> 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*
