#community centric fundraising

[buddierecs]

eddie diaz centric buddie fics

all mature rating!!! make sure to kudos/comment on these amazing works :)

tomorrow will always and forever now be today (tomorrow is our always and forever) by: withmeornotatall "eddie gets trapped in a time loop on the day buck marries natalia" word count: 43k important tags: time loop au, minor buck/natalia, heavy angst, love confessions eddie diaz vs the pta agenda by: mmtion "really, eddie doesn’t care that the pta aren’t his biggest fan. he knows he misses too many meetings, and it’s not like he’s best friends with any of the other parents. it doesn’t affect christopher, so it doesn’t bother him. he’ll pay for the annual fundraising mugs and consider his duty done. but then buck picks christopher up from a class trip and it all goes to hell. like, of course buck is everyone’s dream guy. he’s responsible with kids, and kind, and funny and interesting and hot to touch. that’s obvious. but now eddie’s fighting to keep the pta moms, teachers, and dads, all off an unsuspecting and tempting buck. because eddie is a good friend. right?" word count: 19k important tags: idiots in love, jealous!eddie diaz, oblivious!eddie diaz a thousand ways to say i hate you by: morganofthefairies "five times eddie buys taylor fuck-you flowers, and one time he doesn't need to." word count: 8k important tags: 5+1 things, awkward dates, minor eddie/ana, minor buck/taylor, petty!eddie diaz, pining!eddie diaz light me and i'll burn for you by: woodchoc_magnum "in which an old friend of buck's joins the 118, and eddie does not like him. at all." word count: 31k important tags: mutual pining, soft!eddie diaz, oblivious!evan buckley, team as family save me from the man i've become by: woodchoc_magnum "told through eddie's eyes as he grows up with his uniquely overbearing parents, and gradually learns to accept himself for who he really is." word count: 20k important tags: self-acceptance, angst, growing up, soft!eddie diaz, pre-relationship, getting together love leaves a little runway by: toomanybats "eddie has a problem. a big, huge, ridiculous, gorgeous, mouth-watering problem. evan buckley, man of his dreams and bane of his existence has just arrived at the park wearing a crop top." word count: 8.7k important tags: fluff, pining, getting together, first time wherever you roam (you'll always want me) by: okanus "eddie starts to untangle his complicated feelings about himself, and buck. mainly buck." word count: 28k important tags: character study, catholic guilt, sexuality crisis, slow burn, jealous!eddie diaz, pining tell me about despair by: hattalove "the entity often affectionately referred to as the unrepression fic." word count: 148k important tags: therapy, ptsd, heavy angst, communication, feelings realisation, friends to lovers, slow burn

baby, you look happier (you do) by: frxm_theashes "five times eddie sees buck happy with someone else, and one time he realizes that buck is happy with him (and that, maybe, eddie is allowed to be happy with buck too). word count: 19k important tags: temporary buck/tommy, jealous!eddie diaz, catholic guilt, internalised homophobia, pining, getting together, making out

the persistence of memory by: withmeornotatall "buck gets shot, eddie has to keep reliving the day until he can figure out what the universe is trying to tell him" word count: 58k important tags: time loop, eddie diaz pov, angst, hurt/comfort, temporary character death, gay disaster!eddie diaz, make outs, gun violence

when i was shipwrecked (i thought of you) by: catchingpapermoons "eddie needs to learn how to let himself feel, and one step at a time, he learns how to do just that. (and he falls in love with buck along the way.) word count: 35k friends to lovers, didn't know they were dating, getting together, panic attacks, angst with a happy ending.

[bfpnola]

ID by our volunteer Wren: all slides have a background of a pale green-yellow to light blue gradient. The first slide is titled "who are we?" in light blue text with a thin dark blue outline. The title follows the curve of a large white ring in the center of the slide, which circles BFP's logo. Inside the ring and below the logo, blue text reads "building a better future worldwide for youth. by youth." End ID.

ID: all slides except the first have a dashed-line white border around the slide. the second slide is titled "welcome!" in blue text on a white rectangle. the rest of the slide has blue text on a white background that reads, "hey! we're better future program (BFP)! founded in 2016 in bulbancha (so-called new orleans, louisiana, usa), we are an entirely youth-run registered nonprofit [globe emoji]

our mission is to globally expand peer-led political education, support, and imagination for marginalized youth!

we actually achieve this goal through offering 3,000+ free resources through our liberation library, providing 60+ youth with the leadership roles and tools to host their very own social justice teach-ins, 24/7 peer support through our discord server, mutual aid-based fundraising campaigns, and so much more to come! [speaking emoji].” in the bottom right corner, the number 1 is circled. End ID.

ID: the third slide is titled "guiding principles" in blue text on a white rectangle. the subtitle reads "what sort of values guide our work?" in blue text on a white rectangle. the rest of the slide has blue text on white backgrounds which reads, "[chick emojil youth-centricity [arrow] we understand youth as an oppressed class and thus we center the voices of youth in everything that we do!

[fist emoji] self-liberation [arrow] all volunteers should be at the forefront of their own liberation. allies are meant to uplift, not overstep

[window emoji] transparency [arrow] staying open and honest about all BFP-related actions and intentions

[check emoji] accountability [arrow] holding ourselves and our peers responsible, with an eye to fairness regarding capabilities and knowledge". in the bottom right corner, the number 2 is circled. End ID.

ID: the fourth slide is titled "guiding principles" in blue text on a white rectangle. the subtitle reads "just a few more! keep going!" in blue text on a white rectangle. the rest of the slide has blue text on white backgrounds which reads, "[equal sign emoji] horizontality [arrow] valuing the decision-making abilities of our volunteers and thus, fostering power alongside one another rather than over each other

[hug emoji] community [arrow] valuing the impact of a shared story, collaboration, and an effective, non-carceral support system

[woman emoji] intersectionality [arrow] recognizing how various aspects of a person's social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege". in the bottom right corner, the number 3 is circled. End ID.

ID: the fifth slide is titled "core beliefs" in blue text on a white rectangle. the subtitle reads "we wholeheartedly believe in and support:" in blue text on a white rectangle. the rest of the slide's text is a list, starting with red text at the top, with each list item changing to another colour of the rainbow until the list ends with red again.

The list reads: "the right to organize, youth liberation, religious liberty, climate action, gender equity, bodily autonomy, abolition, anti-authoritarianism, educational equity, anti-racism, disability justice, decolonization, queer/lgbtq+ liberation, fat liberation, caste abolition, anti capitalism.”

at the bottom of the slide, blue text on a white background reads "[magnifying glass emoji] betterfutureprogram.org/about-bfp". in the bottom right corner, the number 4 is circled. End ID.

ID: the sixth slide is titled "our structure" in blue text on a white rectangle. the rest of the slide has blue text on white backgrounds which reads, "BFP reinforces our principle of horizontality through committees! each committee forms its own interdependent goals and initiatives to fulfill which are discussed during international, weekly meetings via zoom [film camera emoji].

additionally, we use 'consensus-based decision making', in which every concern is acknowledged before moving forward

this horizontal structure also allows for more flexibility and adaptability in terms of our roles! this doesn't mean there aren't challenges, of course, but we think those challenges are worth the benefits! [green heart emoji]”. in the bottom right corner, the number 5 is circled. End ID.

ID: the seventh slide is titled "upcoming" in blue text on a white rectangle. the subtitle reads "what we've been working on lately [hand clapping emoji]" in blue text on a white rectangle. the rest of the slide has blue text on white backgrounds which reads, "we're in the process of starting global liberation schools, inspired by Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, the Black Panther Party's Oakland Community School, and Huey P. Newton's theory of ractionary and revolutionary intercommunalism.

and we've already got 3 schools in the making! look out for BFP in washington, dcand new orleans, la in the united states as well as sydney, nsw in australia! [australian flag emoji]

if you're confused about any of those names/titles/theories above or want to start political education classes near you, join us (& bring a friend!) [smiling covering mouth emoji]". in the bottom right corner, the number 6 is circled. End ID.

the eighth slide is titled "getting involved" in blue text on a white rectangle. the slide has blue text on white backgrounds which reads, "1) BFP is always looking for new youth volunteers to uplift and empower. if you're 25 or younger, you may be eligible for a leadership position! application in our bio!

