By Ted Tourian

Importance of Organizations to the DiasporaOrganizations foster discourse on national

identity, culture, consciousness, and loyalty amongst the Armenian Diaspora

It is impossible for an ethnic community to be considered a Diaspora if the internal drive and need for self-definition but no organizational forms for the maintenance of its uniqueness exist

Legal AccountabilityThe legal accountability of any organization

must be separated into two components: Duties that an organization’s board of directors

and officers owe to the organization they represent;

Duties those organizations owe to their constituents.

Legal AccountabilityDirector Duties to an OrganizationDuty of Care

Must act in "good faith" using the "degree of diligence, care and skill" which prudent people would use in similar positions and under similar circumstances.

Duty of LoyaltyMust examine transactions that involve board

members or officers. i.e. No self-dealing

Legal AccountabilityDuties those organizations owe to their

constituentsVery rare casesI.e. Priv. Ltr. Rul. 200818023, (Feb. 6, 2008)Non-profit organization lost tax-exempt statusThe nonprofit spent less than one-half of 1% of

total revenues on charitable programs and only 3% of total expenses were used for charity during a one-year period.

Moral AccountabilityThe problem is that morality, much like

language, is deconstructable.i.e. Melkonian Educational Institute and AGBU

AGBU mission statement: To preserve and promote the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs

Result – MEI was closed downWho was right?Does it matter – Mission statement can apply

to both arguments

Need for More OrganizationsOnly way for Armenian organizations to be

accountable to Armenians is through competition – i.e. creation of more organizations

a) More organizations are not necessarily a bad thing

b) More organizations will help communication between the Diaspora and Republic

c) More organizations can take advantage of limited resources

d) More organizations create opportunities for involvement

More organizations are not necessarily a bad thingExample of Jewish, Turkish and Armenian

Diasporas and their charitable organizations

Jewish Diaspora

Turkish Diaspora

Armenian Diaspora

US Population 6,489,000 164,945 1,270,000

IRC 501(c)(3) organizations

3,589 177 301

Average Representation per organization

1,809 932 4,220

More Organizations will help communication between the Diaspora and Republic There is no single Jewish World that can be recreated – instead, there are

many different Jewish worlds organized in a variety of institutional and organizational forms. There is the Government of Israel; there are NGO’s, social service organizations, Federations, social justice and advocacy organizations, synagogues, schools, JCCs and many others. There are philanthropic and political organizations as well as foundations with a diversity of missions. Each works for its own constituency and supporters or would not exist. In free societies it is the marketplace, the process of creative destruction, that decides when an organization succeeds or when it goes out of business.

While this may seem disorganized, confusing and often frustrating, this diversity and multiplicity of organizations may be one of the most important strengths of what we call the Jewish World. In other words there is no one person or group of people that can recreate THE Jewish World… creating the World was and is God’s job.

By Richard Pearlstone, member of the prominent philanthropic Meyerhoff family and chair of the Jewish Agency's board of governors

Comparison between conventional and non-conventional Armenian organizations

Conventional OrganizationsAGBU in Armenia – agrees with Protocols, risks

alienating DiasporaARF – History of Political Mistrust

Non-ConventionalArmenian Technology Group – only deals with

Armenia's Ministry of Food and Agriculture

More Organizations will help communication between the Diaspora and Republic

More Organizations can take advantage of limited resourcesMore organizations can take advantage of tax

lobbying rulesMore organizations can better influence

CongressIt is no secret that Congress (both the House

of Representatives and the Senate) are influenced by special interest groups, and the more special interest groups that exist supporting a Diaspora will only further influence Congress.

More Organizations can take advantage of limited resourcesThe Turkish American Legal Defense Fund

(TALDF) the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA)Examples of two organizations with similar board

members, but not affiliated to avoid political lobbying restraints imposed on charitable organizations

Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA); American Turkish Council (ATC)Example of more Turkish advocacy groups with

overlapping an differing Congressional goalsFederation of Turkish American Associations

(FTAA)Example of a Turkish organization whose board

members consist of members from 20+ Turkish charitable organizations

More Organizations can take advantage of limited resourcesArmenian National Committee

Recent false allegations of violating charitable tax rules/

“It is more than curious that its [CREW’s] baseless attacks were made just prior to renewed efforts by the ANCA to advance Congressional and Presidential acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide.”

Small organizations more susceptible to attack by legal attacks that could derail Armenian political advocacy

Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) & the Armenian Tree Project (ATP)ATP should be an IRC 501(c)(3) org but is not

because of affiliation with AAAPoor planning prevents more donations

More Organizations create Opportunities for InvolvementMore organizations leads to more

opportunitiesMore opportunities = more chance to be

involvedInvolvement breeds CommitmentTherefore, more organizations lead to greater

chance of commitment to the Armenian cause.