That's precisely the point. The minute I saw that they were actively soliciting donations, I knew that they would (and should) have to adhere to higher standards than the 'wild-west' of JWN as one of their directors called it. How are these donations being spent? According to their charter, donors have a right to see a full accounting of "a summary of how donated funds have been spent on a quarterly basis" according to their Mission Statement (See Article 6 "Financial Transparency"). I hope they realise that any one who donates even just a couple of dollars is entitled to see this quarterly report, and could sue them in court should they not disclose this as promised. One would certainly hope the president himself is not subpoenaed to testify! That would involve some serious travel expenses. Oh wait, will those travel expenses be covered by the donations they bring in? These are the questions that need to be asked. It had all the appearance from the very beginning to me of an ex-JW fraternity that would fly in from all over the world for clandestine meetings, giving a speech in a Manhattan hotel conference room in the hope of gathering media attention, and having a hearty meal at a trendy restaurant afterwards. It's not unreasonable or 'bashing' to openly ask if the donations would be spent on any such expenses. Finally, the president himself has been open about his career in ex-JW activism. A few months back he stated that he was writing a book, and should a publisher not pick it up, that he fully intended to self-publish. Does he intend on using AAWA funds to do this? Maybe I am wrong, and they have or had no intention on doing this. But these are fair questions. If I or anyone else here launched a site, asked for donations for a non-profit venture all the while letting everyone know I was dead set on publishing a book, the first in a series of exposés, would people be right to question motives? The president himself stated definitively that he was seeking an 'advance' for his publishing efforts and would use such funds to travel all over the world to meet with people. Where do the president's personal ambitions end and where does the AAWA's start? I'm finding an incredibly blurry line between those two, if they are not indeed one in the same.
