Open design is about solving design problems together via collaboration and shared resources. We benefit from the collective efforts from the community, and we each contribute in our own ways.
Many contribute to open design in their spare time, because they personally care about a project for their own reasons. Others are deeply involved in essential work that requires a lot of time and energy and are looking to get compensated for their efforts. Wherevery you may find yourself, figuring out funding can be a daunting task, especially as voluntary contribution is so essential and highly valued.
This document provides starting various considerations and an outline of funding mechanisms in the hope to start a larger conversation. Open-source is primarily geared towards developers and funding for designers is much less common. So the info below includes a lot of developer-specific details.
Let’s take a look at some options for receiving funding.
You work at a job and contribute to open design on the side. Almost everyone starts this way, while earning an income via a day-job or other unrelated business involvements.
If the open-source work is directly related to your employer's business, it is possible to set up an agreement that allows, for example, for 20% of work hours to be spent on open-source.
Asking fans and benefactors of your work for tips is a simple mechanism that is often not meant to provide a full income. Tips are often small, one-time donations given as signs of appreciation. A simple way to allow for tips is by sharing a bitcoin or lightning address on a website or Github repo (careful there with address reuse).
Services
- Tippin.me
- Service list on lopp.net
- TwentyUno Payment widgets
Sponsorships are recurring donations made by individuals or companies. Similar to paying a subscription to a tool or service, one might become a sponsor when benefitting continuously from the direct work of the recipient. This can be centered around you as an individual, or around a project you are working on.
Example
- Jeremy Rubin on Github sponsors
Services
Some communities set up mechanisms for contributors to propose projects and receive funding to complete them. Individuals create proposals, community members can donate funding, and core contributors act as liaison (holding funds while work is in progress).
Example
- Monero Community Crowdfunding system (is there something similar in Bitcoin?)
Some open source projects which have received funding themselves may distribute some of those funds to contributors through paid tasks. Usually on the repository issues or website they may have a set of tasks which the core contributors don’t have the time to work themselves, but are willing to offer a reward in bitcoin if the work is submitted and meets their standards.
Example
Grants are great ways for companies to provide funding for projects that are relevant to their values or business, where the companies are not well-suited to handle the work themselves. For example, the business of a bitcoin exchange depends on network stability and continued development, and may decide to sponsor a designer or developer to work on areas relevant to them.
When looking for grant sponsors, make sure to create a well-thought-out proposal. It does not have to be long, but should clearly state:
- The project goal
- What problem you are addressing
- Why you are a good person to do this work
- How you will achieve the work (sub-goals, timeline, resources...)
Also see this post by Adam Jonas.
Services
Grant-providing entities
Bitcoin Grants Trackers
Offering workshops or consulting services can also be a route to support open-source work. A contributor may be an expert in a certain area that is highly valued by businesses and can alot a certain amount of their time towards these directly related paid services.
- Consultation & support
- Freemium products
- Books & other instructional material
- Workshops & education (example)
- Swag
Examples
- Much of this is developer-specific, but that does not mean it is not applicable to designers, product managers, translators, etc.
- You have to earn it. Many who flourish in open-source started by contributing for free and gradually worked their way into making a living from their work.
- You serve a community. Funding tends to go to the ones who address pain points, who make the lives of others easier.
- Show initiative. Whether it’s for grant proposals or smaller sponsorships, it is important to present your goals and efforts well, clearly communicate how you are making a difference, and what your financial goals are.
- It’s a process, don’t get discouraged if your first attempts don’t work out.
Resources
- Bitcoin Donation Portal
- Getting paid for open-source work (opensource.guide)
- Who Funds Bitcoin Development? (Bitmex research blog)
- Business Models for Independent OSS Devs