Hi,
We probably don't want paid memberships for individuals (or at a very
symbolic level), but paid memberships for organizations could be a
convenient way for those that cannot easily "donate" / "sponsor" due to
legal constraints (in particular thinking about public / semi-public
sector, or even large private sector companies that have complicated
buying process) but can more easily pay a membership fee. What does
their membership formally bring to them? Well, no more than a vote for
elections, and I guess some visibility proportional to their membership
tier, so it is unlikely they would be able to take over. OSGeo is
struggling on finances: we must be open to new ways.
Even
Le 17/12/2025 à 20:28, Adam Steer via Discuss a écrit :
HI all
A correction, a clarification, and a postscript.
In the first list of things about paid personal memberships, the last
point should read:
- a setting of expectation around what being an OSGeo member means
When discussing real and / or perceived conflicts of interest in
decision making, I wanted to clarify what this might mean. In the
event of a COI, the affected persons must leave the room / meeting /
discussion - not just avoid voting on a matter. It can be hard to tell
someone with standing in a community 'no we cannot discuss this while
you are here'.
Thinking about this a little overnight, I arrived at a clearer picture
about what OSGeo is, for me. Rather than a membership based
organisation, it is a collective infrastructure. This is an important
difference. In a collective infrastructure, members come along to
contribute and nurture a common (well, "aligned enough") goal based on
a agreement about what to do. This is what first attracted me to the
community.. Membership is just a synonym that works in the necessary
legal structures. From my view it is a foundational shift in
philosophy if we start the road to being a membership based
organisation (paid members, what does OSGeo do for members, and so on).
I'm not in a position to do much these days, in order to support
others one must be supported enough themselves! So I leave these
thoughts and trust that the community will make good choices. And yes,
I am also free to come and go, OSGeo is not about me!
All the best,
Adam
--
Dr Adam Steer
https://iamadamsteer.com
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