status of the free mailout

[Akash Mehta]

The criteria for a grant, and my checks that we meet them:
Linux Australia - Guidelines for distribution of funds
The request must:
Be for the good of some project that relates to Linux or Open Source

I'm sure we meet this.

Have some tangible result (such as a finished bit of code, a piece of
hardware, a web site) so the community can feel the funds are being
well used

I'm happy to establish a web presence for the project mailouts
themselves, although I don't see the problem with the current wiki.

Be submitted to linux-aus at linux.org.au

Self explanatory.

Must have specified milestones, and attempt to meet them (e.g. I will
port Linux to the Gronk 4281 within 6 months)

This is the tricky one. Average 4 mailout requests per day within 3 months?

Have open documentation proceedures if possible (i.e. an open
developers mailing list, CVS repository, whatever is reasonable for
that project)

I suppose we can have a publicly editable noticeboard or something for this.

Must credit LA with sponsorship on their website, with an appropriate link

This is fine.

Applications may be but are not limited to:
For overhead costs such as some bit of hardware, or bandwidth for an
open source project
Resources such as web space, hosting, mailing lists
Support for organising an event or conference
Advertising or media coverage of some event or conference
Bulk ordering of items that may be useful to many LUGs/SIGs

We don't exactly fit into these, but 'are not limited to' in the title
says it all.

The applicant must:
Outline the need as specifically as possible

Monetary amounts to fund postal charges and other handling expenses
related but not limited to the distribution of CD copies of the Ubuntu
operating system within the Asian sub-continent? (Don't ask.)

Be a member or affiliate of Linux Australia

Whoever runs the mailouts, please signup at http://www.linux.org.au/membership/.

Be a person willing to take responsibility for making the request on
behalf of the project

Whoever wants to do this - I'm not very experienced with the system.

Agree to the responsibilities he/she must undertake if the application
is accepted

We're already doing this, aren't we?

Supply Linux Australia with any necessary receipts

I assume we'll have a fair few of these, can you bulk order pre-paid
CD mailers or something?

Provide Linux Australia with a brief report as to how the project
went, results, etc. Optionally publishing how funds were used and the
status of the project on a related webpage. Reports will be published
to the linux.org.au website.

I can draw up an excel spreadsheet with very basic info for whoever to
update each time they send out a CD.

Exceptions
For seemingly worthwhile sponserships less than $100 the Linux
Australia Committee will make the call, and post to linux-aus for the
information of the membership. Two committee members must agree to any
single request of this type.

Do we come under this? I doubt we do, 3 per day * $2 per mailout = $180.

The Grant limit will not exceed $2000 in any calendar month until
modified by the committee.

$2000 / $2 per mailout = 1000 mailouts, / 30 = approx 33 requests per
day. If this happens, expect to go recruiting people to work the
phones.

Linux Australia retains the right to refuse project requests at its discretion.

This is fine, and I don't see why they would refuse us.

What we need fo figure out is how much we need to support the
mailouts, how many mailouts we predict, how we will maintain some form
of goal and keep the mailouts going (not much point if they gives us
$200 in a month and we send out 5 mailouts in the entire month) etc.
Who runs the mailouts?

Akash

On 8/13/06, Akash Mehta <draicone at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Sounds good, although we can't always rely on them, since mailouts will grow. Maybe apply for grants and accept donations?
>
>
> Akash
>
>
>
> On 8/13/06,  David Drury <idavid at atdotdotnet.net> wrote:
> >  Greetings,
> >
> > Linux Australia will give grants for linux related projects. This seems a
> > worthy cause, so I doubt that they'd have much objection to approving a
> > grant. Details on  http://www.linux.org.au
> >
> > cya
> >
> > Akash Mehta writes:
> >
> > > As someone else suggested, we could accept donations and arrange a
> > > donation
> > > system (paypal?), I'd be happy to help set up a web based donation system
> > > if
> > > a long standing member (or yourself) has a PayPal account.
> > >
> > > Akash
> > >
> > > On 8/13/06, Peter baker <jellyware at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> hey guys
> > >>
> > >> the local mailout of free install discs has been suspended till further
> > >> notice.  I have been doing it as a free community service for the last
> > >> few
> > >> months, and now it is at a stage where its starting to be too big for me
> > >> to
> > >> handle
> > >>
> > >> yesterday we had 4 requests for ubuntu cd's to be mailed out.  for a long
> > >> time there we were averaging 1 a day, but suddenly this has shot up to
> > >> 2-3 a
> > >> day.  this gets kinda expensive.
> > >>
> > >> I quite enjoy doing the actual mailing, its the financial side I don't
> > >> like.  so if anyone has any suggestions on how to raise money for the
> > >> mailout I'm all ears
> > >>
> > >> peter (my email address on the wiki and ubuntu.com.au is
> > >> sydneypete at gmail.com )
> > >>
> > >> --
> > >> www.peterbaker.id.au
> > >> Registered Linux user # 420363
> > >>
> > >> --
> > >> ubuntu-au mailing list
> > >>  ubuntu-au at lists.ubuntu.com
> > >> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-au
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> >
> >
> >
> >  --
> > David Drury
> > Network Administrator
> > Peregrine Corporation
> > "He's mostly dead, Jim. Get Miracle Max"
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > ubuntu-au mailing list
> >  ubuntu-au at lists.ubuntu.com
> > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-au
> >
>
>