On 02/05/2018 12:06 PM, Florian Snow wrote:
Hi Daniel,
Daniel Pocock daniel@pocock.pro writes:
It is quite simple to explain:
- the funds from fellowship/supporters pay the salaries and other major
expenses (over 50% of the budget comes from fellowship/supporter donations)
- but the fellowship/supporters only have 2 votes in the GA (and none
after the change), although some GA members are also fellowship/supporter members too
I am not sure if a financial contribution alone warrants a voice in the GA. What about other donors, such as Google: Should they get a vote in the GA? Don't get me wrong: I want the community to have a say in what direction the FSFE moves in, but I am not sure that financial contribution is the right criterion. That is something I would like to define more clearly and then I see a good way forward to remove the Fellowship seats and tell the community as a whole, not just financial contributors how they can gain more influence within our organization.
Of course Google could not have a voice in the GA - they're a proprietary software company and by definition are not committed to the values of free software.
Regarding supporters/Fellows, I guess the point is whether the annual support should be considered "membership dues" or not. I.e., supporting an association financially doesn't by default give you any influence. If you join it, however, become a member and pay membership dues, that makes you a member.
So I think the point Daniel has been raising is this: Could supporters/fellows, before joining, have received the erroneous impression that their payments constitute membership dues for membership in the FSFE? Or, should they constitute such membership dues.
As I stated earlier I don't have the answer for that but found the arrangement a bit complicated when I became a Fellow back in 2011.
Best Carsten