this post was submitted on 11 Apr 2025
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Hey all,
Today, I’m writing to share our intention to join Fedecan, a Canadian not-for-profit organization committed to supporting the Fediverse. We believe this partnership will foster collaboration among like-minded individuals who share a common goal: to create a safe, welcoming space where people can connect freely.
Together we will help deliver a fast, reliable, and consistent experience for all and continue to be free from corporate influence and guided by the values of openness, community, and trust.
Who is Fedecan
Fedecan is a registered non-profit organization based in Canada, with the goal to provide a safe and welcoming space for people to connect with each other on the Fediverse. More information can be found here.
You may also know them by their Canadian lemmy instance lemmy.ca.
What does this mean for sh.itjust.works?
From the outside everything will stay much the same, especially with the admin team. Internally, we will collaborate on tasks related to non-profit compliance, policies, banking and common infrastructure elements such as backup/disaster recovery infrastructure. We will continue to operate separate equipment and instances in geographically isolated locations under different names. We will work towards aligning on safety and security practices in order to ensure that data is secure.
From an organizational structure, sh.itjust.works will fall under the Fedecan umbrella and will share common bylaws, policies, methodologies on best practices, security and legal considerations.
Where do donations go?
Donations to sh.itjust.works will continue to support our mission and objectives exclusively. However, users will also have the option to donate directly to Fedecan, which will allocate funds amongst its projects including sh.itjust.works. Operational costs related to running the non-profit will be shared among projects and these expenses will be transparently disclosed in annual reports published on the Fedecan website.
Option to withdrawal
sh.itjust.works will have the right to withdraw from the Fedecan umbrella should our mutual goals no longer be aligned. In such a case, a predefined provision and action plan will be in place to ensure a smooth transition back to independence.
Why Now?
As the Fediverse continues to grow, we believe it's important to collaborate more closely with others who share our values. Joining Fedecan allows us to do just that, strengthening our operation through a non-profit while staying true to our mission.
Timeline / Next Steps
Over the coming weeks, we'll begin the process of integrating with Fedecan on the organization side. You won't notice many changes but we'll keep you informed throughout the process.
Looking Ahead
We’re excited about this next chapter and the opportunities it brings. By joining forces, we’re reinforcing our commitment to the Fediverse and to the principles that brought us all together in the first place—openness, community, transparency, and trust.
Our core mission remains unchanged. We're still independent in spirit and practice and we remain committed to being a space that's not driven by profit, but by people.
I invite your questions or concerns on this thread or on our https://matrix.to/#/#sh.itjust.works:matrix.org)
Stay connected,
--The sh.itjust.works and Fedecan Team
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Not for profit < non profit.
In Canada: Not-for-profit == non-profit.
There is only a distinction in the US. In Canada, the distinction is not-for-profit/non-profit vs. charity.
Legally it looks like they fall under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act I didn't check to see what exactly that means. Whether not-for-profit or non-profit.. isn't that 1000 times better than being a for profit corporation?
I feel that this development is interesting and a positive one.
As a non native english speaker: what's the difference?
It's a US term. Typically referring to IRC 501(c)(3) non-profit corporations. The advantage in the US is tax-exemption, and donations to such an organization would be deductible from one's income tax. Not-for-profit corporations in Canada do not enjoy such a status.
In Canada, the corresponing category to the US "non-profit" is "charity". There is no distinction between not-for-profit and non-profit. Both imply the former.
It is much more difficult to found a charity in Canada because our definition of charitable aims is much more strict than in the US.
Source: Have served on more than one not-for-profit board and founded one not-for-profit corporation. The question of "why can't I get a tax deduction for donating" always comes up.
It's mostly a US legal thing, many countries don't have a distinction. A non-profit has some really strict public disclosure requirements and a broad goal (like the Red Cross). A not-fot-profit can be something "Bob's Soup Kitchen for people between Main Street and 7th avenue in Nothingtown", and they have less strict disclosure requirements, but do often pay some taxes (like VAT).
Canada doesn't seem to make a difference at first glance (but I'm not a lawyer, not Canadian and DEFINITELY not a Canadian legal expert)
Their info page says they're actually a non-profit. Not sure why the dude mixed the two terms together.
The terms mean the same thing in Canada. The distinction is US-only.
These Canadian lawyers disagree but they don't do a good job of explaining what the difference is.
That site says: "Meanwhile, a not-for-profit organization only fits within the following criteria: It is involved in smaller groups and revolves around a particular hobby or recreational activity; doesn’t have charters or a governing board; must not have the intentions of earning money."
Having founded a not-for-profit corporation, and having looked at both the Ontario and federal laws around doing so, that is incorrect. We founded a not-for-profit with articles of incorporation that had to be approved by the provincial government (a charter) and the organization had (and still has) a governing board. Only the last 8 words of that statement are true in my experience.
That lawyer's site also has Lorem Ipsum text further down on the same page. I'm not sure I trust it.
Ugh, I didn't notice that, but the info they did have didn't seem very well written.
That's a BC website but the BC government site says this:
My understanding is that the terms are interchangeable in Canada, and the "in big countries" makes me think that the article is not specific to Canada
We can totally clarify further on the website, we have some written up currently
https://fedecan.ca/en/guide/fedecan/faq#_1-what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-incorporated-not-for-profit-organization
Thanks, it would be good to have a "non-profit" vs. "not-for-profit" FAQ entry too.
Having said that, the explanations you've provided so far make a lot of sense. The little bit I've read on charities vs. other not-for-profits make it sound like the rules are really tight for charities, but if people aren't worried about tax-exempt donations, a not-for-profit status does most of what people would want.
They seem to use the term interchangeably, but legally, they're registered as a not-for-profit corporation.
@[email protected] : Can you provide some clarity, and can you get the fedecan website updated to use the correct terminology?
We are registered as a corporation under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act. We have no plans or desire to make money from this. All donations today go strictly towards infrastructure costs, and not to any reimbursement of time.
Hopefully that's clear, but happy to answer any questions.
My understanding is that
We do not have charity registration, as there are strict requirements on what purposes qualify, and so we can't issue tax receipts.
We have some written out here, and we can clarify further or make it consistent across the site
https://fedecan.ca/en/guide/fedecan/faq#_1-what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-incorporated-not-for-profit-organization
https://fedecan.ca/en/guide/fedecan/faq#_2-why-are-you-not-a-registered-charity
I'll reach out to some people to clarify the exact wording on this. The legal websites I've come across are inconsistent
Many don't know they are different.
They aren't in Canada apparently
Interesting, thank you.
This is important. The post states not for profit the website says non profit.
In Canada, the terms are interchangeable. The disctinction is only a US one.
Cool I didn't know that. Even looking on gov sources it isn't clear.
I am learning today that some provinces have slightly different definitions for their provincial corporations than the Federal and Ontario definitions that I'm used to so ¯_(ツ)_/¯
That's because terminology varies by province or territory.