# A Collectively Owned Enterprise Network for Social Change **URL:** \ **Category:** O₃FFDEM\ **Created:** [23 January 2023 09:05 UTC](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/a-collectively-owned-enterprise-network-for-social-change/121 "2023-01-23T09:05:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1

**Author:** ![misterfish](https://oxygen.offdem.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/db5fbb/32.png) [@misterfish](https://oxygen.offdem.net/u/misterfish)\ **Post date:** [23 January 2023 09:05 UTC](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/a-collectively-owned-enterprise-network-for-social-change/121/1 "2023-01-23T09:05:36Z")

Hello P.S. friends, we hope you are doing well. Here is a proposal for a discussion at OFFDEM, if there is interest. Do you think this could work? Grts Allen & Arie * * * Greetings! We would like to propose a discussion about building a network of collectively owned enterprises which share common values and goals. We could first tell about how our own initiative (AlleyCat) works and what it took to set it up in the Netherlands, the tasks which are necessary to keep it running and the tools we use for collaboration and organisation. If you are interested in setting up your own collectively owned and horizontally managed initiative, we can help you to the extent we can, particularly if you are based in the Netherlands. We can share our templates for GnuCash (for accounting), Scribus (for invoicing), and enough .rc files to make your head spin. The next step is the more interesting part (\<-- we are here). We are interested in forming an association of many such initiatives based on a common cluster of values: opposition to surveillance and personal data gathering; embrace of free software & free culture; opposition to exploitative industries; embrace of the use of software to enhance education, culture, science, emancipatory social change, and maybe even to tackle the really big problems; an interest in research and in improving the existing software ecosystem. The goal is to all help provide each other with meaningful and decent work and economic self-sufficiency without bosses, managers, or venture capital. And to provide an alternative for young people who are interested in these topics before they are slurped into the existing economy. With a stronger network we can engage in skill-sharing, pooling of resources and office space, common administration and billing where it makes sense, and collaboration on research ideas, funding opportunities, client contracts, tools and side projects. Predictably, this presents a number of a challenges. What are the steps for accepting new members? And more painfully, the steps for cutting off ties with a member initiative for whatever reason? What counts as collectively owned? What sort of conduct do we expect from each other and how explicitly do we position ourselves in the issues of racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression? What to do if a sister initiative is working for a client you think is exploitative? What level of quality do we expect from each other and how to gauge that? What will we call ourselves and who will design the logo and tag-line that will take the world by storm? It would be interesting to talk about the questions in the group, and share experiences. ---

**Author:** ![how](https://oxygen.offdem.net/user_avatar/oxygen.offdem.net/how/32/8_2.png) [@how](https://oxygen.offdem.net/u/how)\ **Post date:** [23 January 2023 09:27 UTC](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/a-collectively-owned-enterprise-network-for-social-change/121/2 "2023-01-23T09:27:56Z")

You sound like what @spacekookie would call of [software syndicalist](https://thx.zoethical.org/t/on-software-syndicalism/171) 🙂 ---

**Author:** ![natacha](https://oxygen.offdem.net/user_avatar/oxygen.offdem.net/natacha/32/103_2.png) [@natacha](https://oxygen.offdem.net/u/natacha)\ **Post date:** [23 January 2023 10:24 UTC](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/a-collectively-owned-enterprise-network-for-social-change/121/3 "2023-01-23T10:24:11Z")

hi @misterfish I think this is great and welcome, there maybe @tierce from [gnuragistes](https://ps.zoethical.org/c/engagement/gnuragistes/130) be interested in joining this type of conversation? ---

**Author:** ![pierreozoux](https://oxygen.offdem.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@pierreozoux](https://oxygen.offdem.net/u/pierreozoux)\ **Post date:** [2 February 2023 14:34 UTC](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/a-collectively-owned-enterprise-network-for-social-change/121/4 "2023-02-02T14:34:47Z")

It is kinda similar to: - [https://www.meet.coop/](https://www.meet.coop/) - [https://gna.org/](https://gna.org/) ( [Adding a Gitea hosting service to IndieHosters - #22 par dachary - La boite à idées - Forum IndieHosters](https://forum.indiehosters.net/t/adding-a-gitea-hosting-service-to-indiehosters/4130/22?u=pierreok) ) - we would love to have a [https://mail.coop](https://mail.coop) similar to meet.coop - libreho.st - chatons We are trying this kind of venture, with different collectives (netureza, ecobytes) and the next iteration, is that we are trying with fairkom. We are hopeful for the collaboration with fairkom 🙂 But basically, we are usually underfunded, and this collaboration requires extra time at the beginning, so in my experience, this is the hard part to find a way to ignite the collaboration. But this is a really nice idea! ---

**Author:** ![how](https://oxygen.offdem.net/user_avatar/oxygen.offdem.net/how/32/8_2.png) [@how](https://oxygen.offdem.net/u/how)\ **Post date:** [21 January 2024 17:40 UTC](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/a-collectively-owned-enterprise-network-for-social-change/121/5 "2024-01-21T17:40:31Z")

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