@Guitarzan @TopicalWave
interesting question.
This wouldn’t work with our standard co-op shipping infrastructure.
But we built some flexibility into the rules so that people could handle shipping themselves, or delegate shipping to multiple members. For division of labor, and for people who needed additional assistance.
My volunteer roll in the co-op is answering questions, or referring people to the appropriate co-op member to talk to. Please check with @Sebring as well because this involves some of his volunteer responsibilities.
This is my understanding based on the current rules in place. First of all, everything is subject to the approval of the community as a whole. This is a true decentralized democracy.
@TopicalWave please check with the @moderators about the using the $2 per strain donation for a different charity instead of the server fund.
They have allowed all of us to create and participate in this co-op. You need to get their approval to use the charitable donation for a different charity instead of the site maintenance and server fund.
I think this charity project could be allowed as a co-op run if you handle the shipping yourself, and follow all of the existing rules for strain eligibility and sign up process.
For the charity donation, I think it would be ok if you are not requiring a donation higher than the cost shipping plus the standard 2$ per strain donation. people can donate more if they want, but 2$ is the baseline donation in our rules to keep it inclusive.
It would need to be paid directly to the charity like you said. otherwise there would be the possibility of people abusing this charitable donation option in the future.
This needs to be open and accessible to people from all countries and territories.
There are 2 options for the cost of shipping. you could volunteer to pay for shipping and materials yourself. If you need to be reimbursed for shipping, that will be handled through our existing donation infrastructure. People would donate to sebring, sebring would reimburse you for the cost of shipping. You need to have documented receipts for packaging and shipping expenses to be reimbursed.
Read about sebrings role in our shipping process, and his role in international shipping. If you will need his help with any of those steps, that will need to be worked out between the two of you because this isn’t following the usual methods of reimbursing him for the postage and materials, and you’ll need to ask him about anything that would result in additional work for him.
I would suggest posting this question in the co-op logistics thread, and see what the community thinks.
If the community and @Sebring (who is in charge of donation and reimbursement) is ok with this, and you get approval from the mods, I think you could proceed as a co-op project if you follow these rules.
And of course, if people are not interested in using the co-op this way, no worries. This is a true democracy, so it is fine either way.