[hackerspaces] Trenton NJ

[Crawford Comeaux]

Arclight's advice is commonly given, but really important.

I thought my project was the exception to the rule and maybe it could've
been if everything had been executed perfectly, but banking on perfection
is a fools game. We had a perfect location, people and businesses with tons
of equipment to donate, and lots of people chomping at the bit to join. I
raised money to pay a team (myself & 3 others) to setup a non profit org,
research needs, and make a plan. We put personalities before principles
when choosing the board & they immediately started dictating what the team
should be pursuing based on the board's vision. I started the whole project
from my own vision of a space accessible to all, including the poor, but
didn't communicate that to others well. There were constant clashes &
little progress, leading to a cheap giant warehouse going unused for
months, no equipment donations taken in, and nothing being made. We
probably also poisoned the local community's good will toward such an
effort for the future.

In hindsight, I think there's a way to make the approach we were taking
work, but I think trying to do that is so risky that all financial backers
need to know up front they're likely throwing away money.

Point being: don't be like me.

Find your tribe, discover what defines you all, and how you like to
work/play/learn together before bringing money into the equation.

And a weird side thought:

12-step groups for addiction recovery operate using what they call the 12
traditions. They make
On May 2, 2016 11:50 AM, "Arclight" <arclight at gmail.com> wrote:

My experience is that getting one-time funding is not the problem you
need to solve. "Build it and they will come" doesn't really work with
hackerspaces.  What you need to do is "Get everyone to come and then
build it."  Without a core community, there would just be a big, empty
building that only sort-of serves the needs of those who show up.

Start small, post meeting invites everywhere, and get a community
started.  It's only when you have people to share the work and be
willing to provide recurring support to the space that you should seek
funding for one-time costs like moving.

Arclight

On Mon, May 2, 2016 at 5:19 AM, Mike  Dupont
<jamesmikedupont at googlemail.com> wrote:
> Hi there,
> I am now convinced that we need to create a makerspace for Trenton NJ,
> is there anyone who might be interested in working on such a project?
> Any tips on fundraising ? Are there any grant applications or
> documents about starting a space you can share?
> thanks,
> mike
>
> --
> James Michael DuPont
> Kansas Linux Fest http://kansaslinuxfest.us
> Free/Libre Open Source and Open Knowledge Association of Kansas
> http://openkansas.us
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