FAQ
Q: What kind of time commitment is involved?
A: Ten minutes filling out the form. Ten minutes scheduling an appointment with a labor ‘client’ that we select for you. One hour of consulting, made up of any combination of emails, phone calls, IM chats or technical assistance. We ask that it be provided on the week of Sep. 6th. Finally, we will ask for a very short report back on the experience, perhaps ten minutes, can be made as a phone call. Total: 90 minutes.
Q: Will you benefit from this?
A: This is primarily a collective effort at pro-bono volunteering for a cause we all support. That said, we think that consultants and individuals, and perhaps the firms/organizations that employ them, will benefit from being associated with this project. Their names and logos, and the stories we collect, will be distributed widely. You will earn whuffie points for this.
Q: Is any money changing hands?
A: Organizing 2.0 is soliciting sponsorships to cover our costs, especially with regard to promotion and the aggregation of ‘consulting stories.’ We expect to provide $5000-$8000 worth of free consulting, and hope to raise $1500 in sponsorships. If you or your firm/organization can help – please contact us for sponsorship opportunities.
Q: How will I be assigned a labor ‘client’?
A: After our list of consultants is finalized, we will promote this project to labor organizations, asking anyone seeking consulting to fill out a form. We will ask questions about the kind of assistance being requested, to match it with our pool of consultant specialties. Our goal is to provide assistance that is timely, relevant and strategic.
Q: What kind of final report will be released?
A: We intend to write a report detailing the questions and consultant efforts to address them, without violating privacy or revealing privileged information. This snapshot of requests/results will be an informative snapshot of issues inside labor organizations as they escalate their use of new media and online organizing.
Q: Why is Organizing 2.0 doing this?
A: Our goal is to advance the adoption of online organizing and new media by the labor movement, community organizers and local political efforts. This project offers visibility to the kinds of issues our training programs address.