How do you feel about helping create jobs for members of this community?
I'm a long-time DUer (please see my journal). Many recall me being very active here, specifically in helping members help one another via Wishadoo. I'm also the one whose work was highlighted on Glenn Beck's Fox News show in 2010, resulting in months of harassment (*waving* to you CC people who I know are reading this, ready to rip into me yet again). I also recently posted about my daughter being in Nepal. I only mention that because I'm still very distracted, not knowing when she will be able to come home, but I wanted to throw this question out there, as a shot in the dark.
(BTW, even though I fear for the safety of my child who is on the other end of the world due to the privilege of being able to take such an extraordinary trip with her dad and who is in harm's way due to a natural disaster, my thoughts are always with parents who fear for the safety of their children and other loved ones who are in harm's way -- beyond fairly universal concerns like car accidents, etc. -- every time they leave their home...if they are fortunate enough to have a home, that is. My thoughts are also with those kids who are in danger in their own homes.)
In years past I have posted about my advocacy for cooperatives, and my plans to structure my projects as owner- and member-owned cooperatives. After exploring impact investing and foundations, I come around to still preferring to raise funds needed to continue in other ways, including crowdfunding and cooperative shareholding. (Yes, I've explored all of this EXTENSIVELY over the last few years.)
I need a solid team in order to move forward, as I became absolutely overwhelmed in trying to run Wishadoo and the other projects on my own and had to put everything on hold. Volunteers can supplement the help, but I still need a solid, reliable team, and I prefer it be people who already "get" what I'm doing and who need a part-time income (homebound caregivers, people on disability, SS, etc). I'm thinking 3 people at $15/hr, working up to 25 hours a week ($19,500/year), with a total fundraising goal of at least $100k.
When I can scale this work, my vision is to create MANY more jobs and generate revenue to do that, but for now I need to raise funds for a small team to help me move forward, and already have a few DUers (and former DUers) in mind to fill these part-time positions, as they've been supportive of this work all along. I also need funds to help me pay for website expenses and continued IT development (mobile apps) and to pay back a few folks who helped, as I've been bootstrapping all of this for EIGHT YEARS, even though I'm a paycheck-to-paycheck person myself.
Would you consider supporting such a fundraiser, as you are able, which creates jobs for a few DUers, perhaps with contributions automatically making you a member of the cooperative, with a voice? I'm simply seeking your feedback and feelings about this right now.
This blog post gives you much more background information about me, my work and where I intend to take it all: http://dena-patrick.blogspot.com/2015/04/i-believe-sharing-our-stories-is.html
My posts of late sink like rocks, but in case people do respond, please be patient with my response time, as I'm constantly fielding calls, texts and emails about my daughter right now.
Thanks. 
= new reply since forum marked as read
Probably not for me if it involves any kind of fundraising or sales. I have the manners of television's Columbo (when I'm talking at all), I don't dress as nice, and my car is a lot uglier with more dog hair.
I'm kicking your post. 
