Loomio
Fri 4 Aug 2023 8:08PM

Open Collective Host & Platform 6

AES Andrew Escobar (Andres) · social.coop Finance Working Group Public Seen by 16

During the CWG meeting today (Aug. 4) I learned that Platform 6 is considering its current viability and a path forward: “The current directors do not have capacity to keep Platform 6 Development Co-op functioning.”

Platform 6, Extraordinary General Meetings (June 3, 2023 & July 29, 2023)

In reading the minutes of both meetings, it is clear that Platform 6 has carefully evaluated options that will avoid disruption to its member organizations. Innovation Cooperative is seen as an enthusiastic partner that “has agreed, subject to due diligence, to take over the key fiscal hosting service” that social‍‍.coop and others rely on.

While the FWG is scheduled to meet on Aug. 29, 2023 at 9 AM Mountain, perhaps this group should meet earlier to:

  1. consider the path forward with Platform 6 (and therefore innovation‍.coop);

  2. evaluate the need for a decision by the FWG or the membership; and

  3. provide a general update to members.

With thanks,

Andrew Escobar (Andres)

@[email protected]

NS

Nathan Schneider Mon 18 Mar 2024 4:25PM

@Graham, based on the just-passed budget, I have just set up an annual recurring 600 GBP payment from Social.coop to P6. Thanks for your engagement on this in the budgeting process.

cc @Andrew Escobar (Andres) · social.coop Finance Working Group

G

Graham Tue 19 Mar 2024 8:06AM

@Nathan Schneider Many thanks. That's really helpful and appreciated.

G

Graham Tue 19 Mar 2024 8:15AM

A brief update on the process of transition for P6: we originally thought that Innovation Cooperative Limited could simply become the sole member of P6, effectively making it a wholly owned subsidiary. However that approach has some significant cost implications driven by the legal requirements of this type of arrangement, so instead we've taken an approach that is offered by the peculiarities of the UK legislation around cooperative societies, whereby a society can be taken over by another society by a process known as a 'transfer of engagements'. P6 is not currently structured as a society, so there's a technical pre-cursor step that needs to be taken, to convert P6 into a society. Our legal people are working on this currently, and I hope that we can now execute this fairly swiftly and cost effectively.

NS

Nathan Schneider Tue 19 Mar 2024 3:06PM

@Graham Thanks for this. Under this scenario, would we need to shift our fiscal sponsorship from P6 to Innovation, or just stay with P6?

G

Graham Tue 19 Mar 2024 3:35PM

@Nathan Schneider We'll aim to make it seamless, but will be constrained by what's possible with OC.

CWF

Caitlin Waddick, Finance Working Group for Social.Coop and Organizing Circle Thu 26 Sep 2024 5:48PM

TOPIC: OC/FWG/TWG/LWG (As cross-posted to OC thread on Legal) ... @Andrew Escobar (Andres) · social.coop Finance Working Group and I met with Shaun Fensom at Innovation.Coop on Sept. 6.

For fiscal hosting, we collect and distribute money (using Stripe) via Open Collective, https://opencollective.com You pay your Social.Coop dues on Open Collective (which is transparent/public).

Platform 6 Development Cooperative was our fiscal host (but maybe they didn't view themselves as a legal host). However, Platform 6 voted to disband and may be merging with a larger organization called Innovation.

Innovation.coop/ (Innovation is based in UK; it operates under UK law)

https://platform6.coop/ OR, shorter description: https://opencollective.com/platform6-coop#

For a summary, in all the glorious details, here is my current understanding:

The Domain name for Social.Coop is registered with Innovation.Coop

The registrant is in the name of Innovation.Coop

The registry is “.coop”

Domain Registrar is Gandi (which is Amazon-owned)

The registrant is the one who owns and controls: Innovation.Coop

[Our original registrant was FairCoop under Enric Duran]

The servers are in the name of Nicholas Stoke (who is a Social.Coop member)

Payment for the servers are being invoiced monthly by Noah Hall (who is a Social.Coop member and serves on the Tech Working Group) [Aside: Noah is reimbursed: he makes the payment personally, then he submits an invoice to Social.Coop, which the Finance Working Group approves.]

FWG/We propose to put our servers in the name of Innovation. Tech Working Group would do it. @Flancian

Innovation would provide or become: fiscal host, governance host, technological host...

The alternative is for Social.Coop to incorporate as a legal entity based in a particular country.

The implications for these decisions are about how we take control, how we make payments, and who can get sued. (Right now, can an individual in the OC or TWG get sued on behalf of Social.Coop?)

I will edit this document, as I learn of corrections and changes.

Shaun (at Innovation) requests that we at Social.Coop identify our legal liabilities and relay them to Innovation for drawing up a contract. One of our weak spots right now is that the server is held in the name of an individual (associated with Social.Coop). We can change it. What are our other legal liabilities?

CWF

Caitlin Waddick, Finance Working Group for Social.Coop and Organizing Circle Thu 26 Sep 2024 5:58PM

@Flancian has asked us for a Social.Coop credit card to use for this payment.

G

Graham Fri 27 Sep 2024 9:02AM

Couple of points on this, purely for the sake of accuracy:

Platform 6 Development Cooperative was and is the fiscal host. That organisation is in process of being merged with innovation.coop (Innovation Cooperative Limited - a UK registered cooperative society).

The current domain registrar is Gandi.net. (in this context the term 'registrar' is equivalent to 'retailer').