Sponsor

Some organisations may support the digital commons without contributing directly to it, for example financially through a donation or grant, or through reputation by promoting the tool's uses.

Risks addressed by the role

Lack of means

If the digital commons does not have its own business model, the absence of sponsors can be fatal since the role of operator is difficult to fulfill without financial remuneration. In the case of contributory commons, the absence of an operator makes the structure extremely fragile since the availability of the service is not guaranteed. This puts at risk the capture of value by the users' contributions, and therefore ultimately the provision of the service itself.

Legal Form

These organisations can be of different natures:

• Public stakeholders.

• Non-profit stakeholders under private law (associations, foundations, etc.).

• Profit-making stakeholders under private law.

Retribution

As with contributors, it is useful for the sustainability of their support that sponsors feel acknowledged for their participation. In all cases, they can be rewarded in terms of reputation by having their name and logo put forward. They can also be rewarded with decision-making power through participation in certain governance bodies. In this case, care must be taken to respect the commons to ensure that the support does not outweigh the contribution.