What Happened: From January-June 2024, Mountaintop made several promises to Fellows and stakeholders for which we were unable to follow through. While well-intentioned at the time, this overpromising caused confusion, inconvenience, and a possible break of trust. These include:

​

1. Telling a Fellow that it was likely Mountaintop could get funding for them to attend a conference in the United States before the funding was confirmed.

2. Telling a partner that we could fundraise to attend a conference in Sub-Saharan Africa before our grant was confirmed.

3. Telling the Board of Directors that a large donation was likely before the funding amount was confirmed (the total amount was less than expected).

 

How Mountaintop Responded: Mountaintop apologized to the relevant stakeholders for any confusion and inconvenience in the first two cases, and immediately communicated to the Board of Directors when the situation changed.​

 

Mountaintop's Learning and Commitment: Mountaintop has learned that it is best not to be too optimistic when it comes to the chances of receiving funding, and to even say that something is "likely" when it feels likely can still be irresponsible if the stakes are high. In many cases it is best to not communicate the possibility of something until it becomes definite, while in other cases it might be best to say something is possible but to make very clear that it is not guaranteed. Mountaintop commits to be more cautious in communicating its forecasts to stakeholders in the future, especially as it relates to funding.