Membership

Member types and voting privileges

The full SOFT org membership comprises three main member types.

1. Core members: Developers, producers and maintainers

2. Consumers

3. Backers

Every member from the above categories will have the opportunity

• to propose new product ideas, share their expertise, and offer feedback to improve existing products.

• to contribute to the production or maintenance of any product

• as well as the option to become a financial backer to support the development and upkeep of products.

These privileges will help foster a collaborative and inclusive community where everyone can contribute to the growth and success of the organization.

Core members

Developers, producers and maintainers form the core membership of the org. These members will have many privileges as their life sustenance is directly linked to the org. These members will receive voting privileges upon reaching the required tenured time as specified in bylaws of the org.

As part of their privileges, core members who have met the required tenure will be granted voting rights on various matters related to the organization's operations and governance. This includes voting on decisions regarding the organization's bylaws, policies, and procedures, which helps ensure that the organization is steered in the right direction. Moreover, core members will have the opportunity to vote on the allocation of root fund funding, which is a crucial decision that determines the development of new product ideas.

Voting for root fund allocation

Once developers secure seed money from the root fund, they will automatically receive voting rights for future root funding decisions. This ensures that those who have demonstrated a commitment to the organization's goals and values are involved in critical funding decisions that impact the SOFT org as a whole.

In addition, producers and maintainers who have contributed to the organization over a tenured period of time will also receive voting privileges for root funding decisions. This recognizes the important contributions made by these individuals and ensures that their insights and perspectives are taken into account when making critical funding decisions.

By involving a diverse range of stakeholders in root funding decisions, the SOFT org can ensure that funding is allocated in a fair, transparent, and accountable manner. This can help to build trust and foster a sense of ownership and investment among the organization's members, and ultimately contribute to the development of high-quality, sustainable software products.

Consumers

Consumers of a product will have the following privileges for that particular product in scope.

• Voting on feature requests, voting priority on bug fixes, etc of that particular product

• Tenured consumers will have privilege to contribute to product retirement voting.

Backers

Backers are individuals or organizations that provide additional funding to the product development team through various means such as equity ownership offerings, lending agreements, or donations. These funding activities can be crucial in ensuring that the product development team has the necessary resources to bring their product to market. Backers may receive equity in the company in exchange for their investment, or they may provide funding as a loan or a donation.

Investors who provide equity ownership in the product will have a stake in the product sub co-operative's ownership and will stand to benefit from any potential financial gains. This equity ownership may entitle them to voting rights, dividends, and a share of the profits.

On the other hand, donors and lenders may not have an ownership stake in the organization, but they may receive special discounts or privileges on the consumption of the products or services offered by the organization. This recognition of their support helps to build and maintain a strong relationship between the organization and its supporters, while also providing an incentive for continued support.