2) if you still want to get involved but with fewer responsibilities, we've also got a general volunteers committee just for you! same application, same bio [hand holding pencil emoji]

3) if you don't have the time or capacity? don't worry! we'll still be here. instead, you can interact with our international community via discord! we've got game nights, cultural presentations, study sessions, and more, so feel free to join us! ([link emoji] in bio. again. lol)". in the bottom right corner, the number 7 is circled. End ID.

ID: the ninth slide is titled "donate" in blue text on a white rectangle. the subtitle reads "feeling a lil generous? [looking eyes emoji]" in blue text on a white rectangle. the rest of the slide has blue text on white backgrounds which reads, "we're now accepting donations! your gift will go towards promotional and material resources for our teach-ins, supporting artists of color, our mutual aid network, and even creating paid internships in the future!"

below, blue text with a dark blue outline reads "scan the qr code.” it's beside a qr code.

below, blue text on a white background reads "EIN: 88-2043966.”

[magnifying glass emoji] betterfutureprogram.org/donate". in the bottom right corner, the number 8 is circled. End ID.

Welcome, welcome! We'd like to reintroduce ourselves, especially with such an exciting initiative on the way! BFP (@bfpnola) is starting GLOBAL liberation schools and we'd love your support. Get the word out! And if anyone ever asks, "Oh, what's BFP? What are they working on?," just send them this post! 🤍

[bishopmyrielfundraiser]

Auction Rules for the Bishop Myriel Fundraiser 2023

Public defenders, lawyers who provide legal defense for those who cannot afford it, are often all that stands between modern Jean Valjeans and 19 years in prison. This post by Radley Balko, a journalist advocating for criminal justice reform, points out that even though the right to a lawyer is guaranteed in the USA if you're facing serious charges, public defenders are underfunded, overworked, and demoralized. All of which gets in the way of putting up a good fight in court for their clients. That's where you come in. We're going to raise money for public defender organizations via the Bishop Myriel Fundraiser 2023. You can start submitting your offers now, in accordance with the rules, and bidding will commence as the offers are coming in.

Rules

1. Offering

SUBMIT your offering post to this blog! Include a link to this rules post in your own post, and also a minimum starting offer for your item, which can be a fic, art, or a physical item--be creative! Your offer does NOT have to be connected to the Les Misérables fandom, although such items are always welcome! Any terms and conditions of your offer should also be included in the post, eg what fandoms you are wiling to write for, any hard no’s on content, etc. Offer posts can keep coming in through the SUBMIT button until the auction closes.

2. Bidding

Bid in REPLIES NOT REBLOGS (this is important because replies enable me to figure out who bid when and avoid conflicts) until end of day Eastern Time December 15th, 2023. The highest bidder at that time will be the winner. Bidding can start as each item is posted.

3. Claiming or delivering your item

If you have won an item, I will contact you directly via DM and ask you to provide a receipt or other verification for a donation to an indigent defense/public defender orgnaization in the amount bid. Send such verification to bishopmyrielfundraiser@gmail.com or in a screenshot on Tumblr. AFTER I have verified that, I will contact the offerer to let them know they can deliver the item. If you do not respond at all to my attempts to contact you within one week, I will move on to the next highest bidder. So check your DMs. All items should be delivered by March 31st, 2024 at the absolute latest, unless you have made other arrangements, eg the custom item/fic takes longer than that to create or write and you communicate about this. Earlier is even better, but remember that the most important thing is to keep the winner informed and make sure everyone has a good time. Let's keep this a fun event in the spirit of Bishop Myriel, so this fundraiser can keep going for years to come. 4. Donating Please do not donate your bid until I have contacted you to inform you that you won the item! Then follow the procedure above. While you can choose any organization to donate to as long as it covers the overall cause of indigent defense/public defenders, here are a few New York-centric recommendations, shamelessly ganked from the linked article: Bronx Defenders Brooklyn Defender Services Neighborhood Defender Service However, the Bishop Myriel Fundraiser intentionally allows a broad range of donations as your state or country may have specific organizations you know of doing good in this field. Remember: BID IN REPLIES, NOT REBLOGS. Let's go!

[ilov3b00kss0much]

hey i saw your post mentioning you’re working on an “israelis for palestine” blog and as someone who’s also a settler (usa) who shares fundraisers i think that’s a great idea. but i also wanted to share my thoughts on the name if that’s okay? there’s a possibility “”israelis” for palestine” may come off as normalization of the state or nationality of israel,, im sure as someone who’s divorced themself from zionism you’d understand how israeli national identity is tied to the israeli state and the dispossession and erasure of palestinians. and this doesn’t speak for and often speaks Over the broader jewish community. if you wanted to make a jewish centric pro palestine blog you could just do that or you could find a different way to express your position without really centering the settler’s perspective. like personally i would never make an “americans for palestine” blog cuz america is at odds with palestine. when i support palestine i just do it as a human being, not a citizen

anyway good luck ❤️❤️

you are correct I'm sorry thanks for the input!!!!/genuine

im really really sorry my brain is literally the weirdest today I'm so sorry

[aristidetwain]

Jenny and the Gang: An Interview With Joe Macaré & Nelson Evergreen

Today, October 24th, 2023, marks the 21st anniversary of Name’s Not Down, commonly regarded as the first completed Jenny Everywhere comic story. The work of Joe Macaré and Nelson Evergreen, it was formally released into the public domain on Jenny Everywhere Day last year alongside its sequel, Damn Fine Hostile Takeover, at my own instigation.

Having managed to track down both of these highly esteemed creators — long since departed from the Jenny Everywhere community — it was then my duty and my very great pleasure to conduct the first-ever joint Jenny-centric interview of two of the honoured few who shaped the character in her infancy.

Goggles on! Shift to Interviewspace in three… two… one…

How would you introduce yourselves to Jenny Everywhere readers?

Joe: My name is Joe Macaré (he/him), and I was raised in the Midlands (UK) and now live in the Midwest (US). I work in fundraising and communications, currently for a LGBT+ rights advocacy organization.

Nelson: I’m Neil Evans, a Welsh illustrator and comic artist occasionally going by the pseudonym Nelson Evergreen. I moved back to my hometown of Wrexham, North Wales in 2017, after twenty merry years in Brighton on the south coast of England. Illustration work this year includes a version of George Orwell’s 1984 (Oxford University Press), an anthology of weird — and often terrifying — Christmas folklore from around the globe (Cider Mill Press) and a 72 page graphic novel detailing the life of Mamie Phipps Clarke, the psychologist and activist whose research with her husband Kenneth was key to the abolition of racial segregation in US schools (Magination Press).  Between jobs I’m busy with various ongoing personal labours of love, a couple of which are, after years of agonisingly glacial/troubled development, tantalisingly close to shareable. You can find me at neil-evans.net!

How did you originally learn about Jenny, and what led to your creating full comics starring the character? If those are different questions, what did you/do you like about the character — was it the open-source nature of the project? The appeal of Jenny herself as a protagonist? Something else?

J: I was active on the Barbelith message board from 2000-200something; closer to the truth to say that around the time Jenny Everywhere was created I was deeply, deeply enmeshed on that forum and in that community. It was my first internet “home” and so it’s probably accurate to say that I was initially drawn to the character because it was a Barbelith creative project and therefore something I wanted to be a part of.  But also, when Steven “Moriarty” Wintle drew that first sketch, it definitely popped. Jenny, especially with the paragraph description attached, seemed like someone I knew, or someone I would like to know. An idealized avatar in some ways, but a plausible person in others.

