KFANYC2: Ping! Let's get this thing going!

[Sara Eileen]

Hey ya'll,

I'd like to get the second KFA event in New York City moving forward.
I would love it if people could weigh in on a couple of things.

1. How do we feel about returning to the Center as a venue?
Personally I found the Center to be a pretty great choice. As their
main contact for the event they were fairly easy to work with. They
have a lot of space that works with the KFA model, and I think we
could potentially solve some of the issues we encountered before by
trying to get a bit more space. Internet access was obviously an
issue we would have to address again.

Or, would anyone like to suggest a viable alternate venue?

2. Dates! I would like us to pick a date that works with KFA Boston
in September. Not too close together, but with good synergy. (Yes, I
did just say "synergy".)

How does mid-August sound? I am wary of pushing into the holiday
season, and think that the event could come together in that time
frame nicely.

Cheers,
Sara Eileen

[Dacia]

I think the Center was a great space and would love to see another
KinkForAll there. Mid-August sounds good to me! Theoretically it'll be
easier to organize the second time around.

I'm not sure how much organizing I can do in terms of logistics in
advance of the day of the event, but I'll pitch in wholeheartedly on
the day itself.

xo
Dacia

[Stacy Cat]

I liked the Center, but Mid August doesnt work for me :)  (but if that works out well for others, then great!)

I have been meaning to go by the LGBT center at NYU.  At least from what I have read, NYU allows groups to sponsor events, but it is pretty hard to get non sponsored events there.  (Aka, it seems that only NYU groups and registered non profits can get space.) 

Also, Mid-August, depending on when school starts, might miss a lot of new college students, but I can see the advantage of being before KFABoston.  We might also want to investigate October for a possible event.

StacyCat

[Jack Stratton]

I agree that the Center seemed to be a perfect fit. It had just the
right atmosphere and really seemed to be an inclusive space for the
spectrum of kink and gender and politics that KinkForAll was aiming
for. A hotel or even a campus wouldn't be as inviting.

I also agree that August would be perfect. Between two other
KinkForAlls (isn't DC aiming for late July?) and so we could even get
carryover or continuing conversations from DC that can then go even
farther in Boston.

I'm ready to pitch in.

On Jun 24, 5:52 pm, Sara Eileen <saraeil...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Emily Rutherford]

The Center seemed great to me, aside from the internet access issue--the fact that it has more "character" than a hotel meeting room, I think, is indicative of how KinkForAll isn't your average conference. I wouldn't be able to attend in mid-August, but I see it definitely makes sense to schedule it between DC and Boston.

-Emily

[Viviane]

Hi all:

I thought the Center was very conducive to our event, and an excellent
location. From the emails, it seemed like they were very easy to work
with. Also, we'd get onto their calendar. Question is, can we get the
dates?

Seconded on the need for larger rooms. But at the same time, it's
August, people will be away, so there might be a smaller turnout.

The only mid August event I'm aware of is Floating World, August
21-23. I also glanced at the Fetlife events section for events near me
and didn't see anything that would conflict.

Thanks,
Viviane

[Kala Pierson]

I like the idea of some proximity to KFA Boston. Mid-August does
miss locals who are away for summer work and travel (and it's final
prep/chaos time for the Burning Man folks).

Floating World in NJ (21-23 aug) will draw some kink-audience away
from NYC. However, it might be excellent to offer a simultaneous
free alternative for those of us who can't afford (or aren't into)
weekend events at hotels.

Kala
k...@unfurl.org

[unlucky]

I agree with the others, the Center seemed to be a perfect fit,
bringing up the inclusiveness and making it about more than just kink,
which I think is an important point. A hotel would bring a very
different atmosphere. I also think August would work well.

On Jun 24, 5:52 pm, Sara Eileen <saraeil...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Sara Eileen]

Wow, thanks for weighing in, everyone!

I realize that a mid-August event will miss some audiences, but it
sounds like it could be a good time frame for quite a few people. The
folks who're missing will of course be welcome next time around. :)

With a strong consensus on the Center as a venue, I'll volunteer to
take lead contact on getting that organized. I'll reach out to the
Center tonight and see what dates might be available to us.

Thanks again!

Sara Eileen

[Sara Eileen]

Hey folks,

So here's what I've found out. The Center can offer us two very large
rooms and one small room for August 8th from 11am to 7pm. The large
rooms can be divided via partitions into four smaller rooms apiece.
The cost for this will come to $1280.

Pros:
-Lots of space! We could potentially run upwards of 6 or 8 classes at
a time.
-The Center continues to be a great venue choice.
-August 8th would probably be a good date.

Cons:
-Rooms divided by partitions may have noise issues.
-The rooms are located on different floors and will require some
elevator and stairs travel.

We also need to consider finances. I'm going to do some work on our
budget and see where we stand right now. I regret to say that I
cannot, at this point, front the necessary 50% deposit for these
rooms. We could also choose to reserve only one large room, instead
of two. This would bring our costs down to approximately $800. If we
have any concerns about fundraising, this may be a good option.

