[Board] Questions about "Local Chapter Sponsor"

[Frank Warmerdam]

Venkatesh Raghavan wrote:
>>> I think that it is better to add a new category
>>> "Local Chapter Sponsors" in 
>>> http://www.osgeo.org/content/sponsorship/sponsorship.html
>>> based on the feedback to this mail and summary below
>>> and help clarify things to people who would like
>>> to sponsor local OSGeo chapter activities.
>>
>> This is a good idea. Perhaps we should have a statement indicating for 
>> those interested in supporting local OSGeo Chapters to contact these 
>> chapters directly.
> 
> And what would such a statement reflect? That OSGeo does want to be 
> bothered thinking about "Local Chapter Sponsors" or OSGeo cannot figure 
> out ways to handle "Local Chapter Sponsors"

Venka,

I believe this would reflect that local sponsorship needs to be worked out
with the local chapter.  Benefits, and arrangements are almost certain
to vary by chapter.

I'd be pleased for the http://www.osgeo.org/sponsorship/opportunities
page to include a section for local chapter sponsorship, including a pointer
to the sponsorship page of any chapters that are interested in soliciting
local sponsorship.

However, the more directly involved the central foundation is in such
sponsorship arrangements, the more it is our responsibility to insert
ourselves in how they are handled.

For "Project Sponsorship" the foundation is directly involved in administering
the funds, they all go through the central treasurer and the foundation
sets out a number of roles for how the program works that projects need to
"opt in" to.  We could conceivable do something similar for local chapters,
but I think that local chapters are unlikely to appreciate a great deal of
interference, overhead and delay from OSGeo foundation level involvement.
Surely one objective of local chapters is a degree of autonomy, and local
flexibility to do things locally.

Best regards,
-- 
---------------------------------------+--------------------------------------
I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam, warmerdam at pobox.com
light and sound - activate the windows | http://pobox.com/~warmerdam
and watch the world go round - Rush    | President OSGeo, http://osgeo.org