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Launching a Nonprofit IX: Structuring Your Organization and Defining Your Roadmap

Why Nonprofit IXs Matter​

Not every Internet Exchange is run as a business. Around the world, many IXs are set up as nonprofit, community-driven organizations to ensure neutrality, trust, and long-term sustainability.

Analogy: A nonprofit IX is like a public library. Everyone contributes to its upkeep, everyone benefits from shared resources, and no single player can dictate the rules.

Step 1: Structuring the Organization​

  • Association / Cooperative: members own and govern the IX (common in Europe, e.g., LINX, AMS-IX).
  • Foundation / Nonprofit Entity: run independently, often with community oversight.
  • Hybrid Models: some IXs start nonprofit, then spin off a commercial arm for advanced services.

Why it matters: the structure sets expectations for transparency, governance, and how decisions are made.

Governance​

  • Board of Directors: elected by members; responsible for strategy and oversight.
  • Executive Team / Secretariat: handles day-to-day operations.
  • Working Groups or Committees: allow members to shape policy, technical direction, and community initiatives.

Best practice: keep governance transparent—open meetings, published minutes, and regular reporting build trust.

Step 2: Defining Your Roadmap​

Phase 1: Foundation​

  • Secure initial funding (seed contributions, grants, government or university support).
  • Establish bylaws, governance structure, and nonprofit registration.
  • Recruit founding members (local ISPs, universities, community networks).

Phase 2: Infrastructure Build​

  • Select a neutral colocation facility.
  • Procure switches and basic IX equipment.
  • Deploy a simple peering LAN (with VLANs, route servers, monitoring).

Phase 3: Growth & Services​

  • Launch membership tiers (e.g., small ISPs vs large carriers).
  • Expand into multiple data centers for redundancy.
  • Offer additional services (route servers, statistics, IX API, maybe cloud on-ramps).

Phase 4: Community & Sustainability​

  • Host regular meetings and technical workshops.
  • Engage regionally and internationally (Euro-IX, APIX, Af-IX, LAC-IX).
  • Diversify revenue streams while keeping costs transparent.

Step 3: Balancing Mission and Practicality​

  • Mission-first: focus on keeping interconnection neutral, open, and accessible.
  • Practical realities: you'll still need sustainable funding, staff, and infrastructure investment.
  • Hybrid thinking: some IXs introduce commercial partnerships (data centers, carriers) while keeping decision-making in members' hands.

Analogy: Think of it like running a community garden. The goal isn't profit, but it still needs rules, tools, and caretakers to thrive.

Lessons from History​

  • AMS-IX (Amsterdam, 1994): started academic; its nonprofit model gave confidence to carriers and content providers alike.
  • Smaller IXs (e.g., SIX in Seattle, TORIX in Toronto): show that strong community roots are often more important than size.

These IXs thrived because they were transparent, neutral, and responsive to community needs.

Best Practices for Nonprofit IX Launch​

  • Be Neutral: ensure no single member dominates decisions.
  • Be Transparent: publish policies, prices, and governance processes openly.
  • Start Small: you don't need advanced services on day one - just reliable switching and clear rules.
  • Engage the Community: local ISPs, content players, universities, and government stakeholders should all feel ownership.
  • Plan for Growth: define a roadmap, but leave room to adapt as traffic and membership change.

Beginner's Takeaway​

  • Launching a nonprofit IX is as much about community and governance as it is about switches and fibers.
  • Structure your organization around neutrality and trust.
  • Build a roadmap: start small, grow services, engage the community, and plan for sustainability.
  • Your IX isn't just infrastructure, it's a community asset.

✨ A nonprofit IX is successful not when it maximizes profit, but when it maximizes trust, participation, and the health of the local Internet ecosystem.