Re: Swarm and OpenGL & Re: help us design nonprofit org funding mechanisms

[Scott Christley]

At 01:40 PM 3/29/97 -0700, glen e. p. ropella wrote:
> Queen     ($25,000 <= x )            :  Board membership
> Imago     ( $5,000 <= x < $25,000)   :  on-site visits
> Drone     ( $1,000 <= x <  $5,000)   :  ???
> Worker    (   $500 <= x <  $1,000)   :  t-shirts
> Subimago  (   $100 <= x <    $500)   :  CD subscription
> Grub      (    $50 <= x <    $100)   :  coffee mugs
> Pupa      (           x <     $50)   :  single CD
>
>Of course, the top guys would get everything below their level.
>Although, this still seems like a nightmare to administer.

Well no matter what you are going to need to maintain an accounting of the
contributions, so I don't think adding these "benefits" are much more
additional work; plus you can get an outside accounting firm to
inexpensively deal with all the specifics, no need for a programmer to do it.

But the "investment on return" is an important question and is not easily
answered; why do people contribute to FSF?  One is that they get to deduct
it from their taxes as a charitable contribution, but more relevant is that
they probably get some important development out of it.

Despite not wanting money to control development, it may be a reality that
donation money comes from people who want specific functionality to be put
into Swarm.  Its not necessary that that functionality becomes core Swarm
code but its better when it is.

Scott