[hackerspaces] will the fruits of our labors be used for good or for evil?

[Will Bradley]

So far we have been careful to accept money only with no strings attached
(except the obvious strings of being a member.) Some sponsors want stuff
we're not comfortable with doing (such as putting their name on something
and wanting to control some aspect of the project so as to keep it aligned
with their brand) -- we are up front that such an arrangement wouldn't be
ok with us.

On the flipside, some sponsors have been very cool; our ISP's logo is right
above "wifi key: hacktheplanet" and they thought it was awesome. So I think
you can definitely be a successful hackerspace without selling out.


On Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 12:05 AM, Al Jigen Billings
<albill at openbuddha.com>wrote:

> On 11/29/11 11:00 PM, Justis Peters wrote:
>
>> On 11/30/2011 01:45 AM, Volatile Compound wrote:
>>
>>> Also true, but again it all comes back to terms of acceptance.  It's
>>> just as easy for the person writing the cheque to say, "nope, not going to
>>> agree to that" and withhold the funds until the clause in question is
>>> modified to their liking or removed.
>>>
>> This is an excellent reason to maintain your own ability to say "no".
>>
>> AFAICT, none of us need these funds, except perhaps to fund projects that
>> are larger than we would otherwise accomplish. Therefore, we can choose to
>> accept external funding only when it is a win-win where we are comfortable
>> with the terms. Until that opportunity presents itself, we are happy doing
>> creative hacks with the funds from member dues and individual contributions.
>>
>> Think big, hack on what's in front of you, and buy your tools with cash :)
>>
>
> I would point out that it is possible to solicit donations. I know of
> Hackerspaces that have been donated money and tools by Microsoft and
> Google, to name two corporations. These donations had no strings attached.
>
>  My own hackerspace is finishing up our 501c3 (it is mid-process right
> now) and we plan to solicit donations from anyone willing to give us money
> for a tax write-off. You aren't limited to what you have on hand. Many
> companies, for example, will match funds donated by employees to federal
> nonprofits.
>
>  Al
>
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