{"id":21854,"date":"2024-10-09T16:18:38","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T23:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anwgconference.org\/?p=21854"},"modified":"2024-10-09T16:18:47","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T23:18:47","slug":"the-shame-of-asking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anwgconference.org\/archive\/2025\/the-shame-of-asking\/","title":{"rendered":"The Shame of Asking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In 1991 I managed to break my right fibula while roller skating. The (very handsome) firefighters who scraped me off the floor said, \u201cIt\u2019s not broken.\u201d I knew better. I heard the fracture reverberate through my bones. The hardest part of the injury came when a bunch of friends arrived the next morning to make dinner and clean my house. I was stuck on the couch with my foot in the air as my friends cleaned my filthy kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They came because they knew I\u2019d never ask for help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s pretty common for most of us, I guess. On the other end of the spectrum is the feeling we get when we are bombarded with requests for help. Yikes!<\/em>, we think. Something else?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two weeks ago, I got a letter from a guild that said, \u201cHey if we meet this conference need, what else are you going to ask for?\u201d I can empathize. You already know that we\u2019re looking for volunteers of all kinds<\/a>, for equipment for a beginner\u2019s class<\/a>, and for lingering spots for committee members<\/a>. And of course, there are the guild booths themselves<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hosting a conference is a big job, and it takes all of us pulling together to get it done. But sometimes, it\u2019s easy to think, \u201cNow what?\u201d Another way to look at it is this: No one guild has to respond to every<\/em> request. But we all have to respond to some<\/em> request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trick is to find the best way for your guild \u2013 big or small, rich or poor, urban or country \u2013 to contribute to the task. So here I go; I\u2019ll ask for help, even though it\u2019s hard to do. One of the ways that we reduce the registration fee is to ask for financial help in the form of sponsors and donations. I\u2019ve already sent out 80 emails to commercial companies asking for help. Local guilds can help as well:<\/p>\n\n\n\n