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Dear Free Software Supporter,

The Free Software Foundation's (FSF) [campaigns team][0] works
tirelessly to spread the message to the world that all software must
be free. Campaigning for free software takes creativity, hard work,
and a dedicated community. We amplify free software organizations and
projects, mobilize activists, and provide resources. We're only three
people, but we are the point of connection for hundreds of thousands
of supporters annually. You hold the power to exponentially increase
this number. It is our goal to make the free software conversation a
kitchen table issue, and we need your help!

Since many families and friends get together at the end of the year,
we worked with our recent [FSF intern, Valessio Brito][1], on
translating some of the reasons why our fight is so important into
illustrations, to facilitate conversations during these gatherings.

[0]: [link removed]
[1]: [link removed]

[The images][2] we developed, which we are using in [our annual
fundraiser][3], seek to raise the issue of free software by focusing
on common issues with proprietary software, like privacy violations,
exemplified by a simple flashlight app and its permissions in your
device. We visualize issues like data mining, back doors into your
devices, and the vulnerability of cameras and microphones in so-called
"smart devices." We also comment on [Digital Restrictions
Management's][4] (DRM) power over you and your devices. We put a lot
of thought into designing these images to be conversation starters,
and now we're asking you, as the free software community and our main
channel of communication, to share them. You can find the [images][2],
their embed codes, and their .SVG source files on the FSF Web
site. Please use them to start conversations with the people you care
about, using the hashtag #ISupportFreeSoftware.

[2]: [link removed]
[3]: [link removed]
[4]: [link removed]

And if you're able to, can you take the next step and [become an
associate member today][5] to help us reach our goal of welcoming 600
new members before December 31st? As a special bonus, all new and
renewing annual associate members ($120+) can choose to receive one of
our [exclusive year-end gifts][6].

[5]: [link removed]
[6]: [link removed]

If you can't become a member yourself, we encourage you to [make a
donation][7] instead. Every dollar you contribute helps the campaigns
team bring awareness to the cause.

[7]: [link removed]



# Why free software needs you

It is not always easy to quantify the work we do here in the campaigns
team. Developing campaigns, writing articles, creating online
educational resources and other tools, updating pages on a range of
Web sites, organizing events, organizing protests and creative
attention-getting actions both online and offline, working together
with other organizations, and staying up to date with the most recent
developments in both proprietary, as well as free, software is a full
time job for the three of us, and we wish we had more time.

Internally, the principle of using free software is first and
foremost. In our digital culture of today, using only ethical tools is
a challenging effort if you want to convey an important message. And
so we are always looking for ways to reach people without compromising
our own values or setting a bad example. We choose not to weaponize
analytics, or networks like Facebook or Google that exploit users in
order to increase the reach of our campaigns, nor do we want to use a
data mining company like Eventbrite to promote our events and handle
our registrations. Instead, we choose to remain true to our mission
and reject these companies in favor of your right to
[freedom-respecting online communications][10].

[10]: [link removed]

Making ethical decisions, however, also means that spreading our
message is much more challenging. We therefore depend heavily on the
engagement of free software enthusiasts like you to spread the word
with us about our events, campaigns, and collaborations, and to let us
know about what event or project we should be boosting or
supporting. With two of the three team members starting only this
year, we have worked hard on educating ourselves, updating our
resources, and strengthening our connection to the community. And with
your help, we can do so much more in the year to come.

## Visual advocacy

We are well aware that advocating a social movement has become
increasingly visual, so we work closely with designers to illustrate
our message and calls to action in both static and moving images. We
need to break through the noise with appealing imagery, help explain
the issues we face in an engaging way, and make it easily
shareable. This year, we visually improved the quality of the biannual
[*Free Software Bulletin*][11], the [LibrePlanet wiki][12], and the
[LibrePlanet conference Web site][13], and we've created [shareable
images][14], and updated our [donation pages][15]. Next on the list
will be a review of our printed advocacy materials.

