Con or Bust, Inc.

Con or Bust helps fans of color/non-white fans and creators attend SFF conventions and other professional development opportunities.

[Con or Bust, Inc. @con_or_bust]

Hi! We're ALIVE!

We're now a @dream_foundry program, and you can apply for grants, donate, and sign up for news about Con or Bust right here: https://t.co/M9g49i7ZPf

[Con or Bust, Inc. @con_or_bust]

We return! https://t.co/Rs420z4auG

[DreamFoundry @dream_foundry]

Hi #ChiCon8 folks! We're having a reception today at 2 pm! Come join us for beverages and bites at The Northman and meet other speculative creatives, and chat about @FlightofFoundry, @con_or_bust and other Dream Foundry programs! Hope to see you there!
https://t.co/I8NebeqtZg

[Con or Bust, Inc. @con_or_bust]

@katenepveu @dream_foundry So do we! Did you see the napping version too? @UrbanMinis did a GREAT job!

[Con or Bust, Inc. @con_or_bust]

Pssst.... you might want to sign up for @dream_foundry's newsletter. There's news coming out tomorrow! https://t.co/lNqLVrSVpz

[Con or Bust, Inc. @con_or_bust]

We'd like to strongly encourage followers of this account to follow @dream_foundry, if you're not already. Updates about Con or Bust, including how to apply for assistance and donate, will be happening there. Thank you!

[Kate Nepveu @katenepveu]

So if you're interested in volunteering, please email [email protected] to let the current Board know. And signal boost!

Thank you so much for all your help and support; because of it, CoB has made a real difference, and I'm confident it will continue to do so.

[Kate Nepveu @katenepveu]

CoB is also looking for an interim President; the only specific formal duties attached to the office of President are signing off on annual government filings & presiding over meetings.

[Kate Nepveu @katenepveu]

As for the open Board positions: I held the combined position of Secretary/Treasurer, because that was the detail work. CoB is looking for a new Treasurer, and I can confidently say that our finances were not complicated. (And I left detailed notes; see: control freak.)

[Kate Nepveu @katenepveu]

The auction is definitely a significant time commitment, but 1) I worked hard to automate much of it and 2) it particularly lends itself to dividing up tasks or taking shifts doing administrative work.

So: martyr complex not required, and indeed discouraged, for new folks.

[Kate Nepveu @katenepveu]

I don't want to give the wrong impression with my martyr complex! Most months, _everything_ CoB took maybe an hour/week of my time. When we were taking requests for assistance (four times a year), that would be a few hours/week.

[Kate Nepveu @katenepveu]

Because life happens, CoB needs more people to be involved so that it can continue helping increase racial diversity in SFF fandom: Board members to help shape its future, volunteers to help with specific tasks, so that its work can move forward in a sensible and sustainable way.

[Kate Nepveu @katenepveu]

I have nothing but gratitude toward all of the current and past Board members and other volunteers: their help and time was and is invaluable. Life happens, we all know that--again, as shown by the fact that I'm not running CoB any more.

[Kate Nepveu @katenepveu]

You might say, Kate, if you were doing almost everything by yourself for ten years, why does the new Board need volunteers now?

And the answer is, I was a control freak with a martyr complex, and that is not sustainable. As shown by the fact that I'm not doing it any more.

[Kate Nepveu @katenepveu]

My bias: I founded Con or Bust in 2009 and did almost all of the day-to-day running for ten years. I stepped down earlier this year.

[Kate Nepveu @katenepveu]

Admittedly I'm biased (more on that in a moment), but I think that's a pretty significant impact.

(Numbers from the 2018 annual report: https://t.co/k3Pr64Y1QE You can find all kinds of crunchy numbers and details via https://t.co/opzL9oRBiL )

[Kate Nepveu @katenepveu]

In 2018 CoB committed to provide assistance 131 different times, to help 119 different people (29 first-time con attendees) attend 25 different cons, through $25,643.08 in direct monetary assistance, plus donated memberships, hotel room nights, transportation, and flight miles.

[Kate Nepveu @katenepveu]

Con or Bust is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) not for profit corporation that promotes racial diversity in speculative fiction. Specifically, it raises money to distribute directly to people of color/non-white people/BIPOC so they can attend SFF cons. See: https://t.co/lNagYMagv7

[Kate Nepveu @katenepveu]

As noted in the linked blog post, @con_or_bust is looking for volunteers, long- and short-term. If you value CoB's work increasing racial diversity in SFF fandom, I urge you to consider helping. A thread follows with more about CoB's work and the help it needs. Please RT!

[Con or Bust, Inc. @con_or_bust]

An Update on what’s been going on - https://t.co/EE19WrTede