Meeting Minutes of Fedora EMEA NPO Meeting

[Joerg Simon]

Hello Fellows,

The Board meeting of the Fedora EMEA NPO - founded in February on FOSDEM08 - 
took place in Rheinfelden, there was much work to do and several bureaucratic 
duties to fulfill.
I have the order and the pleasure to share the outcome of the "Fedora EMEA 
Board Meeting" with you.
Cheers JoergSimon


 = Fedora EMEA Board Meeting Minutes =
 
  * Date(s):
    1. Sunday, March 16th 2008, 14:00 - 23:00 UTC
    1. Monday, March 17th 2008, 7:30 - 17:00 UTC
  * Location: Rheinfelden, Germany
 
 == Attendees ==
 
  1. Gerold Kassube (President),
  1. Fabian Affolter (Vice-President),
  1. Jeroen van Meeuwen (Vice-President),
  1. Robert Scheck (Treasury)
 
 == Regrets ==
 
  1. ...
 
 == Meeting Chair and Minutes Secretary ==
 
  * Chair is Gerold Kassube
  * Minutes Secretary is Jeroen van Meeuwen
 
 == Agenda ==
 
 The “Meeting Topics” is a short list of items and topics that have come up on 
mailing lists, etc., the separate topic “Meeting Topics” shows some more 
details.
 
  * Opening
  * Assigning meeting chair and minutes secretary
  * Assess Agenda
  * Minutes from previous meeting(s)
  * Meeting Topics
    * Bank Account
    * Foundation Accounting / Membership Registration Software
    * A Budget Plan
    * Web Page / Registration Form / Email Addresses
    * PO Box / Mailing Address
    * Factual Goals
    * Use of the Board Mailing List
    * What do members get from becoming a member?
    * Store / How to make money? / How to generate revenue?
    * Logo
    * Templates for OOo
    * Announcement on Membership Fees / ways to register / etc
  * After-talk, Evaluation
  * Propositions
  * Any Other Business
  * Next meeting
  * Closing
 
 == Meeting Topics ==
 
 === Bank Account ===
 
  * Need bank account for financial transactions
  * Optionally seek for ways to debit other accounts (credit card, Direct 
Debit?)
  * Ownership: Robert Scheck
  * Progress: -
  * Meeting Minutes:
    * Credit card acceptance (MasterCard/VISA) not for free; 99 EURO/year, 25 
EURO set-up, .3% of transactions, 5 year contract.
    * Credit cards have booking periods (30-90 days)
    * Other ways of making international transactions easier would be things 
like PayPal (but not really PayPal)
    * Don't really need to accept credit-cards
    * Debiting directly is allowed, bank account is free for an NPO, 
registration and sign-up is a matter of submitting the form.
    * Possibly re-visit credit cards / paypal later
  * Action Items
    * Create bank account
    * Needs registration number
    * Gründungsprotocol & Satzung
    * Gerold's signature and ID
 
 === Foundation Accounting and Membership Registration Software ===
 
  * Ownership: Robert Scheck
  * Progress: -
  * Meeting Minutes:
    * Available software costs money, ranging from 10-100 EURO/month, or 
one-time fees.
    * FOSS Software is old, unmaintained, or buggy/crappy. We do not have any 
explicit requirements to administration / accounting.
    * For now, a fairly simple spreadsheet should do, but with more members 
you do need professional software to be able to keep track of mutations.
    * Professional software has the advantage of being able to have 
professional invoices and accounting as well.
    * (Suggestion) Buy software or keep a spread-sheet, and look into linking 
into FAS2, keeping the additional information downstream but using the 
available information from upstream.
    * Look into more sustainable software then professional / commercial / 
proprietary anyway.
  * Action Item:
    * Robert Scheck buys professional software judging from what the bank 
recommends.
    * Requirements:
      * Professional Membership Management [mandatory]
      * Accounting [mandatory]
      * Invoices / Bills [mandatory]
      * Donation Receipts [mandatory]
      * English version [optional]
 
 === Budget Plan ===
 
 A budget plan to break down the actual spendings on events that are being 
sponsored, and for overall expenses.
 
