Re: Question for the candidates : money !

[Brian Cameron <brian cameron oracle com>]

Lionel:

> I've a question about GNOME business model and sustanability. As we have
> seen with the fundrising to hire a sysadmin, money is often a blocking
> point. The current business model seems to be donations.

Actually, The GNOME Foundation acquires money from several sources:

- Advisory Board fees
- Sponsorship for particular events or programs
- Profit from events (such as GUADEC)
- Donations (such as Friends of GNOME and the upcoming mobile donations
  program being discussed on the marketing list)

The GNOME Foundation has invested a fair amount of effort in the Friends
of GNOME program to increase donations and with good success.  However,
donations are a small overall percentage of revenue.

Also note that The GNOME Foundation is a charity.  So, we do need to
ensure that money that we receive is used in ways that are aligned with
The GNOME Foundation charter.  This does restrict how The GNOME
Foundation can raise and spend money to a degree.

> Do you think that donations are good ? Good enough ?

With more money, the GNOME Foundation can do more exciting things, so
the GNOME Foundation is always looking at ways to improve how money is
raised.

In the past year, the GNOME Foundation doubled the advisory board fees
and this was a significant step making the organization more profitable.

> Do you plan to work on this business model ? Do you have any proposals ?

There is a lot of work going on to improve how the GNOME Foundation
raises money:

- Statistics show that most money received via Friends of GNOME comes
  from GNOME users, not people in the GNOME development community.
  The GNOME Foundation is planning to start a campaign to more
  effectively reach out to users to make them aware of the Friends
  of GNOME program, and consider donating.

- The board is currently working to develop a program to allow
  companies and organizations to donate money.  This program would
  be directed at organizations that are not currently advisory board
  members.  This could be something like a "Friends of GNOME" program
  for organizations instead of individuals.  This could, for example,
  provide a link exchange, advertising, mention as a sponsor of an
  event, or other forms of recognition as an incentive to donate money.

- By making events more profitable.  We are constantly working with
  event organizers to encourage them to find ways to make events
  more profitable, or at least sustainable.

- Typically sponsorship money that the GNOME Foundation receives is in
  exchange for some service, such as by organizing a hackfest to get
  work done in an area that benefits (directly or indirectly) those
  organizations interested in providing sponsorship.

  With GNOME 3 approaching, the GNOME Foundation has been working hard
  to organize a rich set of hackfests to focus on work that needs to
  get done for GNOME 3 to be successful.  The GNOME Foundation needs to
  continue working hard in this area.

  However, more can be done.  For example, the GNOME Foundation received
  some sponsorship money last year to upgrade bugzilla.  The GNOME
  Foundation needs to continue to find ways to provide services that
  will continue to bring in sponsorship money.

- Currently the GNOME Foundation is organizing a Women's Outreach
  Program.  Getting more involved with organizing humanitarian events
  like this could open the doors to finding new sponsors with an
  interest in promoting humanitarian causes.

- Grants are another possible source of revenue.  We have done some
  considerable work preparing ourselves to pursue them.  Building a
  community of volunteers to help with this has been slow going, but
  our hope is that we can make grants more a part of our revenue
  generation in time.

  http://live.gnome.org/Grants

Brian