Most of you probably don't know me. I blog very occasionally. But going to Iowa for Dean got my feet wet and I've worked for Ned Lamont and Linda Stender in NJ and I've volunteered in a variety of campaigns and for MoveOn. And every year, you might catch a glimpse of me backstage at Netroots Nation--that gal with the headset telling people what to do backstage.
For me, Netroots Nation is a chance for the bloggers and the activists to meet, to cross pollinate and to keep our base engaged. Now that we've elected an administration that we can work with, we need to keep up the pressure. Being a part of Netroots Nation has been one of the great privileges of my life and I passionately believe in the need to keep this community strong!
It takes a solid commitment to produce these conventions. And we've changed and grown in amazing ways!
Vegas baby! Who could forget? And I showed up to help backstage, armed only with Shanna's name and my 'stage manager' box of duct tape, wd-40, sharpies and bobby pins.
Vegas was amazing. The level of excitement delighted me and supported my commitment. And the professionalism of the all-volunteer group amazed me. But it was run on a shoe-string and you could tell backstage. We didn't have enough money for enough walkie-talkies. In fact, I ended up helping get people where to go because the original person assigned to the job didn't have any cell-phone anytime minutes left. Yup. We were using cell phones to communicate backstage.
That might not seem like a big deal, but it meant that every time Malcolm needed to ask me a question, he had to call me. And there were quite a few dead spots backstage. It slowed things down, meant we couldn't use all the backstage area and sometimes meant we didn't communicate. Entrances would take too long, or we'd miss something. Harry Reid's people didn't get through at one point because I was talking with people on-site and call-waiting doesn't work during the actual dialing of a number. I think we faked it well, and we were kind of amazing in how we pulled it off, but it made it harder.
This year, we had a dozen or so walkie talkies waiting for us at the convention center, and probably another 6 or so back-up batteries. I don't know how much they cost, or how they got there. But it meant that I could talk to anyone I needed when I needed something. The representative from the convention center, or front of house, or someone in the staff office. And if one person was busy, I could get someone else immediately. And my cell only got used to communicate with off-site people, like Bill Clinton's team. As a result, things ran much more smoothly.
There are a thousand little expenses for things only Nolan ever thinks about, but they are absolutely necessary. They make the event come together so that everyone attending can just have fun and not worry about whether something is actually where it says it will be. People can take all that for granted, which means focusing on building community, making connections, changing the world.
But every now and then, we need to support what we take for granted. And right now is one of those times.
Netroots Nation has just 4 amazing paid staff members, and an awe-inspiring group of volunteers. But you can't get volunteer walkie-talkies. Or volunteer sharpies. Or volunteer airplanes or volunteer hotel-rooms. Let's support this wonderful organization, so that we can take it for granted when it matters most.
Please we need your help. This week:
Donate an auction item – To donate an item, visit http://bit.ly/... and you will be asked to provide information about the item and digital pictures of the item if you have any. If they would prefer to have Netroots Nation do it for you or if you have any questions, just e-mail Karen Kolber at karen (at) netrootsnation (dot) org and she’ll be happy to help. Be creative! Whether it is a weekend at your vacation getaway or your amazing home-made fudge, donate something that is fun for you to share!
If you have a business, donate from your business. For what it's worth, I do private SAT/ACT tutoring and college preparation, and I picked up a paying client through the auction last year.
If you frequent a business a lot, ask them to donate.
Next week, find that perfect item and bid. And when you see that perfect item for someone else, e-mail them the link. Tell your friends. You'll get some amazing deals!!
And then, join us in Vegas and take it all for granted!