N: I found Barbelith not long after I began “boxsetting” The Invisibles (very belatedly, it was close to the end of the comic’s run), and got quite addicted to the forum. It was a good place.  I’d been messing about making music in bands for a few years, neglecting the illustration/comic side of things, and wanted to get back into drawing… and Barbelith happened to have lots of folk who were very good with words. So I posted a few pieces of work and asked if anyone had any comic scripts they wanted drawn, and I’m guessing Moriarty/Steven’s Jenny thread must have appeared at around that time or very shortly after..? Joe and I had certainly already touched on the idea of working together, so when Jenny appeared I think we just took it as read that that was “the one”.  With Jenny, the initial appeal for me was the very unique nature of her potential: the dozens/hundreds/thousands of different ways the character could go, depending on who’s working with her. Also, I’m generally quite content in my own company - god knows, you have to be when you’re illustrating comics - but I loved the online hubbub around her at that time. There was something really… *cosy* about knowing others were working on their own versions of this character. So that was another huge part of the appeal, that sense of community.

Even though the multiversal gimmick is one of the first things people hear about Jenny, neither Name's Not Down nor Damn Fine Hostile Takeover make any direct reference to it. Was this a conscious choice, and if so, what motivated it?

J: For my part it was a conscious choice and it had a lot to do with the kind of comics I was reading at the time and being influenced by. At the time, complicated continuities and parallel universes seemed like slightly embarrassing excesses that characterized Marvel/DC superhero comics. They were prog rock, and were being challenged by a new wave of what Oni Press called “real mainstream” indie comics. Punchy, punky, often black & white, and very self-consciously influenced more by movies, TV, and music than by superhero comics. You could put fantastical elements in there but nothing that demanded a long explanation. Now, not only did the idea of making comics without multiverses become the mainstream, so that they were more like movies and TV, turn out to be onto a losing proposition and *the exact opposite of what happened,* for better or worse, but half the star writers and comics “thinkers” of the time later turned out to be predatory creeps. Whoops! But at the time, this was the cultural scene that shaped what I wanted to write. A comic you wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen reading at the zine fair or dance party. Of course, goody nerd that I’ve always been, I couldn’t help but include Smallville references, so any attempt to be consciously cool was always somewhat doomed.

Were there any interesting, non-obvious inspirations or references baked into these stories, that you'd like to share? 

J: Oh god, sometimes I think those scripts were nothing *but* references and it’s quite possible I’ve forgotten some of them now. I mean I’d be very embarrassed by all the Smallville references were it not for the fact that I remember that in the UK, the show was aired in the Sunday morning block which made it perfect hangover television.  Clea was named after Clea Duvall. Bradley was named the somewhat obscure 2000 AD character. I think the most obscure influence/reference is having the character Lex, who considers himself a charmer, always introduce himself by saying “Greetings!” That’s a reference to eldest son Joey in the late 1980s BBC comedy series, Bread. That one was probably only noticed by other British people my age who grew up relating greatly to a show about a working class family with an absent father who constantly worried about money. The television I watched as a kid also led to me choosing Apollo Coffee as the name of the Starbucks stand-in, Starbuck and Apollo being a reference to the original Battlestar Galactica (the reboot had not yet come along!). “Damn Fine Hostile Takeover” is obviously extremely far from a serious piece of political polemic, but I do remember consciously wanting to introduce at least a small flavor of agitprop, compared to “Name’s Not Down” which is mostly just a power fantasy about beating up needlessly aggressive doormen to get into a club. The early political “analysis” I had at the time, which didn’t go much beyond big corporate chains being bad and small local independent coffee shops being good, was obviously influenced by stuff like Naomi Klein’s No Logo. And a sort of bastardized pop culture version of that, that had showed up in things like Grant Morrison’s Marvel Boy. Oh, and a misunderstood El-P lyric. Speaking of Morrison, as befits a character created on Barbelith, that approach of “shove in references to everything you’re inspired by, watching, reading, or listening to at the particular moment you’re writing the comic” was very much inspired by Morrison in general and The Invisibles in particular. Although the Morrison comic I was most trying to emulate, at least in “Name’s Not Down” was Kill Your Boyfriend. But also, the whole reason I set those comics in a thinly fictionalized version of Brighton is because at the time, I was living in London and knew a bunch of people in Brighton (again, many of them through Barbelith, or adjacent to people I’d met via that place). They all seemed very impressive and cool to me at the time: people who put on club nights (It Came From The Sea), wrote about music (Careless Talk Costs Lives / Plan B), or on whom I just had a really big crush. I would take the train down to Brighton many weekends and it loomed large in my imagination. Although there’s no evidence of this on Google, I did not invent calling it “Right-On”: that’s another thing I stole or borrowed and can’t remember from whom or where.

How detailed were the scripts/how much freedom was there on the art end of things? Did you start from a synopsis, or a script, or a storyboard? Are there any notable ways in which the finished works differed from the original outline?

N: I can’t refer to them because I lost my copies in a hard drive calamity a couple of years later, but I remember being struck by how full of gusto and enthusiasm Joe’s scripts were. They really got me fired up to draw. The stage directions had the same infectious energy as the dialogue. I get some quite perfunctory scripts in my line of work — and that’s fine — but I do appreciate the ones that go above and beyond.  I think I’m right in recalling the scripts as being very precise..? Joe had a very clear idea of the pacing, and how the story and gags would flow from panel to panel. The dialogue was all there from the start. I remember reading through and immediately getting a clear mental picture of how it was all going to look. It was very tightly scripted but not in a way that felt restrictive, it was very free and easy to illustrate. And it gave me plenty of leeway to come up with hordes of characters/creatures in those big ensemble panels.

J: I no longer have the scripts so I’m going from memory, but: I wrote pretty detailed scripts but I definitely had panels or entire pages where I encouraged Nelson Evergreen to cut loose and add whatever details and weird characters sprang to his mind. This is as good a place as any to state that I got phenomenally lucky when Nelson agreed to collaborate. Of all the artists who were kicking around Barbelith at the time and who were at all interested in the project, he was perhaps the most talented and I certainly can’t imagine anyone else who would have drawn those comics as well, or that they would have been received as warmly had they been drawn by anyone else.

A mysterious bald man makes conspicuous cameos in both of your long-form Jenny comics. What's the significance of this character? Some of us in the Jenny Everywhere Discord suggested he might have been meant to be Grant Morrison themself, owing to the focus of the forum on which Jenny originally appeared; short of that, we have no idea… 

N: I *think* he was my addition, but again, without having the scripts to hand, my memory may be playing tricks on me. I mean, he *looks* like the sort of thing I’d have thrown in! I’ve always enjoyed the sight of one lone person looking utterly severe/unimpressed in the midst of general merriment, and I’m guessing I improvised MBM in one panel, he made me laugh, so I put him in another, and then another. Dave, the keyboard player in my band at the time, had that exact t-shirt, with the “Guides” logo, which he wore all the bloody time, and that must have seemed to me like the perfect outfit. So yeah, just a silly little running visual thing I threw in off the cuff to amuse myself really. Looking back at if from a distance, he *does* look quite significant, doesn’t he? Sorry! I feel like a right troll. 

You've stated in the past that you included the Jenny Nowhere cliffhanger in Damn Fine Hostile Takeover without a conscious plan for what that story might be about — but did you ever have any plans for further Jenny stories that didn't materialise? If so, what were they about? And if you had to write the Nowhere story, what might it be like?

