9:47 p.m.
Hi Ludo,
On Thu, Apr 08, 2021 at 11:40:17AM +0200, Ludovic Courtès wrote:
Mark Wielaard <mjw(a)gnu.org> skribis:
> Having a fiscal sponsor, or a legal entity, is related to governance
> to me because without it we cannot hold any resources. Then we are
> just a bunch of hackers where individuals have DNS, pay for hosting,
> individually collect money to hold a meeting, etc. Now I trust those
> individuals and it is a form of governance, but it is very fragile and
> you are totally relying on a few people to not go crazy or get drunk
> on power :)
I’m not sure. Some projects don’t have a “bank account” and thus no
need for a fiscal sponsor (that’s the case of Guile and GSL, for
example).
For others, fiscal matters are not central to the project and dealt with
separately, possibly by a separate team. In Guix, the “spending
committee”, which approves spending from the FSF fund, is a group
separate from co-maintainers (though with a non-empty intersection). By
far most of the “governance activity” in Guix has nothing to do with
funds.
Perhaps Carlos can confirm, but I’m also pretty sure that toolchain
maintainers don’t worry about funds in their day-to-day maintenance and
governance work.
All in all, I would rather let each project take care of its funds and
fiscal sponsorship by itself (but the discussion on how to switch
sponsors should be collective). Ideally there’d be a strong GNU group
with its own fiscal sponsor, which could act on behalf its member
projects. But we’re verrrry far from that. Let’s first save what can
still be saved.
WDYT?
I think you are a little naive :) Financials are important and I think
you are a bit hung up about the word fiscal, in fiscal sponsor. The
idea is that you do need a legal entity to "exist". A legal guardian
so the individuals aren't taking on all risks personally. A legal
entity who can receive fund, pay expenses, hold assets, etc.
Just look at the list of "services":
https://sfconservancy.org/projects/services/
- Tax-Deductible, Earmarked Donations
- Asset Stewardship
- Contract Negotiation and Execution
- Conference Logistical Support
- Basic Legal Advice and Services
- FLOSS Copyright License Enforcement
- Fundraising Assistance
- Avoid Non-Profit Administrivia
- Leadership Mentoring, Advice and Guidance
- Some Personal Liability Protection
- Officiating Community Elections and Ballot Initiatives
Now you might be right that some of the bigger GNU projects might do
this individually. But I think those should pool together with some of
the smaller ones then, or maybe we should do it as GNU Assembly so
that those smaller ones who think they don't need any resources can
actually get them, because the infrastructure must actually exist and
must be resourced.
Cheers,
Mark