4 ms·

> Contributions are not tax-deductible as charitable contributions Why is this? I thought the Mozilla foundation owned this and it's a non profit

Deukhoofd 5y ago
They moved it over to MZLA Technologies Corporation last year, which is a for profit, so they could monetize it. https://www.zdnet.com/article/mozilla-moves-to-monetize-thunderbird-transfers-project-to-new-subsidiary/ https://www.zdnet.com/article/mozilla-moves-to-monetize-thun...
- orangepanda 5y ago
  > by moving the project away from its foundation into a corporate entity they will be able to monetize the product and pay for its development easier than before. Non profits also are able to monetize products and pay out employees. There must be some other reason for the move?
  - chrisseaton 5y ago
    They mean monetise Thunderbird and then use that money for other things. That’s the difference. A charity cannot do that by law.
- wpietri 5y ago
  What in the world? I thought maybe their original statement would make more sense, but no: https://blog.thunderbird.net/2020/01/thunderbirds-new-home/ https://blog.thunderbird.net/2020/01/thunderbirds-new-home/ We received a lot of donations from the community, so we're going to shift to a for-profit footing? That does not make a lot of sense to me. One of the things I really like about Thunderbird is that it's from a not-for-profit entity. It makes it easier to trust them with so much of my most personal data. It's still wholly owned by a non-profit, which means I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt for now. But especially given the vagueness of that statement, I'm definitely concerned.
  - gowld 5y ago
    > it's from a not-for-profit entity. It makes it easier to trust them with so much of my most personal data. Why? Non-profit status has nothing to do with privacy policy. It just means that money goes to employees and vendors instead of owners (who could be the same people for all practical purposes).
    - wpietri 5y ago
      Thanks, yes, it turns out I'm familiar with basic definitions. But not-for-profit culture is much more mission-oriented than for-profit culture, at least in the US. I've worked and consulted for both for-profit and not-for-profit entities, and know which I would rather trust.
  - archerx 5y ago
    The Mozilla CEO clearly needs more money!
- howtofly 5y ago
  Er... Just about to make a monthly 5 bucks donation, then I read this.
  - gowld 5y ago
    If you love the product, why do you care how they spend the money for they value they already gave you? Do you ask for a refund from for-profit businesses after you use their product if you don't trust where the money will go?

Deukhoofd 5y ago

They moved it over to MZLA Technologies Corporation last year, which is a for profit, so they could monetize it. https://www.zdnet.com/article/mozilla-moves-to-monetize-thunderbird-transfers-project-to-new-subsidiary/ https://www.zdnet.com/article/mozilla-moves-to-monetize-thun...

orangepanda 5y ago
> by moving the project away from its foundation into a corporate entity they will be able to monetize the product and pay for its development easier than before. Non profits also are able to monetize products and pay out employees. There must be some other reason for the move?
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  They mean monetise Thunderbird and then use that money for other things. That’s the difference. A charity cannot do that by law.
wpietri 5y ago
What in the world? I thought maybe their original statement would make more sense, but no: https://blog.thunderbird.net/2020/01/thunderbirds-new-home/ https://blog.thunderbird.net/2020/01/thunderbirds-new-home/ We received a lot of donations from the community, so we're going to shift to a for-profit footing? That does not make a lot of sense to me. One of the things I really like about Thunderbird is that it's from a not-for-profit entity. It makes it easier to trust them with so much of my most personal data. It's still wholly owned by a non-profit, which means I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt for now. But especially given the vagueness of that statement, I'm definitely concerned.
- gowld 5y ago
  > it's from a not-for-profit entity. It makes it easier to trust them with so much of my most personal data. Why? Non-profit status has nothing to do with privacy policy. It just means that money goes to employees and vendors instead of owners (who could be the same people for all practical purposes).
  - wpietri 5y ago
    Thanks, yes, it turns out I'm familiar with basic definitions. But not-for-profit culture is much more mission-oriented than for-profit culture, at least in the US. I've worked and consulted for both for-profit and not-for-profit entities, and know which I would rather trust.
- archerx 5y ago
  The Mozilla CEO clearly needs more money!
howtofly 5y ago
Er... Just about to make a monthly 5 bucks donation, then I read this.
- gowld 5y ago
  If you love the product, why do you care how they spend the money for they value they already gave you? Do you ask for a refund from for-profit businesses after you use their product if you don't trust where the money will go?