JoinMozilla/FAQ
What is Join Mozilla?
Join Mozilla is a simple program to help millions of people easily support and keep abreast of Mozilla and the open web. A small donation gives people a way to support our cause by helping fund projects that make the web better. We hope it will build stronger relationships with our users, and create a community of advocates for the web over time.
Who is Join Mozilla for?
Anyone can join Mozilla, but the program was designed to reach out to the 400 million users of Firefox to give them a clear and simple way to show their support and engage with Mozilla.
What is the purpose of the program?
The purpose of the program is to a) give people a channel to show their support and b) build a massive community who will support the cause of an open web over the long haul. We also want to increase the number of grants, projects and scholarships we give out to support innovation on the web. Small contributions from supporters will help us do this.
Are you asking me to pay for Firefox?
No. We strongly believe that all of Mozilla’s products should be available at zero cost to everyone in the world. That’s a cornerstone value for us, and one we will never compromise.
What will people get when they Join Mozilla?
By Joining Mozilla, people are giving their support to the community of users, advocates, and contributors who build Firefox every day. They are going beyond installing Firefox and taking a more active role in helping to build a better web. In addition, supporterss will receive:
- A great feeling of knowing they have supported Mozilla and our work
- Monthly newsletter that summarizes info from across Mozilla and the web
- Help finding ways to get more deeply involved in Mozilla (if that's what they want)
- Timely highlights from places like Planet Mozilla so they can be among the first to tell their friends about our latest projects
How will we help people who join feel like they 'belong'?
Everyone who Joins Mozilla will receive a welcome letter, and is invited to "Join the Mozilla". They receive a certificate and card, and have the opportunity to purchase Mozilla-branded items to show their support in real life.
Will Join Mozilla be available in multiple languages?
Initially, we will launch Join Mozilla in English and German. The plan is to launch as many languages and locales as we can support over time. The first languages we're using meet several criteria: there is a strong base of Firefox users, we have a strong localization community to support future localization of content for the Join Mozilla program and we can offer Join Mozilla support in that language. To localize Join Mozilla, we'll need help from our community to translate the dictionary of terms used on the site so it can be uploaded to our vendor's system for secure donations.
What is the timeline for launching this program?
The program launched in beta on March 11, 2011. We are targeting the full launch of the program for the second week of May, 2011.
How many people do you expect will join?
In the first year, we hope to sign up between 400,000 and one million new supporters.
Where does the money go?
Join Mozilla funds go to grants and projects. They help us create new technologies, spread new ideas, and inspire innovation across the web. In 2010, we put $500,000 towards Drumbeat grants and projects. We plan to grow this at least by 4x in 2011, in part with funds from Join Mozilla. If Join Mozilla is successful, we will grow this even further in future years -- both expanding the amount of money and growing the scope of what we support.
What % of my donation will be used for grants and projects?
Our target is to have 100% of supporter contributions go towards grants and programs by year two, and also to top this up with additional internal funds from Mozilla. During year one, we can guarantee that at least 80% of supporter contributions will go to grants and programs. A small amount will be set aside to cover program outreach and community engagement.
What is Mozilla Foundation? Are you a non-profit organization?
By "Joining Mozilla" you are supporting the work of Mozilla Foundation, a global non-profit organization with headquarters in California. Mozilla Foundation serves as an overall umbrella for the work of the Mozilla project, runs programs like Drumbeat and provides small grants to projects that advance the cause of an open web. Mozilla Foundation wholly owns two subsidiary organizations charged with making Firefox and Thunderbird.
$5 isn't much money. Why not just run a more traditional fundraising campaign?
We are striking a balance. $5 isn't a lot - so anyone can raise their hand to say 'I want to be a part of this'. But if we are as successful at building a community of millions of supporters, we will be able to make significant grants to support the open web. Also, we hope that making an investment in Mozilla, even a small one, will help people feel a stronger connection with us.
Will the Join Mozilla fee be the same for every country / region?
We haven't decided this yet. For the launch period, the fee will be $5 USD, no matter where people live. For the majority of Firefox users, that is a reasonable contribution to ask for to support our work. However, we may add variable fees or a sliding scale over time to accommodate circumstances in different parts of the world.
Won't you lose a lot of money for processing such a small donation?
The individual processing cost is about 3% — or 15 cents — per transaction, which is very reasonable.
Why not focus on driving volunteers and contributors? Isn't that what really builds Mozilla?
We are continuing to seek new volunteers and contributors and will be dedicating even more resources to this in 2011. We are also continuing to run support programs for active Mozilla contributors, with new programs coming on line in the very near future. While the primary purpose of Join Mozilla is not to attract new contributors, we hope that it will eventually become a pathway for more people to actively contribute to various Mozilla projects.
What is the difference between a supporter and a contributor?
Contributors are individuals that champion and contribute time and skill to the Mozilla project. Our global community of contributors do everything from helping code Firefox to testing, localizing and marketing it in region, to leading and participating in Mozilla Drumbeat projects, to creating Firefox add-ons and much more. They are the heart of the Mozilla project. Supporters, on the other hand, are seeking a simpler way to say 'I'm behind this. It's important to me.' We hope that many people who join as supporters will become more active contributors over time.
I already think of myself as a Mozillian. Can I still call myself a Mozillian if I don't pay $5?
No one has to pay to call themselves a Mozillian — that terms belongs to the community of contributors, supporters, and advocates who help build Mozilla every day. The Join Mozilla program won’t change that.
Do contributors have to pay to Join Mozilla?
Remember this program is designed primarily to engage Firefox end users, and not our contributors. However, we're looking at ways we can easily provide complimentary access to contributors for the Join Mozilla program. Stay tuned for more details.
Do people who Join Mozilla play a role in governance?
Join Mozilla is not a voting membership system for Mozilla. It is an affinity program for people who simply want to express their support for what we do. People who Join Mozilla gain no governance rights simply by joining. Mozilla and its projects continue to be governed by the meritocratic system described here: https://www.mozilla.org/about/governance.html.
How can I help?
There are lots of ways you can help. As we develop the program, help us think about campaign ideas and ways to engage with new supporters. Once we launch, tell your friends, family, and co-workers about Mozilla, and the work we do to support the web. Encourage them to learn more, and to Join Mozilla. We also need help localizing the Join Mozilla program, and we'd like to see it offered to many other locales by the end of 2011.
