TLDR: If your project is hosted by Open Source Collective, nothing changes. The software and team behind the Open Collective platform is moving to a new, nonprofit business entity.
On October 1, the team behind the Open Collective platform transitioned to a new nonprofit organization, Open Finance Consortium (OFiCo). Open Source Collective began working toward this outcome in April this year. We’re happy to share this news with our community, and to be a founding member of the organization protecting the future of the Open Collective platform for everyone.
Why now?
Earlier this year, when one of the largest users of Open Collective, the Open Collective Foundation (OCF), announced it was dissolving, we saw an opportunity to create better alignment between those who develop and maintain the platform and those who depend upon it. So we decided to step in.
As part of our commitment to open source values, Open Source Collective played a key role in leading the creation of the new nonprofit, Open Finance Consortium, that will govern the ‘Open Collective’ platform used by thousands of communities. We ensured the platform’s open source mission remains central and will be guided by a community-governed nonprofit structure.
What Changes?
Despite our best efforts, people often think of Open Collective as a single entity. In fact, Open Source Collective uses Open Collective to run our fiscal hosting program. Open Source Collective and Open Collective Inc., which ran the Open Collective Platform, are two separate organizations. Ownership of the Open Collective platform has moved to a new, nonprofit membership organization, OFiCo. The entire team, the platform, and the tools they use day-to-day have moved to the nonprofit.
Long time CTO François Hodierne has taken over the reins from Pia Manchini as Interim Executive Director. They, along with our own director Benjamin Nickolls, have formed an initial board. OFiCo has an agreement with Open Collective Inc. to share the domain and brand name to ensure minimal disturbance for our users.
OFICois a membership organization created for and by the people who use Open Collective every day. Open Source Collective has committed significant financial support to OFiCo as one of its founding members, and we’ll be working to expand the membership to include a broader range of users over the coming weeks and months.
What Stays the Same?
Practically speaking, everything stays the same, which is exactly how we planned this transition.
The team and platform that have been building and supporting the current version of the platform we use remain intact. The goals, values, and commitment to transparency haven’t changed—the platform is simply operating under a new, nonprofit business structure that better represents our mission and community’s needs.
Your collective’s operations, funding, and support will continue uninterrupted with the same level of service you’ve always received.
What Does This Mean for our Collectives?
This transition will not impact Open Source Collective’s work or the platform and services you rely on. Now that the transition is complete, we’ll have more time to progress our strategic work to create a sustainable open source ecosystem. We’ll be announcing more on that before the end of the year…
Questions or Concerns
The following blog posts do a great job explaining the how and why:
If you’ve any further questions. Please feel free to contact us by email at [email protected].
A Thank You to Our Community
We’re deeply grateful for your trust and support over the years. Your contributions have been crucial in building a sustainable future for open source projects, and we want to express our heartfelt thanks for your continued support. We look forward to continuing this journey together.
Sincerely, Open Source Collective (Lauren, Ben, Sourav & Grace)
Great to see how carefully this has been planned and executed. Looking forward to learning more about the governance for the new setup and how the community can support its growth!
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