Varindra “Tarzie” Vittachi
Varindra “Tarzie” Vittachi
1924 - 1993
(photo by Simón Cherpitel)
“The Trustees have undertaken to abide by the important principles of transparency, accountability, and informativeness which are essential to an institution which seeks to attain and sustain a relationship of trust and credibility with its constituency of members.”
Extract from a letter by Varindra Vittachi, New York, October 1991
MISSION

The Muhammad Subuh Foundation honors the name of the founder of Subud, Bapak Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo.  It serves to build a lasting financial capacity for the Subud community, with emphasis on the long-term aims of the World Subud Association.

VISION

The Foundation envisages a Subud community that is active and effective in the world, in many fields of human endeavor.  It supports this vision by providing financial and other assistance to a wide-range of activities and programs aimed at improving the condition of the communities they serve, including social and humanitarian work, cultural endeavors, child and youth projects, and others.

VALUES

As trustees of the Muhammad Subuh Foundation, we are guided in our work by the following values:

Integrity
In making decisions and carrying out our actions we are committed to working through personal integrity and best practice combined with inner guidance and common sense.

Openness
We base our relationship with donors, recipients and the community on transparency, candor and mutual trust.

Diversity
We value diversity of the human spirit and recognize the uniqueness of each human being and culture.

Sustainability
We believe in effecting sustainable change that has transformational goals and measurable positive outcomes, recognizing that how things are done is as important as what is done.

About Us

Who We Are

Established in 1991 by the World Subud Association to serve as the repository for legacies and bequests of Subud members, the Muhammad Subuh Foundation acts as an investment steward and grant-making body to further the aims of Subud. The Foundation acts on behalf of approximately 1,000 donors who care for humanity and desire to see Subud continue to develop in the world. To date, the majority of the Muhammad Subuh Foundation’s charitable giving is focused on assisting Subud groups to obtain and improve their meeting facilities, as well as supporting social projects in conjunction with Susila Dharma International Association.

What We Do

The Muhammad Subuh Foundation supports the development of Subud by providing financial assistance in a wide-range of areas, including social & humanitarian work, cultural endeavors, and youth projects - to improve the lives of our fellow human beings in meaningful ways. This support is in addition to providing for the long-term needs of Subud such as meeting places, archives, and strengthening the capacity of our organization.

However, the Muhammad Subuh Foundation is more than a mechanism for giving. The Foundation works as a partner for donors, helping to identify where donations can have the greatest impact, guiding donors through each complex step involved in international philanthropy. The Muhammad Subuh Foundation facilitates the process for donors, while implementing due diligence procedures to ensure that grants are distributed effectively and have maximum impact, all the while staying in strict compliance with U.S. laws and regulations governing charitable giving internationally.

Management

Running a foundation requires the assistance of many people, all of whom play an important role. Almost all of these people are volunteers, working together towards a common goal:  enabling the Muhammad Subuh Foundation to become a shining example of what Subud members can achieve – for the present and future generations of our growing community. 

Currently, the administrative office is in Portland, Oregon (USA) and is managed by Lillian Shulman. The Foundation engages an accountant, Elwyn Waugh; an administrator, Lillian Shulman; and in 2009 appointed an executive director, Rayner Sutherland, to assist the trustees in fulfilling their responsibilities. Our paid Executive Staff contribute far more time and energy than we can adequately compensate them for, and we are grateful for their efforts, and for that of all our gifted and dedicated volunteers.

Board of Trustees

The Muhammad Subuh Foundation’s board of trustees may have a maximum of ten volunteer members, and are appointed by the directors of the World Subud Association. These board members usually have diverse professional backgrounds and may be involved in many community and charitable activities. The board oversees the Foundation in establishing policy, setting priorities, and making final decisions to approve investments, awards and grants.

Trustees are appointed by the WSA to manage all business of the Foundation and to hire support staff as required. One trustee is ex-officio, being the current chairperson of the WSA. Trustees are appointed to serve four-year terms, and terms are staggered to ensure good continuity for the work of the Foundation. The trustees meet annually, or biannually, and have teleconferences as needed.

Bachtiar Lorot

Bachtiar Lorot, CHAIRMAN & TRUSTEE
Term: 2011 – 2015
Born in Paris, Bachtiar has devoted his professional life to agricultural and rural development in South East and Central Asia, the Middle East, and North and West Africa. During the last 17 years he has worked as team leader in EU-funded projects dealing mainly with project strategic planning and policy, grass roots organizations’ development and grant awarding programs. Early training includes agronomy in France and agricultural economics in UK. He is married and has two children, joined Subud in 1972 in Paris, and has been active as group helper and in several international Subud organizations (SBIF, WSA and SICA).
Lawrence Fryer

