Announcing Wiscon fundraiser
As previously discussed, I am pleased to announce a fundraiser to assist fans of color attend Wiscon.
This will proceed in two parts:
Part One: in a post whose comments are screened, fans of color will comment and say, "Hi, yes, I've been wanting to go to Wiscon, but I need a membership / a couch / a bed / $X for travel / etc."
Any requests for help I receive by Wednesday March 18 will be aggregated and posted as goals for Part Two:
Part Two: people donate memberships, offer couches or beds, auction goods/services in exchange for donations (ETA: at con_or_bust), or donate money starting Wednesday March 18 and ending Monday April 13, or sooner if we meet the goals earlier. (Since Wiscon does have an attendance cap, it would be good if it were earlier, though I'm advised they're currently well under.) Any cash overflow will be donated to the Carl Brandon Society.
Administrative Notes
- I'm doing this in two parts because I'm not starting an ongoing fund that will roll over extra cash (my own self is not willing to hang on to donated money on a year-to-year basis), and thus I'd like the fundraiser to have as specific a set of goals as possible.
- (If people ask for help after fundraising starts, however, I will simply update the goals.)
- I'll be keeping records as a public Google Docs spreadsheet. Requests for help will be anonymized; contributions can be, too, upon request.
- I'm presently asking people requesting help for the name under which they're going to register at Wiscon, which I will keep in confidence unless there is any unpleasantness about people not using the donated resources in the manner intended. Other suggestions welcomed, however.
What you can do now
- Spread the word! Encourage fans of color to request assistance. Encourage everyone to start thinking of auction items. ETA: check out the items already posted at con_or_bust and think about what you'd like to bid on when bidding opens. The more people who know about this, the better.
- Start thinking about how we can keeping this going in the future, if this turns out to be successful. Perhaps the Carl Brandon Society would be interested in adopting it? Perhaps Wiscon itself? Or people who actually go to Wiscon would like to form an organization?