We are a group of volunteers providing technical consulting and donated infrastructure resources dedicated to supporting non-profits, mutual aid groups, and organizers in and around Minneapolis. To ensure the highest level of security and reliability, our architecture is built on a defense-in-depth model: privacy-first OpenBSD servers with full disk encryption at the core, paired with Cloudflare’s global edge for DDoS protection, serverless static hosting, optimized caching, and automated email obfuscation. Our goal is to offer stable, secure platforms and technical guidance—so you can focus on your vital work without worrying about corporate surveillance, data harvesting, or expensive subscriptions.
We believe in data sovereignty: your community's data belongs to your community. We custom-configure every setup to keep your organization resilient, secure, and self-reliant. Don't hesitate to reach out and ask how we can help!
Bring Us Your Problems — We’ll Help Find a Solution
You don’t need to know technical jargon, write a formal specification, or know what specific software you need. If your group is struggling with a digital bottleneck, an insecure or disorganized setup, or an expensive subscription service, simply tell us what’s happening in plain language.
Tell Us the Problem
Reach out in plain English describing your bottlenecks, manual workflows, or expensive tool headaches.
Collaborative Design
We evaluate your needs and architect a privacy-first, secure, zero-cost or community-subsidized solution.
Deploy & Handover
We configure hardened OpenBSD servers, migrate your data, and empower your team with ongoing support.
Our Cost & Support Approach
We believe in data sovereignty and removing financial barriers so grassroots organizers can thrive without corporate lock-in:
Core Consulting & Donated Hosting
For basic and solvable needs, we build and host solutions directly on our donated OpenBSD infrastructure at zero cost to your group.
- Volunteer Consulting & Audits: Problem analysis and architecture design.
- Donated OpenBSD Server Hosting: Fast, tracker-free web and database hosting.
- Free Subdomains: Hosted on free
*.skywaters.orgdomains. - Open-Source Tool Deployment: Nextcloud, CryptPad, Listmonk, and custom tools.
- Zero Cost Ever: $0 to your organization, backed 100% by community volunteers.
External Third-Party Services
For complex needs requiring external providers (like custom domains or dedicated mailboxes), we help you navigate ethical providers.
- Zero Markup: Pass-through ethical wholesale rates (often just a few dollars/year).
- Privacy Mailboxes & Domains: Custom
.orgdomains and mailboxes. - Community Subsidies: For groups on a $0 budget, community funds help subsidize third-party fees whenever funds allow.
- No Lock-In: You maintain full ownership and billing control of your external accounts.
Example Services & What We Can Build
Every group’s workflow is unique. Here are common examples of what we can set up, host, and support for your organization:
🌐 Websites & Public Portals
Fast, accessible, and tracker-free informational websites, resource landing pages, or contact forms—hosted on a free yourproject.skywaters.org subdomain or your own custom domain.
✉️ Custom Email & Mailing Lists
Professional organizational email addresses (e.g., organizer@yourgroup.org) using privacy-first mail hosts, discussion lists, and one-to-many newsletter distribution with full deliverability configuration.
📁 Secure Team Chat & Cloud Drive
Private cloud storage and live document editing (Nextcloud, CryptPad) as surveillance-free alternatives to Google Drive, alongside encrypted group messaging setups.
🗄️ Custom Databases & Internal Tools
Tailored relational databases (powered by MariaDB on secure OpenBSD) and lightweight custom web interfaces to manage mutual aid requests, volunteer shift scheduling, or inventory—plus custom notification scripts.
🔐 Digital Security & Backups
Organization-wide password manager setups (Bitwarden), two-factor authentication (2FA/MFA) rollouts, security checkups to protect organizer data, and automated encrypted offline/offsite backups.
🛠️ Technical Consulting & Migrations
Untangling DNS and domain settings, auditing current tools, and helping you migrate away from proprietary or costly commercial tools to lightweight, self-hosted software.
Grassroots Bootstrapped & Community Funded
skywaters.org is a newly launched, volunteer-led initiative. To get this off the ground, I personally contribute $50 every month out of my own pocket to fund our core OpenBSD encrypted servers, bandwidth, and baseline hosting capacity.
Because this project is bootstrapped on a fixed personal budget, community donations are essential to help us grow sustainably, support more Minneapolis organizers, and deliver on our promises without burning out.
🖥️ Server Capacity & Bandwidth
Adding more server capacity, high-speed bandwidth, and encrypted backup storage as more community organizations join.
🎁 Grants for Zero-Budget Groups
Covering unavoidable third-party costs (such as purchasing a custom .org domain or privacy email hosting) for grassroots groups operating with zero funds.
🛠️ Demanding Rollouts & Builds
Fueling complex migrations, custom MariaDB builds, and emergency fixes with modest volunteer support during intensive rollouts.
Volunteer Service Disclaimer & Limitation of Liability
While we implement hardened security and follow modern infrastructure best practices, all consulting, hosting, and technical support are provided by volunteers on a best-effort, strictly “as-is” and “as-available” basis with no warranties, uptime guarantees, or service-level agreements (SLAs) of any kind.
By requesting or utilizing Skywaters resources, your organization acknowledges that you do so at your own discretion and agrees to release, hold harmless, and waive all claims or liability against our volunteer team and maintainers for any service interruptions, data loss, security incidents, or unforeseen technical issues. We strongly encourage all participating groups to maintain their own independent, offline backups of essential data.
Get in Touch / Request Resources
Whether you are an established non-profit or a grassroots mutual aid group, we would love to hear from you. To request technical assistance or server resources, send an email to hello@skywaters.org with the following details:
- Your organization or project name
- Your mission and the community you serve
- The technical challenges, bottlenecks, or hosting support you need help with