Why it’s important to contribute to Open Source even though it’s ‘free’!
- Claire Birnie
- Mar 11
- 4 min read
Open-source technology is quietly running the world. It's part of the critical infrastructure and hardware that are vital to many of our jobs and most people don’t realise it.
Many of my clients use QGIS (mostly as I train people how to use it) and they’re drawn to it because it’s “free” ー not that there’s anything wrong with that.
It’s accessible and lets you road-test it for nothing before you embed it in your work, so why wouldn’t you?
Why should you use open source?
I’m probably preaching to the converted, but I believe open-source projects are extremely valuable to individuals and businesses.
If you’re willing to fight me on that, here are my reasons why open-source projects are ace:
It’s “free” – No license or subscription fee, erm… yes please!
Your data belongs to you – Many proprietary systems store it, share it and prevent you from accessing it in other programs, giving you less control over your work/workflow.
Transparency – Open-source provides visibility into the code, ensuring transparency in how the software operates. Many businesses that build their products within/on top of QGIS, for example, are also open-source and value transparency.
Skills building – As there’s a lower barrier to entry, people can learn and develop their skills risk-free.
However, open-source projects still NEED money to:
Pay developers to fix bugs
Run annual grants and programmes to pay for improvements to QGIS projects
Afford hosting fees for server infrastructure
Improve upstream libraries that QGIS depends on
Employ a full-time web infrastructure maintainer
Employ a documentation writer
And this isn’t even the whole list.
I benefit greatly from QGIS as I run training courses, complete digital mapping for clients and build workflows for other businesses.
I couldn’t make a living without it.
In 2025, using QGIS meant that I achieved a major dream I’ve had since the first day I started my business: becoming a small sustaining member.
Not bad for a piece of software that's 'free', right?"
And in 2026, I’m going all in by trying to convince others to donate towards the upkeep of a system that benefits us all.
Why you should financially support open source.
Whether you’re an individual, freelancer or small business, if you’re using open-source software in your work, I’d ask you to consider donating something back to the project you’re benefiting from.
Why?
Because if we don’t support it, it won’t survive.
By financially supporting QGIS (or any open-source project, for that matter), you’re directly contributing to ensuring:
Software is maintained and developed
Bugs are flagged and fixed
This essential maintenance benefits all users, so why wouldn’t you?
Hang on, how much are we talking?
You don’t have to become a sustaining member to contribute, for example:
As an individual, you could donate £10 or £20 when you download the software or whenever you get a new version
A small business could commit to a small percentage of its profits to the project each year
You could look at a per-user donation, say £50 per user per year, as a starting point
Budgets are tight right now, I know, so donate what you or your business can afford.
Supporting open source benefits us all, so if you can afford to, donate today, you wonderful human.
Other ways to contribute to Open Source if you can’t financially afford to
If you’re unable to contribute financially, you could try some of the following to help the community as a whole:
Code and Technical Input: Submit pull requests for bug fixes, features and improvements to documentation.
Non-Code Contributions: Report issues, answer questions in community forums or write tutorials.
Corporate Support: If your employer uses open-source software, ask them to contribute as a corporation by becoming a sponsor/member or by donating a percentage each year.
Become active in local groups: Whether it’s an online group or an in-person meetup, many open-source projects have support groups or meetups you can join. I’ve listed a few at the bottom that’ll be of interest if you’re in the ecology & environment sector.
Online groups to get involved in
Being involved in online communities to ask for help (and provide help to others) is a fantastic way to give back. If you’ve found a new tip or trick in your workflow, share it with others or spend time answering questions in groups.
Here are a few I recommend:
QGIS for Ecologists Facebook Group – Discuss species and habitat mapping. It’s a great place to ask questions and you can also search previous posts to find answers you need.
British Ecologists Facebook Group - Discussions, training & jobs listing for UK Ecology.
Freelance Ecologists Facebook Group - Job listings & training for freelancers in the UK.
Stack Exchange - GIS – A network of questions and answers on GIS generally.
Reddit QGIS - A subreddit for discussion and all things QGIS.
What else can you do to contribute?
QGIS isn’t the only open-source software my business uses day to day.
Like me, you might use some of the following:
Inkscape – A free and open-source vector graphics editor used to create vector images, primarily in the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format.
GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) – For photo retouching, image editing, free-hand drawing and converting image file formats.
Scribus – Desktop publishing software
You can financially contribute to these, too, either by becoming a sustaining member through your business or by making one-off donations each year.
If you can suggest software your business uses that mine doesn’t, get in touch so I can add it to the list.
Right then, who’s ready to donate to QGIS?
If you’re ready, head over to the QGIS donation page and contribute what you can — every pound helps to keep the tools we rely on up to date.
Catch you next time,
Claire
