Mentors/coaches for proposals
One observation I've had from lurking in the Knight Drupal Initiative meetings is something that's haunted me before. If only I was good at writing a solid grant proposal and subsequent review and revisions, some of my pie-in the sky ideas might actually turn into something valuable for the community (and provide a self-sustainable way for me to contribute). Similarly, with a bit more polish, I could generate some good DROP tasks, ideas for Summer of Code projects, and even sponsorship/funding proposals. While there are good tips and resources, there is (as far as I can tell) no clearly defined support group of actual people who could help with these tasks.
The recent launch of the Knight News Challenge Garage provides a good example of a mentoring group for some of these business/marketing-centric efforts with are often overlooked, yet essential, in forwarding the Drupal project. I could be on the minority here (as often is the case) but I think a dedicated space (possibly a Drupal group) and a platform for coaches/mentors to advise (this could be one potential solution and a project that some might support) would enable myself and a lot of others turn some good ideas into something a bit more substantial.
Curious to hear any other thoughts/ideas on this topic.
Proposal Writers wanted
LA Drupal is looking for those who do proposal writing for a living to help mold a project proposal that's driven by LA Drupal like Gus mentions above. Of course the goal intended is funding from the Knight Drupal Initiative, so its in everyone's interest to join or speak up for projects.
Proposal Writing
So, I just put a big fat NEA proposal to bed today. Now, that was an arduous process. I'm in the nonprofit arts, so making the case and putting together a compelling proposal is something I have figured out to do. Im not the best writer, but I can shape, edit and synthesize good ideas into nice little packages. While I have a pretty good track record, my time is pretty limited. But I would for sure make my self available to talk through a proposal, look it over and provide feedback - if that helps.
Local outreach and mutual benefit
I was actually thinking you'd know something about this and have meaning to contact. My hunch is that a lot of good proposal writers (local/arts/education centric grants, public broadcasting style sponsorships) are on the fringes of Drupal or are unaware of what it is and how they could benefit. As a majority of the proposals discussed involve 'community, local, arts, eduction, news, etc.', I think there's a win-win if we can connect the local development community with those who could both help and benefit from what we're wanting to propose and/or from services we could provide.
As far as I can tell there's no template on how best interface and connect, but I'm thinking we have an opportunity to think out of the box and see what sticks.
To be continued.....
Gus Austin
PepperAlley Productions