Trying to find a successful not for profit model for a hackerspace

[Andrew Gray]

Hi guys,

Trying to get my hands on successful not for profit business models that any of the hacker spaces are using. Not really interested in having a for profit set up for biohacker spaces and the community down here is of a similar mindset.So if your favorite hackerspace is a not for profit and standing on its own two legs, shoot me a message! Thanks guys :)

Andrew

[Dakota Hamill]

Rent out space, charge fees for classes, or sell monthly/yearly subscriptions.  Cover the cost of operations and put the extra back into consumables or equipment.

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[Tom Hodder]

On 9 July 2015 at 23:51, Andrew Gray <andrew....@gmail.com> wrote:

Trying to get my hands on successful not for profit business models that any of the hacker spaces are using. Not really interested in having a for profit set up for biohacker spaces and the community down here is of a similar mindset.

In the UK, we have the option to incorporate a form of a company called "company limit by guarantee" (CLG) where the subscribers own the equity of the company, but do not typically receive distributions of cash generated by the business as dividends. In this scenario, any amounts which are generated as a result of there being more incomings than outgoings are referred to as "surpluses" and not "profits". 

So in a sense the business is "non profit" by definition, but in actuality, if you fail to meet your expenses, and run a net loss, then you are going to go bust. I guess what I am saying, is that aiming to be "non profit" or "non surplus" is a pretty bad idea, because 

A) you will go bust, or you will need constant cash injections from wealthy donors.

and, possibly more importantly

B) You cannot grow your hackspace into anything good, as you have no surpluses to re-invest in equipment or projects.

[Claudio Tiecher]

Hi guys,

in Groningen (NL) the DIYbio community organizes educational programs within a non-profit foundation, subsidised by the goverment. In exchange we get a space and all the projects are financially supportted by the members of DIYbio Groningen.

Cheers,
Claudio

[Mike Horwath]

Check out the Hackerspace Design Patterns, either the wiki page or original presentation:

https://wiki.hackerspaces.org/Design_Patterns
https://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/attachments/1003_Building%20a%20Hacker%20Space.pdf

Also make a search for any makerspaces/hackerspaces/fablabs within an hour or two, talking to people in person is a great idea and most groups are happy to help!

(I'm a member of Hive13 in Ohio, 6 years old and going strong)

Mike

[Meow-Ludo]

In Australia not-for-profits operate in a similar fashion to the CLG you mentioned.