If we feel confident that we can raise the money to pay for the
space, I would like to go ahead and book them. Can I hear votes of
confidence: Yea or Nay?

Cheers,

Sara Eileen


On Jun 25, 2009, at 11:32 AM, unlucky wrote:

>

[Lolita Wolf]

I abstain from voting as I will be out of town on August 8th.

Lolita

--
Lolita, speaking only for Lolita
http://www.leatheryenta.com

[Ben]

Ditto.

[Jack Stratton]

Aug 8th sounds good to me. A few people I would have liked to have
seen are out of town then, but I'm sure that will happen no matter the
date.

As for funding, perhaps we should come up with a banner or something
that people can put on their blog/page to direct people to the best
donation site?

I can throw something together. Anyone have any requests for sizes?

[Stacy Cat]

I would like something that can go in an average sidebar.  A 120 or 120 width would be great :)

[maymay]

On Jul 13, 2009, at 9:56 AM, Jack Stratton wrote:

> Aug 8th sounds good to me. A few people I would have liked to have
> seen are out of town then, but I'm sure that will happen no matter the
> date.
>
> As for funding, perhaps we should come up with a banner or something
> that people can put on their blog/page to direct people to the best
> donation site?
>
> I can throw something together. Anyone have any requests for sizes?

Jack, can you also make a general "donate to KinkForAll" banner, and
one specific to KFANYC2? This would be a great visual asset to have
for all KinkForAll fundraising efforts, not just this event's.

Also, looking at the KFANYC2 page on the wiki[0], it doesn't look like
there is a Donations section set up yet. Although this probably sounds
like common sense to a lot of people, I would like to remind people
not to place banners or links to non-existent donation pages on their
blogs and elsewhere until there is a landing page or section for
potential donors to actually arrive at.

Cheers,
-maymay
Blog: http://maybemaimed.com
Community: http://KinkForAll.org
Volunteering: http://ConversioVirium.org/author/maymay

EXTERNAL REFERENCES:

[0] http://kinkforall.pbworks.com/KinkForAllNewYorkCity2

[Sara Eileen]

Hey Jack,

A banner would be great! Having both general and event-specific banners is a great help to us. No idea on sizes, personally. Thank you very much!

I'm going to drop off list for a little while right now as my day job heats up, but I'll get a donation button up on the KFANYC2 page tonight - if someone doesn't beat me to it :).

Cheers!
Sara Eileen

[maymay]

On Jul 13, 2009, at 11:26 AM, Sara Eileen wrote:

> Hey Jack,
>
> A banner would be great! Having both general and event-specific
> banners is a great help to us. No idea on sizes, personally. Thank
> you very much!
>
> I'm going to drop off list for a little while right now as my day
> job heats up, but I'll get a donation button up on the KFANYC2 page
> tonight - if someone doesn't beat me to it :).
>
> Cheers!
> Sara Eileen

Sara, please ping me when you get a donation button and/or account set
up for KinkForAll New York City 2. As I am the custodian of the first
KFANYC's finances, I can transfer the several hundred dollar surplus
from last event's fundraising efforts to your account at your
convenience. Please also be ready to publish KFANYC2 finances
transparently online before I do this so that everyone (myself
included) can see the cash flow in, and out.

Thank you,

[Sara Eileen]

Ping!

Jack, the donation link is up on the KFANYC2 web page. (I had some trouble with the HTML of the pretty button, but the link itself works just fine.)

May, the KFANYC2 account is set up, so that transfer can happen at your leisure.

And ping, everyone: our financials are now publicly viewable via Google Docs:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tILyTUa_Xav2tDXplATQyTg&output=html

Thanks, everyone!

Sara Eileen

[maymay]

On Jul 13, 2009, at 4:45 PM, Sara Eileen wrote:

Ping!

Jack, the donation link is up on the KFANYC2 web page. (I had some trouble with the HTML of the pretty button, but the link itself works just fine.)

I fixed the HTML for the image.

May, the KFANYC2 account is set up, so that transfer can happen at your leisure.

Thanks. I'll begin the wire ASAP.

And ping, everyone: our financials are now publicly viewable via Google Docs:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tILyTUa_Xav2tDXplATQyTg&output=html

Thanks, everyone!

Sara Eileen

May I ask that under "URI or Preferred Contact Information" you use the URI of the previous KinkForAll event's financials spreadsheet for the KFANYC2 rollover funds? (I have no edit access to the KFANYC2 financials spreadsheet, which is fine, but that's why I'm asking you to do this instead of just doing it myself.) That URI is

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p-vqp1M6ulqdSXO0CVALRKg

It might also be nice to see a budget total on the KFANYC2 spreadsheet as we have on the original KFANYC one (over on the right of the spreadsheet). In particular, I am curious about budgets for things like Internet access, which I know the LGBT Center in NYC does not provide.

