WBFOSS Membership

West Bengal Free & Open Source Society (WBFOSS) is a member-owned, member-governed non-profit.
We practice open governance—transparent, accountable, and democratic. If you use, build, teach, or advocate Free and Open-Source Software, this is your home.

Why become a member?

Own the mission: Members collectively steer WBFOSS through voting and governance.
Set priorities: Decide what we fund, which projects we incubate, and which programs we run.
Grow the commons: Mentor contributors, support local adoption, and strengthen public-interest tech.
Get representation: Access policy/licensing guidance via our expert network.

Membership Types

Individual

For professionals, makers, researchers, civil society contributors.
Rights: 1 member = 1 vote in the General Body (GB); can propose initiatives; eligible for committees.
Benefits: Member directory (opt-in), events, working groups, project participation.

Student

For school/college/university students.
Rights: Vote in the Student Council and elect one annual student delegate to GB.
Benefits: Mentorship, sprints, internships, fee concessions, chapter activities.

Contributor

For sustained FOSS contributors (code or non-code: docs, design, community, translation, QA).
Rights: Same as Individual; eligible for Technical Steering Committee (TSC).
Benefits: Incubation priority, maintainer spotlight, micro-grants (subject to budget).

Institutional (Academic)

Universities, colleges, and research labs.
Rights: Up to 2 voting delegates in GB.
Benefits: Faculty development, curriculum alignment, campus chapters, joint labs, job fairs.

Organisational (Non-profit / Community)

NGOs, user groups, community collectives.
Rights: 1 delegate vote in GB.
Benefits: Co-hosting rights, shared programs, joint grants, venue/resource pooling.

Corporate (Startup/SME/Enterprise)

Companies that use or build with FOSS.
Rights: Delegate votes by tier—Associate (1), Silver (2), Gold (3), Platinum (4).
Benefits: Employer branding, contributor days, OSS compliance workshops, project sponsorship, hiring showcases, policy roundtables.

All members accept the WBFOSS Code of Conduct and Governance Charter.

Membership Tiers & Fees

Tier	Who it’s for	Annual Fee*	Voting	Highlights
Student	Individuals in education	₹ concessional	Delegate via Council	Mentorship, sprints, internships
Individual	Professionals/independents	₹ standard	1 vote	Proposals, WGs, directory
Contributor	Sustained contributors	₹ waived/standard	1 vote	TSC eligibility, spotlight
Academic	Colleges/Universities	₹ tiered	2 delegates	Chapters, faculty dev, labs
Org (NPO)	NGOs/communities	₹ tiered	1 delegate	Co-hosting, shared programs
Corporate—Associate	Startups	₹ tier	1 delegate	Branding, hiring access
Corporate—Silver	Growth cos	₹ tier	2 delegates	Compliance workshop
Corporate—Gold	Mid-large	₹ tier	3 delegates	Project sponsorship slot
Corporate—Platinum	Large/strategic	₹ tier	4 delegates	Strategic dialogues

*Final fees and concessions are approved annually by the General Body on EC recommendation. ** Coming Soon **

Your Rights & Responsibilities

All members

Vote (as per category), propose initiatives, join working groups and chapters.
Access reports, budgets, and minutes.
Stand for elected roles (eligibility rules apply).
Follow the Code of Conduct and brand/use guidelines.

Institutions/Organisations/Corporates

Nominate delegates, co-host events, sponsor programs.
Propose program MOUs and joint labs.
Ensure compliance with CoC and community processes.

Governance: our democratic structure

General Body (GB)

The highest decision-making body comprising all the founders / Board Members . This is invite only .
Approves annual plan, budget, fee schedule, and charter changes.
Meets at the Annual General Meeting (AGM); Extraordinary GMs as per charter.

Executive Council (EC)

Elected by the GB for a fixed term (e.g., 1 years).
Officers: President, Vice-President(s), Secretary, Treasurer, plus Members-at-Large representing individuals, contributors, students, and organisations.
Duties: Execute GB mandate, run programs, publish quarterly reports, ensure legal compliance.

Technical Steering Committee (TSC)

Nominated by contributors, ratified by EC, accountable to GB.
Scope: Project incubation, security/compliance reviews, release processes, best practices.

Advisory Circles (non-voting)

Policy & Licensing, Education & Skills, Community & Outreach, Government/Industry Liaison.

Elections & Terms

Eligibility: Members in good standing for ≥90 days may vote; nominees for EC/TSC must meet contribution/service criteria.
Process: Nomination → Public Q&A → Secret ballot (verifiable e-voting) → Independent scrutiny → Results & audit log published.
Term limits: Fixed terms with caps to prevent organisational capture.
Vacancy/Recall: Defined procedures for mid-term replacement and recall via GB.

Transparency & Accountability

Quarterly financials, auditor reports, conflict-of-interest declarations, grant and sponsorship registers, and minutes are accessible to members (select summaries public).
Open RFC process for significant policy/charter changes and major programs.
Budget tagging for education, community, infrastructure, grants, operations.

Programs & Member Benefits (examples)

Community: Monthly meetups, contributor days, hackathons, city chapters.
Education: Curriculum alignment, faculty bootcamps, student sprint weeks.
Projects: Incubation, security reviews, release governance, mentorship.
Industry: OSS compliance clinics, policy roundtables, hiring showcases.
Public Interest Tech: Accessibility, privacy-by-design advocacy, digital commons.

Conduct & Safeguards

Code of Conduct: Zero tolerance for harassment, discrimination, or undue influence.
Brand & Endorsement: Use of WBFOSS identity per brand policy only.
Anti-capture: Delegate caps, term limits, independent election oversight.
Conflicts: Mandatory disclosure and recusal.

Policy & Licensing Help

WBFOSS connects members to domain experts for:

Open-source licensing and compliance (permissive, copyleft, dual-license, etc.)
CLAs/DCOs, governance models, contributor onboarding
Responsible tech, privacy, procurement, and public-interest policy inputs

How to Join

Pick your type/tier (Individual, Student, Contributor, Academic, Org, Corporate).
Apply online and accept the Code of Conduct.
Verification: Identity/affiliation and (for Contributor) track record.
Approval & Onboarding: Welcome pack, directory (opt-in), chapter/WG invites.
Payment: Annual fee per current schedule (student/contributor concessions available).

Coming Soon !! We are yet to activate the membership plans. For now , you are free to volunteer for us !

Renewal, Upgrades, Cancellation

Renewal: Annual; reminders at T-30 and T-7 days.
Grace & Lapse: 60-day grace; voting paused until renewal.
Cancellation: Resignation anytime; refunds per policy. Severe CoC breaches may lead to suspension/termination with GB oversight.

Quick Matrix

Capability	Student	Individual	Contributor	Academic	Org (NPO)	Corporate
Vote in GB	Delegate	✓	✓	2 del.	1 del.	1–4 del.
Stand for EC	Limited*	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
TSC Eligibility	◔	◔	✓	✓	◔	◔
Propose Programs	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Sponsor/Branding	—	—	—	◔	◔	✓

*Student reps may contest designated student/early-career EC seats.

** Draft Disclaimer: The information on this page is a draft and may change prior to the final launch of the WBFOSS Membership program. Final terms will be confirmed after community review and GB approval.

Ready to help build the local FOSS movement?
Join as an individual, bring your institution, or align your company’s open-source work with the community. Together we’ll mentor contributors, incubate projects, and create lasting public digital infrastructure—democratically, transparently, and in the open.