Phoenix.pm: Dan Sugalski

Scott Walters phaedrus at illogics.org
Wed Jun 5 21:41:20 CDT 2002


Erik,


"Walks" are becoming a very popular way to raise funds by businesses.
AIDs walk, Heart walk, etc. The perl community is too small to pull this
off by itself with any degree of success, but we could label it
"Free Software/Open Source Walk" or some such nonsense. I prefer
"Software That May Be Broken Now But May Not Be Broken In A Month".

Walks work like this: People show up at a designated busy downtown area
(downtow Tempe is often used), put on their free T-shirt which they
get at the registration booth, and proceed to walk for a mile or two or three,
socializing and having a good time. Companies buy (and are sold) shopsership
positions, which buys their name and logo and slogan on a patch of each
of the T-shirts. Having hundreds or thousands of people parade garbed in
their company logo is great advertising and sells very well. Some
of the sponsership money goes to the T-shirts and there is usually
fresh fruit, coffee, bagels or even outright breakfest.

To make a walk successful, you have to get a lot of companies 
involved. Companies like IBM who have prominate standing in the Open
Source Commercialization Effort (OSCE) don't have to be local. Local
companies are important as they provide warm bodies to walk, and
sponserships. Companies who have hired Perl programmers, Linux/GNU
admins, etc could be contacted for sponsership and willingness to
participate. In the case of companies represented to active Phoenix Perl
Mongers, said Perl Monger could approach HR/management for official
support, but reguardless of official support, could pass around signup
sheets. If companies *did* cooperate, they ahve been known to giver
workers a comp day for participating.

One tactic often employed is to get companies to "compete" against each 
other, by having them raise thier own sponserships. Each company's
workers have a different colour shirt with the logos from their sponsers,
and the companies that raise the most money and the companies with the
most people walking both win awards. This event would prolly be too
small.

The city often oversees safety and dictates the route, and the radio/TV news
often does a quick sagment on the event.

This would not preclude people from baking pies and sell slices,
making lemonaide, and it would designate an area.

Suggestion =)

-scott



On 5 Jun 2002, Erik Tank wrote:

> 
> Okay everybody.  For what ever reason I have volenteered to try to do
> fund raising for Dan's visit.  I thought of a bake sale, but then
> wondered where we would have it (that work in high school & college). 
> Then I though about selling ice cold beer to hot drivers stuck in rush
> hour, but then I though of the legal ramifications.  
> 
> Okay so now I am spent ;-).
> 
> Doug suggested finding companies that use Perl that might make a
> donation or do some kind of matching.  So if you know a company or
> organization let me know so I can contact them.
> 
> Any other ideas definitely welcome.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Erik
> 
> 




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