Traction Hall of Fame, part II: celebrity volunteers
Dear Tractivist,
I’m itching to give a warm cozy hug to everyone who has volunteered with Traction. We wouldn’t be here without you! I’m naming names of you fantastic people at the end of this email.
We’ve lost count, but in 2007 and 2008 alone, over 130 (seriously) of you:
- came up with creative event ideas
- hosted or helped put together great events*
- wrote emails and blog posts
- put on two successful fundraisers (Salsa Doble and Festivus) and houseparties
- served on Traction’s Advisory Board
- helped raise funds from foundations and major donors, and
- worked behind the scenes in myriad other ways.
*like Super Fat Tuesday coming up on 2/5! RSVP: superfat@getTraction.org. (Bonus drinks and eats for rockstar monthly donors, so become a rockstar now.)
Thinking about getting more involved with Traction? I highly recommend it.
When I first volunteered, I wanted to learn how to help people take concrete action on climate change and to connect with other excited, engaged, and nifty lefties. Two and a half years later, I’ve put together a series of events helping reduce our climate impact; I’ve met close friends and a sweetheart through Traction; and I’m convinced that Traction’s upbeat, inclusive, and connecting approach helps us all bring our values into the real world. I want you, too, to strengthen and be strengthened by this amazing progressive community.
Here’s how:
(1) Party with the Events Team: Volunteer to be a mastermind behind one Traction event or to be a valued helper for an event. Or, dive headlong in: I’m recruiting Events Team members who dig Traction’s social marketing, who have a long-term eye to progressive change, and who want to get their hands in a couple of events in 2008. Email me at eileen@getTraction.org. We can chat more about what the Events Team does and about what we ask of team members.
(2) Getting cash in hand: Ooh, sexy! Derwin Dubose chairs the Development Team, and he tells me that he is all about people who know or want to know how to research and write grants, host house parties, coordinate business sponsorships, develop marketing materials, or run fundraising events (benefit concert, anyone?).
(3) The right person at the right time: Notice how I am asking for many volunteers? Notice how I am not the volunteer coordinator? Are you a schmoozer and a recruiter, someone who tracks people’s interests and skills and can match them to where they’re needed? Oh, do we need you!
Write to me at eileen@getTraction.org to step up in any of these ways. Or tell me about your special skills, like volunteer management, event planning, fundraising, grant writing, artistry, or plain old getting things done when they need it. Perhaps you want to learn some of those skills. Perhaps you have expertise we could learn from in a Traction event. Or perhaps you simply have a passion for Traction and want to get more involved. We want you too.
Take care,
Eileen
Optimist, newspaper reader, dancing fool, Events Team chair
Traction’s 2007 and 2008 Volunteer Hall of Fame includes…
Abbe Harris
Ajay Bhatt
Alison Carpenter
Andrew Pearson
Angelique Xanthopoulos
Ann Alexander
Avani Parekh-Bhatt
Aviva Starr
Bart Matthews
Becky Cary
Bernard Obi
Beth Jacobs
Bonnie McGill
Brett Altman
Brian Buzby
Bruce Bridges
Cara Wittekind
Celeste Richie
Chantelle Fisher-Borne
Cindy Whitt
Claire Jentsch
Colin Booy
Colin Cannell
Cori Princell
Cris Rivera
Damon Circosta
Danielle Doughman
Dave Zielinski
Dave Klionsky
Dave Seidman
David Love
Denise VanDeCruze
Derek Anderson
Derwin Dubose
Edd Gulati-Partee
Eileen Thorsos
Elsa Ohman
Emet Blose
Estefania San Juan
Evangeline Weiss
Floyd McKissick Jr.
Franklin Santana
Fred Foster
Gabriel Onofrio
Gary Gartner
Gene Smith
Gerick Brenner
Gita Gulati-Partee
Graig Meyer
Gretchen Cooley
Hannah Popish
Hemraj Juwarker
Howard Clement
Irv Joyner
Jack Mitchell
Jackie Richie
Jamara Knight
Jane Brown
Jane Stein
Jason Fagg
Jason Klarl
Jen Colletti
Jenn Frye
Jennifer Lewis
Jennifer Epperson
Jenny Cook
Jeremy Falcone
Jessica O’Connell
Jessica Bates
Jessica Burroughs
Jillian Johnson
Joe Costa
Julie Randolph
Julio Olmos
Justin Miller
Justin Pinder
Kate McFarland
Kavanah Ramsier
Kay Hutchinson
Kevin Tull
Kieran Ionescu
Laina Copley
Laura Hirst
Laura Gayle Donnelly
Leonor Clavijo
Leslie Peteya
Lisa Richardson
Lora Brooker
Lucy Harris
Marc Maximov
Marcia Perritt
Maria Sadowski
Mary Lindsley
Menkah Mathews
Mia Jordan
Michael Silberman
Nadya Robles
Naomi Reagan
Natasha Nazareth-Phelps
Otis Jennings
Padma Om
Patrick Lyons
Phil Marsosudiro
PJ Puryear
R. Kelly Bryant Jr.
Rachel Galanter
Rachel Fischoff
Rachel Mills
Rae Benington
Rebekah Resnick
Richard Nordan
Rob Jentsch
Robert Jentsch, Sr.
Sabrina Simon
Sarah Lebeck
Sasha Akhavi
Seth Baird
Shawn Casey
Steve Saltzman
Sujuan Upshaw
Sven Rinke
Thaddeus Bennett
Theo Luebke
Tia Black
Tim Jones
Timothy McMackin
Tobin Freid
Tyler Story
Valerie Parham-Thompson
Will Corbett
Yesenia Polanco
Zephyr Teachout
(Tell me if I missed you! We’ll mention you in an upcoming email!)
