Celebrate #GivingTuesday with The Carpentries Community
Hi Carpentries Community!
Today is #GivingTuesday, a global opportunity for us to use the individual power of generosity to support communities and important causes. At The Carpentries, we value all contributions and celebrate every act of generosity we offer! I have given a great deal of time to this wonderful community over the years as an Instructor, Trainer, Executive Council Member, local community organizer, and Lesson Developer because I believe sharing our training efforts across a community makes them better and working with The Carpentries makes my work better. Today, I am recruiting donors to contribute to the work of the organisation and want to share what I have learned about supporting The Carpentries financially.
Why donate money in addition (or as an alternative) to your time?
As an involved community member, I found it difficult to make the jump to donating money to The Carpentries. I was already donating my time, and the institution I work for supports The Carpentries through our Membership. Why should I donate my own money as well?
A realisation came to me when I became a member of the organisation’s Executive Council. I have witnessed the funding struggles in academia related to relying on grant funding. Specifically, grants often fund novel efforts, new programs the organisation is interested in pursuing. These funds do not typically fund staffing or ongoing work, which are vital for any organisation to maintain its efforts.
The same is true for The Carpentries. Much of the organisation’s current funding comes from grants, which goes to specific projects that may only indirectly support ongoing work needed to sustain the organisation. However, community members rely on support from the Core Team to provide the infrastructure, documentation, and programming that help us collectively achieve the impact we have as a community. This is why The Carpentries needs more “unrestricted” funding, like that available through donations, which can be allotted to ongoing activities not covered by grant funding restrictions.
What can you do?
Set up a recurring donation to The Carpentries for whatever amount is feasible for you. This helps The Carpentries have stable, unrestricted monthly income.
Reach out to individuals who might be interested in donating to The Carpentries. You can reuse the templates in The Carpentries Handbook as a resource.
Reach out to organisations that might be interested in donating to The Carpentries. There are also resources to help you with your messaging in The Carpentries Handbook.
It is always hard to ask for money. As a community member and an Executive Council Member, I appreciate any effort you can give to help with this next step in sustainability for The Carpentries as we transition to become an independent non-profit organisation. Let this #GivingTuesday be a reminder that any monetary contribution helps us progress towards our vision of being the leading inclusive community teaching data and coding skills.
Thanks!
Sarah - Carpentries Community Member and Secretary for the Executive Council