  * Ownership: Gerold Kassube
  * Progress: -
  * Meeting Minutes:
    * Lots of money being spend on events, but little to no budget breaking 
down the actual spendings
    * Little insight on spendings other then the general amount of sponsoring.
  * Action Items:
    * Break down the budget for LinuxTag (Gerold)
    * Break down the budget for FOSDEM (Event Owner)
    * Try and get some insight on actual spendings other then sponsorships.
 
 === Web Page / Registration Form / Email Addresses ===
 
 For general operations Fedora EMEA e.V. will need a website with the 
following requirements:
 
  * Ownership: Fabian Affolter
  * Progress: -
  * Meeting Minutes:
    * Website content:
      * A membership subscription form [mandatory]
        * Needs to be off-line as German law requires a real signature 
[mandatory]
        * Draft Proposed by Robert Scheck (Accepted with minor changes)
      * A public email address to contact us [mandatory] (Jeroen)
      * A web page that briefly explains who we are and what we do [mandatory]
      * Possibly a brief explanation as to why it is we do not have a 
full-blown website [optional]
      * For normal operations, a suggestion was made we create 
(personal) ...(a)fedoraemea.org email addresses.
  * Action Items:
    * Finalize Membership subscription form (Fabian)
      * Use draft from Robert, Remove Fax number, add FAS account, make some 
of the entries “optional”, others mandatory
    * Create public contact email addresses (Jeroen)
      * board@, press@, contact@, info@
 
 === PO Box / Mailing Address ===
 
 This obviously applies to off-line “snail” mail. Gerold suggested we could 
use his private address to being with.
 
  * Ownership: Gerold Kassube unless decided otherwise
  * Progress: Done
  * Meeting Minutes:
    * Can use Gerold's private address.
  * Action Items:
    * Using Gerold's private address.
 
 === Factual Goals ===
 
 Rather then the goals set forth in the Statutes, what is in-scope for us 
right now, what is in-scope for us in the (near) future, and what is 
out-of-scope for us?
 
  * Things in-scope
    * Organizing/Attending events
    * swag for those events
    * hotel/travel expenses
    * ambassador initiatives in general (EventBox, etc)
 
  * Things maybe in-scope
    * Hosting stuff the Fedora Project can't, but Ambassadors want.
      * Localized spins?
      * Offer services such as e-mail, fora, wiki for local groups?
    * Getting an online store for selling swag and generating revenue in a way 
that doesn't get in the way with the Fedora Store SIG, possibly even 
facilitate what they need to get done by introducing resources they can't 
get, or seek some other form of cooperation.
 
  * Ownership: All
  * Progress: -
  * Meeting Minutes:
    * Another factual goal is to train, educate users (not necessarily in 
class-rooms). Fedora Gatherings.
    * Like to see the a store in coorporation with the Store SIG be in-scope
  * Action Items:
    * Jerroen van Meeuwen coordinates with Fedora Store SIG
 
 === Use of the Board Mailing List ===
 
 How should the board's list be used?
 
  * Ownership: Jeroen van Meeuwen
  * Progress: -
  * Meeting Minutes:
    * Use of the board mailing list is 1) private, 2) secret, 3) exposed/moved 
to the public when appropriate / necessary. What we say reflects upon the 
organization.
    * Ways to contact the board or the organization in general.
  * Action Items:
    * Create public mailing lists
      * Open for submission
      * Subscription approved by list administrator required
      * Same lists as in the "Web site / Email addresses" Meeting Topic
    * Ask Joerg Simon to become the contact person / spokesman for the 
organization
      * The board asked Joerg right-away and we're glad he accepted this 
position
      
