On 3/5/07, Florence Devouard Anthere9@yahoo.com wrote:
Sandy is not the only one answering the press, very far from it. At least a dozen people answer the press on a daily basis. But by answering in the office, setting up press contact database, drafting press releases, trying to coordinate press interviews, working on PR crisis, she is of unvaluable help. And we are happier because we are *sure* someone is taking care of this. That's a weight lifted. We still need a lot of volunteer help, but she is really reducing concerns for many of us.
And, my subjective impression is that volunteer activity has also greatly increased since she joined. The very fact that at least one person is constantly working on these issues (and discusses them with the ComCom) appears to energize people.
And, of course, that is exactly the reason we are advertising the role of Volunteer Coordinator with such high priority, even before hiring other people who are very much needed. We strongly believe that mobilizing and coordinating volunteers is going to be key to building a sustainable organization. Some of these volunteers may eventually become hired staff -- and that, so far, seems to have worked well.
In general, I believe we're going in the right direction. While it's easy to point to established volunteer driven organizations, it's important to recognize that there are very few that are almost completely Internet-driven. The Debian project is perhaps one of the best examples to learn from (both their strengths and their weaknesses). But in many ways, we are unique. That keeps things interesting. :-)