5 reasons why your contribution is crucial for the promotion of Free Software
Your support and contribution for the promotion of Free Software are important for securing our continuous work, ensuring our independence, strengthening our democratic society, promoting and implementing concrete steps towards software freedom, and making it easier to use and develop Free Software.
1. Your engagement is what keeps us going
The backbone of the Free Software Foundation Europe's work is an active network of Free Software advocates and volunteers who contribute to the promotion and spreading of the benefits of Free Software within Europe.
Your contribution and commitment allow us to continue running our campaigns, lending a hand to our team during our events and helping setting up a booth. These actions all over Europe are creating a stable and strong Free Software movement. Our small actions are really contributing to changing the world!
Want to join us but not sure where to start? We are convinced that you will find a way to help us that fits your interests and skills. For example, you can join our community and be an active member of a local group, you can show your affiliation and love for Free Software by wearing our clothes, or you can spread the word at different events related to Free Software and give away stickers and leaflets.
You can help us by proofreading and translating our messages and documents into the different European languages, helping to improve our website. Or stand up for Free Software in your community, in your regional administration, or in your country. And there's even more you can do!
2. Your support ensures our independence
The Free Software Foundation Europe is a non-profit organisation. We depend on the financial contributions of individuals who, like you, put their trust in us and support our work. Indeed, over one third of our budget comes from individual donors.
This allows us to be independent of governments and companies and only follow what is best for software freedom.
Achieving our fundraising goal of 212.000 € by 12 February 2023 will put us in position to continue our long term approach. This is crucial to abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption, for example by establishing the right to install any software on any device.
In our transparency commitment, you can find out more information about the FSFE and where your donations are going.
3. You can contribute to empowering our society
Your support allow us to run diverse activities and campaigns that are raising awareness about the benefits of Free Software. We promote Free Software programming and tinkering among children and teenagers regardless of their ability or disability, gender identity, sex, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Thereby we provide new generations with the skills to build a more democratic and transparent society, where users have full control of their devices and technologies.
Thanks to your contribution, we can provide resources to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe. We are able to attend various conferences, organise activities and workshops, and create content and material to spread the message.
Learn more about our Public Awareness activities.
4. You can help promote and implement Free Software
Our team includes policy experts who are working with policy makers and public bodies in Europe, from local administrators to EU decision makers. Our financial independence allows us to provide in-depth analysis on different topics and issues, getting involved in political processes or campaigning towards the implementation of Free Software, and also to criticise decision makers if necessary.
Your support allows us to create campaigns such as ‘Public Money, Public Code!’, to advocate for the use of Free Software in public administrations, and to promote best practise examples.
5. You can chip in to make Free Software usage and development easier
We are continuously working to make difficult topics easier to understand, such as usage of Free Software, as well as helping people to run Free Software on their devices.
Education is a key pillar in our work, from a “Legal Education Day” to activities targeting the young generation, for instance with a children’s book and the Youth Hacking 4 Freedom hacking competition. We are also supporting Free Software developers through Next Generation Internet Zero, helping European projects with their technical, legal and licensing needs.
If you want to learn more about our activities and campaigns as well as get a deeper understanding of our work during this past year, check our yearly report Software Freedom 2022.