Dear ___ (HP, IBM, Dell, Sun, Gen-i)
I write on behalf of the Waikato Linux Users Group, Incorporated (hereafter “WLUG”), to ask if your company would consider sponsoring the WLUG by providing a server for our use.
WLUG is an incorporated society that provides support and advocacy for Linux and Open Source software, centred in the Waikato region. We have a formal membership of approximately 50 people; however, our meetings, events and resources are open to all and serve a much larger community, both locally and on the Internet. We have approximately 12 public meetings a year, run an installfest for new Linux users, and provide general support and discussion through a mailing list.
By far our most popular and interesting offering is our public Wiki website, at 
http://www.wlug.org.nz/. Founded in June 2002, the wiki contains nearly 8,000 pages of information, representing thousands of hours of work and knowledge contributed by hundreds of editors worldwide. The wiki is the largest Linux-related website in New Zealand, and acts as both the website for the WLUG itself, and a knowledge base for other groups to contribute to by way of the New Zealand Linux Users Group (http://wiki.linux.net.nz/).
All new content on the Wiki, and most historical content, is made freely available to the world under a Creative Commons license. Several articles on the wiki are considered authoritative on their subject. Documentation on the wiki is of a world-class standard, and is highly ranked by search engines such as Google. The website now averages one million hits per month1? .
The server that currently hosts our wiki is composed of many second hand parts which were donated by WLUG members and average over five years in age. (The server is a Dual Celeron 400 MHz, 256 MB RAM and a 20 GB hard drive). Unfortunately, parts are starting to fail, and the machine is becoming unreliable. The unreliability of this hardware and the performance constraints of the server are preventing us from improving our service by upgrading to the newer versions of software.
Our annual income comes primarily from membership fees of $20 per annum. The purchase of a server would be a major undertaking for our organisation, which is why we are asking your firm for sponsorship.
We are approaching companies with an interest in Linux and Open Source and seeking a donation of suitable new hardware. To handle the current workload and allow some room for future growth we are looking for a server class machine in a 1 or 2U rack case, with redundant hard drives and with at least 1GB of RAM. The better the spec of the server we have, the more we can offer; if a suitable machine is arranged, we hope to install virtualisation technology which would allow members the chance to increase their experience by using a server the likes that of which they could not afford themselves.
In return for your sponsorship, we would be proud to recognise your support on our sponsorship page, which is referenced at the bottom of every Wiki article. We will also recognize your sponsorship at our public meetings and events as appropriate. Your organisation would also be welcome to mention your sponsorship of WLUG publicly, in order to raise awareness of your company’s support of the open source community.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. Thank you for your time, and we hope to hear from you soon.
Regards,
LINDSAY DRUETT
President, Waikato Linux Users Group (Incorporated)
Phone: 021 92-90-92
E-mail: president@wlug.org.nz
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