[Qgis-user] Funding sources for QGIS development (local groups)

[Bo Victor Thomsen]

Sorry of being late to the party, but here is how the Danish QGIS User 
Group is working -

  * We have a Danish Facebook group, that is very active. There is up
    towards 2700 members in this group - even though we only have
    around  200 actual members i the Danish QGIS User Group. I would
    never have guessed that there was 2700 people i Denmark using QGIS 🙂
  * We have been very diligent (and lucky) in persuading Danish,
    QGIS-using organizations (like municipalities, federal agencies and
    a lot of companies)  that voluntary supporting QGIS by being a
    "organizational" member in our group is good for the general
    development and survive-ability of QGIS.
  * The persuasive script is something like: "500 euro a year is like a
    dime in your back pocket. It is *nothing* compared to the license
    you'd have to pay for using ArcGIS /MapInfo/ Intergraph. QGIS has no
    license costs and supports every known GIS format, database and
    spatial functions under the sun. So why don't you think of the
    contribution as insurance ?"
  * These members has a yearly membership fee of around 500 Euro. And we
    have over 100 members like this. Our income is over 55.000 Euro on a
    yearly basis. Of which we deliver ca. 50% to the international QGIS
    organization (That is more than 6% of the total income of the
    international QGIS organization).
  * The rest is used on local QGIS development: plugins (mostly plugins
    specific to the "Danish GIS environment")  and sometimes core
    development efforts. Plus different events - like on-line meetings,
    some in-person meetings and the aforementioned Facebook group. And
    sending a couple of GIS students to QGIS and FOSS4G events abroad.
  * A couple of our organizational members is also a sustaining member
    directly for QGIS.org. However, these organizations are very much
    aware of the relationships (financial and otherwise) between the
    QGIS software, the Danish QGIS user group and the international QGIS
    organization. So they have made an informed choice regarding how to
    support QGIS.
  * We have a homepage - qgis.dk -  for the Danish QGIS user group.
  * We have talked about having a "market place", where our members can
    advertise their services on the homepage but haven't yet made a
    decision about this.
  * But we do have a calendar function on our homepage, where everyone
    can make a QGIS related contribution to. There is all kinds of
    information on this calendar: Information about our own events,
    "advertisement" about QGIS courses offered by private companies and
    so on.
  * And lastly, we have a blog space where everyone can submit an QGIS
    related article to.

I hope you can use the information. The "organizational generosity" 
might be a Danish specialty, but who knows ?

-- 
Med venlig hilsen / Best regards

Bo Victor Thomsen

Board member of the Danish QGIS User Group

On 03-09-2025 07:07, Michał Żugajewicz via QGIS-User wrote:
>
> Dear Colleagues!
>
> I am reaching out with an interest in learning more about how local 
> QGIS user groups manage to secure funding and support for the 
> development of the software and related tools, such as plugins and 
> custom applications.
>
> Could you please share some insights into the typical sources of 
> funding that your group or related initiatives rely on? For example:
>
>  *
>
>     Do you receive support from public institutions such as
>     municipalities, government agencies, or universities?
>
>  *
>
>     Are there private companies, consultancies, or NGOs that
>     contribute financially to your activities or sponsor specific
>     development projects?
>
>  *
>
>     Do you make use of grants, donations, or membership fees to
>     sustain your work?
>
>  *
>
>     Have you engaged in partnerships with organizations that benefit
>     from QGIS to co-finance the development of plugins or other tools?
>
> I am particularly interested in understanding what models have proven 
> effective and sustainable for your group, and whether there are 
> strategies or best practices you would recommend for establishing 
> these collaborations.
>
> Thank you very much for your time and for any details you can share. 
> Your experience could be very helpful in shaping similar initiatives 
> elsewhere 💚
>
>
> Bests,
>
> 	
>
> *MICHAŁ ŻUGAJEWICZ*
>
> CEO at EnviroSolutions | QGIS Poland Representative
>
> ceo at envirosolutions.pl
> +48 501 540 755
> EnviroSolutions <https://www.envirosolutions.pl>
>
> LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/envirosolutions/>| Facebook 
> <https://www.facebook.com/envirosolutionspl> | Instagram 
> <https://www.instagram.com/envirosolutions_team/>
>
>
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