 === What do members get from becoming a member? ===
 
  * Ownership: All
  * Progress: -
  * Meeting Minutes:
    * Chosen a welcome present for new members
      * Order a few dozen for existing members, as well as new members
      * Goodie will not be sold in a store, one-off and exclusive for members
    * Members get to vote on what we do with money (or actually hold the board 
accountable)
      * “What do you think should happen for Fedora?”
      * “What do you need to get done for Fedora?”
    * Sending releases to members at General Availability is not sustainable 
(time-constraints, last-minute changes and release date slips)
    * Re-Spins is not viable either (burden on Fedora Unity, no time-based 
releases there, too much uncertainties to start doing time-based releases)
    * Of items we can sell / distribute, balance item's costs and value
      * A membership card that can also be used as a badge
    * Any revenue right now goes into producing new swag
    * Cooperation / Co-existence Other Non-Profit Organizations and Fedora 
Project itself
      * Model for spreading revenue, assistance from and to other NPOs, 
examples;
        * Fedora France
        * Fedora Unity (US)
  * Action Items:
    * Get a quote on mass-production of membercards with a one-off print on 
them (name, number)
    * (Again) Contact Fedora Store SIG and coordinate with them
 
 === Logo ===
 
 Question: Does Fedora EMEA need a (separate) logo?
 
 Suggestions:
  1. No logo at all
  1. Yes
  1. Upstream (Artwork team)
  1. Upstream (no separate logo, use upstream's logo)
 
  * Ownership: All
  * Progress: Done
  * Meeting Minutes:
    * Motion: If any, use upstream logo, unmodified
    * Motion unanimously accepted
  * Action Items:
    * None
 
 === Templates for OOo ===
 
 Creating templates for OpenOffice.org programs to use in official letters (to 
members), etc.
 
  * Ownership: Robert Scheck & Fabian Affolter
  * Progress: -
  * Meeting Minutes:
    * Put the templates upstream first (Fedora Project wiki), then pull then 
downstream and add Fedora EMEA specific stuff (if needed)
  * Action Items:
    * Robert Scheck & Fabian Affolter will look into creating templates. 
Letter heads. Presentation Templates.
 
 === Announcement on Membership Fees / ways to register / etc ===
 
 Where do announcements get send?
 Where do we put them online?
 Different Languages?
 
  * Ownership: Joerg Simon
  * Progress: -
  * Meeting Minutes:
    * Suggestions to distribute (amongst others?):
      * fedora-advisory-board
      * fedora-ambassadors-list
      * fedora-announce-list
      * fedora-users-list
      * Linux Magazine / LinuxTag organization (including other press)
  * Action Items:
    * Gerold and Joerg to prepare announcements
-- 
Jörg Simon
jsimon(a)fedoraproject.org
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/JoergSimon
Key Fingerprint:
3691 0989 2DCA 58A2 8D1F 2CAC C823 558E 5B5B 56

[Nayyar Ahmad]

It looks a very handsome start...

cheers.

On Mon, Mar 24, 2008 at 11:59 PM, JoergSimon <jsimon(a)fedoraproject.org&gt;
wrote:

