover people who find NCF
  difficult to afford
• If there is an impending shortfall, NCF issues an
  appeal for special donations (members have always
  risen to the occasion)
• Each year, members are asked to renew their
  account, because
• NCF needs to know if people are no longer
  interested (for housekeeping)
• It is a way to trigger awareness of NCFs need
  for donations
• Front-end loaded (Jan-Jun). Expect a big drop in
  Jul-Dec.
• NCF must always do things to earn donor support
• Good deeds
• Good services
• and then must ask for support (donations dont
  just happen)

41
Why Donations are the Way to Go

• Less wasted administrative expenses
• Attracts sponsors
• Differentiates NCF (eg., from ISPs)
• Resonates with NCFs mission and raison detre
• Dignified accommodation of low-income people
• Simple and it works
• Low-risk? Members have always come to NCFs aid
• Downsides
• Some donors are offended by freeloaders (I pull
  my weight)
• Some people are offended by ambiguous/disingenuous
  messaging (Free to use, not free to run
  FreeNet)

42
NCF Donation Guidance in Context
Per year 275 Sympatico dial-up (100 hrs/month
max) 522 Sympatico DSL modem 621 Rogers Cable
modem
600 Typical Bell phone (305 base rate) 237
The Ottawa Citizen 453 Typical cable TV (232
base rate)
Compared with NCFs donation guidance of 60/year
43
Donations in 2001 Jan/Feb 2002
Recommended donation is 60. Average (of those
50 who donate) is 53 65 of the 2778 users
last week were donors in the last year 48 of the
3691 donors last year used the system last week
(20 FreePort, 28 PPP) PPP users Average
donation 57 (max 550), sum 59K FreePort
Average donation 59 (max 380), sum
44K Non-users Average donation 49 (max
280), sum 94K
44
Average Donation by Age Group
0x and 9x groups have insignificant number of
members
45
Average Donation by Age Group
0x and 9x groups have insignificant number of
members
46
Age of NCF Members
47
Renewal Received Processed (vs target date)
The arrows indicate when renewal request letters
are sent (target date is day zero) Nov 1997
48
Expenses

• 24-hour physical security and monitoring disk
  back-ups
• Climate-controlled fire-protected computer room
• Office space (though not ideal)
• Some donations are included as amortized
  expenses
• Software development, board members, office help,
  etc (volunteers)

Much that is donated does not appear in the
financial statements
49
Revenue History after Renewal Program
Shift from fund-raising donor drives to renewal
program Note shortfall in 1998 and donation
appeal, then on target in later years.
Organization becomes more independent
and efficient.
50
Sweet Spot (sustainable operation)

• Minimum operational functions
• System Administration (technical skills)
• Office Administration (organizational mgmt
  skills)
• Executive Director (mgmt partnership skills)
• It is presumed that
• These functions are best filled by three
  different people
• Contracting (for fractional people) is
  non-optimal
• Thus minimum staff is three people
• At existing donation levels per person, it takes
  at least 12,000 people to support three staff
  (currently 7,000 people)
• Therefore NCF must arrange to support 12,000
  members

51
Getting to Sustainable Operation

• Sustainable operation with three staff requires
  12,000 members
• Donations per member are reasonable but need
  more members
• Total modem capacity is the bottleneck only
  supports 7,000 now
• Modem capacity is Number of Modems x Number of
  People Willing to Happily Share a Modem
• External (market) factors and services offered by
  NCF determine Willingness to Happily Share (and
  donate)
• Upgrading modems (eg., from 14.4K) would increase
  usage per modem
• Best plan to attract 12,000 donors is probably to
  increase the number of modems
• New capacity would probably be noticed without
  marketing
• Would people donate for something other than
  modem access? Ask Yahoo, etc

52
Governance

• The Board Governs,
• the Management Manages.
• Play your position.

53
Board Members Collectively Oversee NCF

• Recruitment text
• Prospective board members come from all walks of
  life and bring varied experience to the Board.
• The ability to understand financial reporting and
  to make business decisions is essential
• Often board members have subject-area expertise,
  such as experience in management or law.
• Collectively, NCF's eleven board members have the
  experience to recognize and approve plans and
  strategies that will move NCF toward its goals.
• NCF has a 'governance' board, where day-to-day
  operations are handled by staff and volunteers,
  under the management of the Executive Director.
  The Board sets the mission, vision, principles,
  and broad policies that guide the Executive
  Director. The Board is responsible for employing
  and evaluating the Executive Director, and for
  monitoring macro parameters that measure the
  operation of NCF.

