Ben Sturmfels
531a97a3c9
The directory nesting is unnecessary here and confusing to navigate. I've moved all apps to the project subdirectory, currently called "www", but soon to be renamed "conservancy". I've also moved manage.py to the top-level directory.
156 lines
6.9 KiB
HTML
156 lines
6.9 KiB
HTML
{% extends "base_projects.html" %}
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{% block subtitle %}Member Project Services - {% endblock %}
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{% block submenuselection %}Services{% endblock %}
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{% block content %}
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<h1>Member Project Services</h1>
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<p>Conservancy assists FLOSS project leaders by handling all matters other
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than software development and documentation, so the developers can focus
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on what they do best: improving the software for the public good. The
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following are the services and options that are available to FLOSS
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projects that have joined Conservancy as a member project.</p>
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<h2>Tax-Deductible, Earmarked Donations</h2>
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<p>Member projects can receive earmarked donations through Conservancy.
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Since Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) charity incorporated in New York,
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donors can often deduct the donation on their USA taxes. Additionally,
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the donors can indicate that their donation should be used to advance a
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specific member project, and those funds are kept in a separate account
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for the member project by Conservancy. This structure prevents
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developers from having to commingle project funds with their own
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personal accounts or having to set up their own project specific
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account.</p>
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<p>Since Conservancy is a tax-exempt organization, there are some
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limits that the law places on what member projects can do with their
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assets, but those limits are the same as if the project was an
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independent non-profit entity. Usually, the project leadership
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instructs Conservancy's leadership on how the project's funds are spent.
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Conservancy spends these funds on the project's behalf on any expenses
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that constitute appropriate activity under Conservancy's 501(c)(3)
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not-for-profit mission. Some typical uses of earmarked donations by
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Conservancy's member projects are:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>funding travel expenses for project developers to attend relevant
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conferences.</li>
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<li>domain name fees, bandwidth costs, and computer equipment
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purchases.</li>
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<li>purchasing media for distribution of project software at conferences
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and events.</li>
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<li>paying key developers on a contractual basis to improve the project's
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software and its documentation.</li>
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<li>sponsoring and organizing conferences for the project.</li>
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<li>trademark registration and enforcement.</li>
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<li>FLOSS license enforcement and compliance activity.</li>
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</ul>
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<h2>Asset Stewardship</h2>
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<p>Conservancy can hold any assets for the project on its behalf. This
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includes copyrights, trademarks, domain names, physical computer
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equipment or anything that should be officially held in the name of the
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project. Member projects are not required that Conservancy hold all
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assets of a project. (For example, member projects are
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not <em>required</em> to assign copyrights to Conservancy.)
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However, Conservancy can accommodate the needs of projects that want
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their assets under the control of a not-for-profit entity and exercised
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only for the public good.</p>
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<h2>Contract Negotiation and Execution</h2>
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<p>Projects sometimes need to negotiate and execute a contract with a
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company. For example, when a project wants to organize and run a
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conference, the venue usually has a complicated contract for rental of
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the space and services. Conservancy assists projects in the negotiation
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of such contracts, and can sign them on behalf of the project.</p>
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<h2>Conference Logistical Support</h2>
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<p>Many Conservancy projects have an annual conference. Conservancy
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provides logistical support for these conferences, particularly in the
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area of financial responsibility and liability. Conservancy provides a
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small amount of logistical support for conference in other ways,
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resource-permitting.</p>
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<h2>Basic Legal Advice and Services</h2>
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<p>Since projects, upon joining, become organizationally part of
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Conservancy, Conservancy can provide basic legal services to its member
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projects through Conservancy's own General Counsel, outside counsel, and
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pro-bono attorneys. For example, Conservancy assists its projects in
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handling issues related to trademark registration, trademark policy
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development and licensing, trademark enforcement, copyright licensing
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and enforcement, and non-profit governance questions and issues.</p>
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<h2>FLOSS Copyright License Enforcement</h2>
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<p>Complying with FLOSS licenses is easy, as they permit and encourage
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both non-commercial and commercial distribution and improvements.
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Nevertheless, violations of FLOSS licenses (in particular of
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the <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html">GPL</a>
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and <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html">LGPL</a>) are all
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too common. At request of the project's leaders, Conservancy can carry
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out license enforcement activity on behalf of the project's copyright
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holders.</p>
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<h2>Fundraising Assistance</h2>
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<p>Conservancy provides various tools and advice to member projects on
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methods of raising funds for their projects' earmarked accounts.</p>
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<h2>Avoid Non-Profit Administrivia</h2>
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<p>Member projects can continue to operate in the same way they did before
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joining Conservancy without having to select a board of directors or
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any other layer of corporate management, without having to maintain
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corporate records and without having to do any of the other things
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required of incorporated entities. Conservancy handles all of that
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burden on behalf of its projects.</p>
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<h2>Leadership Mentoring, Advice and Guidance</h2>
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<p>Many of Conservancy's <a href="/about/board">directors</a> are
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experienced FLOSS project leaders. They offer themselves as a resource
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to member project leaders who need assistance or face challenges in
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their work leading their projects.</p>
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<h2>Some Personal Liability Protection</h2>
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<p>When a project joins Conservancy, it formally becomes part of the
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Conservancy. (The project is thus somewhat analogous to a division of a
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company or a department in a large agency.) As such, project leaders
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benefit from some amount of protection from personal liability for their
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work on the project.</p>
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<h2>Officiating Community Elections and Ballot Initiatives</h2>
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<p>Conservancy will organize and run community leadership committee elections
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and/or ballot initiatives for its member project communities,
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using <a href="https://gitorious.org/conservancy/voting/">online voting
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software</a>.</p>
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<hr/>
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<p>Those familiar with non-profit terminology will recognize most of these
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services
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as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiscal_sponsorship">fiscal
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sponsorship services</a>. This term is not particularly well
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known in the FLOSS community, and many are confused by that term.
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However, if you are familiar with what a fiscal sponsor typically does
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in the non-profit sector, the term does fit many of services that
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Conservancy offers its member projects.</p>
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<p>Project
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leaders that believe their project might benefit from these services can
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<a href="/members/apply/">apply to become a member project</a>.</p>
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{% endblock %}
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