Lawrence Fryer, TREASURER & TRUSTEE
Term: 2010 – 2014
Lawrence was born in England but has lived in Germany for the last 40 years. He is married and has 4 children. He has a degree in mathematics and has worked as an industrial consultant in the fields of operations research and technical organisation. Lawrence joined Subud in 1958 and has held various positions. He is currently director and treasurer of Susila Dharma International Association, deputy-chair of Susila Dharma Germany and does the bookkeeping for Subud and Susila Dharma Germany. He works closely with Susila Dharma projects in India and Indonesia.
Olvia Reksodipoetro

Olvia Reksodipoetro, TRUSTEE
Term: 2005 – 2014
With extensive experience in charitable and professional institutions, Olvia continues to serve as trustee for her second term. She is also currently the chairperson of Yayasan Usaha Mulia (Foundation for Noble Work - www.yumindonesia.org), a charitable organization involved in several regions of Indonesia, as well as a director of Susila Dharma Indonesia (www.susiladharma.org). In addition, Olvia is a former member of the Jakarta chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (www.afpnet.org).
In 1995, she established her own company – CYBERconsult – doing various projects for the World Bank, the IMF and the U.N. She joined Subud in 1967 and has served as helper, national helper, and director of the Susila Dharma International Association.
Hannah Baerveldt

Hannah Baerveldt, TRUSTEE
Term: 2011 – 2015
With professional and philanthropic experience, Hannah lends her expertise to the Foundation’s board of trustees for her second term in the areas of grant making, fundraising, and communications. Hannah is currently serving as a director of Yayasan Usaha Mulia(Foundation for Noble Work: www.yumindonesia.org), and is a member of the international Association of Fundraising Professionals (www.afpnet.org). Hannah also serves on the management board of a Condominium Association located in Toronto, Canada. Hannah joined Subud in 1972, and has been active in the association as a helper, a member of various local, national, and international committees, and by working in Subud enterprises. Hannah holds a B.A. in Arts & Letters with honors from Portland State University.
Lailani Moody

Lailani Moody, TRUSTEE
Term: 2011 – 2014
Lailani is from the United States, growing up in the Washington, D.C. area and living and working in New York for the last 30 years. She has been active in Subud since 1967, as a group or regional helper, member of housing committees, and on the Board of Trustees of Subud New York. As a certified public accountant, she has worked for international public accounting firms, specializing in the accounting for stock compensation, financings, financial instruments, and emerging accounting issues. She has a masters in accounting and an MBA.
Héloïse Jackson

Héloïse Jackson, TRUSTEE
Term: 2011 – 2015
Héloïse was born and educated in Paris before settling in England where she met her husband. They have three sons. She joined Subud in London in 1967 and has held many positions in Subud, both as a committee member and as a helper. She has worked in France, Canada and England in a number of administrative and teaching posts before spending many years advising ex-offenders and delinquents and working towards their rehabilitation into the world of work and education. During her term as an international helper, she travelled extensively within Europe and Africa, encouraging many members in their spiritual practice of Subud. She is now part of the French team working on translations of Bapak’s talks.
Luke Penseney

Luke Penseney, EX-OFFICIO TRUSTEE
Term: 2010 – 2014
Luke Penseney is married and has two children at McGill University. He manages his own capital markets-based strategic research business out of suburban Toronto. His background includes strategic research, marketing and executive search in North America and Europe. Early training includes a BA (Honors) in Geography and Economic Development with special reference to Africa and Asia and an MSc.in Urban and Regional Planning.

Executive Staff

Rayner Sutherland

Rayner Sutherland, Executive Director
Rayner lives in Vancouver, Canada and is a long-time social worker for the provincial government there. He has a Master of Social Work degree from the University of British Columbia. He and his wife also have a private practice doing international adoption home studies. He was National Chair for Subud Canada in the early 1990’s. He has worked in the past as coordinator of both the World Subud Association (WSA) Care Support Program and the WSA Subud Emergency Fund (formerly the International Almoners). Rayner has also held a number of other Subud roles over the years.
Elwyn Waugh

Elwyn Waugh, Accountant
Elwyn is a Chartered Accountant with his own accountancy practice in the UK. His clients range from individuals to corporations and charitable organizations, and include both Subud and non-Subud clients. His practice currently includes being the Finance Director for a small international internet company which has provided useful experience in dealing with countries and currencies around the world. Elwyn serves as the accountant for Subud Britain, a role he has had for over 25 years.
Lillian Shulman

Lillian Shulman, Administrator
Opened in New York City in 1970, Lillian is a helper who has also served as Chairperson of Subud Boston, East Coast Regional Treasurer and editor of the Subud East Coast News. Holding a B.A. degree in English Language and Literature from Boston University and teaching credentials in Massachusetts and Oregon, she is an ESL and language arts teacher currently living in Portland, Oregon.

For a more in-depth look at the Muhammad Subuh Foundation, check out the Adobe Acrobat PDF attachments in the following categories (download the Adobe Acrobat Reader for free at www.adobe.com.

History

Organizational Relationships

Financial Information

Registration