Give the developers sole control of donation funds. Multi-sig address. Maybe there could be multiple addresses, with different development goals attributed to each address. There's a danger that people could effectively buy their own course of development (a similar argument could be made about the Bitcoin Foundation; a successful candidate can buy votes for the price of a one year membership, industry membership just gets bonus votes, and seemingly only the ability to pay counts)

quoting myself to save writing twice

i did understand. i was just showing a good example of HOW to organise the 'union' without middlemen and lackies sitting on their arses getting a guaranteed income.

also foundations and unions are names of groups that need 'official' organisation and registrations with alot of government red tape.

by calling it a foundation legally requires board members
by calling it a union. well that a whole different kettle of fish.

how about try the words
co-op
consortium

which dont require government red tape and lots of paid lackies that just simply sit on their hands as board members for legal purposes. all thats needed is a transparent and open system that cannot be corrupted and rub by a skeleton crew(preferably everyone: imagining wikipedia's self moderating for instance)

First off: I quite like that name it has a nice ring to it.

I've been thinking about this for a while, ( since before the Foundation, started crumbling ) just because I feel that while its good to have  a single banner for core devs we also need local (ie country specific) Bitcoin/blockchain advocacy groups.

So I started working on: https://github.com/christopherdebeer/btca-template

It started as a fork/clone of the foundation's manifesto and is slowly evolving with the input of a few bitcoiners in the UK specifically for https://github.com/bitcoinallianceuk/btca-template the Bitcoin Alliance UK which we're trying to organise and get mindshare for. The problem is that everyone has their own ideas about what such a group should do if any UK based bitcointalk members read this I'd very much appreciate you getting in touch info@bitcoinalliance.co.uk , even if it is to say that we're doing it all wrong (seriously!)

I know i've kind of gone on a tangent about a UK group, but if you checkout the repo I think the model of operation could still stand, which is why I feel its a template that can be contributed to and used by groups all over the world int he same way.

Also its so crap trying to organise such a group when name are flying around, All we want to do if bring the blockchain the the rest of the word, but whatever name one is trying to rally under can become faddish or frowned apon within a matter of days. We have gone with alliance as we plan to be a losely coupled group of other more local groups in the UK.

@Lethn your (kind of) response is exactly why we're trying to get it sorted, we've not gone Public with a capital P yet because we're still trying to sort out the agenda and structure, but if you're interested and/or know others who are please send them our way or get in touch!!

placeholder site: http://bitcoinalliance.co.uk as yet unpublisized/used forum: forum.bitcoinalliance.co.uk
email contact: info@bitcoinalliance.co.uk

So far its a collaboration between a few UK meetups etc (not all... yet) but we are by no means trying to be the ones 'in-charge' so much as be a banner for those that are interested to flock to, and welcome/invite any and all competing/existing organisations to work with us to come to a consensus as to what we All want from it.

Agreed on all counts. Paying/contribution is obviously a good (read: easy) way to fund an organisation, but I believe that funds should be distributed as deemed fit by the members (who needn't be paying members).

As a counter point I can see how payment (of some sort) helps to indicate a members willingness/commitment to said organisation. but I'm sure there are better ways to achieve this.

Some good ideas here. +1

and im attempting to make it more then just idea's.

i am getting a coder to make a open plan, self moderating template design for a foundation that is automated in places so that the community inputs the information and the guys behind the scenes (whomever they will be) are not required to be board members. but basically moderators.

even the voting/consensus discussions and bounties are community controlled thus no one has control over limiting voting options. its about as open as a forum(but not a forum), but with better features and automation to keep tasks on track and organised/targeted.

just got to wait for him to finish coding it then ill get him to offer it to whomever wants to be the moderators (webmaster/domain owner)
ofcourse like in all business there would be a price to pay for any labour. i never endorse slavery, but if whomever wants a foundation bad enough should pay for the labour of others.

im not sure how much bounty he will request. but im sure it is more fairly, honestly and cheaply priced compared to the price theymos believes this forum is worth, for a glamour redesign. or TBF's entry fee's into their little bookclub.

so yes i know even in a bounty based system there are still costs involved with stuff like paying coders, domain name providers, hosting services. so there is no denying or ignoring that fact.

i simply hope the domain owner/moderator recoops their server and coding costs through advertising and other services that help the community and bitcoin businesses. and doesnt do it through membership fee's.

what we do not want is a system where basement dwellers that want to be handed a free-bee and then abuse it into a money making scheme. i believe in honest and transparent business and communities that can work together, no extortion trying to get super-rich, and no extortion trying to get slaves to work for free.

thats why i believe bounties work best

P.S. this is where we now see those wanting to make a foundation start to go silent as they now realise that they are not ever handed a free-bee that will make them millionaires. and those that dont stay silent are those that have the true passion to do the right thing

while the non-requirement of centralized control (instead of using the word decentralised) has been discussed now lets talk about content.

who wants to NOT sit on their hands and has actual skills, experience and idea's that can help a community grow. im not talking about making the backbone website or being the 'trustee' holding the funds not a board member. i mean community and business projects..

please feel free to supply info on what you can bring to the COMMUNITY. and what you would like to see developed for the community.

this is your time to submit your name as contacts for people to use for their projects,
this is your time to submit your name idea's of projects you want to see the community use in the future.

so don't be shy

.. continuing with my last post

getting people to buy into a website (fee's) an island(donation) is not something that will help the international community. it is simply to make a few select guys rich and living mortgage free, offering hotel rooms and travel to their island at a price.

very selfish and narrow minded.

instead what bitcoin TRULY needs is contacts of every industry,
LEGIT investment companies
LEGIT businesses offering products
LEGIT freelancers offering their skills.

and grow the bitcoins industry into something every day joe public can use. and then advertise all this great industry to the public.

ontop of this bitcoin needs coders to help get these industries started. it needs inspired and aspirational people that want to grow bitcoin, not a landowners back pocket.