1. Budget Principles
Funding Must Be Legible
The budget model should let supporters understand what kind of work is being funded without exposing private, premature, or security-sensitive details. It should separate TaoDaoism operations, temple-development planning, community projects, and future temple-entity operations.
Clarity
Every giving path should name the receiving entity and general purpose.
Separation
General funds, temple-designated funds, project funds, and future temple funds should not be blurred.
Evidence
Reports should connect money to work: content created, legal steps, programs, milestones, or project needs.
Safety
Public transparency should never expose private donor data, children, addresses, or security-sensitive details.
Flexibility
Early budgets should be category-based until real quotes, land options, legal structures, and project scopes exist.
Restraint
Fundraising should not imply spiritual purchase, miracles, rank, or guaranteed divine favor.
2. Funding Stages
From Foundation to Operations
3. Budget Categories
Public Budget Categories
Digital Foundation
Hosting, development, design, article production, quote reflections, archive systems, and media tools.
Education
Deity guides, ritual guides, glossary, downloadable materials, family resources, and teaching outlines.
Legal & Governance
Entity consultation, bylaws, donation compliance, restricted fund policies, advisor honoraria, and recordkeeping.
Temple Planning
Land research, building research, architectural concepts, permitting review, zoning questions, and feasibility work.
Community Service
School supplies, relief work, public programs, volunteer coordination, and project-specific needs.
Future Facility
Altar, furnishings, garden, reflection pond, library, utilities, insurance, maintenance, and operations.
4. Restricted Donation Logic
When Donors Choose a Project
Some donations may be restricted to a specific campaign. The backoffice must record the restriction, and the public site should report progress without revealing private information.
5. Reporting Model
What the Public Should See
Project Dashboard
- Status: planning, active, paused, completed
- Current needs
- Milestones
- General donation progress
- Sanitized updates
Private Backoffice
- Donor records
- Receipts
- Vendor quotes
- Addresses
- Internal approvals
6. Future Buildout
What WordPress Should Eventually Track
When converted to WordPress, projects should become a structured content type with budget metadata rather than manually edited cards.