Heidi Li's Potpourri

51 Percent: a word about organizational style; and more logo beta-testing

There are two models for setting up a nonprofit educational group: one works by laying groundwork, especially by getting well known people to serve on an advisory board to help fund-raise, building a big war chest, and then unveiling a full-blown organization. The other route - which may be less used but is more consistent with my beliefs about the values of true populism and transparency - is to grow the group from grassroots, making friends for it and attracting donors from among ordinary folks, who may only be in a position to donate small amounts or to contribute ideas or their creative efforts. I prefer this route for the same reason I prefer uncorrupted markets and the common law: through processes of decentralized expressions of preference and judgments (e.g. where people put their money, how a jury evaluates a case or a court develops a bit of law), emerges an institution that is not imposed on people via a command and control model but instead develops a sort of organic durability.

Some of my closest friends have questioned the basics of 51 Percent: Will people be motivated to support a group that wants to educate people about the significance of putting the same percentage of women in the general population into every sphere of public life ? Do people really believe misogyny and misogynistic conduct can be reduced this way? Am I not running the risk of seeming offputtingly "extreme" or "abrasive" or "shrill"?

The best way I can learn the answers to these questions is to see how much support, financial and otherwise, 51 Percent garners. Every donation, every bit of constructive feedback serves the method of decentralized collection of preferences and ideas - not rigorously scientific, but perhaps sufficient for present purposes. And every donation and constructive non-financial contribution lets me know whether the educational mission of 51 Percent serves a felt need.

It has been heartening that within two weeks we have raised the funds to cover at about between a quarter and  third of projected start-up costs (legal + accounting + website development = approximately $12,000 to $14000). That has enabled us to get moving swiftly with legal formation and a round of p.r. Next up: expenditures to cover accounting assistance and website development. We have managed to keep legal costs comparatively low through the good auspices of our attorney and my own ability to do some of the legwork; likewise, our vice-president can do some of the work towards our website development. I hope that people will continue to contribute what they can, although I am also budgeting my own funds so that I can keep contributing up what is necessary to get us our website in place - my own target deadline is on or before January 20, 2009.

As I have said before, the advantage of even small dollar donations - assuming they come with sufficient frequency - is that having cash flow expedites every step of the process. I am a salaried person, so my own contributions come as I earn them - pooling what I can give right now with what others can give has made it possible to hire first rate talent when it should be hired; pooling my personal labor with that of others has made it possible to expedite different aspects of the start up process. Which brings me to the logo development effort. A number of people have sent in comments and created graphics. I have been facilitating a dialogue between those who have offered concrete design ideas and taken the time, in several cases, to send me a graphic or a sketch. One very helpful contributor suggested some guidelines for consideration:

The logo should be able to capable of being rendered well in many media, including: small size on the web, black and white print, etc...;
it should be easily recognizable;
it should convey a sense of the proportion "51%"; and
it should be Strong! Bold! but very simple...

The first prototype is here and I still would like feedback and ideas related to it.  Another approach is illustrated below. (Interestingly the person who sent the prototype below is not the same person who submitted the guidelines, despite the convergence in thinking.)

As with the first prototype, I would also appreciate constructive feedback on the one below. All comments on both logos will be read, none will be posted.

This logo, like the first one is a beta-version but it is copyrighted, with all rights reserved to 51 Percent. Please send feedback or ideas. 

And if you have $5.10 or $510.00 or any amount in between or beyond, you can either send a check payable to 51 Percent to 2118 Bancroft Place NW, Washington DC 2008 (your canceled check will serve as a receipt for tax purposes if you are eligible for the deduction (you have to get your own accountant's advice on this)) or show your support by contributing to this blog:

With 51% of the population women, and many men who care about women's issues, I think we can gather enough dollars and enough personpower to have a website up and running in January 2009. As I mentioned before we have already raised between a quarter to a third of the total needed on the first round - the goal is $12,000 to $14,000 and we've already raised approximately $5000.



(Oh, and if you are famous person with wealthy friends who will contribute and you would like to become a member of the advisory board...well, we wouldn't deny you that opportunity...)

