The GNOME Foundation Needs Your Help
- From: john palmieri <john j5 palmieri gmail com>
- To: foundation-list <foundation-list gnome org>, foundation-announce <foundation-announce gnome org>
- Subject: The GNOME Foundation Needs Your Help
- Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:02:28 -0400
Dear Foundation members,
The 2009 yearly budget has been released. For the past couple of years the GNOME Foundation has been running a
healthy surplus in contributions. As a result, year after year we have
been expanding GNOME related activities and events. Last year we had
the opportunity to further increase the Foundation's value to its
members by hiring the highly respected Stormy Peters as our Executive
Director. When that decision was made no one could have predicted the
global economic downturn and the impact it would have on our industry.
While Stormy has managed to get a number of new corporate sponsors
and we have enough to keep paying her for this current budget cycle, we
are still projecting that without a significant influx of steady
contributions we will be unable to keep an Executive Director on the
payroll without cutting into the activities budget.
As the economy persists on this roller coaster of ups and downs,
the Foundation is rolling with the punches and looking for ways to best
serve our members. While we can look at this downturn as a time to
tighten our belts, I would much rather look at this as an opportunity
for the community to take a stake in the future of the Foundation and
show that we are not exclusively reliant on corporate coffers to grow
GNOME.
If you haven't donated in the past, now is the time to start by
becoming a Friend of GNOME or donating at any of the contribution
levels. If you do currently donate to GNOME, look to see if you can
contribute a tiny bit more on a monthly basis. Every little bit
helps. Remember these funds go to programs like hackfests and putting
on local conferences. It also goes to paying for our staff of two who
along with the part time and overworked board construct the strategies
for facilitating the growth of GNOME.
The Foundation has served us well over the years and will continue
to serve us regardless of the outcome of the current economic climate.
The real tragedy would be to no longer have the funds to retain
Stormy's services. Stormy's contributions in kicking our butts to
finish ongoing projects as well as start new ones and bringing in new
streams of funding are remarkable in themselves, and even more so in
the current climate. Losing Stormy now would be sort of like having
this shiny new plane but neglecting to build the runway long enough
for it to take off. The best of what Stormy has to offer has yet
to be seen. I can tell you for a fact that without her the Foundation
will be less effective in its mission.
Please go to the Friends of GNOME site at
http://www.gnome.org/friends/ to donate. We need your ongoing support. Donations allow us to accelerate the
adoption and development of GNOME while our paid staff allows us to be
more effective with those donations. Whatever you can give will ensure
the continued good works of the GNOME Foundation.
Thanks on behalf of the Board,
John (J5) Palmieri
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