Re: On joining the GNOME web team...

["Karen Sandler" <karen gnome org>]

On Fri, September 30, 2011 2:01 pm, Brian Cameron wrote:
> Peter:
>
> > With the Friends of GNOME mock-up, I was just exploring what the page
> > could look like with an expanded corporate sponsorship section, as per
> > Brian Cameron's email [1].
>
> I think we need to have a sponsors page that makes it easier to
> highlight what sponsors are making happen within the GNOME community.
> It is a nice way to say thanks, and to encourage others to sponsor.
>
> It would be good if we could better recognize organizations that do
> things like sponsor a party at a GNOME event or an a11y project.  Since
> many sponsors are also advisory board members, I think we want to make
> it clear that we are recognizing sponsors and advisory board members
> separately.

I agree, and think that this is a priority. I think we also want to
highlight advisory board members as top notch support - the adboard
members give a lot both financially and in, well, providing advice :)

That said, it would be really great to acknowledge all different levels
and kinds of support, while encouraging sponsors to go to a higher level.

Linux Foundation has a very straight-forward structure in place for levels
of support, which they reflect, like a lot of other organizations in the
placement and size of logos:
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/about/members

The London Olympics page has a scroll at the bottom with some of the logos
cycling to fill a smaller area
http://www.london2012.com/

I think we'll want something unique to GNOME, but it could be good to look
at what others are doing.

> It would be good if we could make such a page build dynamically so that
> logo images, and the information about what they sponsored could be
> easily and quickly added or removed from the page as we wish to
> highlight sponsors.
>
> Also, there should be some information about how the reader could
> consider becoming a sponsor, or to encourage their organization(s) to
> sponsor.  Perhaps to also mention benefits of sponsoring.  Perhaps
> some examples of how we've managed sponsorships in the past.  We
> have many examples of good a11y work done via sponsorship, for
> example.  Likewise the Women's Outreach Program is a good example.

This is great - EFF has a "thanks" page, on which they list in kind donors
and internship sponsors. http://www.eff.org/thanks

I like the way they highlight the different kinds of donations and I think
we can build something like that even more as Brian suggests.

> Perhaps we might also provide things to organizations that sponsor
> significant amounts.  Things that probably are more aimed at
> organizational sponsors than framed prints, tshirts, or mugs.
> Perhaps we could provide things to organizations like free passes to a
> GNOME event we would normally charge entrance fees to, to include their
> logos in the GUADEC event materials/GNOME Journal or other logo
> placement, or other ways to add value to sponsorship and to make sure
> we recognize sponsors well.

I like the idea of finding ways to bring value to our big sponsors, but I
worry a little too - we can't seem to be selling things like conference
attendance to our sponsors and calling it a donation. Perhaps we need to
think a little outside of the box here - I think we need to make it
attractive for companies to sponsor us but we also want to avoid anything
that could make the foundation look like it's just a shell for
corporations.  Logo placement is something I do think we should explore,
and it's a classic trapping for nonprofit support.

karen