J: The only idea I remember from “The Two Jennys” was that Jenny Nowhere would have made her base of operations the Right-On version of the ruined West Pier (the real world version of which in Brighton is now even more skeletal and not practical for even the most doomer supervillain to use as a hideout). I think it would have culminated in a Quadrophenia-style beach brawl between each Jenny’s followers (Nowhere’s gang all being various black-clad kinds of goths, punks, and techno-nihilists, in contrast to Everywhere’s more brightly colored subcultures). But it’s been long enough now that I can confess that at various points I was working on two or three other ideas for follow-up stories.  One was entitled “Dance-Off 2004” (the year kept changing as it got delayed) and the concept speaks for itself. Then there was “You Say Derby! We Say Die!” which was not a reference to the town in the Midlands but rather to my interest in roller derby which peaked circa 2007-2009 or so (and was named after the band You Say Party). But the last time I was kicking an idea around, it was 2012 and I was already thinking about something with a very different tone that was based around the idea of the Jenny Everywhere “gang” reuniting after going their separate ways. Lex now runs a pub and is married (to Lois from the coffee shop) with two kids. Bradley made a fortune designing extremely blasphemous videogames. Clea is an academic in San Francisco. Everyone quit smoking. Those three aforementioned sequels that never got made would appear as flashback panels, a montage of sorts, unfinished comics repurposed as “lost/secret adventures.” The tone for this was once again stolen from a Grant Morrison comic, namely the “zzzzenith.com” one-off sequel to Zenith. Less a sequel, more a bittersweet look back at an era.

If you've kept up with more recent Jenny projects to one degree or another, what are your thoughts on them? 

N: I haven’t, but they’re on the ‘to do’ list.

If you had limitless time and budget for it, what would be your “dream” Jenny project?

N: Limitless time and budget…? Oooooh. Multiverse versions of the Right-On gang. Sci-fi stuff, cosmic stuff. Stuff that’s wild to draw. The same snappy feel and flow of the originals, but with extra helpings of the rainy melancholy Joe brought in at the close of Damn Fine Hostile Takeover. 

Do you think you'll ever return to the character? How differently would you approach it if you did?

N: Time permitting, absolutely. It was fun. 

J: Well, the gap in time since I last toyed with the idea of a nostalgic sequel comic is now longer than the original time period between the first comics and that one. And those years mean that I both feel more distance from my version of the character, and the supporting cast I gave her, but also more unqualified affection. I joked about embarrassment earlier but it’s actually been long enough now that I’ve passed through and out of the period where I found anything about it embarrassing. What I was writing reflects who I was at the time and also maybe a little of where the zeitgeist was: the violence is cartoony, there’s no consequences to it, and there’s what I would call a Bush-era assumption that going out and partying is in itself halfway to being some kind of act of resistance. For me those comics are a memento from a very specific time in my life, and if I wrote something about that particular Jenny Everywhere now, it would definitely be an older, wiser version. As a sober 45 year-old living in Chicago, Illinois, looking back at something I wrote when I was a heavy-drinking Londoner in his early 20s, it’s even more bittersweet and melancholy.  Jenny and the gang were supposed to be reminiscent of various friends of my own. Over the course of 20 years, you inevitably lose touch with people. You move far away physically (I relocated to a different continent!), you drift apart. And sometimes you fall out with people, and sometimes people die, both of which have happened to me. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Nila Gupta (rest in power) here, who was a big inspiration for my version of Jenny and for my general idea of a gang of cool anti-corporate people running amok in Right-On.  Losing people who used to be part of your life is individually tragic but it’s also the kind of experience you’re a lot more likely to have by the time you’re 45 than when you’re 23. If this answer sounds like it’s turning into a bummer, it shouldn’t entirely, because the flipside to that is you do develop some perspective, some better priorities, some sense of what you’re supposed to be doing with your life.

N: Oh Nila… ❤️ I had no idea your Jenny was inspired by them. That's beautiful. 

And that's all, folks! They'll be reading this over, so I want to thank Joe and Neil/Nelson again, both for helping to create a character who still means so much to so many of us, niche though she may be… and for taking the time to bring us these insightful, entertaining, and often moving glimpses into the mental world from which Jenny — at least their Jenny — first sprung.

Happy Jenniversary, and thanks for everything!

[reblogforsamplesize]

This is a poll-centric blog for people who like voting on stuff. if you have a poll you want to reach a larger audience, feel free to submit it to me, post it and @ me in the replies, or send me the link in an ask!

submissions are currently selectively open (you can tag me to reblog your polls and requests may be made through the inbox but may take awhile to be posted if i do choose to post them)

see the bottom of this post for other blogs you can freely submit to

this blog is inclusive of all good faith identities and life experiences. polls promoting bigotry (E.G. polling if certain identities are "valid" or if x action counts as y form of bigotry) and polls that aim to or could potentially fuel hatred, lateral aggression, community infighting, etc. will NOT be posted (and the submitters may be blocked if it's especially egregious)

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this blog does not reblog fundraisers, even ones related to 🇵🇸. its just not what this blog is for. if youre looking to donate please consider going through this list of vetted 🍉 fundraisers. this is the only time i will talk about this on this blog. thank you for your understanding.

similar blogs (not affiliated):

incognitopolls

anonymous-polling

apolladay

funpolls

nerdwithapoll

poll-position

the-polls

tumbler-polls

wow-so-many-polls

wxlfpolls

spicypolls (NSFW)

transgenderpolls

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[hinderr]

i miss wren farvo btw do you have like . any lore about him before nature/nurture happened? like what was he like when he was a kid and where did he live and how was his relationship with samirah and who was his buire, etc etc i wanna know 👀

OLLYYYYYYY if there's anyone i can trust to be a wren farvo enjoyer ik it's you fr fr. funnily enough there actually used to be a wren-centric nurture chapter that like, explored exactly his lore lmao. the chapter involved themes I wasn't ready to write about however (like, I realised I wasn't the right person/didnt have enough experience with them) so I scrapped that chapter in the end. i can give you the lore aspects though! (cut off because, long as fuck)

(also this will make sense in the further context of the post, but I didn't feel comfortable putting these links under the readmore lmao)

palestine masterlist by palipunk

fundraiser for Yousef, a photojournalist in Gaza

esims!! they need those!! help them out

basically though the rundown was that; wren was adopted by his buir at a young age, after the Purge (young enough that he doesn't remember his previous life, not that he particularly cares to look). also, Wren doesn't remember this, but he was actually adopted first before Samirah (Samirah was older, and thus ended being the older sister anyway) (Samirah also doesn't bother reminding Wren about this, if only to avoid his gloating)

the two only had the one parent, the sole survivor of the Farvo clan after the Purge. It, obviously, left their parent in...a state. i never went around to properly naming their parent, since in the chapter Wren only ever called them 'Buir'. then again given the fact that they were living with a covert back then, the atriarch of clan Farvo probably didn't give their name out anyway.

