JSON Schema
JSON Schema Financial Report (2024 and beyond) #911
Replies: 2 comments 4 replies
-
2024 AnalysisFrom my analysis of our OpenCollective for 2024... I've determined that we had $16,596 of usable income in 2024. This is discounting $14,000 in GSoC/D funds that just came through us to be distributed elsewhere. We spent $1,943 in hosting fees (mostly OpenCollective taking a cut of every transaction!). We spent $5,271 (mostly on the conference and badge and other asset creation services). We had a surplus of $9,732 for 2024. We have a total surplus of $28,594. We had $16,596 of available spending in 2024. 2025 Budget ProposalI propose setting a total budget of $18,000 for 2025. That's about $1,500 of deficit spending assuming we'll have similar income this year. I think that's a good way to (1) make use of our surplus and (2) encourage more donations by showing that we're making good use of the money and we need more. Spending Proposal 1I think we need to decide on an expense budget. Let's call that $6,000. In 2024 it was actually $7,000, so that's probably an under estimate. Then I propose we dedicate the rest to sponsoring people and projects critical to the community. In this example, that's $12,000 ($1,000 per month). Some examples of what I think we should be sponsoring are,
All of these deserve a piece of the pie, but we need to agree on how much goes to who. For example, we could say TSC members get $50/month. Spending proposal 2The problem with proposal 1 is that it's not necessarily distributing the money to where it's needed most. A TSC member might be entitled to $50/month, but they don't need it and would prefer the funds go toward the community manager who needs those funds more. So, the alternative is to have people apply to be considered in the sponsorship distribution and have a committee decide periodically on how to distribute the funds. This would be more work (and potentially more drama), but it could allow us to give more to those who need it rather than very little to everyone. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
Notes on OpenCollective FeesOn most contributions are losing 14.7% in fees. 10% to OpenCollective (host fee) and 4.7% to Stripe (payment processor fee). It appears that OpenCollective only takes a cut on contributions, not expenses, but there are payment processor fees on every transaction. However, the payment processor fees on expenses seem to always be small enough to not be worth considering for the purpose of budget analysis. Also, somehow it seems that two of our contributors are somehow immune to accruing fees for their contributions. I don't know if this is a bug in our favor, a reporting bug, or they have some their contribution setup in a way that avoids fees somehow. AnalysisI'm taking another look at the budget from a different perspective. Our net monthly income from the first quarter averages to about $1,150. It's a bit lower than the number in the report because it takes into account fees on those contributions. A budget of $1,300/month would be equivalent to the $1,500/year deficit spending from my previous proposal. Note that this doesn't account for any additional spending we might want to do. This would be things like the badge design we commissioned last year. Any work like that would have to come from our surplus. Considering how much surplus we have, I think that's fine. Budget ProposalIn the OCWM, we discussed focusing our sponsorship budget on a couple of key things that we think will make the most impact and tell the best story to encourage further donations. My original proposal included $1,500/year of deficit spending. At that rate, it would take 18 years to payout out surplus. So, I'm going to double that goal and propose $3,000/year of deficit spending. That gives us nine years to get more donations before we have to cut back if we can't increase or donations. We could possibly be even more aggressive with deficit spending in anticipation of getting more donors, but this is probably a good place to start. That comes out to a budget of $1,450/month. Greg - $300/month - Spec work Grants can go to the same people already being sponsored. For example, all or some of the grant money can go toward a community manager. What do you think? |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
It may be that if people are sending money from other open collective funds, fees might be negated. This is only speculation though. Oh, actually...
|
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
In terms of grants, there are some specific requirements, but I don't know what they are. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
In terms of the proposal, this sounds great! Related: With Open Collective, we are required to pay in arrears for work done as opposed to a stipend approach. I believe this is a legal requirement to do with OSC company status. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
Yes, a big part of the discussion was about "telling the story" of what we're funding as well as what we aren't funding and want to but need more donations to make it happen. I would expect that it would be the job of the community manager to tell and share that story. However, I'd prefer that we (the TSC) don't set goals and expectations, but rather it goes the other way around. Those being sponsored should make the case for why they should be sponsored and should continue to make their case each quarter to have their sponsorship renewed.
I'm not familiar with the term "arrears". I looked it up, but I'm still not following what you mean. Can you elaborate? |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
📊 JSON Schema Financial Report (2024 and beyond)
Hey everyone! 👋
Here’s the latest look at how the JSON Schema project is doing financially.
Thanks to your support, contributions, and careful stewardship, we continue to grow sustainably!
📅 Annual Summary — 2023
📅 Annual Summary — 2024
📅 Annual Summary — 2025 (Year-to-date)
📈 Current Monthly Averages
If you need more data feel free to check our Open Collective account here.
✨ Highlights
💬 What's Next?
As we continue to grow, we’re excited to explore:
Your contributions — whether financial, code, documentation, or just spreading the word — are what make this all possible.
Thank you! ❤️
If you have ideas on how we should invest back into the community, please comment below! 👇
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
All reactions