54
Ten Basic Responsibilities of the Board

• Determine the organization's mission and purposes
  
• Select the executive staff through an appropriate
  process
• Provide ongoing support and guidance for the
  executive review his/her performance
• Ensure effective organizational planning
• Ensure adequate resources
• Manage resources effectively (the buck stops with
  them, ultimately)
• Determine and monitor the organization's programs
  and services
• Enhance the organization's public image
• Serve as a court of appeal
• Assess its own performance
• From "Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit
  Boards," published by the National Center for
  Nonprofit Boards, Washington, DC 20036.
  http//www.ncnb.org

55
Roles in a Governance-Model Organization
(adapted from material provided by BOARDWALK
Board Development for Community Organizations,
a volunteer Board Development program of the
United Way Ottawa-Carleton, in co-operation with
the YMCA-YWCA of Ottawa)
56
Organizational Roles (contd)
(adapted from material provided by BOARDWALK
Board Development for Community Organizations,
a volunteer Board Development program of the
United Way Ottawa-Carleton, in co-operation with
the YMCA-YWCA of Ottawa)
57
Relationship between Board and Staff

• Board primarily governs, and staff primarily
  manages
• Board provides counsel to management and should
  not get involved in the day-to-day affairs of the
  organization
• Directors do not have power or authority
  individually
• At times, individual board members may become
  involved extensively with staff but must keep the
  full board informed
• (From http//www.nonprofits.org/npofaq/03/16.html)
  

58
Relationship with Members

• Management, not the Board, should be the center
  of member attention
• Members should complain about operations to the
  ED, not the board
• Board generally cannot directly address immediate
  member concerns
• Board should ensure the ED resolves complaints
  (thus earns attention)
• ED must actively address member issues (thats
  the EDs job)
• If ED cannot solve member concerns, members
  should complain to the Board (not about the
  operational issue, but about the lack of
  response)
• Board members should be careful not to undermine
  Management
• Dont undermine the ED by attracting (or
  accepting) attention. If Board is willing to
  speak with members, why should they speak with
  Management?
• Take your cue from corporate and not-for-profit
  boards low public profile. Help ED with
  partners, but not with members.
• If complaints are not being resolved by ED, find
  out why, dont address operational problems
  yourself (or at least not visibly to members).

59
Helpful Adjuncts to a Governance Board

• To avoid distracting from and compromising
  governance functions, sometimes it is useful to
  create honorary and/or advisory boards as
  adjuncts
• Board designation is simply an honorific
• People are selected by governance board for their
  appropriateness
• Honorary board
• People willing to help by lending their name (not
  their effort)
• The more honorary board members, the merrier
• No governance or management involvement
• Advisory board
• Experts/experienced people willing to assist and
  coach management
• Small number of advisory board members, and as
  required
• No governance involvement (governance board
  arbitrates)

60
Governing by Use of Key Indicators

• Management should be governed by a mission and
  measured by key indicators.
• Strategy document produced by Management helps
  ensure good understanding between Mgmt and
  Board/members/supporters
• Performance is measured by key indicators
• Usually revenue
• Donations from members, Number of members
• Key indicators keep the relationship clean,
  impersonal, and effective
• Everyone knows how its going without having to
  be told or surprised
• No hard feelings its business
• Helps resist the temptation to micro-manage
• Stick to key indicators
• Many indicators becomes no indicators
• Becomes management by committee
• Reduces accountability (if the Board manages,
  whats left for ED to do?)

