Access Queen Shares Ways to Raise Resources for Askers or Yourself

[Lisa Heft]

[This is a message from Access Queen - Lisa Heft. In 2001 I began a  
resource-sharing-and-awareness project to help people of lower  
financial means get to each year’s annual international in-person  
gathering of Open Space facilitators and enthusiasts - the WOSonOS.   
Our late great OS colleague Laurel Doersam named me ‘Access Queen’.  
The Access Queen project has helped diverse and wonderful people come  
to the WOSonOS, sharing many resources besides money.  This is not a  
big-money project (such as for your air ticket) but rather a way to  
help you identify your needs - or the resources you have to share - so  
that others may help you or benefit from your generosity.  Usually any  
money in the fund each year is divided into small portions to help a  
number of ‘Askers’ rather than one or two. The project includes your  
thoughtfulness and resource-sharing *before* the WOSonOS as well as  
some lovely resource-sharing activities *at* the WOSonOS. Read on, and  
let us see how to help ‘Askers’ who hope to join their international  
colleagues at this year’s WOSonOS...]

Dear friends – remember that the World Open Space on Open Space  
(WOSonOS) will be in Olumé, Chile (just outside Santiago) this  
October.  (More details coming soon to this website http://www.wosonoschile.cl 
  )

If you are already thinking of registering, think about whether you  
can donate extra resources to help someone who would like to go but  
who just needs a little extra help.  For example – let the Chile host  
team know if you can pay for 2 registrations (and offer one for an  
“Asker”), of if you can reserve accommodations for 2 people (and share  
your room with an Asker) or bring some extra cash to to the WOSonOS  
(to give money to Askers who may wish to socialize with you in the  
evenings).

The concept of ‘Access Queen’ is about sharing resources (financial  
and otherwise) and actions (helping each other).  If you have  
resources such as the ones mentioned above, let me know.  If you would  
like to contribute money, you can send me a check through the post for  
US dollars or send via PayPal (lisaheft at openingspace.net) . For those  
of you in the USA who need a tax deduction you can also send to the  
fund via PayPal to http://www.openspaceworld.org/osi-usa/pmts.html   
(the Open Space Institute of the US, who will pass on 100% of your  
donation to Access Queen – be sure to write “Access Queen” in the  
comments section there or send an email to the address listed there to  
alert the OSI-US of your Access-Queen-specific donation).

Some of you do not have access to much money, but remember - Access  
Queen is not specifically about money. It is even more about  
*resources*.  Perhaps this list will help you with ideas for how to  
ask others for help.  And remember, with email as a tool these can be  
people you ask who are in your own community or elsewhere, and if you  
cannot do these things below perhaps you can ask someone else to do  
them for you.

So: here are some ideas for those of you who need to fund your own  
trip, and for those who would like to raise extra money to send to the  
Access Queen.  Do share with us all other ideas you have to add to  
this list!

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Ways to Raise Money (for yourself or for the Access Queen project):
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(Some of these ideas come from past Access Queen “Givers’” creativity;  
some from my own experience; some inspired by the article “Fifty-Three  
Ways for Board Members to Raise $1000” by Kim Klein, co-publisher of  
the Grassroots Fundraising Journal – my thanks to Jan Strout of  
Seattle for sharing this article)

(Remember that in some circumstances and countries the amount you  
donate to a charitable cause can be deducted from your taxes –  
therefore, if you collect funds be sure to give Givers a receipt as /  
with their thank-you note…)

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Give it yourself –
Put some money aside each week or month.  Pick an amount that is a bit  
of a stretch for you but not impossible.  Watch it grow.

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Take someone to lunch or dinner –
…and have them donate their share (or more) to the Access Queen  
project or to someone you know.

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Sell or auction off some original art –
Sell your poetry, your painting, your greeting cards to others and let  
them know where the money is going to.  Have a coloring contest for  
the covers of your next OS event’s Book of Proceedings and auction  
them off to the participants in your event, all for a good cause.

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Sell things from your home –
Do you have a collection stored away?  Sell it to other collectors.   
Set items you no longer need out in front of your house and have a  
jumble sale and a lovely time chatting with neighbors.

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Cook up some delights –
Are you always the person people ask to bring desserts to their dinner  
party?  Are you known for your special recipes?  Do you have a fruit  
tree just yearning to be harvested and made into a delicious pie?   
Cook up some luscious tasty goods to sell to your faith group, or your  
neighbors, or your school, or your workplace - people will enjoy both  
the benefits of happy bellies and contributions to a worthy cause.

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Donate a portion of your profits –
Give x% of the proceeds from your workshop, your book sales, or other  
services and goods you offer and donate the money to the Access Queen  
project or to someone you know (or yourself, because going to a  
conference is professional development).

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Have a house party –
Invite people over for…beauty treatments … foot massages … a sewing  
circle … recipe exchanges … storytelling … art projects … making music  
… a seminar on financial management … and have them each pay for the  
pleasure of attending.

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Have your group, organization, company do a / some fundraising  
project(s) –
Ask a group you are already a part of – faith organization? book  
discussion group? gardening club? neighborhood group? workplace?  
school? to think of some creative way to raise money that can go to  
you, to the Access Queen project or another worthy “Asker”.

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Tell everyone you know –
…that you are raising money for your or someone else’s participation  
in WOSonOS.  Give them some background on the method and the event.   
Ask them if they would like to contribute and/or if they have any  
other ideas on how to raise more funds.  Ask in your own style – with  
a lovely card, with an article on Open Space (ask me if you need one),  
with a newsletter sharing what you’re learning, or over tea.

