FSFE finances (was: Logo timeline)

[Bernhard Reiter]

On Wed, May 09, 2001 at 02:02:42PM +0100, Marc Eberhard wrote:
> The FSFE can help to coordinate such contacts, but it won't make
> the big money out of it. 

Actually the consitution of the FSFE forbits making money.
We are a non-profit organisation and the German tax authorities are
resonsile for testing this.

> In any case, if possible, it would be
> good to keep the finances of the FSFE as open as possible. 

The FSF is also not keeping their financial situation open for a reason.
It probably would make the FSFE more vulerable if you think about specific
cases where we are ready to defend Free Software and the GNU GPL in courts.
Of course we are working on financial guidelines which probably will
go public to interested parties.

> Otherwise arguments like Jos' will come up
> again and again. I think, it is right to ask for transparency
> here, because the whole money issue is a very sensible point for
> many hackers, who donate their free time for free software
> projects. 

This is true.

> I expect the FSFE to cost the members quite a lot of
> money and if they ever receive more money then their expenses,
> they will surely invest it into the development of free software
> and not fill their own wallets. But yes, it would be good to be
> able to verify that.

We hope to get enough donations mainly from companies to fund a full
time position for the president. This is because the amount of work
cannot be done otherwise. Peter and I for instance do run 
companies which loose money while we are working for the FSFE.
Federic and Loic also get time from their companies to work on the FSFE.
If anybody wanted to get more money we would do other things.

Georg was funded for a couple of weeks by the FSF, because he has
currently no job. Without this and other financial support 
we would not have been able to found the FSFE.

	Bernhard
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