[Noisebridge-discuss] Hacker Fellowship

[Andy Isaacson]

I strongly protest the idea of a $2,000/mo expenditure being consensed
on in a short timeframe.  I don't think Noisebridge is even close to
being able to afford that amount, and I don't think that a general fund
fellowship is a good model for Noisebridge to adopt.

Several people who should be involved in this discussion are in Europe
for OHM and nearby events.  So please continue the discussion until, at
the very earliest, August 13 with a consensus on August 20.

The model you're proposing is nothing at all like Noisetor, which
receives donations that otherwise would not be coming to Noisebridge and
provides a portion of those donations to the general fund while using
the rest to cover the costs of a general public good rather than going
to the benefit of an individual.  If Noisetor were to fall short in a
given month there's no risk to Noisebridge general fund.

As the proposal currently stands I would strongly block having a
Fellowship.  A few suggestions that might help sway my opinion, but I'm
still not sure I would support it even with these changes.

 - account Fellowship donations separately in the Noisetor model, and no
   fellowship for a given month if there aren't enough donations
 - make the watermark 6 months rather than 3
 - make the fellowship smaller
 - decide further ahead than "the same month".
 - figure out a sustainable model for decisionmaking -- having a
   popularity contest at a Tuesday meeting every month is going to get
   super old, real fast.

-andy

On Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 12:31:21AM -0700, James Sundquist wrote:
> Also announced at today's meeting.  This is the current draft of this
> consensus item, which I welcome any number of variations on.  Time is on
> our side, because this will be a great thing once it is fleshed out.  The
> basic concept is:
> 
> The Fellowship will be tracked by the Treasurer at the weekly meeting ala
> Noisetor, with dedicated funds of $2,000 per month.
> The Fellowship draws from the general fund.
> Funds for the Fellowship are only to be used for the Fellowship.
> Previous month's Fellowship funds will rollover if unused.
> Fellowship selection will take place at the start of each month.
> Selections will be made by general community approval, but not by consensus.
> Fellowship funds are to be used for covering project expenses (ordering 100
> arduinos) rather than personal expenses (labor and bus fare).
> The Fellowship will suspend if Noisebridge has less than three's months
> expenses.
> Acceptable applications must be based off Noisebridge's stated purpose (see
> below) [2]
> 
> The purpose of this corporation is to promote and encourage  technical,
> scientific, and artistic skills through individual projects,  social
> collaboration, and education. Also in the context of these  purposes, the
> corporation shall engage in scientific, charitable and  educational
> activities within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the  Internal Revenue
> Code, including but not limited to:
> (a). Through talks, classes, workshops, collaborative projects,  and other
> activities, to encourage research, knowledge exchange,  learning, and
> mentoring in a safe, clean space. (b). Provide educational spaces for
> teaching practical skills and theory of technology, science, and art. (c).
> Provide work space, storage, and other resources for  projects related to
> art, science, and technology that will benefit the  individual members'
> personal growth in their fields of interest,  encouraging the individual
> members to share their projects and knowledge  for the betterment of
> society through art, science and technology. (d). To create, learn, and
> teach, individually and as a group,  inviting members of the community in
> the San Francisco area and the  world. (e). To develop, support the
> development of, and provide  resources for the development of free and open
> source software and  hardware for the benefit of society. (f).
> Collaboration across disciplines for the benefit of cultural, charitable,
> and scientific causes. (g). To foster, by all legal means, the common
> purposes of its participants. (h). To conduct or engage in all lawful
> activities in furtherance of the stated purposes or those incidental to
> them.
> 
> [1]
> [2]https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Bylaws#3.1_Purpose

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