AlmaLinux OS Foundation Membership
v1.1 Approved Aug 11, 2022
The AlmaLinux OS Foundation is managed by a Member-elected Board of Directors that is the ultimate authority responsible for the organization as a Delaware corporation with 501(c)6 tax-exempt status. The Board's responsibilities include oversight of the organization, including its operations, staff and budget; setting strategic direction and defining goals in line with the mission; satisfying financial and other regulations. The Board is composed of directors elected or appointed from and/or on behalf of the Contributing Sponsors, Partner Sponsors.
As a true corporate board, board members must agree to, and comply with, the AlmaLinux OS Foundation’s conflict of interest policy and Code of Conduct, and all directors are expected to participate, as necessary, at scheduled Board meetings, any special meetings that may arise and the ongoing discussions related to the Foundation.
Elections for Board membership is conducted by a Board-appointed Independent Election Committee, comprising at least one director not seeking election in the ballot and other uninvolved experts able to manage the mechanics of the election. The Election Committee may appoint a Returning Officer who has ultimate authority in the event of any dispute concerning the election.
Membership type | Contributor Membership | Alumnus Membership | Official Mirror Membership |
Qualification | anyone approved as a contributing member by membership committee based on their contribution to AlmaLinux | Any former contributing member who no longer qualifies for Contributor Membership but has made contributions that remain significant to the AlmaLinux community, based on membership committee special approval | acceptance as AlmaLinux mirror sponsor by membership committee, and confirmed evidence of participation with a mirror. |
Term | reconfirmed annually | 2 year term, renewable | as long as mirror is operational, confirmed annually |
Benefits |
| All contributor membership benefits and
| All contributor membership benefits and
|
Silver Membership | Gold Membership | Platinum Membership | |
All of the Silver membership benefits, plus… | All of the Gold membership benefits, plus… | ||
Voting benefits | a potential seat on the board of directors
| a potential seat on the board of directors
| a potential seat on the board of directors
|
Marketing Benefits |
|
|
|
Additional Benefits |
| ||
Fees (Annual) | $2,500 | $20,000 | $100,000 |
Alternative contribution | per membership committee confirmation: Any contribution of hardware or services based on board approval | per board of directors confirmation:
or
| per board of directors confirmation:
|
1.Content requires approval ahead of time
In addition to the guidance outlined in the Bylaws (especially in Article IV):
Voting for all elections shall be done online using a voting platform or software like Helios Voting. When elections are held, all parties eligible to vote shall receive an email notification with instructions on how to access the online voting systems, instructions on how to complete their vote, and a list of the candidates with further information about them and their interests/qualifications.
The initial election shall be held on or around September of 2022.
Elections shall take place every 3 years, from the initial election, or as deemed required by the board in the case of any special elections or any vacancy. The Board shall have sole discretion in determining the election schedule for future elections once the Initial Election has been completed.
In order to be eligible for nomination, candidates’ supporting sponsor must be in good standing in a class of membership for one week before the announcement of elections (i.e. must have joined one week prior to the election announcement).
Elections shall be announced no earlier than 45 days prior to the election taking place. The nominee list shall be approved by the election manager and considered finalized no later than 10 days before the election date and shall be shared, along with information on nominees, to all eligible voting supporters or posted publicly. Elections shall then be open for not less than 10 days post nominee listing.
A person may not be elected to the board if their continuous membership of the board exceeds six years. They may however stand for election again after a break of at least one year.
Nominees for all elected categories, excluding experts, are required to be members or sponsors in good standing (i.e. a member or sponsor for 3 months, in compliance with the conflict of interest policy, code of conduct, current on any dues and not under any restriction or sanction by the board).
Each nominee must be submitted to the election committee by a member in good standing (a member may not nominate themself). After submission, the nominee will be reviewed by the election committee, and nomination status will be communicated to the nominee. The nominee must then confirm their interest in being elected to the board of directors. Timeline for nomination is defined earlier in this document, under Election Schedule and Eligibility.
Members will cast votes for seats according to the number of seats open, weighted appropriately for each member type.
Experts shall be appointed at the Board’s discretion based on perceived need.
In addition to removal by supermajority vote of the Directors or by the Members or on resignation, death or bankruptcy, Directors nominated as the result of a paid membership privilege shall cease when their nominating Member ceases to be a paid member of the relevant class.
Vacancies shall be filled for the remainder of the vacated term at the discretion of the Directors. Removed Directors may not be re-elected to the Board in the year following their removal.