The Drupal Association is running an election to one seat for the board of directors from the community. I asked this questions to all candidates.
I believe that engagement with the Drupal Association is not optional if you want to participate in the Drupal project in any way.
- The Drupal Association manages drupal.org (ticketing + releases + documentation + API docs + outstanding communications + translations + security coverage). This is not optional for any individual.
- The Drupal Association manages DrupalCon. This is optional for individuals.
- The Drupal Association oversees the CWG. This is not optional for individuals.
Maybe some day engagement with the Drupal Association will be optional, but my opinion is that it is not optional today. This is why I think that the Drupal Association cannot act only in its own best interest, but it needs to act on the best interest of the people contributing to the project. That is regardless of their affiliation and/or feelings towards the association.
On that vein I asked all candidates this:
Excuse me if I make no sense in my questions. I am no lawyer either, and the U.S. is not my home country. My questions are framed around legal figures, however I only intend to get a sense of what your values are as a potential director.
The Drupal Association (DrupalCon Inc.) currently declares itself as a 501(c)(3) (as per 2018's tax filing). According to the IRS website:
A section 501(c)(3) organization must not be organized or operated for the benefit of private interests, such as the creator or the creator's family, shareholders of the organization, other designated individuals, or persons controlled directly or indirectly by such private interests. No part of the net earnings of a section 501(c)(3) organization may inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. A private shareholder or individual is a person having a personal and private interest in the activities of the organization.
(emphasis of my own)
I sense a lot of effort in promoting business using Drupal in what the Drupal association does (my perception might be wrong). From my limited understanding, this is typical from 501(c)(6) organizations (Business leagues, Chambers of commerce, Boards of trade, ...). For context, the Linux Foundation declares itself as 501(c)(6) (as per 2018's tax filing).
My questions are:
- Do you feel the current Drupal Association is living to the 501(c)(3) spirit? (I am not asking about the legality, but the spirit).
- Should a voting arise: do you lean towards promoting the project itself and stay as a 501(c)(3)? or do you think that promoting business with Drupal is the best course of action and, therefore, the Drupal Association should become a 501(c)(6)?
My questions are geared towards: how will you position yourself in the balance between promoting the common good vs. fostering healthy business using Drupal? But I would love to get specific answers to the two questions above.