oh yeah okay so; in the nature/nurture verse, after the Purge, Din's covert wasn't the only covert out there. survivors splintered off into many, many small coverts, most of them isolated from one another and thinking they were the only ones. at most, one covert would be aware of one other covert that survived (and usually, to the best of their ability, try to merge coverts to reassemble their numbers). each covert had a different approach to making through the galaxy, particularly Wren's covert not instilling the 'dont take your helmet off' rule

the themes that i mentioned the chapter having was basically; what it'd be like, growing up as a child of a dead people, and what it'd be like when your parent is a survivor of a genocide. how that'd affect them, and affect you and your family, and how hard it'd be to connect to a culture and a community that was ripped brutally out of your hands before you could even speak. wren farvo, essentially, grew up in a graveyard, with his parent haunted by the ghosts of a family he never got to meet, mourning for a home he never got to see. that Wren was essentially a genocide survivor himself, and how he'd struggle to come to terms with his identity as a Mandalorian when it seems the entire galaxy wants him dead

then I started writing the chapter, realised how similar it was to the very real Palestinian genocide going on right now, and proper realised the depth and weight and importance of how I was going to convey this story. i tried my best for a couple passages, but eventually though i realised that, as of now, it's better if I just...don't. not yet, at the very least. regrettably Im not the best person to write about this, i just don't know enough, and i wasn't going to take a bite out of something i couldn't chew so, whoops! into the deleted scenes doc they go. maybe one day I'll pick it up again

back to Wren Farvo lore however !! his parent passed in the way many mandalorians pass during those times, having caught off guard and alone by a group of one too many beskar-hungry thieves. it was a pretty dark and awful time for the Farvo clan, but they thankfully had the rest of the covert to keep them going. Samirah became matriarch of the Farvos, and Wren became the lighthearted grounding force that balanced out her seriousness. they kept each other in check, one from sinking into the burdens of responsibility and duty, and the other from a recklessness that would eventually kill him. when Samirah adopted Jeliaya, it only brought them closer together, jeliaya basically being a promise for the clan's continued existence

as this is all happening, wren's covert had managed to meet with Din's old covert (Din himself not being around, still searching for the kid). together, and with Bo-Katan's crew after a while, they banded and started searching for more survivors. the heads of the coverts (+ bo) eventually realised how easily dwarf planets flew under nearly every radar. then they found the dwarf planet where they settled and struck peace with the locals. for about a decade they settled in, digging tunnels of their own and carving out spaces for themselves in the planet itself. Wren stayed close with his sister and his niece the entire time, having no reason to be anywhere else

but being able to live on that dwarf planet, though - being able to walk out in the sun in relative peace definitely did wonders for everyone's mental health. for the first time they had a planet again, however small. Samirah's work thrived, especially when she started communicating with the local doctors. Jeliaya grew healthy and at peace, her safety mostly assured. Wren did...Wren things, helping out everywhere he could

a lot of that involved him being part of the force that stood against the Dark Troopers; Wren was one of the first few that devised defensive plans, figured out their weaknesses, convincing the Armourer(s) that beskar weapons were, against this enemy, quite necessary since it's one of the few materials that can tear through the Dark Trooper's armour (which is why she never made Din melt down his spear in this 'verse. that, and also I'm a beskar-spear enjoyer at heart). one such mission brought him and his sister to this Imperial fort, where they met Din for the first time!!

meeting Din, Wren's first immediate thought is 'woah, this guy's fucked' and after learning that he's still looking for the kid he lost about 7-8 years ago, came up with the nickname "Or'trikar". for the grief that he exuded like a physical aura, and for the tightness of Wren's own chest whenever he so much as looked at him. Wren and Din grew closer, mostly due to Wren being...Wren and generally clingy to the people he's trying to impress. it works on Din, who ended up viewing Wren as a younger brother

Din definitely wouldn't think so, but to the Farvos it's obvious that for that time, Din was practically one of them. An honourary Farvo, if nothing else. he was practically Jeliaya's second uncle, and he came around to the Farvo residence pretty often, thanks to Wren refusing to let the guy stew in his own room and his own or'trikar

about two years pass, and Wren and Din get paired together to find the source of all those Dark Troopers, and to scout out how to cut the production off at its root. they find the biggest, freshest clue they've had in all their years and Wren, antsy and excited, decided to go on a solo hunt to burn off steam instead of going home. Din pointed him in the direction of where he last left the Razor Crest, and Wren found it (neglected, dusty, but still usable; something something, nothing grand, just a means to an end) and used it to fly around for a bit

unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you see it) the tracker that Gideon put on that ship was still there, and still active. Wren ends up being captured and thrown into an Imperial prison, where he meets this strange kid through the vents who insists on calling himself Asset

and then the rest is history

[captainnickfoligno]

man working in the arts nonprofit sector stays sucking ngl. it's like. you chose to be a bleeding heart nonprofit worker so you're expected to prioritize mission over equitable pay. the culture is rancid bc all the presidents and CEOs and executive directors were hired bc they're ~*~artists~*~ with creative innovation and neoliberal hyperindividualism (read: egos) and there's no structure and no people and culture departments. also funding opportunities are thin on the ground bc every other arts nonprofit in your area is vying for the same $50k each grant cycle so you're constantly 10 minutes from folding. or if you manage to land a major gift you still have to play by the donor's rules bc scarcity. and even the major funders at the forefront of trust-based philanthropy, the macarthurs and fords of the world, are overly concerned with optics and also completely oversaturated with funding proposals. you either work in a blue chip cultural institution with donors' names on a marble wall where there's absolutely no hope of ever shifting to a more community-centric fundraising model or you work at a "small but dynamic" org which means a team of 3 employees doing the work of 12 people. i AM very tired i AM regretting my life choices

[xmaveria]

Heya folks I’m happy to announce I’ll be part of the artists sketching in the membership art drive for @inkblot-app!

If you want to see the open beta art centric site thrive keep an eye out for the fundraising drive in April 2023! There will be sketches given to the donors who support its development

The Inkblot site is community funded (anti NFT,AI,crypto + more) and so far they haven’t met their goals for Feb. . It would help them greatly to share their links or the drive once it goes up if you don’t have the means to donate. They’re free to join and check out as well if you want to see for yourself. Be patient though as its a relatively new site and userbase 

[lilies-of-the-fields]

support indie sapphic media

https://www.autostraddle.com/autostraddle-fall-2022-fundraiser/ ^^^ this here is one of my favorite queer publications. not quite a magazine, not just news, definitely a queer community. Autostraddle started out over a decade ago cultivating a space for lesbian-centric news, pop culture, ....

now, AS is an inclusive space for all queer women plus trans and nonbinary folks. they’ve also made really noticeable changes to center Black and brown queer perspectives, too. they refuse to put their content behind a pay wall, so they constantly have to fundraise to make enough to pay the bills (ad revenue is not enough). they have more info on the site if you wanna learn about their business model

they have such extremely talented queer writers. i can’t tell y’all how many times i’ve cried reading first person pieces from there. it was my introduction to polyamory, shaped my fashion as a baby gay, opened the gates to other queer culture/news sites (like Bitch, which can’t be replaced) if you’ve got the funds to throw a few dollars their way, please do!! otherwise, please reblog/send to your queer group chats/post whereever the hell. I want to see AS running for a long, long time so other queers, new to the community or in their 60s, get the chance to read them

[sixth-light]

I posted 2,059 times in 2022

110 posts created (5%)

1,949 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ilikesallydonovan

@darlingofdots

@raedear

@angualupin

@starfoozle

I tagged 2,036 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#in the queue - 1,241 posts

#wheel of time - 210 posts

#wot book spoilers - 134 posts

#tumblr stuff - 90 posts

#the old guard - 89 posts

#ofmd - 89 posts

#wot tv show - 88 posts

#lgbtqia - 72 posts

#fandom - 69 posts

#fanart - 52 posts

Longest Tag: 134 characters

#and she only asks about food in the context of 'are you having any digestive issues' and monitoring of things like iron and b vitamins

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I am extremely not going to dignify that 'walkable cities ARE ableist actually' post which has crossed my dash with a reblog, but four things to keep in mind:

'Walkable cities' is almost always a shorthand for 'cities which deprioritise cars as a mode of transport and make it possible and enjoyable to travel by other modes instead', rather than a call for everybody to walk and only walk everywhere all of the time. We live in a golden age of micromobility options, for starters. And when most people do not need to use cars, it will be much easier for people who do.

Advocacy for walkable cities and active transport often does slide right into ableism and fatphobia and this needs to be directly challenged whenever it appears (as someone who has been a cycle commuter my whole adult life and overweight for all but five minutes of my whole adult life, if I never hear "if everybody cycled we would solve the '''obesity epidemic'''!!!" again...)

