Open Letter: Questions for John Dehlin and OSF Board from a concerned donor.

Dear John Dehlin/OSF Board,

I have been a regular donor to the Open Stories Foundation (OSF) for many years and have greatly benefited from the podcasts/services provided. Unfortunately, over the past several months, new developments have caused me to question my support. Some of these same concerns have been voiced by others in progressive and post Mormon circles.

One thing I learned from leaving the church was to never again follow anyone or anything blindly. If I see things that are concerning, I speak up and ask questions. This leads me to this letter that includes sincere questions aimed at clearing up my concerns.

OSF Staff/Board of Directors

My first area of concern is about the OSF staff and Board of Directors. I heard that the entire OSF staff has quit. These rumors are corroborated by the fact that the OSF Team webpage has been taken down and John Dehlin has started asking for volunteers to help do things (like record podcasts) that have been handled by staff previously.

Is it true that the entire staff quit? Or did John Dehlin remove all staff?

If so, why? If this is true, it points to clear internal discord with John Dehlin.

How will funds used for their salaries be re-allocated?

Are all the podcasters still on staff? They have also been removed also from the team page which raises a few red flags.

There have been rumors that multiple board members have resigned.

Is this true? If so, why did they resign?

Who is currently on the board and what are their roles?

How are OSF and the donations it receives governed?

Use of OSF Funds

My next concern is how OSF donations are being used. According to the OSF website, in the last two fiscal years (2016 to 2017) you enjoyed a $100,000 increase.

Is John Dehlin now the only person on OSF payroll? If not, who is still on payroll?

Given the substantial increase in donations, why is John Dehlin asking OSF donors to contribute money so he can do MSP interviews? I thought OSF was separate from the podcasts but this request implies that OSF and MSP are one and the same. Why wouldn’t these expenses by covered by existing donations?

If people choose to donate money when John Dehlin makes one-time requests on Facebook for things like flights or billboards, does that money go to the OSF or is it going directly to John Dehlin?

Do any of the other podcasters benefit from these donations?

Why did the recent OSF billboard only include marketing for Mormon Stories?

Why aren’t OSF donations going towards fair and equal promotion for all partner OSF podcasts?

OSF non-profit organization turning into a for-profit business

Another concern is the for-profit business that John Dehlin recently launched with his wife Margi and Natasha Parker called Center for Religious and Secular Progress and “Mormon Faith Crisis” (MFC).

I watched the now-deleted promotional video John Dehlin released and I think the project has a lot of potential. However, I am troubled by it being launched as a for-profit business separate from the OSF. This seems to introduce ethical concerns associated with using a non-profit organization to support/launch a for-profit business.

Here are my questions:

Has this new for-profit business received any financial support from OSF donations?

Why is this new for-profit business using material from OSF and vice-versa?

The same question can be asked about Margi Dehlin’s private coaching practice using OSF material for promotion.

Why are the same events being advertised on the for-profit website Mormon Faith Crisis and the non-profit website Mormon Stories?

Where do funds from events go?

On the MFC website and in a recent FB live video there are a number of services that John Dehlin, Margi Dehlin and Natasha Parker promise to provide. Given the scope of this new business, will the OSF be able to continue fulfilling its mission if John Dehlin is the only remaining staff member?

Maybe there are legitimate answers to all these questions. Maybe there are even more important questions that I am not asking. Many others have written about OSF’s questionable finances. Former employees, community members, and media have raised flags. It all causes me to wonder if the transparency John Dehlin/OSF claims is honest or a way to try to keep people from digging deeper.

I’ll end by pointing out an irony that is probably the most frustrating part of all this. If OSF and any of its key players are using donations in ways that are not true to the spirit in which they were given, that’s irresponsible. And, it’s frustratingly similar to one of the major issues I took with the LDS church when my family and I left.

I’m sure some will ask why I am not willing to sign my name to this letter. Over the years, I have seen what happens to people who publicly challenge John Dehlin. Past retaliations against those who speak out are often unpredictable and unreasonable. I’d rather not experience that. The questions and concerns I outline should be able to be answered regardless of who asks. Despite what “President” Oaks says, anonymous sources can be legitimate sources.

Looking forward to a response.