Cheers,

[Siobhan Phoenix]

On Jul 13, 8:28 pm, maymay <bitetheappleb...@gmail.com> wrote:

>
> It might also be nice to see a budget total on the KFANYC2 spreadsheet  
> as we have on the original KFANYC one (over on the right of the  
> spreadsheet). In particular, I am curious about budgets for things  
> like Internet access, which I know the LGBT Center in NYC does not  
> provide.
>

I put up on the spreadsheet and equipment page that I can donate 3G
wireless/ATT card (for the duration of the (un)event) and access via a
i386/FreeBSD based router.
I know its not a lot of bandwidth (it equals about T1 speeds, its a
little faster than a DSL line), but I have one I'm not using, and I
personally will be using my iphone tethered to my MacBookPro for my
own access (which is why I have an extra one)

I'll wait til after KFANYC2 to cancel the service on it.

-Siobhan Phoenix

[maymay]

Siobhan, that is *extremely* exciting. :) Thank you for helping get
KFANYC2 online!

[Siobhan Phoenix]

On 7/15/09 2:48 PM, maymay wrote:

I'll wait til after KFANYC2 to cancel the service on it.

-Siobhan Phoenix
    

Siobhan, that is *extremely* exciting. :) Thank you for helping get  
KFANYC2 online!

Cheers,
-maymay

  

No problem :)

I'm glad I found out about it - I've been away for 3 years, so we weren't around for the last one.

How are you BTW? (you can respond off-list - and you know me as Trish, not as Siobhan)

-Siobhan

-- 
Siobhan Phoenix				    The Leather Phoenae
http://leatherphoenix.info		http://pride-family.org
BDSM Educator, Blogger             Momma Bear with an Attitude!

[Siobhan Phoenix]

Question:


Has there been any financial donations? what happens if the deposit on
the venue does not get paid? should be start looking at canvassing to
some of the community orgs for financial help, or is the emphasis on
self-reliance and participants helping with this sort of thing?

1200 dollars may not seem like a lot, but it is for the target
audience here -

-Siobhan

[Sara Eileen]

Hiya,

As you can see from the financial spreadsheet [1] we have already had two more generous donations, and are currently facing a debt of $515 (as opposed to $1200.) The deposit on the venue has been paid already.

We are definitely seeking financial donations, more sponsorships, and any sort of help that may be available. I would love to hear ideas on people we can contact and organizations that can be approached. (Example: Suspension?) On that note, I spoke to Pleasure Salon folks this weekend about the possibility of some PS/KFA synergy. I'll follow up with the list as that conversation progresses.

Our emphasis here is on making the event free for attendees. If that means we approach local organizations to support us, let's do it. If it means putting the donate link out with our announcements, let's do that too.

If the day comes and we are short the balance of the venue payment, I am prepared to cover that cost from my personal finances. If (and only if) this is the case, I am prepared to ask for donations at the END of the day. The thought there is that we won't pressure attendees to feel the need to donate, and we won't ask for money until after people have a chance to assess the personal value of the event. And, if I end up eating some of that cost, I will consider it an appropriate investment to make Kink For All a reality.

Does this help? Make sense? Anyone have contacts with appropriate sponsor/donor possibilities that they would fee comfortable approaching?

Best,
Sara Eileen

[1] http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tILyTUa_Xav2tDXplATQyTg&output=html

[Siobhan Phoenix]

On 7/20/09 12:04 PM, Sara Eileen wrote:

Hiya,

Does this help? Make sense? Anyone have contacts with appropriate sponsor/donor possibilities that they would fee comfortable approaching?

Well, my in-laws are both on the board of directors of TES, and I am an ex-Director of TES, plus I am also an LSM member, so I might be able to approach those organizations.

Its short notice, so we might not be able to get them to vote on it until AFTERwards.

But its worth a try, I'll have Shana call her parents this evening, and I'll talk to my family member who is more involved with LSM later this evening as well. - again, there may not be a board meeting of either org between now and Aug. 8th... so we'll see what happens. They may end up re-imbursing afterwards if we can get them to.

-Trish

Best,
Sara Eileen

[1] http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tILyTUa_Xav2tDXplATQyTg&output=html

On Mon, Jul 20, 2009 at 11:25 AM, Siobhan Phoenix <slync...@gmail.com> wrote:

Question:


Has there been any financial donations? what happens if the deposit on
the venue does not get paid? should be start looking at canvassing to
some of the community orgs for financial help, or is the emphasis on
self-reliance and participants helping with this sort of thing?

1200 dollars may not seem like a lot, but it is for the target
audience here -

-Siobhan

[Sara Eileen]

Hi Trish,

Keep in mind that Lolita was kind enough to approach TES on our behalf when KFANYC happened, and their decision at the time was to support us with a lot of people-help (great!), but not financially (totally fine). Just some context for you going forward.

Also, keep in mind that we hope to have this happen again! So if they find that the notice is too short, feel free to suggest that they hold off until KFANYC3.

Cheers,
Sara