Projects & To-Do's

PAY-IT-FORWARD CAMPAIGN

So many wire jewelry artists got some help somewhere along the way. We need to get a campign going to give opportunities to pay that help forward by contributing articles to the guild's resource library. Whether tutorials on wire techniques or articles to help on the business side, there is a world of knowledge there we need to capture.

The resource library does not have to be full of projects - it does not need to compete with all of the people selling project instructions - but it should be full of information on techniques and it should be full of information on how to run a jewelry business. Educational tutorials that focus on how to do techniques, how to create speicific elements such as bails, pins, etc. would be great places to start. Focus on skills that allow artists to create new and original designs. Focus on articles that teach aspects of business management that comes from experience.

Come up with a campaign to ask wire artists to contribute tutorials and articles to the resource library - whether or not they choose to be a member. Use publicity, get topics going on forums, etc. etc.

The guild is not tied to any individual or business. It is a logical gathering spot for info on wire jewelry that could be lost otherwise. We've already seen data lost when businesses decide not to sponsor their sites anymore (economics, illness, death, etc) and we would like to get copies of that type of data into the library - either now or as sites close down operations.

PUBLICITY

These efforts need to ramp up and get targeted, including placing advertisments and writing articles for submission to magazines, etc. There are 2 different targets -

Wire Artists, to let them know the guild is here and invite them to join. Also should publicize the pay-it-forward campaign. Probable submission targets include wire jewelry magazines, arts & crafts magazines, snag magazine, crafts report, etc, etc

Public Sector, educating them about wire art jewelry, getting JAD info out, telling them about exhibitions and other places to see it, etc. Probable submission targets include regional magazines, newspapers, arts & crafts magazines, etc, etc.

NEWS

Some things that have been suggested for letting guild members know what is happening -

Blog: If we have someone that wants to commit to creating this and keeping it up, please let us know. The new site does have a blog feature.

Newsletter: This could be quarterly or monthly, depending on the person or teams that takes this on. This could also be rotated between a team of people, or be co-authored. If we have a volunteer, please speak up.

Webzine: Think of this as a Wire Jewelry Artist type magazine that would only be published on the web.

Events: The new website has an events feature. Designed for registering people for physical events, it can also be adapted to other uses.

EDUCATION COMMITTEE - WIRE JEWELRY

One of the things people wanted to accomplish with this guild was structured learning. Not everyone was interested, but for those that were, we need to pursue this goal. What this means is yet to be defined. It will most likely be accomplished through the local chapters. Someone that is interested in this aspect needs to step forward to start leading some discussions and start hashing out what the program would look like. A read through the "white board" at the bottom of the "guild committee discussions" on the public bb would be a good place to start - see the "educational path" section.

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

Headed by the Secretary, the main purpose would be to reach more established wire jewelers. Newer wire jewelers are searching the web for information and finding us, but more established artists that are not actively looking for information have no idea we exist. We need to put together a team of volunteers to go through existing publications, websites, etc, etc and cull out the names and contact information for wire artists. Create a database for this information, so that each person is only contacted once and not innundated with what goes from a sincere communication to spam. Draft a invitation letter for individual members to send out to the people in the database - letting them know that the guild exists and inviting them to join. Also invite these same people to participate in a "pay-it-forward" campaign, regardless of whether or not they want to join the guild.

MEMBER BENEFITS

POSSIBLE AREAS TO LOOK INTO -
o health insurance (umbrella under another org?)
o "show" insurance (liability, theft, etc)
o property insurance - raw mtls, wip, finished goods, etc at home, at shows, at exhibits, etc
o an article on insurance for the business resources section - with what we learn as we pursue this

o bulk buys on stones like larimar
o bulk buys on wire
o ability to ship bulk buys to Canada at lower rates

o magazine discounts
o supply discounts

BULK BUYS

Need a volunteer with bulk buy experience to take this on and organize it. This person should create the procedures, document the process, survey for what types of things they'd like to see in bulk buys, manage a schedule, and then recruit others to help with each individual bulk buy.

LOCAL CHAPTERS

Local chapters can be very beneificial in bringing artists together, serving as a platform for educational goals, hosting exhibits/shows, etc. If we could get a chapter up and running, we could then set up guidelines for other "official" guild sponsored chapters to follow.