Business Outreach |
There are a number of ways companies can lend a hand, and help us to help scientific and medical research. Let's discuss the possibilities; some ideas are also posted below.
Contents | |
Make a proposal
Make a proposal to management -- if you're at a big company, make a proposal to the head of corporate citizenship, corporate responsibility, social responsibility, or whatever they call it at your company. If you're at a smaller company, maybe you can walk right in and talk to the boss. Or maybe you are the boss...
When considering your presentation, please keep in mind there are lots of ways to help besides just lending CPUs -- please try to find a few from the below list (or ones you make up) that are well suited to the expertise within your organization. (We've found that proposals that focus only on installing GridRepublic software often get squelched by IT people without discussion, sometimes for rational reasons sometimes not.)
Also, it may be useful to include in your presentation information about projects that align with the company values and social goals (particularly where the company has an explicitly stated philanthropic agenda). Lots of times people who are not technical kind of glaze over when you tell them about the technology behind GridRepublic, but when you explain it in terms of facilitating the search for a cure to cancer, or the study of global warming, you might get their attention.
We'll post a draft powerpoint shortly that you can use as a basis for your pitch.
Ways to Participate
There are lots of ways companies large and small can contribute to the cause...
Run GridRepublic at your company
A lot of the computers in the world are inside companies, needless to say. One reason they are not all running GridRepublic is that they don't know about it. So please help us get the word out.
Security
"Is it safe?" will almost always be the first question. A few words about security.
Network Installs
Your company might like to know that it is possible to do batch installations of GridRepublic across a network.
If you want a script for this please contact us at help@gridrepublic.org. (Please be sure you have permission to install on any machine you might add, or we're all in for a world of trouble.)
Other means of participation
Even if your company's IT staff aren't keen on jumping in, there are lots of ways your company can help (and maybe we'll win the IT staff over with some time: some ideas take a bit of exposure, a bit of getting used to).
Grants, Sponsorships, and Fundraising
This stuff is expensive. Donations are A#1 on this list of organizational needs. How does our mission align with your company's philanthropic agenda?
Additionally/Alternatively, maybe your company can help us with fundraising -- by sponsoring concerts and events, products (ex a CD or iTunes album), or in other ways appropriate to your business.
Advertising and branding
Are you a media company? Maybe you can contribute advertising, or otherwise help to create or co-branding opportunities? Maybe you can help us to produce PSAs for GridRepublic and for individual projects?
Public Relations
Maybe your company is in Public Relations -- or maybe you are in another field but have a publicist or PR staff? Perhaps arrangements could be made for your team to spend some time helping to spread the word about GridRepublic?
Film, TV, video production
As with the advertising professionals, maybe you can help us to produce PSAs and/or short project documentaries?
Maybe you can help get us and/or research projects onto TV talk shows -- Oprah, Charlie Rose, CBS Sunday Morning, etc? We'll be glad to help arrange introductions and interviews with appropriate persons where we can.
Software development
Does your company have skilled developers? Maybe arrangements can be made to let some of them work on a cutting edge project -- good experience and a good cause.
Music
We're looking to create partnerships with bands -- if you're in the music biz, please get in touch with us.
Street Marketing, Buzz Marketing, etc.
Street Markting, Buzz Marketing, Word-of-Mouth, Peer-to-peer, Gurerrilla, Viral Marketing -- there's a zillion words for this stuff. If you know what it means (not sure we do), and if you work in this area, please get in touch.
Infrastructure
Want to lend a couple servers?
Proposal Documents
Let's collaborate on documents that can be used to pitch GridRepublic at your company. Please help is to flesh out the below -- That is, please add to the documents as you use them. This way our proposals can evolve with the benefit of everyone's experience...
- Introductory Letters
- Project Summary/Fact Sheet (PDF- for reference)
- Proposal Document (detailed proposal)
- Proposal Powerpoint (requires free GoogleDocs account)
Please use this thread to discuss. The idea is that the letters can be used to open dialog in your company. The detailed proposal is the main document with information needed to make the case for GridRepublic in the Enterprise. The Powerpoint can be used for in-person presentations (but when making a presentation, be sure to be familiar with the contents of the detailed presentation, so you can answer questions from your audience, etc.)
Contact
For any of the above, email us at outreach@gridrepublic.org
Categories: Advocacy