Open Source: Charity or Business?
summary
Babel runs with one full‑time maintainer funded by crowdfunding and about six volunteer core maintainers, funded through Open Collective, Patreon, and now GitHub Sponsors. Early patron revenue hits roughly $3,000/month after two $1,000 backers; small in‑person tips once raised $200 from a chalk box. Work includes fundraising meetings, sponsorship pitches in San Francisco, managing tiers/perks, and legal/accounting setup; the maintainer reports those efforts sustain work but create heavy notification and emotional overhead.
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chapters (16)
- 0:00My year in open source
- 2:52Methods for funding
- 4:20Securing corporate sponsors
- 6:17Crowdfunding realities
- 8:00GitHub Sponsors and tips
- 9:20Impact on perceived value
- 10:35Mental health and support
- 12:09Rethinking reward tiers
- 13:47Marketing and networking
- 16:04Managing time and money
- 18:57Greed and community needs
- 21:04Consumption vs production
- 22:55Beyond market mechanics
- 24:53Diverse models of support
- 25:52Maintainer freedom and duty
- 27:47Open source as a lifestyle
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37mSustaining Open Source Beyond Code: The Importance of Marketing and Funding
33mThe Value of Open Source
39mScaling an Open Source Sponsorship Program
35mOpen Source Collective: The Business of Open Community
22mThrough the (Open Source) Looking Glass
42mWhy Funding Open Source is Hard
42mOpen Source Citizenship