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Read and share online: https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/come-together-for-free-software
Dear Free Software Supporter,
Here at the Free Software Foundation (FSF), we strongly believe
that one person can make a difference. Our main task,
as the principal organization in the fight for user freedom, is one
of connection; to bring people together around an unwavering set
of principles. We will achieve global software freedom by staying the course, by
focusing on education, and by making tools and solutions available,
all by working together with this passionate and diverse
community.
Every individual that takes action now will help us reach our
goal of welcoming 600 new associate members by December
31st. Associate members give us the strength to amplify the free
software message, each new member exponentially increases our
reach and our ability to make change. Visit fsf.org/appeal
to learn more about all the different ways we can stand strong
together and for access to engaging images to help you spread
the message using the hashtag #ISupportFreeSoftware!
The FSF is supported by thousands of individuals like you who form
the heart of the movement. This is an opportunity for you to be
an even more central part of an exciting and important community,
one determining the future of freedom. Joining
as an associate member is easy. You can start for as little
as $10 per month, or $120 per year ($5 for students). We have
exclusive associate membership gifts if you join
before December 31st and you will enjoy all the year-round
member benefits, like merchandise
discounts, a bootable membership card, and gratis event
admissions. If you motivate others to become members, you will
also be rewarded with our year-end gifts. Read more about this
offer and our exclusive gifts.
Besides associate memberships, the FSF relies on individual
donations. Any amount that fits your budget will make a real
difference and can help us bring people together around free
software. Have a look at "other ways to donate" to see if
there is a simple action you can take to give further support to
the FSF.
This year, our staff of only fourteen used your
financial support to unite people all over the world around our
mission, with increased opportunities both in-person and online.
The only way to make sure free software stays free is through
enforcing copyleft licenses, like the GNU General Public
License, according to the Principles of Community-Oriented
GPL enforcement. In addition to their GPL enforcement work,
our Licensing and Compliance Lab also provides educational
resources to guide people through myriad licensing choices. With
the help of a dedicated volunteer team, they help organizations
and individuals properly distribute software while protecting
user freedom.
More and bigger seminars are in the pipeline, and we are currently
processing 55 RYF certification applications. Any financial
support will go into increased infrastructure, sourcing
volunteers, certification, and hosting in-person,
educational events.
For years, people everywhere have been able to participate
remotely in the annual LibrePlanet conference through our
fully free livestream. This year, our tech team was able to
share that knowledge with the EmacsConf team, as well as
with the WikiConference team so that they could
successfully stream their online conferences using only free
software for the first time. For EmacsConf, the FSF also organized one of only
two satellite instances, and hosted two of the speakers. Our tech team supports the development of free software by
providing server space for FSF infrastructure, for
the GNU Project, and for other free software projects. We
recently moved our cluster of 100+ virtual machines to a new
location, where we will continue to work on upgrading and
expanding it. With an upgraded cluster, we'll be able to provide
even more new and promising free software projects with a fully
free hosting location. Rent, equipment, and RYF-compliant
hardware are necessary to be able to offer this service more
professionally to the public. The thirteenth International Day Against DRM (IDAD)
hosted activists in Boston for protests and a sprint on writing
educational materials, but also brought together fourteen
online partners who amplified IDAD further worldwide. They
organized activities ranging from promotional offers to
increased writing and local activism. The dust jacket
that was specially designed for the event was translated into
eight languages by supporters from around the world, which is a
testament to its effectiveness and our reach. Lastly, every six months, we find ourselves in the FSF office
working with some thirty volunteers to hold true to our promise of
sending the print version of our biannual free software
publication to our associate members. A combined 300 hours of
connecting with local free software enthusiasts allows us to
send over 12,500 Bulletins to dedicated advocates in 49
countries. It will soon be published online as well.
This is just a snapshot of the many ways we were able to form
new connections this year. Upholding free software and copyleft
standards; providing technical infrastructure for free software
developers globally; educating about free software; campaigning;
organizing events; speaking and tabling at other industry events;
and publishing advocacy articles, are at the core of the
Foundation's work. We use funds for design, venue logistics, equipment, and
operational support; we offer the possibility of attending our events to
those who typically would not have the funds; and we also provide
guidance and fiscal sponsorship for other free software
projects and conferences who are making a difference.
We will continue to do this work and to establish and
motivate connections that allow us to build awareness on
the unjust power of proprietary software. We achieve a lot for little with the help of volunteers, and often
repurpose equipment where we can. We have received Charity Navigator's
top rating for six consecutive years. And you can read our
financial statements and annual reports online.
Thank you for everything you do to help this cause. The faces
behind the free software movement may change, but with your
support, the Free Software Foundation will not diverge from our
continued defense of the four freedoms -- not now, not ever. We
advocate for and facilitate the creation of free software because
it is the right thing to do -- and we need you. Our connection
with you is valuable to us because you connect the movement to
the world.
Thank you.
Zoë Kooyman
Program Manager
Photo 1 by Zoë Kooyman, Copyright © 2019 Free Software Foundation, Inc., licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0.
Photo 2 by Ruben Rodriguez, Copyright © 2019 Free Software Foundation, Inc., licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0.
Photo 3 by Valessio Brito, Copyright © 2019 Free Software Foundation, Inc., licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0.
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