[Osmf-talk] Consultation on fundraising strategy

[john whelan]

I think this idea has merit.  I also think there should be a way for even a
small business to use OSM to display their location.  That way it can be a
business expense rather than a questionable donation?

Are we set up as a charity in any country?  Normally I would expect to get
a deduction on my tax bill if I donate to a charity but only if it is a
Canadian registered charity.

Cheerio John

On Thu, Mar 16, 2023, 20:15 Steve Coast <steve at stevecoast.com> wrote:

> My idea would be to have some kind of conference event, where sponsors
> could pay to get priority speaking slots and booths.
>
> They could get their logo prominently displayed on the website, and on,
> say, a conference t-shirt. The pricing could be set to both cover the
> conference but also there could be large leftover funds to run the
> foundation if it were well managed.
>
> One of the many advantages of this is that companies often find it easier
> to fund something if there is a reason, something they get in exchange,
> like conference slots and so on, rather than throwing money in to an
> eternal black hole, with nothing to show for it.
>
> Perhaps someone has had this idea already or even implemented it in the
> past?
>
>
> Another idea could be to somehow lower costs, perhaps by removing
> unnecessary or superfluous costs which may have grown dramatically over
> time. Or perhaps by making sure OSMF costs only directly benefit OSM,
> instead of, say, offering mapping services for free to the entire internet,
> or paying for people and associated costs which could be replaced by
> ChatGPT or Excel.
>
>
> A good starting point for such discussions could be, what is the money
> specifically going towards, and why is OSMF spending it that way?
>
> If OSMF got a very large donation, say in the form of cryptocurrency, that
> donation could be used to hedge cost variations over time and ensure
> continuity.
>
> Best
>
> Steve
>
>
>
> On Mar 16, 2023, at 12:17 PM, Mikel Maron <mikel.maron at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> For 2023, the OSMF Board has decided to target a balanced budget. Given
> our expected income and expenses, there is a gap of approximately 500K GBP
> that we need to fundraise for.
>
> https://wiki.osmfoundation.org/wiki/Board/Minutes/2023-02-09#On_2023_budget
>
> In the fall, we started planning for this by taking part in a workshop on
> fundraising strategy and operations Board/Minutes/2022-10 - OpenStreetMap
> Foundation
> <https://wiki.osmfoundation.org/wiki/Board/Minutes/2022-10#Fundraising_workshops>
> .
>
> What has been clear is that we need a diversified campaign engaging wide
> community for small amounts, and target larger asks to businesses and major
> giving from individuals. This needs to be organized and executed
> effectively – there is a lot of communication, outreach, development of new
> mechanisms for giving, etc.
>
> We are considering contracting an experience consultant who is already
> engaged in OpenStreetMap community to assist us in this process. The usual
> set up for such is a small percentage fee of what’s raised. They would work
> closely with the Board and fundraising committee, as well as share details
> of process publicly in regular diary entries. All of this is designed in
> mind to make the fundraising campaign reflect how we work as a community.
> We think this is low risk, high reward, and that dedicated attention to
> fundraising is necessary to make it successful.
>
> We’ll need everyone’s help as well – from getting the word out, creatively
> engaging potential donors, to making asks, to of course kicking in a bit of
> money too.
>
> Please share viewpoints here, or if you prefer directly with
> board at osmfoundation.org. We will receive your input over the next week
> until March 22.
> -Mikel
>
> * Mikel Maron * +14152835207 @mikel s:mikelmaron
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