Gathering for Open Agricultural Technology

We are want to raise one year of funding from a diverse group of sponsors to build out the technological, community stewardship, and governance infrastructures that foster long-term community organizing, and host in-person and virtual gatherings. 

GOAT is set up to receive individual donations through Open Collective: https://opencollective.com/goatech. Large donations (i.e., sponsorships) can be handled differently. Please contact Ankita Raturi ([email protected]) if you would like to make a large donation (>$1,000). 

We also sometimes help active and aligned members of the GOAT community who would benefit from having a non-profit or fiscal sponsor to hold project funds.  You can find more details information here.

Technological and Community Stewardship Infrastructures. We intend to refine our existing technological infrastructure towards more accessible and engaging online presences with the capacity to reach a broader audience and lessen barriers to participate. We will employ community stewards that will work to foster new and more diverse leadership within the community. As super users of GOAT technological infrastructures, the community stewards will facilitate the pathways for new members to get connected, curate and host their own online events and activities, and engage in leadership. 

Governance Infrastructure. Attention and intention will be required to transition GOAT from a point-in-time event to an evolving community that supports GOAT’s goals and the people in the community and to sustain the momentum established by the online and in-person conferences. The formative work done this year will result in the identification of a community-agreed upon governance structure that meets the needs and reflects the values of the community. Functions supported by this approach include funding acquisition and distribution, providing a sounding board and venue for new ideas, conflict resolution, strategic planning, and outreach. 

Gatherings. The 2022 in-person gathering is scheduled to take place at the Omega Institute in New York. Much of the gathering will have an unconference format so that the topics discussed are derived directly from the values and needs of the attendees, whom will be asked to “take off their institutional hats.” The objectives of structured components of the gathering include completing our community manifesto, introducing the governance structure and begin nominations for the biannual board, creating a curriculum for how to engage in work within the community, and scheduling future hackathons. 

Virtual gatherings will both ramp up participation for the in-person event and encourage continued activity after the in-person event. Pre-events include an introduction to GOAT technological infrastructures, a workshop to determine governance structure, a workshop to begin the manifesto, and a social hour. The post-events include a constant fair (e.g.., six-to-twelve-week sprints of building and executing ideas), hackathons, and elections. 

Why Sponsor?  Your sponsorship will illustrate a strong commitment to Open Ag Tech, and help us achieve our aim of bringing together a diverse group of 100+ researchers, farmers, developers, and policy professionals from the U.S. and beyond. 

Benefits of Sponsorship: All sponsors will be acknowledged in the 2022 conference program, acknowledged at the conference, and be listed on our website. 

Sponsorship Goals: The sponsorship goals table should be read from the bottom upward, like a sponsorship thermometer. The first $15000 raised will go towards travel stipends for attendees, the next $10,000 will go towards attendance stipends for in-need attendees, and so on. Our total sponsorship goal is $61,000. 

| Where the funding goes:  | Cumulative Sponsorship Goals
| Tee-shirts and Merch for all Attendees  | $61,000
| Materials Expenses and Website Fees  | $59,000
| Community Steward Stipends (for elections and pre-/post-conference coordination and events)  | $58,000
| Conference Space  | $53,000
| Marketing towards improving diversity and inclusivity  | $45,000
| 1 x Child Care Professional  | $42,000
| 2 x Organizer Cost of Living Stipend  | $40,000
| 25 x Attendee Cost of Living Stipend  | $38,000
| 25 x 50% Attendance Stipends  | $30,000
| 25 x 100% Attendance Stipends  | $25,000
| 30 x Travel Stipends  | $15,000