[GNOME-India] Fwd: The GNOME Foundation Needs Your Help

[Sankarshan (সঙ্কর্ষণ) <sankarshan randomink org>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: john palmieri <john j5 palmieri gmail com>
Date: Thu, Apr 30, 2009 at 11:32 PM
Subject: The GNOME Foundation Needs Your Help
To: foundation-list <foundation-list gnome org>, foundation-announce
<foundation-announce gnome org>


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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