A new chapter for Open Collective
Published on October 29, 2024 by Xavier Damman

Hi everyone,

As you have seen in our latest announcement, The Open Collective Platform is Moving to a Community Governed Non-profit and I'm returning as the CEO of Open Collective Inc.

I started Open Collective back in 2015 (9 years ago already, time flies!) to solve a simple problem: how do we enable communities to receive and spend money transparently and effortlessly?

The Internet gave us the ability to collaborate (e.g. to build open source projects) and to come together in real life (by organizing local meetups). But we don’t have an Internet solution to receive money as a community.

Collectives as virtual entities

My first idea was to apply what we had learned with the development of the world wide web. In the early days, every website had to have their own web server. Then we realized that it’s a bit of a waste of time to require everyone to learn about web hosting. So we started sharing. If I know how to host a website, I may as well host yours. This greatly reduced the friction to start websites and the web started growing exponentially šŸ•øļø

The first version of Open Collective was exactly that; a software platform to share existing non-profits so that you don’t have to create one for every single project / collective in your community.

We ended up creating 3 non-profits to showcase the platform: Open Source Collective 501c6 for open source communities around the world, Open Collective Foundation 501c3 for charitable projects in the US and Open Collective Europe ASBL.

Fast forward to 2024, more than 3,500 collectives are using the platform. Collectively, they have raised more than $100M (discover them).

The initial business model was to share the revenue with the non-profits that provide that service to collectives for a fee (we call them fiscal hosts). It was a great way to start as you align incentives, but as fiscal hosts started growing, it became unsustainable. It didn’t make sense for them to share 50/50 their income to a for-profit entity where they don’t have a seat.

So we decided to move the current version of Open Collective to a new non-profit, spearheaded by the team that lead Open Collective in the past few years (Pia Mancini, FranƧois Hodierne and Ben Nickolls). That way, fiscal hosts can collectively own the software that they depend on.

But the original mission of Open Collective is not over. We haven’t figured out yet how to create organizations for the Internet Age. There cannot just be 3,500 collectives. Organizing ourselves as LLCs, corporations or event non-profits doesn’t feel right. Those were the vehicles for the Industrial Age. They were meant for a different terrain. They are built around hierarchies and competition, in a world with infinite resources and unlimited growth. Their bookkeeping –their dashboard– only measures a single currency, their ā€œbottom lineā€. We need new vehicles. We say that ā€œwe cannot discover a new world with an old mapā€, I’d add: ā€œwe cannot move to the new world with old vehiclesā€ šŸš—šŸ’Ø.

Real life experiences

When Pia replaced me as CEO back in 2018, I ended up moving back to Brussels and getting myself quite involved with climate movements. With my partner Leen Schelfhout, we created a new fiscal host for climate projects: allforclimate.earth. We worked with Gitcoin to create a climate round and help many of those projects raise money with crypto. Today allforclimate is hosting more than 270+ projects around Europe.

We also created numerous collectives ourselves: the Citizen Garden (guerilla garden in front of our garage door), Citizen Corner (temporary occupation at the corner of our street), DAO.brussels (web3 community in Brussels), Regens Unite (bringing together climate activists, tech people, healers, working on regeneration) and more recently Citizen Wallet (open source wallet for community currencies) and the Commons Hub Brussels (a common for the commons).

šŸ“– Read: When citizens spring
Through all of those projects (all on open collective), I experienced the limitation of human organizations that only accounts for a single scarce currency (euros or dollars).

Turns out enabling collectives to receive and spend money was only one part of the problem. The latest saga with Wordpress illustrates this perfectly. Communities need more than just money to sustain themselves. They also need contributors and a way to balance ā€œMakers and Takersā€ (see this excellent blog post of Dries Buytaert, founder of Drupal and one of our angel investors, on the topic: Solving the Maker-Taker problem).

Next iteration

So we need a new form of organization that will take into account more than one currency, more than one way to contribute. We already have some examples around us. Supermarket cooperatives such as Park Slope in Brooklyn or the Bees Coop in Brussels show us a future where you need more than dollars or euros to have access to what the community has to offer. Online, we see the emergence of DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, I like to refer to them as digital cooperatives). As they say: ā€œthe future is already present, it’s just not evenly distributed yetā€.

I’m excited to be back to explore how we can bring that future closer to the present. That’s my role as an entrepreneur. That’s my contribution to this global movement –this murmuration– to find a new way to organize and coordinate human society in this Internet Age.

How can we enable collectives to embrace more than one currency? How can we enable collectives to take into account more than one way to contribute? How can we change the incentives to better balance ā€œMakers and Takersā€? How can we build organizations that regenerate our human & natural resources instead of depleting them? What are the tools that they need? Those are the main questions that we will be living with in this next chapter of Open Collective.

Those are also the questions that we are living with every day at the Commons Hub Brussels. It will be our testing ground to experiment and iterate quickly to build a great platform to support online and offline communities that manage common resources.

