Sumana writes, "Open Source Bridge is already a leader among tech conferences in diversity-friendliness — OSB featured a strong code of conduct, accessibility, well-labelled food for all needs, and cheap & free admissions before they became de rigeur, and in 2014 boasted a gender-balanced slate of speakers."
"But they need more money to add childcare, travel scholarships, and more. So I am donating up to $15,000 to its parent nonprofit — depending on how much other donors are willing to match by December 29th."
Stumptown demonstrates its values before, during, and after OSBridge, and documents them to make a playbook other event planners can reuse. The Syndicate encourages volunteers to help make Open Source Bridge happen (showing appreciation by giving them free access to the conference), encourages them with a reassuring form and clear expectations, and mentors them with structured orientations. The Code of Conduct, accessible venues, clearly labelled food, cheap or free admissions, and open source conferenceware all model effective and ethical collaboration.
But, until now, Stumptown Syndicate hasn't had the money to host childcare at its events, to offer travel scholarships to OSBridge speakers from other countries, or improve the audiovisual experience (with faster video processing or transcripts/captioning). And it's had to host its events at borrowed or rented venues, which reduces the Syndicate's ability to nurture new events and communities; more money in the bank opens the possibility of a more permanent event space.
Please match this $15,000 donation by December 29th!
(Thanks, Sumana!)
