I'm not sure if what I'm looking for exists, or if it's even possible to build.

I would like to have a central place where I can donate some monthly amount. I set up my profile and say, from my monthly donation, I want x percent to go to this project, y percent to that project, and so on. So instead of setting up some number of donations for all the projects I use and want to support, I have a single donation to support multiple projects.

Is there already a platform like this?

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[–] 8 points 8 months ago*

The platform that works closest to this is https://www.liberapay.com/

It used to allow making 1 monthly payment and spreading it between projects. But they had to change to comply with banking/payment platform rules so each money transfer is directed to one beneficiary from the get go. Meaning you setup a recurring payment per project.

There's also the nlnet foundation https://nlnet.nl/

It's possible to give them 1 recurring payment to support OSS projects. But they manage how the money is split between projects and their own overhead. You don't pick the projects.

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  • [–] 7 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    Well, the big issue with that is that all the projects you want to donate to will also have to be on that same platform. If any of them aren't, you'll still have to deal with those ones individually.

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  • [–] 5 points 8 months ago (3 children)

    I dont think someone would put the effort into it. You can calculate those values yourself:

    • Divide 100% into whatever groups you want (60%, 25%, 15%)
    • Convert percentages to decimals (move the decimal 2 spots to the left: .6, .25, .15)
    • Multiply the decimal with your total amount to get the portion:

    25 * .6 = 15

    25 * .25 = 6.25

    25 * .15 = 3.75

    • Chech your work: sum the results together to confirm its the full value:

    15 + 6.25 + 3.75 = 25 ☆

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  • [–] 5 points 8 months ago (2 children)

    Chech your work:

    It is rare to see something like this. We have their, there and they're, but there isn't a fourth option.

    • Check
    • Czech
    • Cheque
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  • [–] 3 points 8 months ago

    It sound great but it's way easier to just put in the IBAN and setup a recurring donation for each project.

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  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago

    I've asked the same question in the past, and see it keep coming up. The lack of something centralised or coordinated for donations is a massive missed opportunity for FOSS.

    This is exactly the sort of thing I think the FSF should take on. They are a nonprofit which exists to promote free software, and I think this should include the freedom to donate and receive funds. They are smart people and I'm sure they could figure out how to do it in an efficient way.

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