>  Hello Fellows,
>
>  The Board meeting of the Fedora EMEA NPO - founded in February on FOSDEM08
>  -
>  took place in Rheinfelden, there was much work to do and several
>  bureaucratic
>  duties to fulfill.
>  I have the order and the pleasure to share the outcome of the "Fedora EMEA
>  Board Meeting" with you.
>  Cheers JoergSimon
>
>
>   = Fedora EMEA Board Meeting Minutes =
>
>    * Date(s):
>      1. Sunday, March 16th 2008, 14:00 - 23:00 UTC
>      1. Monday, March 17th 2008, 7:30 - 17:00 UTC
>    * Location: Rheinfelden, Germany
>
>   == Attendees ==
>
>    1. Gerold Kassube (President),
>    1. Fabian Affolter (Vice-President),
>    1. Jeroen van Meeuwen (Vice-President),
>    1. Robert Scheck (Treasury)
>
>   == Regrets ==
>
>    1. ...
>
>   == Meeting Chair and Minutes Secretary ==
>
>    * Chair is Gerold Kassube
>    * Minutes Secretary is Jeroen van Meeuwen
>
>   == Agenda ==
>
>   The "Meeting Topics" is a short list of items and topics that have come
>  up on
>  mailing lists, etc., the separate topic "Meeting Topics" shows some more
>  details.
>
>    * Opening
>    * Assigning meeting chair and minutes secretary
>    * Assess Agenda
>    * Minutes from previous meeting(s)
>    * Meeting Topics
>      * Bank Account
>      * Foundation Accounting / Membership Registration Software
>      * A Budget Plan
>      * Web Page / Registration Form / Email Addresses
>      * PO Box / Mailing Address
>      * Factual Goals
>      * Use of the Board Mailing List
>      * What do members get from becoming a member?
>      * Store / How to make money? / How to generate revenue?
>      * Logo
>      * Templates for OOo
>      * Announcement on Membership Fees / ways to register / etc
>    * After-talk, Evaluation
>    * Propositions
>    * Any Other Business
>    * Next meeting
>    * Closing
>
>   == Meeting Topics ==
>
>   === Bank Account ===
>
>    * Need bank account for financial transactions
>    * Optionally seek for ways to debit other accounts (credit card, Direct
>  Debit?)
>    * Ownership: Robert Scheck
>    * Progress: -
>    * Meeting Minutes:
>      * Credit card acceptance (MasterCard/VISA) not for free; 99 EURO/year,
>  25
>  EURO set-up, .3% of transactions, 5 year contract.
>      * Credit cards have booking periods (30-90 days)
>      * Other ways of making international transactions easier would be
>  things
>  like PayPal (but not really PayPal)
>      * Don't really need to accept credit-cards
>      * Debiting directly is allowed, bank account is free for an NPO,
>  registration and sign-up is a matter of submitting the form.
>      * Possibly re-visit credit cards / paypal later
>    * Action Items
>      * Create bank account
>      * Needs registration number
>      * Gründungsprotocol & Satzung
>      * Gerold's signature and ID
>
>   === Foundation Accounting and Membership Registration Software ===
>
>    * Ownership: Robert Scheck
>    * Progress: -
>    * Meeting Minutes:
>      * Available software costs money, ranging from 10-100 EURO/month, or
>  one-time fees.
>      * FOSS Software is old, unmaintained, or buggy/crappy. We do not have
>  any
>  explicit requirements to administration / accounting.
>      * For now, a fairly simple spreadsheet should do, but with more
>  members
>  you do need professional software to be able to keep track of mutations.
>      * Professional software has the advantage of being able to have
>  professional invoices and accounting as well.
>      * (Suggestion) Buy software or keep a spread-sheet, and look into
>  linking
>  into FAS2, keeping the additional information downstream but using the
>  available information from upstream.
>      * Look into more sustainable software then professional / commercial /
>  proprietary anyway.
>    * Action Item:
>      * Robert Scheck buys professional software judging from what the bank
>  recommends.
>      * Requirements:
>        * Professional Membership Management [mandatory]
>        * Accounting [mandatory]
>        * Invoices / Bills [mandatory]
>        * Donation Receipts [mandatory]
>        * English version [optional]
>
>   === Budget Plan ===
>
>   A budget plan to break down the actual spendings on events that are being
>  sponsored, and for overall expenses.
>
>    * Ownership: Gerold Kassube
>    * Progress: -
>    * Meeting Minutes:
>      * Lots of money being spend on events, but little to no budget
>  breaking
>  down the actual spendings
>      * Little insight on spendings other then the general amount of
>  sponsoring.
>    * Action Items:
>      * Break down the budget for LinuxTag (Gerold)
>      * Break down the budget for FOSDEM (Event Owner)
>      * Try and get some insight on actual spendings other then
>  sponsorships.
>
>   === Web Page / Registration Form / Email Addresses ===
>
>   For general operations Fedora EMEA e.V. will need a website with the
>  following requirements:
>
>    * Ownership: Fabian Affolter
>    * Progress: -
>    * Meeting Minutes:
>      * Website content:
>        * A membership subscription form [mandatory]
>          * Needs to be off-line as German law requires a real signature
>  [mandatory]
>          * Draft Proposed by Robert Scheck (Accepted with minor changes)
>        * A public email address to contact us [mandatory] (Jeroen)
>        * A web page that briefly explains who we are and what we do
>  [mandatory]
>        * Possibly a brief explanation as to why it is we do not have a
>  full-blown website [optional]
>        * For normal operations, a suggestion was made we create
>  (personal) ...(a)fedoraemea.org email addresses.
>    * Action Items:
>      * Finalize Membership subscription form (Fabian)
>        * Use draft from Robert, Remove Fax number, add FAS account, make
>  some
>  of the entries "optional", others mandatory
