Your support makes us who we are. Without the generosity and passion of the free software community, we would not have been able to spend the last three decades supporting free software development and fighting for the rights of computer users. As tiny computers proliferate, from home temperature regulation to automobiles to our own bodies, the Free Software Foundation's ability to shine a light on the ethical issues inherent in proprietary software is more important than ever. When you give, you help us keep computer users informed about where proprietary software is hiding, and how free software can aid the fight for a free society.

The Free Software Foundation is seen as a guiding light for the free software community. Here's just a sampling of our work:

• We light a fire under free software development by sponsoring the GNU project, providing infrastructure support to hundreds of free software projects, and maintaining a list of high-priority projects that are especially important to the adoption and use of free software. We also enable fundraising and promotion for some of these projects, including Replicant (a fully free version of Android) and GNU MediaGoblin (free, decentralized network services). We spark production of hardware that supports free software, too, through our Respects Your Freedom certification program.
• We enforce the GNU General Public License, offer canonical licensing educational materials, answer thousands of licensing questions for free software developers each year, and help steward the community guide to copyleft at copyleft.org. This work is necessary to make sure that companies who incorporate copyleft-licensed software in their products understand how it works, uphold their end of the bargain to respect user freedom, and become good participants in the community.
• We organize global action around urgent issues related to software freedom. At the government level, we (under protest) participate in the exemptions process for the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and put a spotlight on the Trans-Pacific Partnership's threats to free software worldwide. In the private sector, we battle against Restricted Boot in computers distributed with Windows, and through our Defective by Design campaign, we work toward the elimination of all DRM, including organizing a coalition to keep it out of HTML5.
• Our resources light the way for free software activists. The Free Software Directory is a curated database of 15,000 (and counting) free software packages, the User Lib video introduces new audiences to the basics of free software, and our annual Giving Guide helps people consider free software principles when buying gifts for their loved ones.
• We gather the free software community for idea sharing and project planning at our annual LibrePlanet conference, and at other events around the world.

We've made big gains over the last 30 years -- but there's so much more to do. We know we can share free software around the world, from the halls of government to the classroom to your home, by shining a light on the dark side of proprietary software and helping important free software projects thrive. But we need your support.

Over 80 percent of our funding comes from individuals. Will you help us shine brighter by becoming a new member or making a donation by January 31st? Your generosity in the next two months will help us plan for the next few years. You can become an FSF member for just $10/month ($5/month for students). When you join, you'll get many benefits, including a USB membership card loaded with the free GNU/Linux distribution Trisquel, a digital member button, member.fsf.org email aliases and Jabber instant messaging, gratis admission to the annual LibrePlanet conference, a 20% discount on all purchases in the FSF shop, a printed copy of the biannual FSF Bulletin, and the newest benefit: 5% off free software-friendly hardware from ThinkPenguin.

Most importantly, your support enables more people to work tirelessly protecting your freedom. We need to raise $450,000 to maintain our current capacity, and if we raise more, we can do more. Help our light shine brighter by sharing this appeal. You can light another person's candle with yours, convincing others to use free software, give to the FSF, or even become a member. We are deeply grateful for your support.

Happy hacking!