How could Open Collective be useful for your project and for your community? I’m interested to hear your story, your needs and your perspective on what Internet native organizations should look like. Share your thoughts in this form.

Competition was the game of the Industrial Age. Corporations were our vehicles. Cooperation is the game of the Internet Age. Cooperatives will be our vehicles.

But not the old dusty ones based on bureaucracy that are hard to set up and manage. We need a new generation of cooperatives, Internet native ones, as easy to create and manage than a blog, a GitHub repo, a Discord server or a WhatsApp group[1].

I'm looking forward to working together with the community to continue this journey.

[1] Nathan Schneider and Trebor Scholz were onto something with their idea of ā€œPlatform Cooperativismā€ (see my thread on their first conference in NYC in 2015). A great idea whose time has (finally) come, now that we have thanks to web3 a shared global infrastructure to share ownership.

Special thanks šŸ™

Thank you Roy Bahat for your precious help throughout this exit-to-community process.

Thank you to Pia Mancini, FranƧois Hodierne, Ben Nickolls for stewarding the new non-profit and making sure that the current community of open collectives is well taken care of.

Thank you Babette De Fauw, Marco Gerletti for stewarding allforclimate.earth, can’t wait to work with you to support more regenerative collectives.

Thank you Albert Wenger and Susan Gigi Danziger for your support in the past few years to develop open source tools for climate projects and local communities šŸŒ

Thank you Leen Schelfhout for completing me so well. You opened my world in the past 5 years to new dimensions šŸ’—

Thank you Kevin Sundar Raj, Jonas Boury for your work on the Citizen Wallet. It’s another piece of the puzzle 🧩

Thank you Aseem Sood for coming back to Open Collective as a board member. It fills me with joy to work again with you on what is a journey of a lifetime.

Thank you Charles Eisenstein, Bernard Lietaer, Elinor Ostrom, Kate Raworth, Margaret Wheatley for inspiring me through your books šŸ“š

Thank you everyone who has been contributing to the various collectives we started over the years. Your contributions mattered in ways that you cannot imagine (our neighbors in Schaerbeek, DAO.Brussels, Regens Unite community). Community is immunity šŸ”…
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This is great news! Moving Open Collective to a community-governed nonprofit feels like a strong step back to its original mission, and your return as CEO reinforces that vision. As someone who follows transparent, community-driven platforms like Jojoy Hub official, I’m excited to see how this next chapter strengthens openness and support for grassroots initiatives.Ā 

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Ā A new chapter for Open Collective feels both exciting and meaningful. When I started the platform back in 2015—hard to believe it’s been nine years already—the mission was simple: make it easy for communities to receive and spend money transparently. The internet gave us the power to collaborate on open-source projects and gather through local meetups, yet there was still no clear, digital-first solution for managing shared community funds. This gap is exactly what Open Collective set out to solve. And just as the platform continues to evolve, I’ve seen similar progress in other digital tools that prioritize accessibility, like delta executor apk, which streamlines complex tasks into a smooth, user-friendly experience. Both represent how modern technology can simplify collective action and empower communities to operate with greater transparency.Ā 

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Ā This is an inspiring update! It’s amazing to see Open Collective move toward a community-governed model while staying true to its original mission. Your vision from 2015 still resonates today — communities need transparent, modern ways to manage resources, especially as collaboration continues to evolve. It reminds me of how local service-based platforms likeĀ  PestiXpert Pest Control in Ontario focus on building trust and transparency in their own industries as well. Excited to see how this transition empowers more open-source and community-driven groups. Congratulations on returning as CEO and guiding the platform into this new era!Ā 

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Ā What a powerful milestone for Open Collective! Seeing the platform shift toward a community-governed model while staying true to its original mission is truly inspiring. The vision you set back in 2015 still holds strong today — communities genuinely need transparent, modern ways to manage shared resources as collaboration keeps evolving. It reminds me of how thoughtful, long-term care can impact the lifespan of horse ownership: trust, stewardship, and consistency always create lasting strength. I’m excited to watch this transition empower even more open-source and community-driven groups. Congratulations on returning as CEO and leading the platform into a bold new era!Ā 

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Ā This is a truly meaningful moment for Open Collective and the wider open-source ecosystem. A community-governed model rooted in transparency is exactly what long-term collaboration needs to thrive. We see similar dynamics in developer and gaming communities as well — for example, how open communities form around projects like minecraft apk, where trust, shared stewardship, and consistent leadership shape sustainable growth. It’s inspiring to see Open Collective double down on these values while evolving with the needs of modern contributors. Congratulations on stepping back in as CEO and guiding the platform into this impactful new chapter.

