In the year 2020, every shred of good news is something to be grateful
for, and the outpouring of support we've experienced during our
spring fundraiser is very good news indeed. Over the course of the
last month, not only did we exceed our goal of 200 new associate
members, but we've gained more memberships this July than in any other
July in the history of the Free Software Foundation (FSF) associate
membership program. We are thrilled that in a time of many pressing
concerns about freedom and safety, our supporters have grasped the
central importance of the FSF's role in defending our right to control
the software in our lives. We cannot possibly thank you enough for
helping to ensure that we can continue leading this battle.
While the fight to free all software will always need financial
support, it also requires advocacy to bring in more supporters at
all levels of technological knowledge. We hope you'll use, enjoy, and
share some of the newer tools and advocacy materials we've produced
over the last few months:
The University of Costumed Heroes video: An urgent software
freedom issue right now, during the novel coronavirus pandemic, is
the required use of proprietary remote education software (as
well as in courtrooms and other environments where people would
normally congregate in person). We've commissioned a fun animated
video that illustrates why this trend is dangerous, and we encourage
you to share it and use it to start the conversation.
Petition for freedom in the classroom: Please join others in
declaring in that we won't stand for the serious harm that
proprietary software poses to students! Not only does signing
communicate that you care, but you also have the option to specify
if you're a student, teacher, parent, or administrator at a school
that is forcing you to use proprietary software to learn or
teach. If you choose to provide this information, we will contact
your school administration on your behalf. Free software activists
are already converting schools to free videoconferencing
programs today, and we want to help make your school another
success story if we can.
The FSF Jitsi Meet instance: Finally, one of the easiest ways
to introduce people to free software is to use it for something they
were going to do already, like video chat! If you're an associate
member of the FSF, and you're planning a video chat with a
friend or family, member, it's as easy as opening a Jitsi Meet chat
room and sharing the URL. I've personally used the FSF Jitsi Meet
instance to convert my friends' team trivia game to free software
videoconferencing, and it's another great way to start a
conversation about why the people you care about should embrace the
cause of free software.
Once again, we're so grateful and humbled by your support at a time
when many nonprofit organizations are struggling to stay afloat. It's
your conviction and commitment that make our work possible, and we
hope that with your help, we'll keep the good news coming.
Happy and healthy hacking,
Dana Morgenstein
Outreach and Communications Coordinator