AT THE SAME TIME, while this will change in degree from place to place, the Venn diagram between 'people who advocate for walkable cities' and 'people who advocate for accessible cities' has a significant degree of overlap. There's probably at least one car-centric conservative out there who genuinely advocates for accessibility by the law of averages, but it's neither a coherent nor common position. Walkability IS a form of accessibility. It is not accessibility for everybody but no single kind of accessibility is, which is why we need cities with MULTIPLE kinds.

Therefore, as with goddamn near everything in life, if you actually want to see more accessible cities...advocate for more accessible cities, and what that means for you. Going 'but there are some people who will always need cars therefore walkable cities is ableist' does exactly nothing except turn people off the idea of change. Say what you want to see. Be specific. Imagine better futures. TL;DR - cui bono when we lock ourselves into "cars vs walkability"? you guessed it - people who benefit from the (observably harmful) car-prioritising status quo. so is this assertion always a cynical psy-op? No. Does it function as one in practice? fuck yes. be smarter.

2,024 notes - Posted November 21, 2022

#4

 As of the morning of 17 Jan, local time, regarding the Tonga eruption: even nearby governments have extremely limited information on what has happened/is happening on the ground. Recon flights have not yet launched. The internet is down. There are 36 inhabited islands in Tonga and there has been no confirmed contact with most of them. There has been no formal government-to-government communication. We know there was a volcanic eruption, a tsunami, and significant ashfall following. That’s a good 90% of what’s reliably known. 

The impetus in these circumstances is always to “do something” but the reality is that there is almost nothing anybody outside Tonga can do right now. Quite frankly, if you don’t have a direct personal connection/knowledge I would hold off even on donating to fundraisers until there’s more clarity on what is actually needed and where that help can best come from. (It remains true as with almost all disasters that money is the best and most useful thing you can give; however, given the limited info/lack of contact and how little most people on the internet know about Tonga, this is going to be prime scammer territory.)

A lot of social media content that purports to describe local conditions is likely untrustworthy - there’s only been a few verified videos and images, because of the undersea cable being out of action. RNZ, which has an excellent and very active Pacific bureau, is being very conservative with its reporting because it does not want to promote misinformation. Just...cool your jets on this one for a few more hours or possibly couple of days, everybody. We don’t know what we don’t know. 

2,343 notes - Posted January 17, 2022

#3

I am very pleased for everybody losing their minds over Our Flag Means Death (I shall be watching it on the weekend) but if it’s alright, I’ll just be over here in the interim losing my mind that Tumblr’s new boyfriends are the Say No To Racism guy and the 2Degrees Ad Guy. 2022 is really Something Else 

3,149 notes - Posted March 25, 2022

#2

The thing that has been vexing me lately about Fantasy Historical Sexism (vs the real kind) is how it flattens out actual historical politics - particularly in the high medieval period, sexism against female rulers was a tool for people who were already their political opponents for political reasons, rather than a common primary motivator for contesting inheritance. Fairly large numbers of women in medieval Western Europe inherited estates ‘suo jure’, in their own right - not even getting into things like the political power of abbesses (who could often be those same women in retirement, or their sisters or daughters or mothers). 

Historical fantasy tends to be so obsessed with having One Special Woman Who Is Fighting Sexism that it actually erases from the popular conception of history the women who were already there, and the complexity of their lives, and it’s just...very...dull. 

4,379 notes - Posted September 13, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I think one of the things that makes OFMD feel freshest is how it balances being a romantic comedy and being queer - specifically, a romantic comedy about queer men (& Jim). Queer men are not unknown in the romantic comedy genre! But what makes the show stand out is how exceptionally careful it is to ensure that the fact of their romances, and of their queerness, is never the source of the comedy. It’s never meant to be funny that someone is queer, or that someone is in love. Coming out, even in the most casual and incidental way, is never used as a punchline. 

And yet, it’s also not a utopia where stereotypes about queer people and homophobia (the things that ultimately fuel those kinds of jokes) don’t exist - they do! But every time somebody tries to make them funny, it falls completely flat. It steps outside the acceptable bounds of the genre and the characters react to it in that way. Homophobia isn’t a central obstacle, it’s a faux pas. It’s not allowed to be funny and it’s also not allowed to take up space in the narrative by being the thing the characters must overcome to get their happy ending. Which is a hell of a balancing act.

That scene with Izzy trying to mock Black Pete and Lucius is absolutely crucial to this tone. These characters know they’re in a comedy and they react to things like they’re in a comedy, but they don’t react to his mockery like it’s a joke OR like it has power to shame them. They react like Izzy is embarrassing himself by failing to read the room - like he’s a bully, but a pathetic one. You can be evil in comedies and still be funny, but Izzy is committing the cardinal sin of failing to be funny...and what that does is draw very clear boundaries around what the show is going to allow as a legitimate joke. Homophobic jokes can only be funny when the people making them have consensus from the rest of the group that they’re funny. Instead, in this show, it is clear instead that they are acts of violence and (attempted) control. Which defangs them, because the ultimate power in a romantic comedy always comes from acts of comedy. I find it extremely powerful for a queer romcom to look homophobia in the eye like this and say “nah” than either to ignore it completely, or to make it a central problem.

It’s very very smart writing and acting and it should be cited every time someone tries to whine about comedy and boundaries and not being allowed to be homophobic/transphobic any more. You can be extraordinarily funny about queer people and be received well. Queerness just can’t be the punchline. 

10,662 notes - Posted April 1, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[lyndztanica]

In Lieu of Twitter Going Dark Pt. 5

I wasn’t intending on doing this again on Tumblr, but given what could happen with Twitter, and people’s interests, I figured I would do a big charity thread for as much as I can fit in a post. I may have to split them into multiples, at which point I will edit this one to provide links to the others.

If you find this type of information important and want to learn about new charities (or submit others) I have a discord server that I will also link to in this to join. As always, the goal of this is to showcase places to donate your money or other resources to. Again, they might need more than money! Maybe they need a social media manager. Maybe they need someone else to offer rides or information. If you find yourself in a position to do something but you’re broke don’t let the money stop you.

Human Rights

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Comittee :: https://www.adc.org/ - [US-centric] Grassroots civil rights organization that defends people of Arab descent by combating stereotypes and discrimination and defending their civil rights in the US.

Hispanic Federation :: https://www.hispanicfederation.org/ - [US-centric] Organization with a number of various grassroots programs designed to support and provide aid to Latines for emergencies, fight hunger, attain financial stability, disaster relief, get healthcare, and improve educational opportunities.

Cultural Survival :: https://www.culturalsurvival.org/ - International group centered on partnering with indigenous communities to help them assert their rights to self-determination and management of their lands and communities. 

Abode Services :: https://www.abodeservices.org/ - [California-centric] Organization dedicated on helping low-income, un-housed people find and secure stable and supportive housing while also advocating for removal of the causes of homelessness. 

Invisible People :: https://invisiblepeople.tv/ - [US-centric] organization focused on ending homelessness by documenting and airing the stories of the unhoused, followed by a call to action.

Amistad Law Project :: https://amistadlaw.org/ - [Pennsylvania-centric] organization of attorneys and community organizers who are working to end mass incarceration in Pennsylvania. 

Greenlining :: https://greenlining.org/ - [California-centric] organization that seeks to combat the racial wealth gap and systemic inequality by investing in those communities and bringing the services themselves as a collective over fighting for them to be provided by someone else. 

Thurgood Marshall College Fund :: https://www.tmcf.org/ - [US-centric] TMCF provides scholarships for Black students attending college and also supports K-12 and college education at HBCUs and PBIs through a variety of partnerships and research initiatives. 

Equal Justice Initiative :: https://eji.org/ - [US-centric] Organization focused on pursuing racial justice in a variety of ways like criminal justice reform and creating museums and memorials to preserve history.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice :: https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/ - [US-centric] organization with the goal of advancing civil and human rights of Asian-Americans through legal advocacy, ending racial profiling, countering Asian-American hate, and media diversity.