61
Why Member Donations is a Key Indicator

• A good key indicator is one that
• Reflects the health and success of the
  organization wrt its mission
• Induces all the right behaviours from management
  (without having to specify those behaviours)
• Is easily measured and obvious to everyone
• Is difficult to accomplish in undesired ways
• Donations from members is a great key indicator
  because
• Donations must be earned by good
  service/performance
• People only donate if they are happy with NCF
• Making people happy with NCF requires doing many
  things well
• Donations are NCFs lifeblood
• Thus donations from members is a perfect direct
  and indirect measure of NCFs operational
  performance
• Other revenue is excluded because NCF wants to be
  dependent only on its members (and be accountable
  to only its members)

62
Doing the board job diligently

• Always do what a reasonably prudent person
  would do.
• Ask for data that you need its your right and
  obligation.
• When approving a financial statement, the Board
  says we say to members that these statements are
  correct
• How do you know the statements are correct?
• What would a reasonably prudent person do?
• Advice Set up a finance committee with qualified
  members. Know in detail how the money is spent.
• Checks and balances are the basis of good
  accountability be sure they exist.
• It has evolved in reaction to centuries of scams
  and fraud
• Good check-and-balances are like good fences
  (good neighbours)
• Be proactive waiting for cause creates suspicion
  and ill-will, but being proactive creates
  respect. Its about doing the job expected of
  the board and creating an organization with
  obvious high integrity
• Accepting responsibility earns respect in the
  community
• Respect is earned by operating with diligence and
  by organizational success

63
Board Calendar
Jan AGM motions Jul Mission/direction conclusion
Feb Annual reports and AGM prep Aug Policy review
Mar Orient new board members Sep Strategy
Apr Orientation Briefing on operations Oct Strategy
May Select officers and file info with govt Mission/direction brainstorming Nov ED performance review Strategy conclusion Budget discussion
Jun Mission/direction discussion Dec Budget conclusion Nomination committee
Mission review (board) Strategy budget review (mgmt) Policy proposals (mgmt) Succession planning (board) AGM (board)
64
Advice Observations

• Governance Board governs
• Align with members and community, not with
  management
• Set your own agenda (plan instead of
  react/respond to mgmt and events)
• Know where the money is going (liability)
• Ask for information you need (to act reasonably
  prudent)
• Having more than one/two key indicators is like
  having no key indicators
• Management ED manages
• Keep the Board informed (dont hide problems or
  delay discussion)
• Be open and honest (discuss, not ignore, unwanted
  Board decisions)
• Effective and productive Build team spirit and
  get things done
• Serve the members (not institutions,
  corporations, advertisers, etc)
• Volunteering is an opportunity (not a right)
• Members-owners are also customers and can walk
  away (and have)
• No one has ever won an argument with a customer
  (German)
• The customer is always right (American)
• Newsgroup postings are not representative of NCF
  members
• Use random phone lists and surveys dont rely on
  newsgroups or meeting

65
Advice Observations (contd)

• As NCF becomes successful, interest groups will
  want to co-opt NCF
• Everyone can use NCF but no one interest group
  should run NCF
• Keep NCF-admin pages clear of non-NCF matters,
  and give equal treatment to everyone in indices,
  etc
• Some members may act like customers, not owners
• Vote for free goodies
• Democracy is best with fully-informed voters
• Becoming informed takes work whats the
  motivation? What stake?
• Who should vote? (NCF is worth millions?)
• Voting age
• Locals
• Authenticated (one vote)

66
Useful Resources

• Internet Nonprofit Center (http//www.nonprofits.
  org/npofaq/)
• (excellent info on governance and organization)
• Ottawa Volunteer Center
• (excellent info on creating vibrant volunteer
  programs)
• NCF Board manual
• (but needs to be updated)
• People at Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC)
  (http//www.piac.ca)
• (informal legal advice)
• Duties of Directors at http//www.osler.com/
  (look under Publications)
• (good review of the duties of directors of
  Canadian corporations)
• Board members, Members of NCF, and the Citizens
  of Ottawa
• (just need to be asked)

67
NCF is poised for Success! (2002)

• Contracts are coming to fruition
• HRDC thin client
• SmartCapital webmail, extended access, thin
  client
• Online Community software packages are available
• NCF has been running FreePort since the days of
  Windows 3.1
• Hardware has been upgraded now time to upgrade
  community network software?
• WebCrossing, CommunityZero, etc
• Opportunity to establish a well-structured
  organization
• Modern infrastructure (ISP-like, including office
  systems)
• Proven organizational models/methods and
  volunteer programs
• With all its advantages, NCF ought to be able to
  operate as well or better than benchmark
  for-profit organizations
• But intentionally two or three years behind, in
  terms of ISP technology
• Go for it! More than one million National
  Capital residents await! NCF helps make the
  National Capital region a better place to live.