I don't have great connections and stuff. I used to keep the FOSS projects running, by freelancing. But, I am always having to keep juggling between OSS work and freelancing which is getting very tiring and stressful.
So, I was planning to crowd-fund an upcoming open-source project, so I can keep it free.
But so far, it doesn't seem to be going great, also maybe it's not reaching the right people??
So how do you guys get funded or raise money? How and where do you find sponsors?
Top comments (17)
It is really difficult to get funded in open-source, if you are not giving extreme value to people. I suggest to develop a business plan on your open-source project, but with an edge that you keep closed-souce as a value proposition to B2B, not your B2C clients.
We are still at ZERO in funding but im with you, we are working to get funded.
Keep up the work!
Hey thanks for replying and for your insights
Do you mean to keep some part of the project closed source? Also, when selling to B2B I have heard they need a lot of security compliance.
Yes exactly. A part of your code should be closed... that is your edge. You need to negotiate on that with clients that are b2b.
Well, it's hard indeed. My library gets downloaded 60k/month, is used by 1600+ repositories, but there is not a single recurrent sponsor 😢 ...kind of sad. Only two guys once gifted me a coffee (thanks guys)
The sad truth is that OSS gives you chump change at best.
And guys who earn something with it are by far more the exception than the rule. Regarding the article that @fyodorio shared, I find it also interesting to look closer at what he earned:
That's the hard reality.
What I also find interesting is the following paragraph in the article:
Yup! going forward, I am planning to build a community and also add some premium content or at least add a one-time license for enterprise users.
I have similar experience. I created backend library for php to cover bolt specification (link). Over 300 000 downloads from packagist. Even used by Adobe for CC. And zero income.
calebporzio.com/i-just-cracked-1-m...
Wow! this was a great read and insightful. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, this one is a recent one, pretty relevant. But again, take it with a grain of salt, because Caleb’s way is quite specific and community-driven. Creating such a community and personal brand may take some time.
Hmm.. building the community is the hard part. Need to find time for that as well.
Wow
??
Wow-effect… you need wow-effect… obviously! 🙄🤣
if you won't funding you need to develop something people won't, be prepared to jump through hops and work with a community.
communityfund.stellar.org
Would love to hear from people who have raised or got sponsorships
It is very hard. I created some open source stuff which are popular. I tried to reach out to gather some sponsors. I tried to apply for funds, grants. Still not success.
Yes, going forward I am planning to create a separate business license, so people how can pay will have to pay.
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