> Ok, cool. Part of that is due to noise it produces and the disruptions it would cause to gamers and others trying to focus. They get loud :)

> On Oct 25, 2012 2:05 PM, "Lisa Thierbach" <lisa.thierb...@gmail.com> wrote:
> LOL. I'm showing my age. When I was in school, the boys all took shop and the girls took home economics. I enjoyed learning to sew, but cooking was never really my thing (just ask my family). Of course, I might have made a word choice error and meant to say "sexier," but since I'm a part time writer, that just couldn't be the case.

> Lisa

> On Oct 25, 2012, at 2:00 PM, Dana Nelson <heibai...@gmail.com> wrote:

>> Sexist maker equipment? Did something happen and I don't know about it?

>> On Oct 25, 2012 1:58 PM, "Lisa Thierbach" <lisa.thierb...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I realize I've only been a member for a couple of months, and probably don't understand much about AHA yet, but I've got some thoughts.

>> I have some ideas on what could make the "showing people around" thing work a bit better based on my observations. I don't think it helps that the sexist maker equipment is hidden in the back. I think the people working behind the counter need some more tools and guidance to get the excitement up.

>> BTW, no excuse for showing disrespect for anyone. Better not do that around me or I'll pull the mom card on you.

>> Lisa

>> On Oct 25, 2012, at 9:31 AM, Dana Nelson <heibai...@gmail.com> wrote:

>>> M.S.-
>>> Everyone can show up to board meetings. They are open to the public. Holding a seperate day never really panned out well in the past.

>>> Also, the people working shift are supposed to be greeting people and showing them around, giving AHA a more friendly appearance. If they aren't doing their job, tell them. You pay membership, you are their boss.

>>> On Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 9:29 AM, Dana Nelson <heibai...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Okay, here's my answer. I agree with a lot of what the other say regarding outreach, accountability, etc.

>>> And before I start, I will warn that this may sound rant like. I am very passionate about this question, as I see it as an emergency that we need to be stepping up and doing something about NOW. Everyone that boasts to other people about how they are members, how they are part of the community, and yet only come down here on build nights to socialize, this question is for you. We are sinking, how are you helping to keep us afloat?

>>> I am working on developing curriculum and schedules for local schools to be able to come down to AHA for field trips. Theoretically, this could make us $150 for 3-4 hours of work during hours in which the space isn't being utilized. We already have a teacher interested, which could lead to a whole school, which could lead to about 5 classrooms. Once ideas are settled and implemented though, we could send this to other schools.

>>> Another plan, which I am working on a couple different options and will bring to the board as soon as we know who the new board is, if we are struggling to pay our bills, why do we still have so many free members working in exchange for a membership. While this is awesome that we do this, we can't really afford to. The members working behind the counter are an exception to this, I think, as it's extremely difficult to get people to work a shift. I work shift, and work a lot doing other things, and ya know what? I'm still paying my membership this month because I know that my community is suffering.

>>> One thing people are forgetting, 1/3 of our income is made up from the gaming portion of All Hands Active!!! Even with this fact, I continually hear comments about how "They're just gamers." and so on. It's no secret that over the past few years, the gaming side has gone down a bit, but I've heard and know people that have flat out said, "I stopped coming back to Ops because of the AHA people." We all need to be more respectful as far as noise go and need to make an effort to think about what they want from the organization.

>>> On Wed, Oct 24, 2012 at 10:51 PM, Lisa Thierbach <lis...@me.com> wrote:
>>> I would very much like to help with ideas and actions for making money. I just joined AHA and don't want to see such an awesome group of people struggle with money. Maybe we could start a separate email topic and/or arrange a group meeting.

>>> Lisa

>>> On Oct 24, 2012, at 10:00 PM, N Y <nymis...@gmail.com> wrote:

>>> > Good question! We have a very small window here, so I wanted to focus on
>>> > something getting us some funds quickly, then when we are solid, working
>>> > toward future alliances.  My idea is to take a few days to canvas the
>>> > downtown area (and perhaps beyond) with some nice business cards and a
>>> > convincing pitch.  I would like to meet with organizations in the area
>>> > who might be sympathetic to our cause, and who could donate a bit of
>>> > money to our cause.  Another short-term idea is to run a Kickstarter to
>>> > help supplement any donations we might get from the first idea.  The
>>> > only "drawback" there is that we will need a small, dedicated team to
>>> > work on spreading the word and making gifts.  If it comes down to it, I
>>> > will personally invest the money needed to help make these gifts.

>>> > More in the big picture (but we can start now), I would like to
>>> > stimulate our own membership by investigating what it will take to
>>> > become self-sufficient through dues alone.  Being self-sufficient is the
>>> > ultimate goal, since donors can eventually burn out.  We need to offer
>>> > people a great reason to give us $20-$50 every month.  We have record
>>> > membership, so what can we do to ensure we hold that trend, and make it
>>> > pay the bills? To that end, I would like to organize quarterly feedback
>>> > surveys.  We have not polled the membership as a whole in a very long
>>> > time! How do we make AHA better?

>>> > There are a few other ideas I can bring to the table, but I would also
>>> > like to see what other people have in mind (and I'd like to hear more
>>> > from everyone who can read this, not just nominees/directors!).  I think
>>> > that the joy of having a group of committed people working on a problem
>>> > is that we can bounce around all these ideas and polish them up into
>>> > something that will help us out.

>>> > As an aside: another thing I really would want to focus on this term is
>>> > encouraging all directors (and that certainly would include me!) to
>>> > develop their ability to follow through.  It is imperative for AHA's
>>> > leaders to not only come up with ideas, but also to execute those ideas
>>> > in a timely fashion -- even if it means coordinating a larger team to
>>> > make things happen.  I am ready!

>>> > -- Nate Y.

>>> > On 10/24/2012 07:46 PM, Dana Nelson wrote:
>>> >> So out of curiousity, because this is a MAJOR issue right now, and you can
>>> >> treat it as a debate style question if you wish:

>>> >> If you are elected to the AHA board, what will you do to help your favorite
>>> >> hackerspace *MAKE IT'S DECEMBER RENT* as we are still in the hole. Your
>>> >> hackerspace needs you!

>>> >> I think this is just as important as the national deficit in our little
>>> >> community, and if you wish to help guide the hackerspace forward, you
>>> >> should be helping with it being able to pay it's bills.

>>> >> As for me asking this in an open forum, I think all of the AHA members
>>> >> would be interested to know your amazing plans or intentions before they
>>> >> vote tomorrow during Build Night!

>>> >> So, get to it candidates, I'll share mine when I know I won't be the only
>>> >> one fretting over such circumstances.

>>> --
>>> Dana Nelson
>>> All Hands Active
>>> AHAkids Class Coordinator

>>> --
>>> Dana Nelson
>>> All Hands Active
>>> AHAkids Class Coordinator