Progress Update 9-14-2025
Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2025 7:30 pm
We're thrilled to share some incredible news and updates from the Vegas Open Network (VONet)! If you are unaware of what VONet is, we are a nonprofit community network, working to provide internet service that is built by the community. We're making significant strides, and we couldn't do it without your support. Here's what's new:
Fiscal Sponsorship and Fundraising:
We're excited to announce that VONet has officially received fiscal sponsorship from the Raft Foundation. The Raft Foundation is a US-based 501(c)(3) organization that brings communities together to support neighbors in need through various initiatives, including:
- Collective care (mutual aid; basic needs; food justice; migrant and unhoused support; community education; public health; agroecology; community gardening; labor and housing rights; crisis response)
- Community technology (decentralized tech; open, copyfair, and alternative licensing; security, privacy, anti-surveillance, and encryption; alternative legal and financing structures)
- Movement infrastructure (regranting; funder organizing; participatory governance; bail funds; popular education; international fiscal hosts; cooperative development; network weaving; conflict transformation)
- Societal transformation (activist support; community building; peacebuilding/peacemaking; sortition and new democratic systems; transformative justice; facilitation and sense-making; systems thinking; values work; money stories; alternative economies; structural change)
This sponsorship allows us to accept tax-deductible donations as a program under their nonprofit charity. The Raft Foundation will oversee our finances, legal matters, and other essential elements, ensuring transparency and accountability. All financial details of Vegas Open Network are publicly available on Open Collective. ( https://opencollective.com/vonet/ ).
As we embark on our fundraising campaign, your support is crucial to making this community network a reality in Las Vegas. We'll start by building the core network and then move on to setting up pilot neighborhoods. If you'd like to contribute, please visit our donation page ( https://vonet.org/donate/ ).
Upcoming Tech Alley Demo Session:
Mark your calendars for September 20th, 2025 at the Vegas Arts District! VONet will be featured at the Tech Alley ( https://www.techalley.org/ ) Demo session, a free event that offers a fantastic opportunity to connect with others in the technology ecosystem. More details can be found on the event page ( https://www.meetup.com/tech-alley/events/305779125/ ).
Technical Updates:
We've successfully migrated all our servers from Azure cloud to resources at a local public cloud hosted by SharkTech ( https://sharktech.net/ )! This move significantly reduces our cloud hosting costs until we establish our private cloud infrastructure, it also enables better communication with our cloud provider since they are local. If you're interested in our development progress or have coding skills to contribute, check out our GitHub repository ( https://github.com/Vegas-Open-Network/ ).
Stay Connected:
Don't miss out on the latest updates and discussions! Subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates, join the forums to engage with our community, or explore our wiki for a wealth of information.
- Subscribe to our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/vonet/newsletter/
- Join the Forums: https://forums.vonet.org/
- Explore the wiki: https://wiki.vonet.org/
Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. Together, we can build a thriving community network in Las Vegas!
Fiscal Sponsorship and Fundraising:
We're excited to announce that VONet has officially received fiscal sponsorship from the Raft Foundation. The Raft Foundation is a US-based 501(c)(3) organization that brings communities together to support neighbors in need through various initiatives, including:
- Collective care (mutual aid; basic needs; food justice; migrant and unhoused support; community education; public health; agroecology; community gardening; labor and housing rights; crisis response)
- Community technology (decentralized tech; open, copyfair, and alternative licensing; security, privacy, anti-surveillance, and encryption; alternative legal and financing structures)
- Movement infrastructure (regranting; funder organizing; participatory governance; bail funds; popular education; international fiscal hosts; cooperative development; network weaving; conflict transformation)
- Societal transformation (activist support; community building; peacebuilding/peacemaking; sortition and new democratic systems; transformative justice; facilitation and sense-making; systems thinking; values work; money stories; alternative economies; structural change)
This sponsorship allows us to accept tax-deductible donations as a program under their nonprofit charity. The Raft Foundation will oversee our finances, legal matters, and other essential elements, ensuring transparency and accountability. All financial details of Vegas Open Network are publicly available on Open Collective. ( https://opencollective.com/vonet/ ).
As we embark on our fundraising campaign, your support is crucial to making this community network a reality in Las Vegas. We'll start by building the core network and then move on to setting up pilot neighborhoods. If you'd like to contribute, please visit our donation page ( https://vonet.org/donate/ ).
Upcoming Tech Alley Demo Session:
Mark your calendars for September 20th, 2025 at the Vegas Arts District! VONet will be featured at the Tech Alley ( https://www.techalley.org/ ) Demo session, a free event that offers a fantastic opportunity to connect with others in the technology ecosystem. More details can be found on the event page ( https://www.meetup.com/tech-alley/events/305779125/ ).
Technical Updates:
We've successfully migrated all our servers from Azure cloud to resources at a local public cloud hosted by SharkTech ( https://sharktech.net/ )! This move significantly reduces our cloud hosting costs until we establish our private cloud infrastructure, it also enables better communication with our cloud provider since they are local. If you're interested in our development progress or have coding skills to contribute, check out our GitHub repository ( https://github.com/Vegas-Open-Network/ ).
Stay Connected:
Don't miss out on the latest updates and discussions! Subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates, join the forums to engage with our community, or explore our wiki for a wealth of information.
- Subscribe to our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/vonet/newsletter/
- Join the Forums: https://forums.vonet.org/
- Explore the wiki: https://wiki.vonet.org/
Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. Together, we can build a thriving community network in Las Vegas!