>      * Create public contact email addresses (Jeroen)
>        * board@, press@, contact@, info@
>
>   === PO Box / Mailing Address ===
>
>   This obviously applies to off-line "snail" mail. Gerold suggested we
>  could
>  use his private address to being with.
>
>    * Ownership: Gerold Kassube unless decided otherwise
>    * Progress: Done
>    * Meeting Minutes:
>      * Can use Gerold's private address.
>    * Action Items:
>      * Using Gerold's private address.
>
>   === Factual Goals ===
>
>   Rather then the goals set forth in the Statutes, what is in-scope for us
>  right now, what is in-scope for us in the (near) future, and what is
>  out-of-scope for us?
>
>    * Things in-scope
>      * Organizing/Attending events
>      * swag for those events
>      * hotel/travel expenses
>      * ambassador initiatives in general (EventBox, etc)
>
>    * Things maybe in-scope
>      * Hosting stuff the Fedora Project can't, but Ambassadors want.
>        * Localized spins?
>        * Offer services such as e-mail, fora, wiki for local groups?
>      * Getting an online store for selling swag and generating revenue in a
>  way
>  that doesn't get in the way with the Fedora Store SIG, possibly even
>  facilitate what they need to get done by introducing resources they can't
>  get, or seek some other form of cooperation.
>
>    * Ownership: All
>    * Progress: -
>    * Meeting Minutes:
>      * Another factual goal is to train, educate users (not necessarily in
>  class-rooms). Fedora Gatherings.
>      * Like to see the a store in coorporation with the Store SIG be
>  in-scope
>    * Action Items:
>      * Jerroen van Meeuwen coordinates with Fedora Store SIG
>
>   === Use of the Board Mailing List ===
>
>   How should the board's list be used?
>
>    * Ownership: Jeroen van Meeuwen
>    * Progress: -
>    * Meeting Minutes:
>      * Use of the board mailing list is 1) private, 2) secret, 3)
>  exposed/moved
>  to the public when appropriate / necessary. What we say reflects upon the
>  organization.
>      * Ways to contact the board or the organization in general.
>    * Action Items:
>      * Create public mailing lists
>        * Open for submission
>        * Subscription approved by list administrator required
>        * Same lists as in the "Web site / Email addresses" Meeting Topic
>      * Ask Joerg Simon to become the contact person / spokesman for the
>  organization
>        * The board asked Joerg right-away and we're glad he accepted this
>  position
>
>   === What do members get from becoming a member? ===
>
>    * Ownership: All
>    * Progress: -
>    * Meeting Minutes:
>      * Chosen a welcome present for new members
>        * Order a few dozen for existing members, as well as new members
>        * Goodie will not be sold in a store, one-off and exclusive for
>  members
>      * Members get to vote on what we do with money (or actually hold the
>  board
>  accountable)
>        * "What do you think should happen for Fedora?"
>        * "What do you need to get done for Fedora?"
>      * Sending releases to members at General Availability is not
>  sustainable
>  (time-constraints, last-minute changes and release date slips)
>      * Re-Spins is not viable either (burden on Fedora Unity, no time-based
>  releases there, too much uncertainties to start doing time-based releases)
>      * Of items we can sell / distribute, balance item's costs and value
>        * A membership card that can also be used as a badge
>      * Any revenue right now goes into producing new swag
>      * Cooperation / Co-existence Other Non-Profit Organizations and Fedora
>  Project itself
>        * Model for spreading revenue, assistance from and to other NPOs,
>  examples;
>          * Fedora France
>          * Fedora Unity (US)
>    * Action Items:
>      * Get a quote on mass-production of membercards with a one-off print
>  on
>  them (name, number)
>      * (Again) Contact Fedora Store SIG and coordinate with them
>
>   === Logo ===
>
>   Question: Does Fedora EMEA need a (separate) logo?
>
>   Suggestions:
>    1. No logo at all
>    1. Yes
>    1. Upstream (Artwork team)
>    1. Upstream (no separate logo, use upstream's logo)
>
>    * Ownership: All
>    * Progress: Done
>    * Meeting Minutes:
>      * Motion: If any, use upstream logo, unmodified
>      * Motion unanimously accepted
>    * Action Items:
>      * None
>
>   === Templates for OOo ===
>
>   Creating templates for OpenOffice.org programs to use in official letters
>  (to
>  members), etc.
>
>    * Ownership: Robert Scheck & Fabian Affolter
>    * Progress: -
>    * Meeting Minutes:
>      * Put the templates upstream first (Fedora Project wiki), then pull
>  then
>  downstream and add Fedora EMEA specific stuff (if needed)
>    * Action Items:
>      * Robert Scheck & Fabian Affolter will look into creating templates.
>  Letter heads. Presentation Templates.
>
>   === Announcement on Membership Fees / ways to register / etc ===
>
>   Where do announcements get send?
>   Where do we put them online?
>   Different Languages?
>
>    * Ownership: Joerg Simon
>    * Progress: -
>    * Meeting Minutes:
>      * Suggestions to distribute (amongst others?):
>        * fedora-advisory-board
>        * fedora-ambassadors-list
>        * fedora-announce-list
>        * fedora-users-list
>        * Linux Magazine / LinuxTag organization (including other press)
>    * Action Items:
>      * Gerold and Joerg to prepare announcements
>  --
>  Jörg Simon
>  jsimon(a)fedoraproject.org
>  http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/JoergSimon
>  Key Fingerprint:
>  3691 0989 2DCA 58A2 8D1F 2CAC C823 558E 5B5B 56
>
>  --
>  Fedora-ambassadors-list mailing list
>  Fedora-ambassadors-list(a)redhat.com
>  https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-ambassadors-list
>  


