<h2>Is our project required to accept membership if offered?</h2>

<p>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.</p>

<h2>What will the project leaders have to agree to if our project joins?</h2>

<p>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.</p>

<h2>If my project joins the Conservancy, how will it change?</h2>

<p>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