Rock'n'Rhizome

Community based fund raising projects is a pretty good idea. Move
responsibility onto community for maintaining it.



joseph


Quoting Eryk Salvaggio <[email protected]>:

>
> I thought of this too, I think it could be a lot of fun to do, besides.
> We could do it through something like mp3.com to keep overhead low; some
> people could donate net.art-based cd covers, we could sell a few
> different versions of the cd. It could bring in a couple of bucks and
> wouldn't cost anything. I could talk to a couple of people, too, who
> could contribute stuff. It could be a nice compilation.
>
> It could also be pretty terrible, but we never know unless we try!
>
> -e.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Max Herman wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >
> > Yeah, I was thinking a big fatty music CD, all proceeds to Rhizome,
> > I'd donate a song'r two.
> >
> >
> >
> >> From: [email protected]
> >> Reply-To: [email protected]
> >> To: Mark Tribe <[email protected]>
> >> CC: [email protected]
> >> Subject: Re: RHIZOME_RAW: Membership fee?
> >> Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 05:45:52 +0000
> >>
> >> Its time to talk about industry mergers. Forget the membership fees,
> >> very few
> >> will pay. If you are about to fold, either fold, or start a capital
> >> campaign
> >> to raise 7 figures. Fold or Bold.
> >>
> >> joseph
> >>
> >>
> >> Quoting Mark Tribe <[email protected]>:
> >>
> >> > Hi Rhizomers:
> >> >
> >> > I am hoping to start a discussion here on Raw about Rhizome's
> >> financial
> >> > situation and a possible solution. This email is rather long, but I'd
> >> > appreciate it if you'd take the time to read it through, give it some
> >> > thought, and let me know what you think.
> >> >
> >> > First, some background information. It will cost about $400,000 to
> >> operate
> >> > Rhizome.org this year. Here's how we spend it: $6,000 on
> >> administrative
> >> > fees (mostly processing credit card gifts); $122,000 on operating
> >> expenses
> >> > (phone, rent, web hosting, office supplies, etc.); $177,000 on payroll
> >> > costs (salaries, health insurance, payroll taxes, etc.); $93,000 on
> >> > professional fees (writers, commissions, consultants, etc.). These
> >> numbers
> >> > may seem high to some of you, but we actually run a very lean,
> >> efficient
> >> > operation. It simply costs a lot of money to run a nonprofit
> >> organization
> >> > that offers as many programs to as many people as we do.
> >> >
> >> > In the past, most of our revenue has come from foundations, but
> >> foundation
> >> > support is shrinking. We had hoped to make up the difference
> >> through earned
> >> > income from web hosting and online education, but those services are
> >> > getting off to a slow start. We have also, as you surely know,
> >> tried asking
> >> > for voluntary contributions. But so far this year only about 1% of our
> >> > 19,000 members have made gifts.
> >> >
> >> > The Rhizome Board of Directors met for its quarterly meeting last
> >> Friday.
> >> > The main topic was how to solve our financial problems. I proposed
> >> putting
> >> > the organization into hibernation mode. This would entail shutting
> >> down the
> >> > office, laying off the staff and discontinuing most of our
> >> programs. We
> >> > would keep the web site up, ask the SuperUsers to continue to publish
> >> > texts, and keep Raw online. But everything else would stop: no more
> >> Digest
> >> > or Net Art News, no more commissions, no more events. We'd stop
> >> adding new
> >> > projects to the ArtBase, stop improving the web site (we have a
> >> long list
> >> > of bugs to fix and features to add) and stop planning new programs.
> >> >
> >> > The Board felt that hibernation would be a big mistake. Once we
> >> went into
> >> > hibernation, they argued, it would be very hard to re-emerge and
> >> rebuild
> >> > momentum. Foundations would lose confidence in us (not to mention
> >> the fact
> >> > that we wouldn't have anyone to write the grants). Most important, our
> >> > ability to fulfill our mission would be compromised.
> >> >
> >> > Then someone suggested charging a membership fee. This idea has been
> >> > proposed before, and I have always opposed it. Rhizome is for
> >> everyone, I
> >> > argued, not just for those who can afford it. I argued that we'd lose
> >> > thousands of members and that our community would become less diverse.
> >> >
> >> > Then we looked at the numbers. The gap between our expenses and
> >> what we can
> >> > raise from foundations, the government, earned income and other
> >> sources is
> >> > about $100,000. That's about $5 per member. If every member gave $5,
> >> > Rhizome would be financially stable. We could continue to grow and
> >> serve
> >> > the community.
> >> >
> >> > The board argued that we pay to subscribe to magazines, to enter
> >> museums
> >> > and to see performances. We pay to attend festivals and
> >> conferences. Why
> >> > shouldn't we pay for Rhizome? Because it's online?
> >> >
> >> > Consider this hypothetical scenario. Let's say we introduced a
> >> > sliding-scale membership fee starting at $11 per year with "thank you
> >> > gifts" (T-shirts, etc.) at higher levels. By paying $11 a year (or
> >> more if
> >> > you could afford it), you get access to everything: Raw, Rare,
> >> Digest, Net
> >> > Art News, the Calendar, Opportunity Listings, ArtBase, Commissions,
> >> etc.
> >> > Maybe we'd keep Raw free. Maybe we'd give new memebers a free trial
> >> period
> >> > so they could check out the goods before they have to pay.
> >> >
> >> > Would you pay the fee?
> >> >
> >> > What do you think about the idea of a sliding-scale membership fee for
> >> > Rhizome.org? Good idea? Bad idea?
> >> >
> >> > Do you think it would be better to go into hibernation?
> >> >
> >> > I am eagerly awaiting your responses.
> >> >
> >> > Sincerely,
> >> >
> >> > Mark
> >> >
> >> > + new media rugby
> >> > -> post: [email protected]
> >> > -> questions: [email protected]
> >> > -> subscribe/unsubscribe:
> >> http://rhizome.org/preferences/subscribe.rhiz
> >> > -> give: http://rhizome.org/support
> >> > +
> >> > Subscribers to Rhizome are subject to the terms set out in the
> >> > Membership Agreement available online at
> >> http://rhizome.org/info/29.php
> >> + new media rugby
> >> -> post: [email protected]
> >> -> questions: [email protected]
> >> -> subscribe/unsubscribe: http://rhizome.org/preferences/subscribe.rhiz
> >> -> give: http://rhizome.org/support
> >> +
> >> Subscribers to Rhizome are subject to the terms set out in the
> >> Membership Agreement available online at http://rhizome.org/info/29.php
> >
> >
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
> > Get faster connections – switch to MSN Internet Access!
> > http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/default.asp
> >
> > + new media rugby
> > -> post: [email protected]
> > -> questions: [email protected]
> > -> subscribe/unsubscribe: http://rhizome.org/preferences/subscribe.rhiz
> > -> give: http://rhizome.org/support
> > +
> > Subscribers to Rhizome are subject to the terms set out in the
> > Membership Agreement available online at http://rhizome.org/info/29.php
> >
>
>
>
> + new media rugby
> -> post: [email protected]
> -> questions: [email protected]
> -> subscribe/unsubscribe: http://rhizome.org/preferences/subscribe.rhiz
> -> give: http://rhizome.org/support
> +
> Subscribers to Rhizome are subject to the terms set out in the
> Membership Agreement available online at http://rhizome.org/info/29.php