Connecting local makers & the community
Three years ago, a group of maker friends began gathering each month at one of our studios for an evening of fun and fellowship. We invited more friends and colleagues, cleaned up the shop, and shared a bit of our process and history. Soon, other members of the community, from soap-makers to bread-bakers to curious on-lookers took notice and joined us for these monthly meet-ups.
A group was born that exchanges ideas and inspiration in intimate studios every month and in a lively Facebook group between gatherings.
...and now we're all pitching in to LEVEL UP to non-profit status!
Thirty monthly meet-ups and over 1500 Facebook group members later, we decided it was time to make RVA Makers official. Larger groups have bigger needs which we can't meet with our current resources. This summer we created a board with the goal of better meeting those needs by becoming an official non-profit. Your contribution to our campaign will allow us to cover the liability, legal, and operating costs of filing for official 501(c)(3) non-profit status.
Forming a board was the first step to keeping all of our current (free!) offerings running smoothly, and taking a little weight off of the original founders (the amazing Kyle Lucia and Johannah Willsey.) Done!
Now, becoming a nonprofit will give us the structure to accept and spend donations as well as protect makers and guests with liability considerations.
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Light Tape meetup
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The RVA Makers mission
"To organize and provide studio meet-ups and discussions for the purposes of fostering maker culture in Richmond, educating the community on the processes used by individual local makers, and providing exposure for and access to local makers."
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The Impact
What we do now:
- MONTHLY MEETUPS: show off local makers, networking, community building
- FACEBOOK GROUP: resource sharing, announce events, networking, community building
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MONTHLY NEWSLETTER: introduces upcoming host to 300 subscribers, highlights previous month's host and meet-up
- SOCIAL MEDIA: meet-up photos, announce events, promote hosts for six weeks around their event.
What we want to do:
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DIRECTORY: create an online directory of local makers & suppliers
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EVENTS: expand our event offerings to include daytime and weekend events
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EDUCATION: create educational events to assist professional makers in specific areas.
- DEDICATED WEBSITE: a landing page for interested newcomers (and google) to find, with a calendar of meetups.
The goal: $5000
$2500 for creating and running the non-profit for the first 18 months
$1500 for liability and insurance to protect makers and guests
$1000 for running this campaign and compensating our makers for their expenses
Perks
Our perks are all made locally, of course, by our members! See the list of perks to the right, and look at the "Gallery" tab above to see images of each one.
Huge thanks to Cut Cut Creative, Richmond Vinyl Graphics, Flashlight Tag, Phoenix Handcraft, Solar Mill, and Herr Suite for providing these awesome goods.
Perk delivery is by local pick-up after the campaign ends (12/11) at the Phoenix Handcraft studios in Scott's Addition, 1607 Altamont Ave., 23230. This helps your money go directly towards our goal, instead of whittling away at your donation for shipping and handling costs. If you are not local or have unusual circumstances, contact us and we'll make other arrangements to fit your needs.
If you have any questions about our perks, please don't hesitate to ask! Johannah or Emily can sling you an answer right away.
RVA Makers Sticker
Receive an RVA Makers sticker designed by Julie Hinzmann of Cut Cut Creative and printed by Richmond Vinyl Graphics. This design is the basis for our NEW logo, which you just saw at the top of the page!
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Flashlight Tag Album
Pick up the RVA Makers sticker PLUS Flashlight Tag's latest CD, Americana Electronica.
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Bamboo Cheese Board
Serve up your artisanal, local cheese on an eco-friendly Solar Mill cheese board.
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Handforged Bottle Opener
Crack open your locally- made craft beer with a handforged Phoenix Handcraft bottle opener.
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RVA Mosaic Map Prints
Recieve a set of three different Richmond mosaic map prints by Phoenix Handcraft.
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Custom Handpainted Monogram
Place your order for a custom handpainted monogram by Herr Suite. For $125, get it in time for Christmas!
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Blacksmithing Lesson
Join Kyle at the Phoenix Handcraft forge for a one-on-one introduction to the basics of blacksmithing. Two hour session.
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Forging Party
Invite three of your friends for a group introduction to the art of blacksmithing with Kyle at Phoenix Handcraft. Two hour session.
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Other Ways You Can Help
Even if you're short on cash (we get it!), you can still help! Share our campaign with your friends to help us spread the word. RVA Makers is a grassroots, community-driven group. We're all in this together, and we appreciate everyone's unique contribution!
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Studio 23 meetup
Fine print:
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Perk delivery is by local pick-up after the campaign ends (12/11) at the Phoenix Handcraft studios in Scott's Addition, 1607 Altamont Ave., 23230. If you are not local or have unusual circumstances, contact us and we'll make other arrangements to fit your needs.
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RVA Makers is not officially affiliated with RVA MakerFest. We love MakerFest and happily cross-pollinate, but we are a separate group devoted to networking and community building.
- Our friends at Studio Two Three are acting as our fiscal sponsor on this campaign, but all funds raised will go to RVA Makers.