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Ā This marks a genuinely important milestone for Open Collective and the broader open-source ecosystem. A transparency-first, community-governed approach is exactly what sustainable, long-term collaboration depends on. We see these same principles at work in developer and gaming communities as well—such as the open ecosystems that grow around awesome projects like delta executor ejecutor—where trust, shared ownership, and steady leadership drive lasting progress. It’s encouraging to see Open Collective reinforce these values while continuing to adapt to the evolving needs of today’s contributors. Congratulations on stepping back into the CEO role and leading the platform into this meaningful new phase.Ā 

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Ā This update really resonates with me — it’s inspiring to see Open Collective double down on transparent, community-driven finance and shift toward a community-governed nonprofit while staying true to the mission that drew so many of us in the first place, helping grassroots and open source projects thrive through accessible tools and clear accountability. I especially appreciate how this evolution reflects a deeper understanding of what modern communities need — not just funding mechanisms but shared stewardship and flexibility to grow in ways old corporate structures never intended. It reminds me of how breakthroughs in areas likeĀ 
cybertruck battery design are shaping entirely new possibilities for energy storage: when you rethink the foundation rather than just tweak around the edges, you open up a whole new realm of innovation and sustainability.Ā 

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This update really resonates with me—it’s inspiring to see Open Collective double down on transparent, community-driven finance and move toward a community-governed nonprofit while staying true to the mission that attracted so many of us in the first place: empowering grassroots and open-source projects with accessible tools and real accountability. What stands out most is how this shift shows a deeper understanding of what modern communities actually need—not just funding systems, but shared stewardship and the flexibility to grow beyond the limits of traditional corporate structures. That kind of rethinking at the foundation level often unlocks entirely new possibilities, much like innovation in unexpected spaces—from clean tech to everyday conveniences like 7 Brew Delivery—where changing the model itself creates a more sustainable, community-friendly future.Ā 

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Ā This announcement marks an important and inspiring step for Open Collective, especially in how it reinforces transparency, shared ownership, and long-term sustainability for online communities. The idea of treating collectives as virtual entities that can easily receive and manage funds without heavy legal or technical barriers feels like a natural evolution of how the internet already works. As community-driven projects continue to grow—whether in open source, creative spaces, or even gaming communities like jenny minecraft—having a governance model that empowers contributors rather than central authorities is crucial. Open Collective’s return to community governance seems well aligned with the collaborative spirit that originally made the platform successful.Ā 

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Ā This announcement represents a meaningful and encouraging step for Open Collective, particularly in how it strengthens transparency, shared ownership, and long-term sustainability for online communities. Recognizing collectives as virtual entities that can receive and manage funds without complex legal or technical hurdles feels like a logical progression of how the internet already functions. As community-driven initiatives continue to expand—across open-source projects, creative platforms, or even gaming communities like jenny minecraft—having governance models that empower contributors rather than centralized control becomes increasingly important. In many ways, this mirrors how clearly defined systems, such as those used for processes like nbi clearance, help build trust and accountability. Open Collective’s return to community-led governance aligns well with the collaborative values that originally drove the platform’s success.Ā 

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This is a powerful and inspiring reflection on where online communities have come from and where they need to go next. The emphasis on cooperation, multiple forms of contribution, and community-owned infrastructure feels especially relevant in today’s world. Clear systems, transparency, and accessibility are crucial for any community-driven platform to thrive—much like how people rely on straightforward tools such as SASSA Status Check to stay informed and confident about processes that directly affect their lives. Wishing Open Collective success as it enters this important new chapter focused on regeneration and shared ownership.

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Ā This announcement marks a positive and forward-looking milestone for Open Collective, reinforcing its commitment to transparency, shared ownership, and long-term sustainability for online communities. Treating collectives as virtual entities capable of receiving and managing funds without unnecessary legal or technical friction reflects how the internet already operates in practice. As community-led initiatives continue to grow—spanning open-source development, creative ecosystems, and even gaming communities like Jenny Minecraft—the need for governance models that prioritize contributors over centralized authority becomes more critical. Much like structured systems such as NBI clearance processes foster trust and accountability, clear community governance builds confidence and resilience. In this evolving digital landscape, resources and tools—whether financial platforms or community utilities like delta atualizado 2025—play a role in supporting decentralized participation. Open Collective’s return to community-driven governance strongly aligns with the collaborative principles that shaped its original success.Ā 

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This announcement represents a meaningful and future-focused step for Open Collective, reaffirming its dedication to transparency, shared stewardship, and long-term sustainability within online communities. Recognizing collectives as virtual entities that can receive and manage funds without unnecessary legal or technical barriers mirrors how digital communities already function in reality. As contributor-driven initiatives continue to expand—across open-source projects, creative networks, and gaming spaces—the demand for governance models that empower participants over centralized control becomes increasingly important. Similar to how structured systems build trust through accountability, well-defined community governance strengthens confidence and resilience. In today’s evolving digital ecosystem, supportive tools and resources—ranging from financial platforms to community utilities like null's brawl son sürüm apk—help enable decentralized participation. Open Collective’s renewed focus on community-led governance strongly reflects the collaborative values that fueled its original growth and success.Ā 

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