Contributing Money
raising money to support the Microsolidarity commons & deciding together how we spend it
Ideally the Microsolidarity Network will grow into a self-sustaining commons, governed by its participants, not for private profit nor under private control.
Initially, Richard Bartlett & Nati Lombardo used their private company The Hum as the legal & financial vehicle for running paid Microsolidarity events. As the network has matured, we've decided to create a clean separation between Microsolidarity & The Hum.
Since October 2022, we've set up 2 accounts on Open Collective, an awesome legal & financial toolbox, perfectly suited for microsolidarity groups. If you want to contribute money to the network, there are two places you can donate:
Microsolidarity, sponsored by Open Collective Europe. These donations are transacted in Euros and are hosted by a non-profit organization based in Belgium.
Microsolidarity Turtle Island, sponsored by Open Collective Foundation. These donations are transacted in US Dollars and are hosted by a non-profit organization based in the United States. They are tax-deductible under the US IRS 501(c)3 tax code.
Supporting us on Open Collective with at least €3 or $3 per month will give you access to the monthly members-only calls where you can meet other practitioners.
Fundraising Goals
Our intention to grow a common fund that can be used for anything that supports the network. Here's some of our fundraising goals:
to pay the facilitators for organising & hosting our monthly calls
to provide scholarships to make paid events more accessible
to produce media that supports the network & educates the wider public (e.g. editing the podcast, writing a book, making a Netflix series...)
to pay for a "community coach" who can support a cohort of many microsolidarity community hosts
to buy a retreat centre where communities can go for trainings & retreats.
Decision-Making
The network is currently governed informally, with Richard Bartlett playing the role of "benevolent dictator". As we start to collect common resources, it seems natural that decision-making power should be shared with more people. Here's a proposed approach to get us started in that direction:
all future paid events will be run through Open Collective
all paid events that generate a surplus should contribute a percentage to the common fund
anyone who has contributed money to the network is entitled to have a say about how the common fund is governed
"having a say" means you can make proposals for how we spend the collective money, and share your advice on other people's proposals
final decisions are made by the administrators of the two Open Collective pages
in Europe: Ulrich Schur, Michal Korzonek, Richard Bartlett
in the US: Alex Rodríguez, Drew Horbein, Richard Bartlett
anyone can become an OC admin, by the approval of the existing admins
for the time being, Richard Bartlett holds veto power, as a backstop in case of emergencies (e.g. irreconcilable conflict)
we'll review this once or twice a year to ensure the system evolves to match the needs of the network
This is a rather rough first sketch, if you have opinions about how it could be done differently, or you want to get involved, if you have fundraising ideas or grants we can apply for, please join us on Discord and help to shape the Microsolidarity commons!
Historical Financial Data
Since we moved to Open Collective in October 2022, you can see all income and expenses documented transparently on our page.
For transparency, we share the financial performance of the 6 paid events that we ran through The Hum between May 2020 and Oct 2022:
Online Courses
| Date | Income | Fees & Taxes | Surplus |
|---|---|---|---|
May 2020 | €3,790 | €872 | €2,918 |
July 2020 | €4,057 | €933 | €3,124 |
Sept 2020 | €3,840 | €883 | €2,957 |
Sept 2021 | €8,116 | €1,867 | €6,249 |
Residential Gatherings
Note the amazingly generous contribution of $5000 for the Denver gathering from an anonymous donor who wanted to make the event more accessible to people with low income. 🥰
| Event | Donations | Ticket Income | Venue & Catering | Staff Transit & Accom | Fees & Taxes | Surplus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Belgium, May 2022 | €27,130 | €19,044 | €1,607 | €948 | €5,531 | |
Denver, Oct 2022 | $5,000 | $20,710 | $16,288 | $3,373 | $1,271 | $4,778 |
Note: the "surplus" is calculated before any payments are made to staff.
Monthly Members Calls
Jocelyn Ames has facilitated the Monthly Member Calls in since July 2022. She was paid €100/month from The Hum for the first two, and has been paid for subsequent events from the Open Collective funds.
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