New applications for project membership with Conservancy are considered + twice a year. The deadlines for submission of application materials are + 1 February and 1 September each year.
+ +The application process is somewhat informal. New applicants should + write + to <apply@sfconservancy.org> + with a very brief description of their project and a URL to their + project's website. We'll send back initial questions if we have any, + and after that, we'll send the full application materials. Applications + should be submitted in plain ASCII text via email.
+ +Projects are reviewed by Conservancy's Evaluation Subcommittee (which + is a subcommittee of Conservacy's Directors), and the subcommittee's + recommendations are submitted to + Conservancy's Board of Directors, who make + the final decision to offer membership.
+ +What are the key criteria our project must meet to join?
+ +In order to join, projects need to meet certain criteria, including the +requirement that the project be exclusively devoted to the development of +FLOSS and that it be consistent with the Conservancy's tax-exempt purposes +and the financial requirements imposed by the IRS. Most FLOSS projects +will meet these requirements.
+ +Additionally, the project must be licensed in a way fitting with + software freedom principles. Specifically, all software of the project + should be licensed under a license that is listed both as + a Free Software + license by the Free Software Foundation and as + an Open Source + license by the Open Source Initiative. All software documentation + for the project should be licensed under a license on the preceding + lists, or under Creative + Commons' CC-By-SA + or CC-By or + CC-0.
+ +While any project licensed under FLOSS licenses can apply, the + Conservancy seeks in particular projects that are well-established and + have some track record of substantial contributions from a community of + volunteer developers. The Conservancy does gives higher priority to + projects that have an established userbase and interest, but also tries + to accept some smaller projects with strong potential.
+ +Not at all. Many projects apply and subsequently decide not to join a + non-profit, or decide to join a different non-profit entity. Don't + worry about “wasting our time” if your project's developers + aren't completely sure yet if they want to join conservancy. If + membership in Conservancy is currently a legitimate consideration for + your project, we encourage you to apply. We'd rather that you apply and + turn down an offer for membership than fail to apply and have to wait + until the next application round when you're sure.
+ +Once you're offered membership, we'll send you a draft fiscal + sponsorship agreement. These aren't secret documents and many of our + memer projects have even chosen to put theirs online. However, we wait + to send a draft of this document, until the application process is + complete, as we often tailor and modify the agreements based on + individual project needs. This is painstaking work, and it's better to + complete that work after both Conservancy and the project are quite sure + that they both want the project will join Conservancy.
+ +We maintain a detailed list of services + that Conservancy provides to member projects. If you have + detailed questions about any of the benefits, please + ask <apply@sfconservancy.org>.
+ +Substantively, member projects continue to operate in the same way as +they did before joining the Conservancy. So long as the project remains +devoted to software freedom and operates consistently with the +Conservancy's tax-exempt status, the Conservancy does not intervene in the +project's development other than to provide administrative assistance. +For example, the Conservancy keeps and maintains books and records for the +project and assists with the logistics of receiving donations, but does +not involve itself with technical or artistic decision making. Projects +are asked, however, to keep the Conservancy up to date on their +activities.
+ +The Conservancy holds assets on behalf of its member projects and +manages and disburses those assets in accordance with the wishes of the +project's leadership. Funds received by the Conservancy on behalf of a +project are kept track of separately for each specific project and the +management of those funds is directed by the project. For example, if a +donor wanted to contribute $100 to Project Foo, they would formally make +the donation to the Conservancy and identify Project Foo as the desired +project to support. The Conservancy would then deposit the check and +earmark the funds for use by Project Foo. Project Foo would then tell the +Conservancy how that money should be spent.
+ +Similarly, any copyrights, trademarks, domain name or other assets +transferred to a project can also be held by the Conservancy on behalf of +the project. A significant service that the Conservancy provides its +members is a vehicle through which copyright ownership in the project can +be unified. There are several advantages to having a consolidated +copyright structure, including that it makes enforcement activity easier +and more effective. However, copyright, trademark, and domain name +assignment is not a requirement in order to join the Conservancy, rather, +it is an option for those projects that ask for it.
+ +All agreements between member projects and the Conservancy stipulate +clearly that the member project can leave the Conservancy at any time. +Federal tax exemption law, though, states that projects must transfer +their assets from the Conservancy in a way that is consistent with the +Conservancy's not-for-profit tax status — meaning the assets cannot +be transferred to an individual or a for-profit entity. Generally, a +project would either find another fiscal sponsor or form their own +independent tax-exempt non-profit.
