THE LAST MILE TO CHICAGO

a guest post by Kid Oakland

Just last Wednesday on the Fourth of July I had two phone conversations that bring me to you today. I enlisted my online friend and colleague Howie Klein and a local, California DFA- activist, Vicki Cosgrove in an effort to raise funds for diversity grants to send blogger activists to Yearlykos Chicago.

Together, in the first days of this project, Howie and Vicki and I have raised almost $7,000 to send bloggers to Yearlykos Chicago. These grantees will increase the regional, racial and economic diversity of the event. We have raised 15 Registration donations and almost $2500 in small donor contributions.

This is grassroots activism in action. Our grantees come from rural areas, red states, inner cities and working class backgrounds. What unites them is grassroots activism and economic need.

You can help us help them across the Last Mile to Chicago, here's how...


Donor Match: $25 and $50 direct donations

To participate in Donor Match you make a pledge of $25 or $50 using the form email below and we match your pledge with a recipient. When that recipient turns in their budget and gives us the amount of their unmet need, we will call on you to "activate your pledge" and make a one time contribution to that recipient's Pay Pal or Google Check Out account for the amount you pledged.

It's that simple. It's that direct. You will know you made a difference.

Here's the form email:

Email to: yearlykosdonormatch@comcast.net

I would like to make one pledge of $25/$50 to help defray the cost of 
a blogger attending yearlykos. When I receive a reply email with my 
donor match, I will follow through by sending $25/$50 to that 
recipient's PayPal or GoogleCheckOut account.

If you are willing to support more than one recipient, and that is certainly welcome, we ask that you simply change the number of pledges, not the monetary amount. For purposes of simplicity and logistics, pledges are accepted only in $25 and $50 increments and no one donor will be allowed to contribute more than $50 to any one recipient directly. (For those with larger pocketbooks, see below.) For all intents and purposes you should consider this pledge an anonymous, small dollar gift.

We also ask that you use the form email exactly as written above, so that we can make processing the donor matches simple and straightforward. We will complete the donor matches as swiftly as possible. This is a one weekend event with a targeted set of objectives. We will report back quickly on what we've achieved together and activate the pledges as soon as possible.


Donor Match: Registration Grants

If you are able to purchase the entire price of a Yearlykos Registration, currently $275, you can provide a diversity grant directly to one recipient by paying their entire registration fee and then allowing us to match that registration with a recipient.

Here's how that works:

Send the following form email to yearlykosdonormatch@comcast.net and then pay for a registration at the YearlyKos website... (Save your ID and Password!)... following these steps. When Vicki and Howie and I match you with a recipient, we will contact you and activate your pledge. You will then pass on the ID and Password of your registration to us and we will reregister that account in the name of a worthy recipient.

You will have made it possible for a deserving blogger to attend Yearlykos and made a donation to the convention at the same time.

Email to: yearlykosdonormatch@comcast.net

I would like to make a pledge of one Yearlykos Registration to allow 
a blogger to attend Yearlykos. I have paid for this registration at 
the Yearlykos website. When I receive a reply email with my donor 
match, I will pass along the ID and Password for that registration so 
that my recipient can attend Yearlykos Chicago using that 
registration.

Readers of DWT need no introduction to the power of local grassroots effort and regional activism.

If you are able to join Howie and Vicki and I today, I can guarantee you that your Last Mile donation to this effort will grow the grassroots movement of bloggers and activists nationwide.

Howie and Vicki and I look forward to reporting back to you on our final tally and thank you for your time and support.