-- 
Nayyar Ahmad
RHCE (ID:804006858622745)
Skype: nayyares
Blog: nayyares.blogspot.com

[Thomas Canniot]

Le Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:59:54 +0100,
JoergSimon <jsimon(a)fedoraproject.org&gt; a écrit :

>   === Foundation Accounting and Membership Registration Software ===
>   
>    * Ownership: Robert Scheck
>    * Progress: -
>    * Meeting Minutes:
>      * Available software costs money, ranging from 10-100 EURO/month,
>  or one-time fees.
>      * FOSS Software is old, unmaintained, or buggy/crappy. We do not
>  have any explicit requirements to administration / accounting.
>      * For now, a fairly simple spreadsheet should do, but with more
>  members you do need professional software to be able to keep track of
>  mutations.
>      * Professional software has the advantage of being able to have 
>  professional invoices and accounting as well.
>      * (Suggestion) Buy software or keep a spread-sheet, and look into
>  linking into FAS2, keeping the additional information downstream but
>  using the available information from upstream.
>      * Look into more sustainable software then professional /
>  commercial / proprietary anyway.
>    * Action Item:
>      * Robert Scheck buys professional software judging from what the
>  bank recommends.
>      * Requirements:
>        * Professional Membership Management [mandatory]
>        * Accounting [mandatory]
>        * Invoices / Bills [mandatory]
>        * Donation Receipts [mandatory]
>        * English version [optional] 

I don't think it fullfil all your needs, but have a look at
http://galette.tuxfamily.org/en/doku.php

It is maintained by the treasurer of Fedora-fr and translated
into English by myself.


Thomas