'Host' organization

[wvengen]

Hi everyone,

As part of figuring out how to share costs (foodsoft/foodcoops.net#10), the question has come up what organization we ask to handle receiving donations. There are existing organizations like Software Freedom Conservancy, Commons Conservancy and Center for the Cultivation of Technology, whose goal is to support open source projects in handling donations, paperwork and other things that you need an official body for.

Now @kidhab has come up with Sense.Lab, which has a broader focus than open source software. They have published a book about starting a food cooperative before as a project.

So the question is: what do we prefer, a 'host' organization that supports open source projects, or one that supports sustainable projects? Would Sense.Lab be a good option?

Let's discuss this on the mailing-list, and keep the issue for more practical points.

Regards,
- Willem

p.s. I would like it that at least German and Dutch food cooperatives can easily donate in a way that works well with the host organization. Not sure how complex the international issues are.

p.p.s. Also, I fully agree with @JuliusR's comment that this shouldn't let us stop from getting started. It is something I'd like to have in place over time, though.

[Julius]

Sense.Lab looks like a good option to me. I trust them absolutely. We
should find out if and in which points they are able and willing to help us.

Should we define some list that precisely says "what we need"? I imagine
a clear list like:

 * handle donations from Germany, Netherlands, and possibly more
 * serve as domain owner
 * act as "customer" in hosting contract / directly provide own server
 * ...

Other organizations than Sense.Lab may have the advantage that we are
more easily recognized as a free and active open-source project, but I
have no experience there.

Regards,
Julius

[Robert]

Hi,


> Now @kidhab has come up with Sense.Lab <https://senselab.org/>, which
> has a broader focus than open source software. They have published a
> book <https://food-coop-einstieg.de/> about starting a food
> cooperative before as a project.

they have a lot of tech and open source expertise as well:
* systemausfall.org <https://systemausfall.org/> is a tech-collective
  run by Sense.Lab
* Stadtgestalten <https://stadtgestalten.org/> is developed and run by
  Sense.Lab

 
> So the question is: what do we prefer, a 'host' organization that
> supports open source projects, or one that supports sustainable
> projects? Would Sense.Lab be a good option?

I think Sense.Lab would be good and easy to start with. If they are
willing to do that. Two of us are members of Sense.Lab, so we have a
good connection.

If at some later point one of the other organizations seems more
suitable, it should hopefully be easy to switch over.


> p.s. I would like it that at least German and Dutch food cooperatives
> can easily donate in a way that works well with the host organization.

Donations from Germany should be easy to handle if people write
something like "Foodcoops" as the reason for payment.

Same from the Netherlands, as IBAN/BIC payment should be free of
charge. I am not sure how EU donation receipts work, but we will
probably find out.

Regards, Robert

[wvengen]

On 06-10-17 08:54, Robert [via foodsoft] wrote:

> > Now @kidhab has come up with Sense.Lab <https://senselab.org/>, which
> > has a broader focus than open source software. They have published a
> > book <https://food-coop-einstieg.de/> about starting a food
> > cooperative before as a project.
>
> they have a lot of tech and open source expertise as well:
> * systemausfall.org <https://systemausfall.org/> is a tech-collective
>   run by Sense.Lab
> * Stadtgestalten <https://stadtgestalten.org/> is developed and run by
>   Sense.Lab

So it looks like the best of both worlds :)

>  > So the question is: what do we prefer, a 'host' organization that
> > supports open source projects, or one that supports sustainable
> > projects? Would Sense.Lab be a good option?
>
> I think Sense.Lab would be good and easy to start with. If they are
> willing to do that. Two of us are members of Sense.Lab, so we have a
> good connection.
>
> If at some later point one of the other organizations seems more
> suitable, it should hopefully be easy to switch over.

Sounds like a good plan.

> > p.s. I would like it that at least German and Dutch food cooperatives
> > can easily donate in a way that works well with the host organization.
>
> Donations from Germany should be easy to handle if people write
> something like "Foodcoops" as the reason for payment.
>
> Same from the Netherlands, as IBAN/BIC payment should be free of
> charge. I am not sure how EU donation receipts work, but we will
> probably find out.
I think this is acceptable.

Reading all of this, I would think that Sense.Lab would be a pretty good
fit.

Regards,
- Willem

[before]

Hi,

I'm not familiar with Sense.Lab but it sounds good. Especially with the experience of you folks with it I'm fine doing so.

Thank you for bringing this up.

André