● Meals on wheels in Charlotte-Mecklenburg ●
The
Transparency Project
A donor's guide to Friendship Trays
The Transparency Project, begun in November 2008 and first posted in rudimentary form on Jan. 9, 2009, is a work in progress. We hope readers will contribute to its development. To make suggestions, see below.
Friendship Trays believes that the dollars donated, the volunteer hours given, our recipients' well-being – everything entrusted to us to perform this charitable work – is held in public trust. The Project's goal is simple: Offer donors, recipient families and other constituents as much information as possible so they are in a position to assess Friendship Trays' stewardship of this public trust.
Few donors, we believe, support charitable projects solely because of the kinds of data collected on the pages listed at the right. Most donors support charitable projects because they believe in the mission. Or because they know from experience the value of the work. Or because they have some personal connection to the endeavor, its recipients or its other funders.
But every donor wants answers to some questions. And the questions of interest range widely. And, for better or for worse: In today's age, when information is not readily available, the frequent conclusion will be that the information has been withheld to cover up something.
Bear with us as we build this project. Rather than spend months behind the scenes erecting a grand (but probably flawed) scheme for disclosure of data, we choose instead to start with what we have and build on it. Response to what is posted will help us build the material indexed at the right. As we learn what information is useful, we may change both the data presented and the format it which it is presented. And as we can resurrect historical data from Friendship Trays records for this project, we will add it.
Thank you for your interest in the Transparency Project. And thank you for your support of Friendship Trays.
Suggestions welcome: To comment or make suggestions on The Transparency Project, call Executive Director Lucy Bush Carter at 704-333-9229 or send an e-mail.