pass the hat
Glenn Hampson
Dear OSIers,
Following up on yesterday’s update, we’re going to continue pushing forward with Plan A (or whatever we name this plan), as well as with outreach, networking, working with the UN and our other partners in this space, and more. We have plenty to do for sure. We’re also going to keep looking for and applying for “major” grants (the kind that would fund all our work for a year in one fell swoop)---we’ll walk and chew gum at the same time.
What we need right now is to refuel our funding tank through the first quarter of 2020---longer if possible. Like we did in September, let’s set out a $10,000 fundraising goal. If we can get there by December 31, we’ll be in a reasonably good shape to start the year.
Any amounts are welcome---it all adds up. Sponsor logos are displayed on both the OSI and SCI websites, as well as on all OSI reports. You’re also welcome to do your own PR (like Elsevier and Cactus have done in the past) promoting your support of OSI. Individual contributions are also welcome, of course. All contributions pass through (without overhead charge) the Science Communication Institute, a 501c3 nonprofit public charity, and are tax-deductible in the US.
I think that 2020 will be a seminal year for OSI---the official start of our action plan phase where we’re going to be focusing as much of our time and resources as possible on actions (products, studies, collaboration, support, outreach, etc.) that will put all our work into play. More than ever before, you’ll really start to see your support dollars translate into tangible progress on open in 2020.
Thank you very much to the sponsors who have carried the support load these past five years, and to the new sponsors and contributors who have come on board this year. I’d like to invite OSIers from other institutions and organizations who haven’t supported us yet to please consider doing so. You don’t need to go crazy---go ahead and give $250,000 if you’re a true believer and have more money than G-d—but $250 works as well. Times 100 organizations, $250 gets us all the way into September and then some.
As a small business owner I can deeply appreciate that $250 doesn’t grow on trees---it’s obviously not growing on my tree anyway----but I also appreciate that OSI is both a community, and a community-wide undertaking. Giving to this effort is like giving to my local Little League—it’s out there working to make the world a better place, and helping people and issues I care about. So, if you feel the same way, please convince your organization to pitch in with whatever seems about right. Maybe this means contributing about what you would pay to belong to AAAS, SPARC, or some similar professional group. Or contributing about you would pay to help support a group that fights for your interests in research or the environment. It’s all good, and it all adds up.
If you can help, visit the support page on OSI website at http://osiglobal.org/support/. If you prefer to receive an invoice and then write a check or make a direct deposit, just let me know how much you’d like to give and I can send you an invoice right away. Easy peasy.
In an ideal world I wouldn’t need to pass the hat to help keep OSI running. And maybe someday this won’t be necessary. But for now, we need everyone to help out. Any amount is good, but the more help we get, the more we’ll be able to accomplish next year.
Thank you for considering this request.
Sincerely,
Glenn
Glenn Hampson
Executive Director
Science Communication Institute (SCI)
Program Director
Open Scholarship Initiative (OSI)
