Raise and spend money with full transparency.
opencollective.com
Open Collective is a legal and financial toolbox for groups. It’s a fundraising + legal status + money management platform for your community. What do you want to do?

cross-posted from: https://lemmyunchained.net/post/6958

First off, let me start by saying I’m a big proponent of donations as a means of supporting platforms like Lemmy, and their hosts. This approach, when carried out in the spirit of transparency and community engagement, can do wonders for the growth and sustainability.

Hosting an instance myself, I’m fully aware of the costs associated with running servers, handling traffic, and providing the best possible experience for users. I am Lucky that im in a position where right now I am able to wear that coat, but I am more than willing to financially support other instances where I find value (and I have), and I have no doubt many of you feel the same way. But while we’re on this topic, I think it’s important to talk about financial transparency.

As users, we entrust these platforms with our time, our discussions, and in the case of donations, our hard-earned money. I believe it’s fair to ask for a little insight into how our contributions are being used. What proportion goes towards server costs, maintenance, development,staffing, or perhaps even community projects?

My hope is for Lemmy instances to set a precedent by adopting an ‘open book’ policy when it comes to spending. It would be a great step towards fostering trust and engagement in our community.

There are plenty of platforms out there which handle donations, but I wonder if there’s one that already facilitates such transparency? If not, I believe it would be a worthy endeavor to find or create one that does.

Would you appreciate more transparency on how donations are spent? And do you know of any donation platforms that encourage this level of openness? Your feedback is always appreciated, as at some point, I may need to do the same.

  • @eldain@feddit.nlEnglish
    3•11 months ago

    We were discussing that, at a certain scale where an individual would need to pay Dutch income tax over the donations, it might be more desirable to form an official governance body like a foundation or association to take over.

    We were entertaining the idea of an association, where the board is elected during a general assembly and users can become members to have a vote on server and governance policies, while contributing financially. It would also guarantee that your contributions legally have to go to the cause stated in the articles of association, and budget + realization would need to be approved by the general assembly. Fun stuff to think about, and plenty of examples to follow.

    Having a single penson in charge of a community makes it vunerable to all kinds of accidents (including bus; monetary; bad mood).