Money. To say the word wears me down to my very core. The question comes up time and time again in the production of Swap-O-Rama-Rama (SORR), how does one make money producing these events? And within the context of producing an event many organizers wonder how to pay staff and manage a budget and people. For me the question is about how one can do what their heart desires within the confines of a society thats organized around capital. For the community that has formed around Swap-O-Rama-Rama Ive tried to answer this question by writing this paper. To begin I would like to ask you to put on your non-linearity hat because while our society is organized around linear thinking and duality, reality is not organized in this way. Since I choose to exist in reality rather than the world created by the hands and minds of men (mostly dead ones) my approach is non-linear. The world in which we inherited, one layered with the ideas of those who have past, is, as far as I can tell - over. The least rare thing and least enlightening object we can find, money, enamors those who continue to cling to the old. While we cannot yet totally escape money, we can climb towards something more beautiful, humane and of value. And in our use of money we can try to bring beauty into light.

Lets start by defining what we are. Swap-O-Rama-Rama is a community with community events. I looked community up on Wikipedia and found the following definition: a social group of organisms sharing an environment, normally with shared interests. In human communities, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness. The root of the word in Latin is commons - that which is shared by all.

As a community SORR holds the intent of genuine self-expression and this is obtained through the transformation of consumers into creators, through the discovery that being a creator is more rewarding than being a consumer. With each transformation there is a reduction of a spectator and an increase in makers and in the community itself. A bi-product of this community is the reduction of landfill and increased awareness about materials, resources and their effect on the earth. The process happens through an experience of abundance (in material: clothing, and in support: community). SORR is organized by a Creative Commons, as such it belongs to the commons and therefore to the community itself and so itŐs growth benefits no single person but rather the community itself.

Now that we have defined our community and what we are formed around, I think we can all agree that communities come and go, form and dissipate, evolve and die out. There is no certainty of any communitys longevity. Even our own community should likely have an expiration date; yes I wish to project its demise. For me that date would be when there are no spectators left. That would be a great time to stop producing SORR. But while we are a community I would like to talk about what can make this particular community strong, viable and able to achieve what it sets out to do.

In nature there does not exist a moment which is not an extenuating circumstance. Natures rules apply to us, as we are inseparable from nature, in fact we are nature. No moment ever has or will repeat, not ever. Change, visible or not, is a constant and this will always be the case. So why not plan or rely on it? As you set out to produce a SORR have no lust of result! Expectation is synonymous with disappointment. Besides, from our limited view of a single mind we cannot see very much and certainly not the whole picture. But how do we break out of a limited view and what then do we rely on? We can rely on form and intention. Form and intention is what we have gathered around and what and brought us to this conversation and to the impulse to produce this event in our own community. The form and intention of SORR is what I have to offer and I believe it to be solid, so let it find its way. Let it fill in before you while you maintain the curiosity of a child.

Lets apply this to the beginning, to staffing your event. As you put the word out and people start coming to you to participate welcome them all. Let every artist who perceives themselves as like-minded with the event become part of your staff. Let them show the way in which they see this like-mindedness even if you cant see it. And even later on when change appears, when a sorter decides they are now a designer or someone who has never sewed before wants to be a sewer, believe them and set them up as such! People know whatŐs inside them. Sadly we have created a world where people have to prove their capability to others in advance in order to be given a chance to express themselves. In reality, we each become ourselves amongst and within the context of our community, in which, in a genuine community, we would be embraced and encouraged to do so. And so a great many people are hiding their greatest gifts. Sometimes people say they are an artist and in your view they are not or not yet. Many people need only to have someone else agree that yes, you are and then it is so. Again as a part of nature its best that we resist assuming that another part of nature is imperfect. Who are we to judge when nature always proves to be the most perfect example in all of existence? Where did we get the ability to choose when and how to limit natures self-expression? My feeling is that I need not clearly see what you see; if you believe that your project belongs than I say, welcome. Anything else would be the exerting of one persons preference over anothers and this is surely ignorance.

In this way, having a particular lust for a result or outcome is sure disappointment. We need only to set a clear intent and create good structure and let the rest be a gift, a happy surprise. As you build your staff I ask you to go beyond being open. Open lets the wind and the rain through the door of your home as well as the welcome visitor. What I suggest you try to be is clear. To be clear is to allow a reflection to be seen. This makes evident what is already there. From this vantage point an image will evolve into greater clarity over time.

Did you notice that in Wikipedias definition of community they noted, In human communities intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness. Isnt it interesting that these particulars are exclusive to the human communities and not to other organisms? It is only humans who make exclusions and select based upon differences, measure risk, and show preference. A dear friend once wrote in a poem to me - we reach satori (enlightenment) all or never. Nature is not exclusive, only people are. And by excluding someone because we cannot see what they are offering is to cut him or her off from those who may have adored them and from a place they could have grown from. Like finds like and surely this being would find others who see them better than you can if they had the chance. Nothing in nature is isolated, alone, or without match. And similarly no single being encompasses all. So never limit your crew to what you alone can see and understand. Let the intent of the event be the filter and let each person who arrives be the judge of how like minded their project is and say to them - welcome.

