Introduction

Every day, millions of developers rely on open-source software to build products, power businesses, and solve problems. Behind every popular library, framework, or tool is a maintainer—often working nights and weekends, unpaid, driven purely by passion.

However, this volunteer model is breaking down. As open-source projects grow in complexity and importance, relying solely on unpaid contributions is no longer sustainable. Sponsorship isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s becoming essential for the survival and success of open source.

The Hidden Cost of “Free” Software

Open source may be free to use, but it’s far from free to create and maintain. Consider what goes into a successful project:

• Development Time: Writing code, fixing bugs, implementing features
• Support: Answering issues, reviewing pull requests, helping users
• Infrastructure: Hosting, CI/CD, testing environments
• Documentation: Tutorials, guides, API references
• Security: Monitoring vulnerabilities, releasing patches

For popular projects, this can easily become a full-time job—or more. Yet most maintainers do this work for free, squeezing it into evenings and weekends while holding down day jobs to pay the bills.

The Burnout Crisis

The statistics are sobering:

• 88% of open-source maintainers report feeling burned out
• 60% of critical projects are maintained by just one or two people
• Major security vulnerabilities often go unpatched for months due to lack of resources

When maintainers burn out, projects stagnate. Issues pile up. Security vulnerabilities linger. Eventually, projects get abandoned—leaving thousands of dependent projects in limbo.

How Sponsorship Changes Everything

Sponsorship transforms open source from a hobby into a sustainable career. Here’s what changes when maintainers get funded:

1. Faster Development
   With financial support, maintainers can dedicate more time to their projects. Features ship faster. Bugs get fixed quicker.
2. Better Security
   Funded maintainers can prioritize security audits, respond quickly to vulnerabilities, and implement best practices.
3. Improved Documentation
   Good documentation takes time—time that volunteer maintainers often don’t have. Sponsorship enables comprehensive guides and tutorials.
4. Long-Term Stability
   When maintainers can earn a living from their work, they’re less likely to abandon projects.
5. Attracting Talent
   Funded projects can attract and retain top contributors.

The Business Case for Sponsorship

For companies using open-source software, sponsorship isn’t charity—it’s smart business:

• Risk Mitigation: Ensure critical dependencies remain maintained and secure
• Feature Development: Fund the features your business needs
• Talent Pipeline: Connect with skilled developers
• Brand Building: Demonstrate commitment to the developer community
• Cost Efficiency: Far cheaper than building proprietary solutions

Different Ways to Sponsor

• GitHub Sponsors: Monthly recurring support for maintainers
• Open Collective: Transparent funding for projects
• Issue Bounties: Pay for specific bug fixes or features
• Git Resolve: Connect maintainers with sponsors for targeted work
• Corporate FOSS Funds: Company-managed funding programs

Success Stories

• Vue.js: Evan You went full-time through Patreon
• Babel: Funded through Open Collective
• Webpack: Corporate sponsorship enabled full-time development
• curl: Daniel Stenberg’s sponsorship sustains one of the most widely-used libraries

Conclusion

Open source has given us incredible tools that power the modern internet. But this ecosystem is fragile, built on unsustainable volunteer labor.

Sponsorship is the key to making open source sustainable. It transforms passion projects into viable careers and creates a healthier ecosystem for everyone.

Ready to make a difference? Start by sponsoring one project you use today.

Want to connect maintainers with sponsors? Learn more about Git Resolve.