PR

Overview

PR is a standing staff committee which is responsible for media outreach & relations, ads & marketing, the Free Geek website, corporate donation solicitation, and networking with other organizations.

• PR meets every other Friday from 10:00 - 11:00 AM (opposite Staff meetings)
• Likely suspects: Jeff, Dave, Kevin, Ali, Laurel, Luiz, Ian

Blurb about Free Geek

FREE GEEK is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit community organization that recycles used technology to provide computers, education, internet access and job skills training to those in need in exchange for community service. We accept donations from the public of most electronic equipment, ranging from systems to printers to stereos. Free Geek does most of this work with volunteers (at any given time, about 200 are active). The volunteers disassemble the donated equipment and test the components, which are either recycled as electronic scrap or reused into refurbished systems. These refurbished computers are then loaded with Open Source Software. Free Geek has two symbiotic volunteer programs. The most popular is the Adoption program wherein any individual may contribute 24 hours of volunteering at Free Geek in exchange for a free computer. Alternately, any individual who wishes to learn how to build computers can join the Build Program. Free Geek instructors teach the Build volunteer the process of identifying hardware and assembling systems and, in exchange, the volunteer builds 5 computers for Free Geek and takes the 6th one home. Essentially, the Build volunteers assemble the systems the Adoption volunteers take home, while the Adoption volunteers help receive the incoming donations from the public and disassemble the rejected, obsolete technology. Free Geek is also committed to electronic waste recycling and selects those recycling businesses who engage in environmentally responsible practices to process the obsolete technology we receive. Free Geek is proud of being a democratically-run organization, and use consensus in our meetings. Our policy decisions are made by a group of volunteers and staff called the Council, and those policies are executed by our Staff Collective.

PR Budget

• Ads
  • May $250
  • $10/month for other 11 months
  • $600 in November for Willamette Week Give Guide
• Tabling
  • $20/month EXCEPT $75 in April for Earth Day
• T-shirts, stickers, and similar merchandise (includes business cards)
  • April, May, June = $20/month
  • July, August, September (and following January, February, March) = $370/month
  • We buy t-shirts twice a year in Q2 and Q4
• Networking/learning conferences and memberships
  • AOR
    • membership: $135/yr
    • conference in June: $470 (2 people, $235 each) (FREE THIS YEAR!)
    • mileage to Seaside in June: $130
  • Sustainability Workshop: $200 (sometime in the fall?)
  • International Computer Refurbishing Summit in Toronto
    • conference in May: $225
    • airfare purchased in April: $297
• Direct Mail (tbd)
• Grant Research
  • $125 in Dec for Oregon Foundation Databook 2009 edition
• Brochure
  • $230 in Nov 1000 B/W copies on 28 wt paper--trifolded
• Signage for Front Desk (tbd)

Webadmin

Check out our web stats!

• Webhits over the past year
• Webhits archive
• Webserver stats (lists which words are searched to find us, operating systems used when browsing the site, etc.)