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Ask an organization or individual to match your funds –
Everything you raise by a certain date – can they match it as  
increased incentive for your creative fundraising efforts?  If they  
can, then explain this opportunity to everyone you know and ask them  
to donate, too, to double your collective donation power.  Ask people  
you know in other organizations to consider donating to your worthy  
cause and having their corporation or business match it, too.

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Write a proposal and / or give an oral presentation –
Your proposal can include a clear request to attend, why it is  
professionally important for you to attend (make a good case), the  
dates and description of the event (including the learning  
opportunities there and a request to arrive several days earlier /  
stay several days later to acclimate to the time zone and attend pre-  
and post-conference learning opportunities), perhaps a short  
description of Open Space, and an itemized budget (the host teams can  
usually help you with identifying in-country costs) for air and ground  
transport, accommodation, registration and pocket money. Do not forget  
to include extra budget for pre- and post- conference accommodation,  
including any you may need to use during layovers if you are flying  
across the world.  Offer your proposal / request for funding to your  
school, faith organization, service club or community group.  Ask  
other people you know if you can do the same at their organization.

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Ask everyone you know to save their pocket money –
Ask your friends to save the coins they find in their pockets – you  
can, too.   A few months before WOSonOS collect and count it all up  
and share the exciting announcement!

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Have a one-hour, $10 benefit (or whatever is your currency) –
I once did this to raise money for a refrigerator for the local AIDS  
food bank.  We invited everyone we knew to send or bring a minimum of  
$10 by or before a certain date.  Everyone was invited to a one hour  
party.  At 3:30 pm (15:30) the doors opened and they all came up to a  
friend’s empty work-loft space, donation money in hand.  All around  
the edges of the room were alarm clocks.  Food, beverages and flowers  
were donated, a friend played dance music, and everybody partied until… 
all the alarm clocks rang at 4:30 pm (16:30) and everybody left.  We  
raised $2,000 US.

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Have a silent auction –
Have friends, co-workers, colleagues donate items and services.  Each  
should fill out a card placed next to that item saying what it is, who  
is offering it, what its normal cost would be, what would be a minimum  
bid, and blank lines below with name of bidder and amount they are  
bidding.  Invite everyone you know to a party, picnic or other event  
(ask them to bring their cash or checkbooks and tell them of your  
worthy cause) and set up a table with these items.  Announce the  
auction is open and participants are invited to write down on the  
cards how much they wish to pay to be the highest bidder and win the  
item or service.  Towards the end of the event announce ‘last call’  
for anyone who wants to write their final, winning bid.  Collect the  
bid cards and announce the ‘winners’, asking all ‘winners’ to bring  
you the money before they leave.

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Lead a nature walk –
…or an architectural tour, a historic tour, a sailing trip, a rafting  
trip, a horseback ride, a salsa or capoeira class.  Charge each  
participant (a bit more if you wish to provide lunch).

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Donate your frequent flyer miles to an “Asker” –
Check with your airline for their rules and restrictions regarding  
this.  Be sure to note any time restrictions on usage.

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Buy an extra WOSonOS registration for an Access Queen Asker or buy a  
two-person hotel room at WOSonOS so an asker may stay for free (let me  
know if you are doing this and if you would like to be introduced to  
your Asker or instead remain anonymous…)

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Join (or renew your membership for) your regional Open Space Institute -
Some of the OSI’s and other regional collections of Open Space  
facilitators, learners and enthusiasts contribute funds to the Access  
Queen project, act as a source to receive your contributions and then  
send them to me, or raise funds on their own to send a deserving  
colleague from their region to the WOSonOS.  In adding or renewing  
your membership you also contribute to the support, learning and  
growing Open Space communities of practice around the world.

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Offer to do something your friends and family have been nagging you to  
do anyway –
…and attach a price to it.  Quit smoking on the condition that your  
friends donate to your cause, or get them to pay a certain amount for  
every day you do not smoke.  Agree to give them their money back if  
you do not reach a certain (reasonable, pre-set) goal.

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See if your business has a community fund –
Check with your workplace to see if they have any funding programs  
that might support you or this sort of fundraising effort.  Sometimes  
businesses will agree to match dollars raised for worthy causes;  
sometimes they can give small amounts of ‘seed’ money.  Check to see  
what sorts of things they will fund and see if you can fit your cause  
to their guidelines.

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If you have a wedding or birthday party –
Ask friends and family not to give gifts but instead donate money to  
you or to the Access Queen project.

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Ask a local store to donate a percentage of a day’s profits –
..or week’s profits.  Pick a store where all of your friends or co- 
workers shop.  Then ask everyone to shop at that store on a certain  
day (or between certain dates) and let them know that by doing so x%  
of the store’s profits will go to your worthy cause.

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Help this year’s host team with the role of raising sponsorship money –
Ask them if they have (enough) sponsors, and if not, help them find  
sponsors to increase resources for Askers. Let them (and me) know if  
you are about to do this outreach so it can be coordinated, tracked  
and followed up as needed.

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Givers:
Any amount is the right amount.  Small amounts add up to large  
amounts.  The Access Queen project (and individual Askers) can use  
every bit - and anything raised that may be extra goes to ‘seed’ the  
next year’s fund.

Most importantly - think also of the things you have that are not  
money but are useable, shareable resources.  The project does not fund  
single individuals but spreads little bits of resources among several  
Askers.

If you know of other places where Askers can apply for funding, please  
do let us know.  Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Askers:
Be direct about it in your gracious and charming way -- people are  
just waiting to find ways to help each other.  When you name those  
ways, people come out to help in any way they can.

Most of all, dream, dare, leap...do not hold on too tightly to your  
concern or anxiety about lack of money but open up and let go and  
breathe and hold your arms out wide and trust that the money will  
always come...



Lisa Heft (also known as Access Queen)
lisaheft at openingspace.net



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