I realize that I said this paper would be about money, and it is but sometimes the best way to drive from California to Texas is through New York. For a time I used the mantra left is forward, and found it very beneficial in my move away from linear thinking. But yes money . . .

So you have cast your net and your seeking artists and staff, sorters and volunteers for your event. People are coming to you each with needs. Some need things, supplies, scissors, glue guns, whatever; they need these for their workshop or area at the swap. Some are coming to you needing money. They may say, I need to get paid. Inevitably you will notice that some people who really seem like they would need money are not asking for money and some who seem as though they have plenty of it insist they must get paid. Here you will find a great temptation to judge. But I beg you not to. The one who clearly is not in need of money and says they need to get paid should get paid. This person is truly the one in poverty. To have what you need still feel poor is the saddest of conditions. For this reason, to the extent that my budget allows room, I always include at least one of these people. For them you are the bringer of good news that the world is not one of lack, it is abundant, and they need this message very badly. Until they come to know this, they too spread the message of lack. We need not solidify whatever cruelty created their perception. It s better that we tell them it is not so, that there is enough for everyone. In a future SORR they will not ask for money. Again rely on the structure, the form, and the community! It will fix itself. SORR is designed for this very person, for this very transformation. It happens not only for attendees but often for staff as well. SORR is designed to demonstrate abundance, abundance of clothing, abundance of help of teachers, of community etc. Some need to experience this a great many times before they can internalize this abundance. Have patience and accept with appreciation what they can give.

Similarly as you form your staff I recommend that you go to all areas of society, all socio economic groups, ethnic groups, ages, etc. By this approach you will find that your staff will be complex and like nature complexity = strength. Not only will each community you include bring their community to attend and therefore increase the numbers of people who come to your event, but real community is one in which we learn and grow from that learning. How can we grow from a fixed position with no new input? The greatest growth will come from a convergence of communities formed under one wide encompassing concept that embodies an essential truth, in our case our truth is removing the illusion of lack and exposing the truth about reality, it is abundant. The maker is every color, socio-economic level, education level, size etc. Just as our immune systems are strengthened by complexity, and our DNA seeks diversity to make a stronger, healthier humanity, our event is strengthened by its diversity.

Within this diverse community you will find those who can donate monetarily, those who need to be paid and those who have other resources to give (materials, tools) etc. You may receive offers of resources that seem inappropriate or were not on your need list, there are often things you did not yet realize you need. The phrase necessity is the mother of invention has lasted through time for a good reason, it is true. Something so often missed is that the person making such an offer needs be considered. Their giving is something important to them. Unless it is unreasonable, accept this seeming out of alignment donation, fulfill the givers need to give and let the event absorb the donation. You will likely find that it was just what you needed you just couldnŐt anticipate it. Or perhaps it will prove useless and the giver, now a witness to this situation will likely return with a more appropriate donation in the future. The thing we must respect and treat with care is the impulse to give. Again, remove yourself from the limits of your one set of eyes, your one position of consciousness. Let your view be broad by not needing to see how it all fits together until it fits together.

When I review my staff list and list of who is getting paid what amount, it makes sense to no one other than me. Some get paid lots others not at all, some I pay even though they insist on not getting paid. Some work harder than others but are not compensated as such. You cannot find a hierarchy in it or a rule. This is because there exits no ready-made rule that creates fairness which when applied broadly and leaves people feeling fairly treated. But when people to see the real nature of reality - abundance - they will be fair in all their dealings. This method of event planning is not found in books on accounting because it has evolved out of reality and that reality is non-linear and in my opinion it is as perfect as one can get in a non-linear world. Everyone gets what they need and sometimes their need is to give while other times it is to receive. Some need to not receive even though they have need. I do not question their choice to sacrifice. Some people I will admit need to set themselves up for disappointment for example by not expressing their true needs. They too will receive what they need.

This kind of complexity takes in from those who have to give and gives to those who need it. And this is a healthy community that is complex enough to withstand difficulties. One in which one piece can fall and there are many others in place to catch it and no one piece can tear down the strength of the entire structure. In fact the structure holds those who have resistances they are working on or whos growth is more difficult as they are surrounded in an environment of givers. This is the safest of places for those who are learning and need community to do so. Something in the form of SORR brought them to you and they know whatŐs inside themselves so let their process unfold and trust the structure. Your event will harmonize those who find help in giving and those in need. One without the other is incomplete for it lacks balance. Brought together and harmonized, we can produce a community that can withstand anything.

