Hello, OSC community! This month's update is coming in a bit later than usual because the OSC team was in Berlin. Now that we're back, we’re excited to share some key takeaways and catch up with you all.

📣 Announcements  📣

The OSC team recently attended FOSS Backstage in Berlin — a conference we’ve proudly sponsored for a few years now. This year, it was especially exciting to be there in person! Several of our hosted collectives were also in attendance making it a great opportunity to connect with some OSC members along with other organizations in the ecosystem.

If you’d like to read more about the event, check out their recap post: https://25.foss-backstage.de/that-was-foss-backstage-2025/

Recordings are now being uploaded to their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PlainSchwarzUG
Be sure to check out OSC-community members Mautic and OWD's sessions here:

- Mautic's Ruth on Implementing GitHub's private security issue reporting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZVDPJYsuUM&list=PLq-odUc2x7i-vFcBUZoDxTz9Vyu0Joq0X&index=8

- OWD's Florian and Jory on Project Economics: A case study with Open Web Docs : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSlSMatwVN8

We’re also happy to share that, through our conference fund, two admins from two OSC hosted member projects were able to attend. If you're interested in attending a non-technical open source conference but could use some support with a ticket, check out our program to see if we can assist: https://docs.oscollective.org/what-we-offer/grants-for-conference-attendance

Some highlights from the conference:
- Open Web Docs gave a talk about their project's economics. One of the key points highlighted in their presentation was their success in 'selling' support to their project, which is to use language that businesses understand. Instead of saying, 'donations to the project ensure project sustainability,' it's that 'donations will reduce an organization's transaction costs'. A second point they shared was the importance of diversifying a project's funding sources. What percentage of your incoming funds come from Corporate Donations / Programmatic / Individual Contributors? What area do you need to increase to ensure you aren't at risk if one revenue stream decreases? Watch here: https://youtu.be/QSlSMatwVN8?feature=shared

- Shauna Gordon-McKeon gave a talk about common relationship problems in open source. One of the takeaways was one this simple reminder: "A good relationship is one where people can share their needs with each other, and collaborate on getting those needs met, even when those needs are in conflict.". The recording isn’t uploaded yet, but you can check the YouTube channel for updates. 

The SustainOSS Virtual Forum also took place the same week. Bringing together many excellent discussions on  sustainability challenges and opportunities in open source. The agenda covered a wide range of topics including:

- funding and revenue models
- community and contributor support
- maintainer wellbeing
- policy, security, and the Cyber Resilence Act (CRA)
- measuring and mapping impact
- challenges in sanctioned countries
- strengthening open source communities
- the impact of AI on open source
 
One key takeaway that is still on my mind days later comes from a session on running impactful individual donor campaigns. One of the points emphasized was that one of the best metrics for success isn’t just the number of new donors but donor retention — especially tracking your project's very first donor. That person answered the very first call to support your project, meaning they care deeply, and measuring whether they're staying on board is essential.

Wise Fee Updates

As a fiscal host, we want to keep our hosted member projects informed about changes that may impact how you manage funds. Wise recently announced updates to their fees, and we recommend reviewing this update to see how they may affect your specific transactions: https://wise.com/gb/blog/feb-25-fee-review-summary 

Please note that OSC does not have any involvement in setting or managing Wise’s fees. If you have any questions about Wise's fees, feel free to reach out and we will do our best to assist.

Google Summer of Code 2025: Applications Open for Contributors
If you're new to open source development or a student interested in learning more about open source, GSoC is designed for beginners looking to gain hands on experience and they will soon be accepting applications for contributors. The application period is March 24-April 8.

Learn more here: https://opensource.googleblog.com/2025/01/google-summer-of-code-2025-is-here.html

In February, OSC welcomed 18 new hosted member projects.A big welcome to: Asahi Linux, Cot, Dimensions Delvers, FuelSearch, GoZen, Hasheous, Himmelblau Foundation, Incluud, InftyAi, Kafka Ui, Komodo, LMMs-Lab, Nevalang Collective, OpenIndiana, Path of Building Community, Pollinations.Ai, PowerNukkitX, TutorialLLM

That’s all for now! As always, feel free to reach out to the OSC team directly at [email protected] or on Discord in the #open-source-collective channel: discord.opencollective.com

- Open Source Collective