In 1991 I managed to break my right fibula while roller skating. The (very handsome) firefighters who scraped me off the floor said, “It’s not broken.” 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.
They came because they knew I’d never ask for help.
That’s 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!, we think. Something else?
Two weeks ago, I got a letter from a guild that said, “Hey if we meet this conference need, what else are you going to ask for?” I can empathize. You already know that we’re looking for volunteers of all kinds, for equipment for a beginner’s class, and for lingering spots for committee members. And of course, there are the guild booths themselves.
Hosting a conference is a big job, and it takes all of us pulling together to get it done. But sometimes, it’s easy to think, “Now what?” Another way to look at it is this: No one guild has to respond to every request. But we all have to respond to some request.
The trick is to find the best way for your guild – big or small, rich or poor, urban or country – to contribute to the task. So here I go; I’ll ask for help, even though it’s 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’ve already sent out 80 emails to commercial companies asking for help. Local guilds can help as well:
- Did you know that Conference Centers require guests to use catering services for all food on campus? In Yakima, coffee will cost 40 dollars per gallon. Cookies for breaks will cost 34 dollars per dozen. Coffee disappears quickly on mid-Friday afternoon! Your guild might choose to sponsor all or part of one of our ten coffee breaks during conference. A single break might cost $4,000, but any gift would help.
- Door prizes, fashion show, juried shows, and open shows offer prizes to winners. We have a guild making ribbons. Perhaps your guild could sponsor one of these prizes?
- Your financial donation might cover vendor coupons for daily door prizes (which returns funds to conference vendors).
Whatever you contribute, we will celebrate your guild’s generosity by acknowledging your gift in our conference brochure as well as with signs on the snack or break tables. No matter how large or small, your gift will make a big difference as we strive toward the goal of making education available for all weavers everywhere.