[members-discuss] [ncc-announce] [GM] 2024/2025 Activity plan and budget

Hi,

On Thu, May 16, 2024 at 05:18:15PM +0200, Kai Siering via members-discuss wrote:
> Frankly, I'd go with "cut the Budget by 15% for the next cycle, by 30% the one after, based on the 2024 Budget". It's obviously money that matters, so follow the "lawnmower principle" and apply the cuts across the board. It might be more difficult here and there (long-term contracts?), so maybe some budgets must suffer more ("IT Services"? "Community Building"? Why does the LIR portal alone costs 6.1% of each member's fee? Will the Internet stop working if RIPE NCC stops providing K-root? Stop the travelling, all but one RIPE Meeting per year be virtual-only, the one im presence to take place somewhere in the Netherlands where it's cheapest for the NCC to run such an event). With 20k members, a relative cut across all positions is the most logical approach to me ...
> 
> I'm still not amused this discussion taking place only now; shrinking membership == rising costs per member was being voiced for some years, even by the EB, yet the Budget wasn't reduced accordingly, neither was the membership offered options on where to cut the expenses (even if that meant services not being offered anymore).

So what will you do if we actually get to vote on this, and the majority
of the voting members goes for "let's keep the RIPE meetings as they are,
keep providing k.root, and we're fine with the budget"?  Happily accept
the result, or complain about the charging scheme again?

Because, effectively, the EB *has* asked for guidance, and most people
in the room said "yeah, fine, go ahead, see where you can cut costs, but
do not discontinue any services" - not voted, I agree on that, but at
least "listening, nodding, and not protesting".  Which is, moneywise,
quite a bit of "support", in the way AGMs go.

The question on RIPE meeting format & sponsorship came up a few times in
the past, and the room's feedback was "yes, we want to bring in new people
to the community, so please go *out* to places, and *do* subsidize the
meeting, so people can afford to come"...  personally, I see a virtual
RIPE meeting as waste of time.  The point is "meet people, have good
discussions, build a community" which just doesn't work properly in the
virtual format - at least not for me.  Maybe I'm just too old and AI 
will make sure we do not need personal contacts anymore...

Gert Doering
        -- NetMaster
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have you enabled IPv6 on something today...?

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