What likely works better in conservative environments, are not donations, but (generous) support contracts. This is something buisness people can understand.
While I'm sure you are right, I can't help but to be irked by this strange environment we live in where we have to treat business people like infants who need things mashed and mushed into something they can digest and understand.
Nobody had to explain to me the concept of donating to support somebody working on something my business relies on, it's just common sense.
If I was really reliant on books documenting tolls and laws in regards to international trades, and you wanted to give a donation to support this work, I wouldn't be all "me no understand, please explain it in programmer-speak for me".
Have you spent much time around business people? I’ve spent years around them and open source software truly confuses them. Why would you ever use your time to make something and then give it away? I once suggested we make a donation and they laughed at me. Their response was if people are dumb enough to make something and give it away for free, then they get nothing.
If you relied on a set of books and found out the author and publisher were head of the 'Defund STEM; Make Everyone Get Lit Degrees (DSMEGLD, prounced De-smegol'd, cause they are LOTR nerds)' lobbying organization and actively spent a good portion of their day convincing education organizations from kindergartens to Universities remove all their math, science, and programming classes and teach crystal healing instead, would you donate to them?
You love programming and wouldn't help a group of people try to destroy it, right>
Well, business people love money and don't want to help people not give it to them or not let them keep it.
Oh, this goes w/o question, but not all F/OSS projects are incorporated and/or can provide a contract. Even more trouble if the entities are in yhe different countries.
Nobody had to explain to me the concept of donating to support somebody working on something my business relies on, it's just common sense.
If I was really reliant on books documenting tolls and laws in regards to international trades, and you wanted to give a donation to support this work, I wouldn't be all "me no understand, please explain it in programmer-speak for me".