Contribution to the White House Project made! And, an update on 51 Percent initiative regarding Jon Favreau and the problem of misogyny; also, a job network

As regular readers know the first initiative of 51 Percent has raised met its funding goal: to finance a press release making it clear that hundreds, possibly thousands, of men and women expect their President-elect to set a standard for zero-tolerance of misogynistic conduct. I will be writing more about misogyny and its relationship to the need to ensure that women constitute 51% in every sector of civic and political society. But given the generosity of readers of this blog with regard to the goal of funding the press release, I decided to round off the funding for a donation in the name of this blog and its readership to The White House Project, an organization committed to increasing women's presence in politics, the corporate world, and as media experts. Thank you to the readers of this blog who by supporting this blog enabled me to make a contribution at the "Visionary Level". In these troubled economic times, every person who has made any contribution to the causes I champion or to any worthy cause at all deserves the gratitude of all of us. Donating money is not possible for some people, and it is right now nerve-wracking for many. For those who can and do, all of us are grateful for the generosity and the courage.

Here is the receipt for the donation to The White House Project:

Meanwhile, arrangements for the press release are under way. Stay tuned.

Now, about that job bank. During this election season I have met hundreds of people, some of whom read this blog regularly. If you have a service or product you would like to offer for a fellow reader to purchase or you are a reader seeking a particular skill or service, drop me a comment. I will list information about g-rated goods and services available or sought on a separate dedicated page that I will add to the the site for this purpose. Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for any transactions that follows from pooling this information; I do not warranty the goods or services; nor guarantee payment. I simply believe that one way to help each other through these difficult economic times is to build our own small marketplace. I do not know if this experiment will work, but why not try?

From Democrats For Principle Before Party - Match information

Please read and consider making a contribution to help two causes at once. I know that the with the macro-economy melting down it is a scary time to spare even five dollars, but with five dollars you can help our country and your fellow citizens.

Troop match met!

With the latest contribution to The Denver Group, we have received $500 in online donations and my check to the individuals who aid the troops is on the way. (For details of the match see this post.) Many thanks to the individual who put the match over the top.

I'd like to remind people that the next $550 that comes in to The Denver Group/Democrats for Principle Before Party will be matched by a group of anonymous donors who will be donating to relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Ike. (We've actually received our first $36 dollars toward that goal and updates will posted here and at Democrats for Principle Before Party.)

What makes me personally so pleased with these matches is that they show Americans banding together to support one another's causes and needs. That's the America I am always interested in promoting.

It may seem like the worst of times, but in some ways it is the best of times

Like many other Democrats, I am frequently distressed and disgusted by the Party's performance this year particularly at the national level and specifically when it comes to how the Party anointed its nominee rather than relying on democratic procedures and Democratic Party procedures to actually elect a Presidential candidate to run. Like many other Americans, I am distressed at the America George W. Bush's administration has left us. Like many other Americans, I cannot get behind the policies of McCain-Pailin even as I respect the political acumen and some of the qualities of character the members of that ticket seems to possess. It feels lousy to have no acceptable option at the Presidential level.

But sometimes being forced into an unpleasant situation leads one to creative and innovative ways to transcend that situation both immediately and in the longer term. While desperate times seem to bring out the worst in some people, hard times also can bring out the very best in people.

Some examples from the present.  Just today, a group of supporters have made this offer to benefit both victims of Hurricane Ike and The Denver Group's general election ad campaign, Democrats for Principle Before Party. The offer exemplifies the beauty of how generosity can beget generosity, and I reprint it here for the convenience of readers:

A truly progressive match
Various people who support The Denver Group's new initiative Democrats For Principle Before Party have teamed up to help contributors to The Denver Group double the bang for their buck. This group has pledged to donate $550 to organizations providing relief aid to victims of Hurricane Ike. Together they will donate that sum as soon as that amount comes into The Denver Group.

So, if you would like to help Democrats For Principle Before Party AND at the same time help those hardest struck by this hurricane season, now is the time to donate. For instructions on how to do so see the side bar. We will be including both online and snail mail donations for purposes of the match and when we hit the target we will let the group of matchers know - and of course we will announce the success here on our site.

My own match effort in aid of troop families and The Democrats for Principle Before Party ad campaign is making steady progress. For details, go here. The  state of the match as of 9:14 p.m., Sept. 13, 2008: $355.00 in - $145 to go!

