Re: Membership dues [ was: Re: Advisory Board Letter ]

[Rusty Conover <rconover zootweb com>]

On Wed, 02 Aug 2000 16:59:12 Bart Decrem wrote:
> David,
> 
> I think this is an important issue that merits further discussion.  My take
on
> it is that, looking at prospective members that I can think of, everybody's
> able to afford the membership fee, and there's a real likelihood that we'll
> want to have a coordination person.  If we don't need a staff person, then
we
> have a 'war chest' that we can use to organize conferences, buy computers
for
> hackers etc.  And it breaks my heart to think of some of the huge companies
who
> may come on board, and to think that we might *not* ask them for $20,000 to
> donate to the cause.  So the current dues structure gives us that option,
and
> options are good in life.
> 
> If a start-up came along tomorrow that cannot afford the fee, then the board
> can (and, I'm sure, will) waive the fee.

Bart,

What happens if the company has an interest in working with GNOME but isn't
quite a startup, yet the majority of their business is not gnome related.  Having
to go before the board to justify all the differences in membership could grow
very consuming of the board's time.  There should be better alternatives then
"just go before the board" for each special case.  Obviously I'm not trying to just
play "what if" but to ask for special permission every case seems quite
redundant.

Rusty
-- 
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Rusty Conover        | rusty@zootweb.com 
Systems Programmer   | 406-586-5050 x242
Zoot Enterprises     | http://www.zootweb.com
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