[11]: [link removed]
[12]: [link removed]
[13]: [link removed]
[14]: [link removed]
[15]: [link removed]

## Making connections

In-person experiences are valuable and important for the FSF to
network and to learn from other free software enthusiasts, as well as
to help us spread the message and bring new people into the fold.

This year, we organized four member meetups in different locations in
the US, and we hosted [free software introductions][16] to students of
local public schools. We also organized the [LibrePlanet
conference][17], with live instances on IRC ([#libreplanet on
Freenode][18]) and [mumble][19], and livestreamed [all 40
sessions][20] on social justice and technology. We held our annual
associate member meeting, a "hackathon," an FSF office open house, and
two social events during this time as well. We were also one of two
[EmacsConf][21] satellite instances, and took to the streets in
protest of DRM twice this year, once (in conjunction with fourteen
online partners) to stand up for students against Pearson Education
for the [International Day Against DRM][22] (IDAD), and once against
Disney+ at the opening night of *Frozen II*, here in Boston.

[16]: [link removed]
[17]: [link removed]
[18]: [link removed]
[19]: [link removed]
[20]: [link removed]
[21]: [link removed]
[22]: [link removed]

To organize quality events such as LibrePlanet, IDAD, [Continuing
Legal Education (CLE)][23] seminars, and others, we need to invite
speakers and collaborators from all over the world, and we also need
to make sure the events are accessible remotely. With your support, we
can add an additional "workshop room" to the annual [LibrePlanet
conference][24], host smaller educational gatherings and talks
throughout the year, do more student outreach, and grant more speakers
and attendees access to events by growing our [scholarship
fund][25]. We will work together with other organizers to set up and
promote local instances of events, like an upcoming [LibrePlanet 2020
satellite in Ontario, Canada][26], and we are developing a program to
help financially support [free software local activist groups][27].

[23]: [link removed]
[24]: [link removed]
[25]: [link removed]
[26]: [link removed]
[27]: [link removed]

Public speaking is another way of increasing our footprint in the
community. Campaigns manager Greg Farough spoke at a [local maker
space][28], and executive director John Sullivan traveled to both
South America and Europe to talk about free software issues this
year. We also host informational booths all over the world, with the
help of volunteers and our operations team. These are very effective
ways of reaching a large audience, and so we want to do more of them.

[28]: [link removed]

The campaigns team is at the center of all communications and events
here at the FSF, working closely with all other teams. Along with the
tech team, we are always thinking about how we can improve the user
experience of our [campaigns][29] and our Web sites. Together, we are
working on developing a petition site to allow us to turn around
signature actions quickly, and on a major update to the [fsf.org Web
site][30], which will enhance user experience on mobile phones. With
the licensing team, we work to release the latest [Respects Your
Freedom (RYF)][31] announcements, and we organize the CLE seminars to
educate law professionals on licensing issues.

[29]: [link removed]
[30]: [link removed]
[31]: [link removed]

## Free software needs you

The physical moments, like the seminars, meetups, speaking
engagements, and conferences, are in-depth, valuable meetings with
people where we learn and educate at the same time. Online, we hope to
inspire people, show newcomers an entry into the world of free
software, and give others a voice. On announcement days, we turn our
local Boston office into a bustling news room while we edit all
communications, talk about targeting and staying on message,
brainstorm visuals, and line up the timing of all the separate
elements.

We do this work with passion, in a community that time and time again
shows us how much you care, and we therefore ask you to help us
recruit. We need to overcome the false sense of safety and freedom
created by proprietary software company marketing machines executed on
mainstream media. Making ethical decisions means not taking the easy
way out, and it takes *all* of us. Just imagine, if each person
reading this message recruited just 5 others into the community, the
free software movement would immediately be in the millions.

Sincerely,

The Campaigns Team
Zoë Kooyman, Dana Morgenstein, and Greg Farough

*Images by Valessio Brito, Copyright © 2019 Free Software Foundation,
Inc., licensed under CC0, no rights reserved.*


--
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Sent from the Free Software Foundation,

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