Message-ID: <4422DCDC.6030705@commandprompt.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 09:37:32 -0800
From: "Joshua D. Drake" <jd@commandprompt.com>
Organization: Command Prompt, Inc.
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To: "Jim C. Nasby" <jnasby@pervasive.com>
CC: Chris Browne <cbbrowne@acm.org>, pgsql-advocacy@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: Major donors
References: <200603111054.52910.josh@agliodbs.com>
	<20060322154523.GH15742@pervasive.com>
	<60r74utf9g.fsf@dba2.int.libertyrms.com>
	<20060323171440.GC90527@pervasive.com>
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Jim C. Nasby wrote:
> On Wed, Mar 22, 2006 at 03:07:23PM -0500, Chris Browne wrote:
>> jnasby@pervasive.com ("Jim C. Nasby") writes:
>>> It also might not make sense from a financial perspective. $1k is
>>> quite a lot for most individuals, but it's a tiny sum for all but
>>> the smallest companies.
>> I suspect it's a more significant thing, in fact, if a project
>> attracts contributions from 50 individuals that add to $1000 (that's a
>> mere $20 apiece) than if it attracts $10K from a corporate donor.
> 
> I don't know about that; people tend to get a 'warm-fuzzy' when they
> find out that major corporations are using/promoting/contributing to
> PostgreSQL.


My experience is that in order to get "Major Sponsors" they have to be 
listed as such. Companies don't give to OSS projects for the heck of it.
They want something in return.

That being said, there is a ton of "donations" that happen that make 
people major sponsors.

Every member of core is a major sponsor.

Red Hat is a major sponsor because they pay Tom, but Tom is a major
sponsor because I know he spends well more then 40 hours a week on this 
project.

As sponsors page that will delineate between size of monetary 
contribution is going to cause problems with those who donate a great
deal of in-kind contributions.

Elein is a perfect example. If she goes to 3 shows how much is that 
worth? My day rate is 2500.00 (if I am out of towm) plus expenses....

Frankly I would say:

Two pages, one for businesses, on for individuals. To qualify to be
on the page you have to donate more then "X" in-kind + dollars.

The pages are alphabetical, no graphics.

Joshua D. Drake