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

[Chris DiBona <chris valinux com>]

I don't think it's wise to collect money only when desparate immediate
needs. Please see below for some other thoughts. 

--
> > So I think it makes sense to move slowly as we add structure to GNOME.  
> 
> Followed by some very sensible slow moving stuff, and then...
> 
> > Still, it's always nice to have some money available.  
> 
> I like the foundation as a receiver of donations.  I am becoming more
> convinced that it should never solicit funds without a substantial and
> immediate need.  In fact, it might still be best for such solicitations
> to be performed outside the context of the foundation itself.

See my last email, if we are going to create a foundation, then we
shouldn't do it halfway. The Gnome foundation wshould be flush enough with
money that the foundation is -endowed- not always desparate. Our bproblem
should always be how to spend it and now where to get it. 

> 
> Ummm, anyone following the IBM Developer solutions thread on
> gnome-hackers...paid vacation, Las Vegas, Wayne Newton, Sexy Showgirls,
> no takers.  So perhaps paying people to staff the booth would make it
> more appealing?  Let's leave the evangelism to the folks that distribute
> Gnome, or even better, have the board encourage evangelism by our
> advisory board members.

I think that trade shows can be very useful, and , for a non-profit in the
linux space, very inexpensive. The point of the foundation is to
evangelize in places and consistantly when the member corporations may
have other things on thier mind. 

> > buy servers if we need to pay, 
> 
> VA and sourceforge, oops, not supposed to talk about that here. ;-)

Why not? (oh, right...)

> > pay bills when we have a press conference 
> 
> To announce what? 

New revs, technology changes, niguel changing his hair color, anyhting
that will engage the press, doign the pre conference calls, being
avaialble for comment on a moments notice, this stuff cost -$- big time. 

So there you go. 

 Chris DiBona