What is OSM

Open Source Matters (OSM) is a not-for-profit organisation, incorporated in the United States, created to serve the financial and legal interests of the Joomla project. It has few duties so as not to put onerous burdens on its directors. At all times, OSM is fashioned to suit the needs of the Joomla project. OSM will also engage in regular self-assessment to ensure it is accountable to Joomla!, acting in Joomla!'s interest and ensuring that it is the right shape and size to support Joomla!. Keeping OSM simple allows for it to be flexible and change when necessary.

Structure

OSM has no formal membership and a small board of directors. The officers of the board of directors are also the corporate officers. This reduces the overhead of trying to organise a large number of people for meeting and puts a physical limit of the amount of work does. This is in contrast to the Joomla project itself which takes a significant time commitment from its members.

This means that

• there are fewer things for OSM to do meaning there are less things for which it can be a bottle neck;
• invovlement in OSM is not an onerous task for the directors;
• there is a reduced risk of "prestige" being attached to the OSM directors;
• there is a reduced risk of perceived or real conflicts of interest (less things to do mean less things that can be controlled by a few)
• there is an organizational culture that encourages transparency.

Overall, light and trim means fit and healthy.

The Role of OSM

OSM has the follow roles:

• Approve the budget set by Joomla
• Receive funds
• Authorise disbursement of funds
• Make financial reports to Joomla
• Keep minutes of meetings
• Make information about OSM activities and finances available under the rules of US law
• Enter into agreements with partner organisations on behalf of Joomla where required
• Own the assets of Joomla, such as the domains and copyright
• Invesigate breaches of license, copyright and trademark

OSM does not formally tell Joomla what to do or how to spend the funds it receives. It merely acts as a vehicles for doing business and protecting the legal rights of the project.

OSM Duties

Annual

• Review by-laws thru self-assessment
• Annual meeting
• Government financial returns

6 monthly

• Mini self-assessment and budget review

3 monthly

• Budget review

Monthly

• Meeting of the Board of Directors
• Provision of financial reporting to Joomla