Palestine Children’s Relief Fund :: https://www.pcrf.net/ - [Palestine-centric] organization that works to provide healthcare to children living in Palestine. 

United Palestine Appeal :: https://upaconnect.org/ - [Palestine-centric] NY-based charity that operates in Palestinian territories and refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon. Focused on providing relief and development support to Palestinians anywhere. 

Bakers Against Racism :: https://www.bakersagainstracism.com/ - International grassroots group of bakers specifically and creatives who organize to fundraise for various causes. No donation link, but there are resources to get involved directly if you enjoy baking. 

Mutual Aid Hub :: https://www.mutualaidhub.org/ - [US-centric] website that's doing what I'm doing here -- curating a group of organizations, where they are, and what they're doing to serve their communities! I'd highly recommend checking them out, as they are mutual aid organizations and have a great spread across the states. 

Violence Policy Center :: https://vpc.org/ - [US-centric] Basically the biggest organization in the US researching gun violence and gun deaths in all its forms. You've probably heard their name before, or at least you got information from their studies given how limited the NIH is from doing their own.

Brady Campaign :: https://www.bradyunited.org/ - [US-centric] named for Ronald Reagan's press secretary, who was shot during Reagan's attempted assassination in 1981. One of the oldest gun violence prevention organizations in the country and proponents of the Brady Law. 

National Bail Fund Network :: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/en/nbfn-directory - [US-centric] national coalition of organizers, advocates and legal providers that use bail funds to help reduce incarceration. 

CARE :: https://www.care.org/ - International organization that works to assist people in crisis across the globe. They help by providing food, shelter, access to health care, education and advocacy support. 

Anera :: https://www.anera.org/ - [Middle East-centric] organization that provides both emergency and sustained longterm relief to people in Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan. 

City of Refuge :: https://cityofrefugeatl.org/ - [Atlanta-centric] organization that helps people in the poorest neighborhoods of Atlanta procure food, housing, job training, to help them climb out of poverty. 

Refugees International :: https://www.refugeesinternational.org/ - International organization that advocates for refugees, investigating why they were forcibly displaced and advocating for solutions and demand action on their behalf. Receives no government or UN funding. 

Islamic Refuge USA :: https://irusa.org/ - International organization started in the US that provides humanitarian aid to people in crisis both for the short and long term. Originally rooted in natural disasters but expanded to include global poverty and inequity. 

Human Rights Initiative :: https://hrionline.org/ - [US-centric] organization dedicated to helping migrants and refugees get everything they need to survive and thrive in the US. 

Native American Rights Fund :: https://www.narf.org/ - [US-centric] in light of the recent SCOTUS ruling taking power away from indigenous groups, consider supporting NARF. They provide legal assistance and representation to tribes across the country, in important areas like tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, natural resource protection and education. 

Navajo Water Project :: https://www.navajowaterproject.org/ - [US-centric] organization dedicated to providing members of the Navajo Nation access to running water in their own homes, which 30% of the families in the tribe lacks as of 2022. Dig Deep :: https://www.digdeep.org/ - [US-centric] human rights mutual aid group who works to provide indigenous communities, rural communities and BIPOC communities with access to clean running water. 

National Council of Nova Scotia :: https://www.ncns.ca/ - [Canada-centric] the self-governing authority for the Mi'kmaq/Aboriginal peoples living off-reserve in Nova Scotia in traditional Mi'kmaq territory. 

Mawita’mk :: https://mawitamk.org/ - [Canada-centric] an indigenous non-profit that promotes volunteerism within First Nation communities and offers assistance for Mi'kmaq people with disabilities within their community rather than outside sources. 

PRxPR :: https://www.prxpr.org/ - [Puerto Rico-centric] aid fund founded by Puerto Ricans to help Puerto Rican communities most in need on the island. 

Post One. Post Two. Post Three. Post Four.

[bfpnola]

Guess what? #GivingTuesday is right around the corner, so we’re bringing back this beloved post.

Audre Lorde tells us, “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” As Better Future Program (BFP) finds the balance between being a recognized youth-run nonprofit and a radical leftist organization, we want to make clear: we reject the nonprofit industrial complex, and we will continue to abide by these community-centric fundraising principles.

[joshgibson-md]

10 Philanthropic Trends Shaping the Future of Leadership

Philanthropy is increasingly shaping the future of leadership, driven by emerging trends that reflect changes in society, technology, and generational expectations. As we look into the trends that are shaping the philanthropic space in 2024, it becomes clear that these trends are not just about giving but also about how leadership itself is being redefined in the nonprofit sector. Here’s a look at the 10 philanthropic trends that are influencing leadership, as well as the future of giving.

1. Artificial Intelligence in Philanthropy

AI is no longer just a buzzword; it's becoming a crucial tool in philanthropy. Nonprofit organizations are adopting AI to enhance their fundraising efforts, improve operational efficiency, and gather more precise data. Leaders in philanthropy must now understand how to leverage AI ethically and effectively to improve their missions. AI can aid in donor relationship management, automate repetitive tasks, and even assist in personalizing outreach to potential supporters. However, as organizations adopt AI, leaders must ensure that data security and ethical concerns are addressed, adding a new layer of responsibility to modern leadership in philanthropy.

2. Trust-Based Philanthropy

One of the significant shifts we’re seeing in the nonprofit sector is the rise of trust-based philanthropy. This approach moves away from traditional grant-making, which often comes with strict conditions, toward giving organizations unrestricted funds that they can allocate as needed. This trend empowers leaders by providing them with more flexibility to address the needs of their communities without being constrained by donor expectations. Trust-based philanthropy encourages collaboration between donors and organizations, creating a more supportive and mutually beneficial relationship that allows for long-term growth and impact.

3. Engaging Gen Z Donors

The philanthropic world is beginning to see the influence of Gen Z, whose approach to giving is quite different from previous generations. This younger cohort is not only interested in donating money but also in engaging with causes that align with their values. They are looking for transparency and want to see the tangible impact of their contributions. Leaders in philanthropy must be adept at creating narratives that resonate with Gen Z, emphasizing the personal stories behind the causes and making giving an emotionally rewarding experience. Gen Z is also more inclined toward supporting causes related to social justice, climate change, and diversity, which is reshaping leadership priorities in nonprofit organizations.

4. Community-Centric Fundraising

Community-centric fundraising is gaining traction as a model that prioritizes the collective over individual organizations. This approach emphasizes collaboration and resource sharing among nonprofits, which benefits the community as a whole. Leaders adopting this model are shifting away from traditional competitive fundraising tactics and focusing more on building partnerships that enhance the collective impact of their efforts. This shift is especially relevant as philanthropy continues to move toward more inclusive practices that ensure resources are allocated equitably across various communities.

5. The Role of Donor-Advised Funds

Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are becoming an increasingly popular tool for giving. DAFs allow donors to make charitable contributions, receive immediate tax benefits, and then recommend grants from the fund over time. For leaders in philanthropy, this trend means navigating a growing pool of resources that may not be immediately available but can be used strategically for future initiatives. DAFs are changing the way organizations plan their financial futures, and leadership must now incorporate long-term planning and relationship-building with donors into their strategies.

6. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

DEI has become a central issue in leadership across all sectors, including philanthropy. Leaders are being called upon to ensure that their organizations not only reflect the communities they serve but also promote inclusivity at every level. This trend goes beyond just racial and gender diversity; it includes ensuring that individuals from all backgrounds, including those with disabilities or from underrepresented communities, have a seat at the table. Leadership in philanthropy is evolving to be more inclusive, and this shift is driving changes in hiring practices, board composition, and decision-making processes.

