Updated: Feb 20th, 2024, Owner/contact: @Susanna Laanikari, Role: Organisational development

<aside> <img src="/icons/apple_gray.svg" alt="/icons/apple_gray.svg" width="40px" /> We distribute income and access to opportunity. We want to create regenerative and distributive economies that thrive within social and ecological boundaries. Growth doesn’t bring equality; distribution should be part of the economic systems by design.

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A sustainable business run like a non-profit

****At Sonder we do not aim to make a profit off of the work that we do. We want to be guided by the impact that we can create. The network-based model allows us to put most of the costs into the high-quality work of our Members and Collaborators. For each project that we engage in, we add an administrative cost to the overall project budget. The sum of these administrative costs ultimately finances the functioning of our operational and cultural backbone

We use any surplus the co-operative generates to:

• Manage cashflow inconsistencies.
• Ensure equitable processes.
• Improve the co-operative through learning-sharing, training, short-term co-locating of collaborators, conference attendance, and events.
• Run collective social impact activities outside project engagements such as capacity building, fellowships etc.

As such, engaging with Sonder in a project will always have the same financial structure:

• Daily rate based calculation for each team member.
• Travel costs.
• Cost of other direct costs (i.e. tools, translation, and other, non-human resources).
• 5-15% administrative overhead from projects depending on the size of engagement.

How are daily rates calculated?

Daily rates of our members and collaborators differ based on expertise, location, and length of engagement.

The daily rates of our members generally take into account the following:

• Personal income.
• Taxes.
• Premium insurance for health and travel to high-risk areas.
• Necessary software and tools.
• Management of uncertainty based on engagement (long-term engagement vs. short tem, high risk vs. low risk).

What is the administrative overhead used for?

We use the administrative overhead to ensure we have a professional and transparent process in place. We work with an experienced finance manager and professional accounting software and partner. We use the funds to pay the bank, software, and other running costs to keep the co-operative up and running, and we consult with experts such as lawyers, business experts and organisational psychologist to improve our structure and processes.