You know the pleas for help which create such tension here?

[OneGrassRoot]

Last edited Thu May 7, 2015, 01:36 PM - Edit history (4)

5/7/15 UPDATE: Since there is interest, I will work on the next step of feedback needed. I'll try to post a followup to this OP tomorrow, or Saturday morning. Thanks much.

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(Edit to add: I'm going to be persistent about keeping this kicked to be on the front GD page for 24 hours, to give people a chance to see it and chime in, or contact me.)

I have a way to help; it's how it used to be done here. Please let me explain, especially for those of you who don't know me. If there is a pitiful response to this post, I promise to leave everyone alone after this.

(BTW, this link will explain me and my work more thoroughly as of 2015. I'll be focusing on these six sectors in moving forward with the work of creating a more Caring Society:

Caring Culture | Caring Democracy | Caring Economy | Caring Ecosystems | Caring Education | Caring Organizations

If you're interested in any of this, please let me know or follow the Caregiverism blog.)


For those who don't recognize my name, please refer to my DU journal. You'll get a better feel for me there. Older DUers can vouch for me, as they did in a recent post about my daughter being in Nepal when the earthquake hit. Thank you, old friends, for doing that. (BTW, after those 9 harrowing days, I probably should have waited a day or two to post this, as I may poop out really early and not check this as often as intended...lol.)




I recently posed a question here, asking how this community feels about the possibility of doing a fundraiser in order to create jobs for a few current and former DUers. There was little response, but having OPs seen and rec'd is a crap shoot and always has been...lol. I don't know if there is interest or not, which is why I'm trying one more time.

[font size="3"]^^^ That is still my primary question. I provide background and more info below.[/font]


Reading through Torch the Witch's latest thread is what prompts this post.

Before this current version of DU, members used to have to ask for permission to post requests that involve money. Because I had created a platform which, in part, exists to connect people who need assistance or support to those who want to connect directly to be of service, and since I had been a long-time member here at DU, such requests started to go through me and Wishadoo rather than await permission from admins.

I would then post a weekly OP listing the DUers who were asking for help after doing some behind-the-scenes due diligence to verify the veracity of the request if the person wasn't already familiar to me and the community. For people already known to the community, it's a much easier process, obviously.

Additionally, one of the first things that has always been done when someone new comes to Wishadoo and expresses need of some sort, is to search to find existing resources (which is why developing this directory is critically important), connect them to other community members who may live in the area or who may be able to help or provide insight about the situation in question, etc.

A fundraiser is a last resort; we try to find other ways to solve the problem first. Of course, as the social safety nets have disappeared over the years, the need for money to solve the problem has increased dramatically.

I quickly became overwhelmed. I did NOT want the site to become another gofundme. My intention all along has been to cultivate connection and genuine community, not simply have yet another fundraising site.

[font size="+2"]So, I put Wishadoo on hold. I knew I had to find help before I could relaunch, and I want to provide paid positions and not rely on volunteers.
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There are a couple of DUers who have helped me so much over the years with Wishadoo and they totally "get" what it's all about. They are among those I want to provide part-time employment for, to supplement SS and SS Disability and to supplement income for those basically homebound due to being caregivers.

If I had help, one of the ways Wishadoo could still be of service here at DU (and other communities) is to take away the fear that you're being scammed. As I said, due diligence is done first. Unlike sites like gofundme (which serve a great purpose, I'm not knocking them) which are starting to require your gofundme page be linked with a Facebook profile, I have worked with people over the years who needed to keep their "real" names shielded from the public; their request was valid, they're who they said they were, but they were victims of domestic abuse or were searching for a job and having their name online forever would have been embarrassing, etc.

I do the behind-the-scenes work, and that's one of the types of positions I need help with in order to move forward and expand. There are satellite, synergistic projects beyond Wishadoo which also can also be relaunched, and provide both paid and volunteer/internships, when I have a core team of help in place. Volunteers and interns can then supplement helping with this enterprise, but I need reliable help and paid positions are the only way for that to happen. (http://ourgood.org is the portal site)

Plus, we need more jobs of integrity, right? Especially part-time jobs for those who are essentially homebound and/or on a fixed income.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the couple in Ohio who took their own lives, because they felt absolutely hopeless. They had created a gofundme page and online outreach on other sites, but no one replied.

That is another key difference with Wishadoo: Again, because it is about community, everyone is acknowledged. First and foremost, they are acknowledged and they know right away that someone cares.

I can tell you for a fact that has saved lives along the way. That's what I've been told repeatedly: Being acknowledged is what helps those suffering feel human again, and that in and of itself can create hope. When the pleas for help are real, it is devastating to be questioned and told you're a scammer; even worse is no response or acknowledgment at all.

As I emerged from my own personal crucible in early 2015, I've been exploring ways to raise funds for job creation. Foundations and grants move too slowly; impact investors only want to invest in start-ups (and younger people...ageism anyone?).

I've returned to once again give consideration to crowdfunding.

I have ways to generate revenue once I have help and can activate the social enterprise model in earnest so that the enterprise is self-sustaining (and worker-owned), including structuring Wishadoo itself as a member-owned cooperative as I have envisioned all along. Wishadoo was created eight years ago and has worked as intended; it worked too well, perhaps, as it became overwhelming without reliable, ongoing help.

So my question is:

[font size="+2"]IS THERE ANY INTEREST HERE AT DU IN ANY OF THIS ANY MORE? [/font]