7. Addressing the Talent Crisis

The nonprofit sector is facing a significant talent shortage, which is challenging leaders to rethink how they attract and retain employees. Many organizations are now exploring the use of fractional leadership, where part-time or temporary experts are brought in to fill gaps. Additionally, nonprofits are revising compensation models to become more competitive and appealing to potential hires. The shift toward AI and automation is also helping nonprofits overcome some of the operational challenges posed by the talent shortage, as AI can handle administrative tasks, allowing human talent to focus on higher-impact activities.

8. Climate Philanthropy

As climate change continues to be a pressing global issue, it’s no surprise that climate philanthropy is on the rise. Leaders in the nonprofit sector are increasingly focusing on sustainability initiatives, recognizing that addressing climate change is not just a niche cause but a global necessity. This trend is pushing philanthropic leaders to think long-term, partnering with organizations that work on sustainable solutions and influencing corporate behavior around environmental issues. Leadership in this area requires a deep understanding of global environmental challenges and the ability to mobilize resources for long-term impact.

9. Collaborative Giving

Another emerging trend in philanthropy is collaborative giving, where donors come together to pool resources for a common cause. This trend encourages collective action and creates a larger impact than individual donations could achieve alone. Leaders in philanthropy are increasingly facilitating these collaborations, understanding that working together amplifies their efforts. Collaborative giving is often focused on solving large-scale problems like poverty, healthcare access, and educational disparities, requiring leaders to navigate complex partnerships and manage collective decision-making processes.

10. Ethical Use of Technology

As philanthropy continues to integrate more advanced technologies, from AI to blockchain, leaders must be mindful of the ethical implications of these tools. While technology can enhance the efficiency and reach of philanthropic efforts, it also raises concerns about data privacy, security, and the potential for unintended consequences. Leadership in this area requires a careful balance between embracing innovation and safeguarding the rights and privacy of the communities being served. Leaders must also be prepared to engage in ongoing conversations about how technology should be used responsibly in the nonprofit space.

In conclusion

Philanthropy is evolving, and so is leadership within the sector. As we move through 2024 and beyond, leaders will need to adapt to new technologies, engage younger generations of donors, and embrace more inclusive and collaborative models of giving. The trends shaping the future of philanthropy—from AI adoption to trust-based and community-centric fundraising—are not only transforming how organizations operate but also redefining what it means to be a leader in this space. Leaders who can navigate these trends and respond to the changing expectations of donors, partners, and communities will be better positioned to create lasting, meaningful change. 

[alhamadlaw]

Selecting a Corporate Law Firm for Your Company  

Choosing the correct corporate law firm may be rather important for any company. Whether you own a small startup or a seasoned company, you must need consistent legal advice. The best corporate law firms not only provide professional legal assistance but also customize their offerings to fit the particular requirements of your company. Making intelligent decisions guarantees seamless operations and helps your company avoid certain legal hotpots.

Main Services Provided by Corporate Law Firms

Corporate law firms offer a broad range of services fit for companies at all phases. From creating agreements to managing mergers and acquisitions, these companies are well knowledgeable in the complexity of corporate law. One should pick a company with a solid history of precisely providing these services. To provide complete support, leading corporate law firms may have specialist teams dedicated to different facets of company governance.

Value of Industry-specific Knowledge

Working with a law firm that knows your sector may have a big impact in the competitive corporate scene of today. Industry-specific knowledge from corporate law firms can provide insights fit for your legal requirements. This guarantees that your business gets not just broad guidance but also solutions fit for the particular problems and prospects in your field of business. Before deciding anything, always take historical performance of the company in your field of business into account.

Customized Legal Answers for Expansion

Every company is different, hence are its legal obligations. The top corporate law companies are aware of this and offer tailored legal solutions meant to enable your company to expand. These companies provide proactive assistance that maintains your company on the correct path in everything from fundraising to intellectual property handling to regulatory issue navigation. A customized strategy guarantees that your legal policies complement your corporate objectives.

Why Integrity Counts

In the legal sphere, reputation rules everything. When choosing a law firm for your company, take legal community and industry reputation of the firm into great account. Years of effective legal representation and delighted customers have helped the best corporate law firms establish solid reputation. Working with a reputed company guarantees that specialists in your industry are trusted and recognized, therefore reflecting your company.

Technology's Place in Business Law Firms

The way law companies run is being changed by technology; the top corporate law firms lead front-stage in this regard. These companies use technology to deliver quicker and more effective services, from virtual consultations to sophisticated software to legal procedure simplification. This guarantees that customers may get legal help without delays, therefore enabling companies to remain adaptable in a hectic climate more easily.

Corporate Law: Client-Centric Approach

Crucially, a legal firm's capacity to provide client demands first priority depends on Developing close ties with their clients is highly important to the top corporate law firms. They preserve open lines of contact all through the legal procedure and give individualized attention. Knowing that their legal affairs are being handled with care and knowledge guarantees helps companies to feel supported and empowered by this client-centric approach.

Conclusion

The success of any company depends on the correct corporate law firm chosen. Choosing a company with a solid reputation, industry-specific knowledge, and client-oriented attitude can help to protect your business's future. The top corporate law firms are strategic partners who significantly help companies negotiate opportunities and problems rather than only legal advisers. Visit alhamadlaw.com for thorough legal advice catered to your requirements to find out more about how a top law firm may assist to protect your company.

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VIS GLOBAL

SERVICES WE OFFER

We simplify the customer experience management in your organisation’s contact centre by closely aligning the processes, functions, and resources. With the power of AI, we help connect all the channels. We also empower your employees to communicate better, be more proactive and deliver tailored customer experiences with the help of our 24/7 skilled support team. Our wide range of contact centre management and optimisation services include:

CX in Management (IVR)

Modernise your customer-centric contact centre and empower your employees to deliver exceptional customer journey experiences.

Design, build, run & optimise contact centres and customer experience (CX) solutions

IVR applications automatically greet callers and let them self-serve their requests

Call Centre

Solve your customer service challenges and deploy contact centres by using best practices, tools and robust implementation processes.

Our skilled managed services team operates 24x7 and has experience working for leading contact centres

Empower your workforce with AI-powered integrated desktops, virtual assistants, real-time data, instant reporting and more

Outbound Dialers

Provide exceptional behavioural pairing capabilities for outbound dialling and digital notifications with the power of Al in the contact centre.

Make outgoing calls to customers and prospects in a smarter way for your sales, collections, surveys, research, fundraising and proactive customer notifications

Integrate predictive dialers with CRM applications to make them more effective

Custom Application Development

Offer a suite of software applications to your employees to smartly run your call centre operations and elevate customer experiences.

Provide omnichannel routing and experience management that enables better interactions between agents and customers

Benefit with pre-defined CRM integrations and UCaaS integrations which provide a complete call centre software solution

Analytics & Reporting

Enhance every experience across the organisation with the help of powerful tools for performance analytics and reporting.

Plan ahead by gaining real-time insights and providing prompts to employees

Improve experiences with speech and text analytics

Get access to unified reporting and real-time dashboards

Voice Biometrics

Provide superior customer experience by identifying and leveraging the unique voice of every customer.

Produce unique identification for every speaker using voice patterns and behavioural factors like pronunciation, emphasis, speed, accent and sound

Authenticate your customers securely in real-time

Recording/Logger Applications

Capture and process a customer’s voice and digital interactions with automatic recording capability.

Gain intelligence from recorded interactions and improve experiences

Voice-to-text transcription tools help to prompt employees with the right words in real-time

Workforce Management & QM

Manage your employees better by empowering them with the best tools and practices.

Bring all important information from different systems into a single screen

Monitor employee performance management, forecast staffing needs and optimise agent schedules

Agent Desktop Applications

Plan better by bringing all your important information to one place.

Personalised integrated desktop enables you to include meetings, schedules, training, customer information and more from different systems onto a single screen

Digital desktop enables you to customise voice and avoid swapping screens