+ +We fully expect that some Conservancy projects will ultimately wish to + form their own non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations; that's why we design + our agreements with projects to allow them to leave to another 501(c)(3) + organization. Typically, projects join Conservancy because the project + leaders don't want the burdens of running a non-profit themselves. + Often, as projects grow, leaders get interested in the non-profit + management and organizational side of the activities and are then + prepared to take on the additional work themselves.
+ +How leaders are chosen for projects varies greatly from project to + project. Our goal is to do our best to embody the “natural” + leadership structure that evolved in your project into the formal + agreement with Conservancy. As part of the agreement drafting, we work + carefully with you to understand your project's governance and write up + formally with you the decision-making process you use. Most project + contributors find this process of formalizing the leadership structure + helps them clarify in their own minds the governance of their project, + even though the process can be difficult. Since it can be a complicated + process, we suggest that you prepare your project community for this + discussion once your project is accepted.
+ +After your application is approved, as part of the negotiation of the + formal agreement, we'll discuss this issue. Typically, we ask that + member projects voluntarily choose to donate some percentage of their + donations received to support Conservancy's general operations servicing + all its member projects (including yours). We do understand that, + particularly for small projects that only receive a few small donations, + that donating a percentage of your income back to Conservancy can be a + high burden. Therefore, this is not a mandatory requirement. We thus + suggest that you be prepared to discuss this issue with us in detail + after your application is approved.
+ diff --git a/www/conservancy/static/members/current/index.html b/www/conservancy/static/members/current/index.html index 13a06ac9bdd53129981fe963b8db4f2822a44a9b..e60c1c060c5d3634650ce70e84a20421d61b5637 100644 --- a/www/conservancy/static/members/current/index.html +++ b/www/conservancy/static/members/current/index.html @@ -1,6 +1,7 @@ {% extends "base_members.html" %} {% block subtitle %}Current Member Projects - {% endblock %} {% block category %}members{% endblock %} +{% block submenuselection %}Current{% endblock %} {% block content %}A major component of Conservancy's work to advance software freedom is + through its work to provide + non-profit infrastructure and services + to + its member projects. Conservancy's goal + is to handle all the parts of advocacy, leadership, organization and + coordination other than actual development of the software and + documentation. By handling all these details, Conservancy allows its + member project developers to focus on what they do best: writing, + improving and documenting FLOSS.
+ +Project leaders who believe that their project might benefit from + Conservancy's member project services + are encouraged to apply for + membership.
diff --git a/www/conservancy/static/members/services/index.html b/www/conservancy/static/members/services/index.html index 1f899222cc4b2891ac2343ecefc50330c2e63470..61d1521bfc7e6973b349a90e0592b689ea0ed468 100644 --- a/www/conservancy/static/members/services/index.html +++ b/www/conservancy/static/members/services/index.html @@ -1,6 +1,7 @@ {% extends "base_members.html" %} {% block subtitle %}Member Project Services - {% endblock %} {% block category %}members{% endblock %} +{% block submenuselection %}Services{% endblock %} {% block content %}Member projects can receive earmarked donations through Conservancy. - Donors can indicate that their donation should be used to advance a - specific member project, and those funds are kept in a separate account - by Conservancy. The project leadership can then indicate to - Conservancy's leadership how the funds should be spent to advance the - project. Generally, Conservancy permits these funds to be spent in any - way that is appropriate activity under Conservancy's 501(c)(3) - not-for-profit mission. Some typical uses of earmarked donations by - Conservancy's member projects are: + Since Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) charity incorporated in New York, + donors can often deduct the donation on their USA taxes. Additionally, + the donors can indicate that their donation should be used to advance a + specific member project, and those funds are kept in a separate account + for the member project by Conservancy. This structure prevents + developers from having to commingle project funds with their own + personal accounts or having to set up their own project specific + account.
+ +Since the Conservancy is a tax-exempt organization, there are some + limits that the law places on what member projects can do with their + assets, but those limits are the same as if the project was an + independent non-profit entity. Usually, the project leadership can + then indicate to Conservancy's leadership how the funds should be spent + to advance the project and Conservancy permits these funds to be spent + in any way that is appropriate activity under Conservancy's 501(c)(3) + not-for-profit mission. Some typical uses of earmarked donations by + Conservancy's member projects are:
Conservancy provides various tools and advice to member projects on methods of raising funds for their projects' earmarked accounts.
+Member projects can continue to operate in the same way they did before +joining the Conservancy without having to select a board of directors or +any other layer of corporate management, without having to maintain +corporate records and without having to do any of the other things +required of incorporated entities. The Conservancy handles all of that +burden on behalf of its projects.
+ +Many of Conservancy's directors are