And it is not only on fundraising for causes where progress is being made. The letter calling upon Senators to affirm their support for Senator Clinton for Majority Leader in 2009 now has 180 signers. To add your name costs no money. (If you want to do so please follow these instructions taken from the effort's homepage: If you would like to sign the letter please send an email to [email protected] with "signer" in the subject line. Your message should included your full name, which we will add to the letter and your state and city and a contact phone number for identification purposes only. Your location and phone number will be kept private and will never appear on this site or any other public site.)  See the letter and the list of Clinton delegates who have permitted us to identify them as signers. Whether or not Senator Clinton ultimately were to decide to accept this post were her colleagues to offer it to her, this grassroots efforts to encourage Senator Clinton's peers to give her an opportunity to be the Senate's leading figure is yet more evidence of how hard times can bring out the best in "ordinary" Americans, who use their creativity and their freedoms to try to lead so-called leaders who have last their way.

These are just some of the efforts that people who refuse to walk away from a tough situation are engaged in.

I think it is important to recognize that the effort from people who stick to their principles in the face of hard times is an American tradition as old as the country itself.

To take just one example consider this very famous painting, Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, painted by Howard Chandler Christy:

Learn more about the painting and the details of its significance here (this site is well worth exploring).

In brief, the painting depicts - with some artistic license the signing of the U.S. Constitution, the basic governance document that represents a high point in western democracy: the first modern written constitution that laid out a workable basis for a diverse group of states to come together to form a nation. In that moment, the drafters and signers of the original unamended Constitution put their names to a renewed effort to create a workable balance of power between states and the federal government and the branches of the federal government. These signers showed - during  a hard time indeed - that they had the creativity and wherewithal to respond to the difficulties of reconciling the demands of pluralism with the demands of union by going back to the drawing board, dispensing with the Articles of Confederation, and trying something new. Some states and delegations jumped ship, would not ratify or sign the new Constitution of the United States of America. Painter Christy does not show these delegates. The delegates and states he commemorates are those who continued to fight for their cause - the uniting of the states without the sacrifice of diversity and pluralism.

Today's efforts are part of the same tradition: the effort to find a way around obstacles to achieving the vision of a country where Americans of all kinds can feel proud of their country and its government, not only at the federal level but at the state and local levels too.

These are hard times for millions of Democrats and millions of Americans. The political scene at the Presidential level seems to many to be bleak and to be bleaker than it had to be if only this year's DNC had acted with more forethought, wisdom, and courage. The economy gets more alarming by the moment. Natural disasters, much like death and taxes, continue to be with us.

But I for one do not see only the bad times. I see a populace newly energized, determined to take back the Democratic Party and its bests aspects. I see more people engaged in more positive and progressive political and charitable causes than I have for a long time. Yes, I get angry and frustrated about the bad times, especially those foolishly brought about by inadequate, incompetent, cowardly, and selfish so-called leaders. But then I reach down and renew my efforts to replace these people with better ones; to do what I can to connect one American with another as we work toward that goal and ultimately toward bettering our country. As I make those efforts, I realize how many partners I have in these goals. Such a network will succeed. And with a lot of hard work, will take us from the worst of times to the best of times.

Support troop families, support Democrats For Principle Before Party

A match offer - help troop families and help Democrats For Principle Before Party

Match update- 4:16 p.m., Sept. 14, 2008: $371.00 in - $129 to go!

The Denver Group has been the beneficiary of a couple who maxxed out to it. This couple is active in supporting the families of troops based in Utah. Since they can no longer donate to the Denver Group, I thought it time to offer to donate to their efforts. I will send them up to $500 toward their efforts to assist  families in need, as soon as the next $500 hits The Denver Group/Democrats For Party Before Principle via paypal.

To donate to The Denver Group/Democrats For Party Before Principle via Paypal please use the button at in the sidebar of this blog.

Additional information about the match and how the funds will be used: the couple who maxxed out to The Denver Group puts together "Morale Bags" and purchases the supplies and contents for these bags themselves. Here are some photos of a few of the bags, which contain items such as Finding Nemo toys and DVDS, materials to build-a-bear, gift cards for purchasing gasoline, pizza, and general household supplies including clothes and other basics. The bags go to families of troops stationed at a nearby military base.

My gift to them will enable the purchase of some of the supplies and contents of these bags. If this match effort generates enough enthusiasm for this good cause and for The Denver Group, I hope to find other ways people can support both.