To be a tad concrete I will tell you more specifically that I try to pay every sewer or workshop artist $50 and I cover all their materials. Sorters are mainly volunteers as they get loads of perks, namely first pick at lots of clothes. If I have help that is pure labor, which I often do, I pay them $100. If a swap does well I try to bump everyone higher paying sewers and workshop artists $100 and even $150. I always get bagels and pizza and feed my staff breakfast and lunch. Some swaps earn more money than others, some have help (a grant or donation) others do not. So even these numbers change from event to event. I will admit to you that given the number of hours I spend on this community, I probably make less than a dime an hour. Again, this all fits within what I am willing to give and receive and so this formula is unique to my situation. And while this is a base I try to aim at, all of what I'm telling you in this paper gets mixed in so that in the end, this base is tweaked into a unique blueprint for that event. As you know, SORR does not align or take sponsorship from corporations or for profit groups, in fact they are excluded in our Creative Commons license unless expressly invited in due to a like mindedness that makes them especially appropriate. I have turned down hundreds of thousands of dollars offered to SORR by corporations whishing to green wash their company through our event. I have also accepted small donations by genuinely like-minded groups. Since I know that none of you are likely to get rich monetarily from these events, I do not require than anyone give funds back to me to support the network. But should you event earn profit enough to go around, I accept any donations that can be offered to support our infrastructure. It helps greatly.

Each of us will be working on different sized budgets and these budgets will change from event to event. Heather already wrote a fine paper on how to network and involve appropriate groups who may help you reduce the cost of your event so I will not get into those details again . What I hope to convey is that within the limits of your budget you can do a great deal. If we are going to use money lets use it to alleviate pain (need) for those who need it and they will surely need it no longer. It is nearly impossible to be amongst a community of volunteers who are giving so much of themselves, even at a sacrifice, and continue to need what they actually do not need. And if this transformation takes years, so be it. Because I do have a limited budget in each event I produce I clearly cannot take on all of those with great monetary needs. But I make a point of including some; because it is for them more than any other that I have created SORR. Why preach to the converted when one can help those who need it most? It is for this reason that I also encourage each of you to keep your event affordable ($10 or $5 plus an unwanted bag of clothing). And if you can, it is wonderful to have a policy (even if you do not advertise it) that no one is turned away for lack of funds. Those we would loose to lack of funds will surely be OUR loss more than theirs.

For the group that cannot muster any budget at all, your event will be in someones home, your staff will be volunteers, your materials all reuse and found objects. This is perfectly fine, in fact it is wonderful. For you, the failure (which is no failure at all) to receive funds is simply information, information about the present situation in the local community. Capital continues to dominate our culture because of a perception of lack. In truth the earth is abundant and once people come to experience this -perhaps through SORR - the grip of capital softens and there is room in peoples hearts for generosity. When the grip releases fully, we can celebrate a culture of givers who care about nothing more than the well being of the human community. Put the event in motion, let the form fill, surely your next event will be a beacon for the generosity of those who did not see this opportunity the first time. I have had grants to produce swaps and funding from like-minded groups. I have also had a great many swaps where the whole event was on my own dime. It changes constantly and I work with whatever is set before me with equal excitement. I have never had a lousy SORR. I have made money and lost money producing SORR. My only goal has been to put this idea in motion. I have never lost more than I was willing to and I have always gained a great deal in terms of what my own priority was, to create a path from consumerism to creativity and to enrich people with the knowledge that they are makers. But this is my situation, it is important to know yours. And so I stress to you, do not allow yourself to loose money if that is not something you can withstand. Give what you can, do not give what you can not. Instead work with what you have and do not worry about what you do not have. All things will fall into place.

For a community to have longevity one would have to build it of lasting things and ideas and not build it of what is transitory. But everything is transitory; the only thing that is constant is change! So lets build change into the equation from the beginning. Why fight with the nature of reality when we can instead cooperate with it? Embracing change is to have no expectation and to keep this lack of expectation open ongoingly. Welcome what comes, celebrate what works and let the rest go. You need not force your ideas into a form. Instead, set good form and marvel at what fills it.

Within this chaos that is reality there are essential truths and these stand firm like a pole mounted in the ground that holds a string that flies in the wind. The way we embrace change is to be clear, project no lust for a particular result other than to put the form and intention that brought us all together in motion. Trust that what comes to fill it is what ought to and to accept what comes as a happy surprise. Believe people when they express that they belong in SORR and give them a chance to become what they see even if you cannot see it. Try not to define need because need is so very personal and unique to each person and often it is very tender where it seems to be most offensive. I like to view our role as the bringers of the good news, that the world is abundant, just look at the huge pile of clothes, more than we ourselves can consume! Look at the vast community here to share skills and ideas! SORR is designed to quiet a great many kinds of need so let the event do what it does and you will surely wind up with a group who will work with any sized budget you have even if you have no budget at all.

Best
Wendy