Step Up for the ISGB

[MaureenKennedy]

I"m sorry, I guess I have misunderstood the entire thread. First it starts with perhaps increasing one's membership and then morphs into donated membership.

Then " I'm sure there are members who are aware of beadmakers who would really like to join the ISGB, but just don't have the wherewithal to do it. Please, tell me what you think of this idea? Of course, I could just make a donation to the ISGB, but I think this way it benefits both the organization (in several ways, both financially as well as by bringing in more members who will bring their talents and skills to the group) as well as helping out a fellow beadmaker or two. Any thoughts?"

Then there are concerns about maintaining the non profit status of ISGB.

So then I gave my two cents on what I thought about giving away memberships and what could maintain the non profit status of ISGB.

Personally, I can't afford membership in ISGB. I have an anniversay this month of 5 years survival of lung cancer and am still on chemo. I have very little energy to do anything. I could make beads occasionally but could not get them to post office (and I see by Ebay that beads are not selling anyway.) But if I had the money to generously donate one or two memberships for fellow bead artists, It's highly unlikely I would have come to ISGB seeking some sort of defacto approval of my actions. I would hate for it to appear to others that perchance I was acting on behalf of ISGB, as ISGB does have a scholarship program (Meaning ISGB does charitable works as well). I would have just jumped in and made an announcement anywhere I wanted that I Personally was donating these memberships because ISGB is a good organization for bead artists to belong.

Then perhaps I would join the thread telling others of what I had done and encouraging them to do something like it on similiar lines.

[NollyGelsinger]

Maureen, I am so sorry for your suffering. My dearest friend was on maintenance chemo and it was an exhausting process. She enjoyed life as much as she could, so I'm sure she would say that every day she gained was worth the cost, but it was tough.

This thread started with enthusiasm from some ISGB members who enjoy their memberships and would like to (1) raise their membership level to show support or, (2) find a way to share the experience with a non-member.

I understand that ISGB doesn't meet the needs of every beadmaker and that makes sense, really. What group could possibly do that? For some of us, though, it does fill a need, and we get a lot more from ISGB than the Glass Bead magazine and the Gathering. I would be willing to guess that most of us have participated in the group, which really does build a bond. ISGB needs members and it needs volunteers ... innovative thinking about how to help with that is surely a good thing.

Nolly