This is an automated email from the git hooks/post-receive script.
civodul pushed a commit to branch master
in repository maintenance.
The following commit(s) were added to refs/heads/master by this push:
new af6f3d0 doc: guix-days-2024: Add notes from the session about funding.
af6f3d0 is described below
commit af6f3d0a93dcebe56d80ff1f99ddd04d534cfc7c
Author: indieterminacy <[email protected]>
AuthorDate: Sat Feb 10 10:53:21 2024 +0100
doc: guix-days-2024: Add notes from the session about funding.
* doc/guix-days-2024/funding.md: New file.
---
doc/guix-days-2024/funding.md | 226 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 file changed, 226 insertions(+)
diff --git a/doc/guix-days-2024/funding.md b/doc/guix-days-2024/funding.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4e7484b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/guix-days-2024/funding.md
@@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
+# Finances
+Currently Guix has monet on FSF, on USA law.
+However, the Guix Foundation receives most of its money in Euros.
+
+~100k has been raised
+~50k is left
+
+4-5k belongs to Guix Foundation legally.
+
+FSF money is safeguarded by the spending committee.
+
+Both organisations do both (double process).
+
+# Legal
+Creating more of a stronger legal approach for Guix takes time,
+Guix is not professional on this side and its hard to do right.
+Perhaps there needs to be a home for the Guix Foundation.
+
+Has Guix outgrown its umbrella organisation?
+Perhaps it should be treated like an independent organisation (like Gnome).
+
+There are lawyers who are specialist for such things.
+Guix could pay for specialists to help with the legal and funding aspects.
+It takes lots of time and energy to manage the distinction.
+
+Somebody at FSFE has experience for EU FOSS not-for-profits and hirees.
+
+## Trademark Management
+Seems healthy that specific problems get solved before more formal funding
applications.
+Recognise that a legal entity needs funding first.
+
+
+# Guix Spending
+The spending is directed towards:
+* hosting costs
+* stickers
+* hardware
+* Outreachy
+
+Hardware and hosting has been donated,
+and that Guix should be prepared to manage things differently.
+There is naturally no guarantee that
+such donations will continue in perpetuity.
+
+What else should we spend money on?:
+* Perhaps promoting Guix to other communities;
+* Perhaps compensating people for onsite maintenance of infrastructure;
+* Indirect costs;
+* A build farm (we can meet more need with infrastructure);
+* Subsidising international travel (or support for precariat community
members);
+* Scholarships;
+* Paying people for things that wouldnt be done;
+
+# Direct Support
+It needs organising in order to shepherd more complex patch reviews.
+This includes having a call for applicants,
+a hiring process should involve known people.
+
+If somebody is paid to review patches, this requires a fair an equitable
approach.
+This should be regarding the thing that would not otherwise be done.
+
+Paying people should not deter others.
+
+Paying somebody to repair equipment is helpful and important.
+
+A committee should be collaboratively covered for consensus.
+Maybe fundraising requires a committee.
+
+
+
+# Governance
+
+A common approach with other organisations:
+* Foundation for IP; legal; and governance
+* Technical board (its different for profit reasons)
+* A foundation provides services to a project -- it does not have control
+* The project would be handled by the TOC
+
+Names should be known,
+full delegation should be make, including a board from association.
+
+Once goals have been defined,
+then do things with the roadmap.
+
+## Guix
+Guix foundation has statutes on the internat.
+
+You can be member of guix foundation,
+then you can be part of the double foundation process.
+
+The governance problem is ambiguous
+
+
+There is a confused-deputy problem concerning governance.
+
+The Guix Foundation and the Guix project can have friction.
+
+
+Guix has more of a European constituency
+
+
+
+## Nix
+At Nix, they have to play specific roles well.
+The RFC process is seen as the governance and the check and balance of the
teams,
+general community mechanisms help
+everybody watches eachother -- checks and balances.
+
+# Funding
+## Approaches to Securing Funding
+You have to put yourself in other peoples shoes,
+thats the hard part.
+
+[for funding applications] you have to put down your own vision,
+as it formualtes what you want to do.
+We can use appliying for a grant,
+to define the mission of an organisations.
+
+Funding descriptions can be a bit of an icebreaker.
+
+Things one identifies with is important with the choice,
+making certain choices which have impacts for later.
+
+If you wasnt to do a fundraiser in 6 months,
+you have to think about for what and how.
+
+Fundees have predominantly experienced one major funding.
+
+There is not a page which lists grants.
+
+## NLNet
+NLNet are direct and technically orientated,
+Other funds are not like that.
+
+Funding can be pleasurable with them.
+
+
+
+## Joint Funding
+It can be tough applying on joint projects,
+such as thinking about stratagy, people working together,
+as well as what should be done.
+
+Coordination of grants adds complexity.
+
+## Guix Funding
+Guix is immature concerning funding.
+Guix are fundraising to cover basic costs.
+
+People dont donate very often,
+they need to do a campaign.
+It needs to happen repeatedly,
+which can unfortunately be stressful for organisers.
+The money tends to be free for the project,
+though not a much as you need.
+
+Fundraising for own projects is harder,
+people are interested in doing something for guix.
+
+Guix is likely to reah an audience of people willing to give.
+Walking through the process,
+it is more fun to talk about than do.
+
+Rather than fundraising, its also important to
+fund ways of contributing coding in work.
+
+Its worth speaking to employers for donations,
+such as for using infrastructure.
+
+
+Guix has a strong reputation:
+* Science would be worth emphasizing.
+* Bitcoin as a point of emphasis seems less interesting.
+* Problems from any large institution is problematic
+* Framasoft type individual funding is possible but its the hardest path.
+
+Getting employers onboard is a way of getting more funders onboard.
+
+Once institutions are dependent on Guix,
+they will be more supportive.
+
+Larger institutional grants require a reputation (as a whole),
+it does involve having a spokesperson in particular.
+An example of this is Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales.
+
+To receive over a million in funding,
+you need a track record.
+You need to develop personal relationships with funders.
+
+Having people funding work and being aware of
+technology was part of the Spriteley journey (for example).
+Doing work that people find exciting, you have to use charisma,
+and a sense of you knowing what you want.
+
+# Other Operating Systems and Funding
+## Nix
+Nix has been successful.
+
+Summer of Nix jumpstarted college students and worked as a testcase,
+motivating extra collaboration with NLNet in subsequent years.
+
+This involved hundreds of thousands for a stipend.
+It required a demonstrated plan,
+and required implementing it properly with doing something
+(with figuring out value later).
+
+Managers want to know whether they are doing things.
+
+NLNet would be interested to do something similar with Guix.
+Affiliation was useful for building trust.
+
+## Ubuntu
+For Africa, sending laptos was good for narriative selection.
+It creates a hook - as you need to close the loop for funding,
+and then the narriative.
+
+# Fundraising and Spending
+
+
+# Promoting Guix for funding
+Its important to list prestige projects,
+tied with institutions or fundees.
+
+There has has been a prejudice that Guix coders are a minority,
+and that employers prioritise the fungability of their staff
+"Its bullshit but finding talented people has an advantage from Guix and Guile
-- you wont have trouble"
