Independent Collectives

If you want to use Open Collective's money management tools but don't want to be hosted, you can choose to be an Independent Collective

An Independent Collective is a Collective which keeps its money in its own bank account, has its own legal status, and carries out its own administration. If you opt to be an Independent Collective, you can still use Open Collective to manage your finances and accept contributions, but you will not receive the support of a Fiscal Host.

Independent Collectives do not need to pay any fees to use Open Collective, but may have to pay platform settlement expenses and payment processor fees.

You should consider registering as an Independent Collective if:

• You already have a bank account that you can use to hold your Collective's money

• You have your own legal status e.g. LLC incorporated, 501c3 charity status etc.

• You are able to take full responsibility for accounting, taxes, liability, payments and financial administration

• You are able to set up a Stripe and/or Wise account to manage payments (we recommend using our automation features)

• You want to have complete control over your collective’s activities and the ability to set your own policies and procedures.

If you want to host more than one Collective, it may be better to set up your own Fiscal Host.

If you decide to be an Independent Collective, it will be up to you to manage your funds, and handle your own accounting, legal status, and compliance.

You may seek support from the Open Collective team on issues related to the platform, but we will not offer advice on the administration of your Independent Collective. While Open Collective acts as a transparent virtual ledger for your Collective, it is not a bank account or fully-featured accounting software.

If you are in any doubt about your ability to manage your funds and admin effectively, we strongly recommend applying to a Fiscal Host instead.

Find out more

Create your Independent Collective

Find out how to set up an Independent Collective from scratch, or move it from elsewhere

Manage your finances

Learn the basics about managing money on the Open Collective platform

Closing your Independent Collective

Discover how to shut your Independent Collective, or move to a Fiscal Host