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That is correct for the association but not for the donors. And there are some examples that the removal of the status gemeinnützige resulted in a decline in donations. So for the association it’s kind of important. (I dont wanna bother the other readers of this thread, so sorry for intervening here again.)
Hi there again. FYI: there’s a petition on the openPetition.org platform that addresses the topic mentioned above. Unfortunately, the petition wasn’t set up at the official Bundestag system, thus it will be dealt with like a normal petition even when thousand of people sign it.
Is there any more news on this?
One thing that seems to have got lost in the discussions is that one of the original ideas was to find a way to collect cash in Europe to fund Haiku as it is expensive to send money to the USA.
However, you can transfer money via Github on a regular basis (for instance, monthly) without cost, and perhaps that is all that is needed.
German is the language of Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Mozart, and Schubert, so it commands respect. However, it is much less widely spoken than English, which is a problem. If we are going to set up a European entity I would not recommend Britain (where I live), because it is no longer in the EU.
However, Ireland, is both English-speaking and a member of the EU, and directors of Irish companies do not have to be resident in Ireland or Irish citizens. The only stipulation is that at least one must reside in the EEA (which includes the EU) so that is not too onerous.
A registered Irish charity needs to have a legal identity, which is why I mentioned directors. Non-profit organisations are often set up as companies limited by guarantee rather than shares.
The Irish charities code is a model of clarity, and is available here: https://www.charitiesregulator.ie/media/fpbnz5xz/charities-governance-code.pdf
Well, last thing I heard from the HSA (Charlie) is that he perhaps will setup a mailing list. He wrote me that online meetings is not on his plans. And the HSA is NOT a charity and will never be because doing something for open source software is not accepted as charitable in Germany.
Regarding English language I’m not so sure that this is really a problem. I wouldn’t mind a French organization for example (or the HSA as it is now), because I think we can make meetings and correspondence in English, even when the organization is in Germany, France or whatever. But if English should be an issue, I like the idea of Ireland.
I haven’t read the whole 50 pages of the Irish charities code, but I found this phrase: “any other purpose that is of benefit to the community” and I wonder if open source is part of this.
Edit: Last numbers from Charlie were that we have 15 club members in HSA.
There are long term members / exceptionally rare contributors based in Ireland, e.g. me.
I am confident that open source would count for charitable status here.
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The problem with German is that it’s difficult for non-Germans to read and understand the legal requirements. Also, Germans love rules and regulations, and I suspect that life will be simpler with an Irish entity.
Please don’t think that I am anti-German. I visited Munich (Munchen) last year, Austria (German-speaking) the year before, and Leipzig and Dresden a couple of years before that.
Music-lovers might detect a theme…
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I totally agree that we Germans have a nack for rules and regulations. That’s a good point for Ireland.
Also that Ireland makes a charity possible (and Germany doesn’t) is an important point.
And I have a feeling that HSA will lead nowhere, because Charlie focusses only on revival of Codesprint/Begeistert. Just my impression, but so I think.
Good that this topic is brought up again.
I wanted to ask if anybody heard news about HSA for weeks,but always forgot it again when I was near a computer.
The plan of setting up a mailing list was the last thing I heard from Charlie,too.
I don’t think that the language is a issue,no matter where the organization is registered.
We can always communicate in English when international people are involved,also with a German organization.
The advantage of HSA is that it already exists,while another organization needs to be created first and enough people found who want to invest the time and maybe money.
Reviving events like Codesprint and Begeistert that support the development of Haiku and brings contributors together is also the thing I care most about.
Having a way to donate money to Haiku using SEPA would be nice to have,but Haiku already accepts many payment options and there are several companies that offer free credit cards so that shouldn’t be a major problem nowadays.
Thanks for bringing the topic back on track. My original idea was to have a legal entity in the EU which can collect donations from the EU, and also keep them safe from the antics of the current US administration (tariffs, trade and real wars etc). In that regards an Irish charity looks like a good choice, and I say that as someone who lives in Germany for quite a while. The authorities here try to over-regulate anything even remotely related to money. Also, the fact that “doing something for open source software is not accepted as charitable in Germany” is to me a clear red flag.
There’s nothing wrong with that idea, it’s just unrelated to what I initially suggested when I wrote my initial message in the “Donating some Money” thread. Unfortunately, the discussion then shifted to HSA revival, and my message was moved to this thread, which is not really what I had in mind.
You’ll be surprised how much easier is to setup and run a legal entity in Ireland compared to Germany. I know it from the experiences of my friends who run the companies in both countries.
Nipos wrote: “there are several companies that offer free credit cards so that shouldn’t be a major problem nowadays.”
Nobody is going to get a credit card just to donate to Haiku.
When collecting money it’s important to make payment as simple as possible. And then simplify it!