Connect Opening Remarks

Opening remarks

• We just celebrated our third birthday
• Super quick intro to the Awesome Foundation
• Christina is sharing that our logo is 8 in webdings
• Sharing last 2 Boston grants as examples
• Sharing most recent grant: Portland's Free the Billboards
• Last 2 days have been Awesome Summit Assemble
• 47 chapters, people from all over the world

What makes us Awesome

What makes the Awesome Foundation awesome?

1. Low barriers to entry, for both applicants and participants
   1. Trustees aren't philanthropists, don't see themselves that way
   2. Makes philanthropy accessible
   3. Easy app for grantees, people who don't think of themselves as grant recipients
   4. "I don't have an $100,000 idea, but everyone has a $1000 idea"
2. P2P giving from one average person to another
   1. Grant recipients have become trustees, it's interchangeable
3. Constant experimentation
   1. We all innovate on the model
   2. Unofficial motto: "what's the worst that could happen?"
   3. Anyone can start an AF, huge amount of biodiversity
4. Fun
   1. It's actually fun to be in the Awesome Foundation

IHAS

IHAS is a backend for the Awesome Foundation that allows the AF to maintain its nebulous, loosely organized nature. IHAS does things so that chapters don't have to. Basically, IHAS is Kitten Voltron.

Awesome Summit: Assemble

• 26/45 active chapters
• 4 fledgling chapters
• 5 continents
• We have exactly exponential growth so far
• Most of the time spent in working groups, one of the most productive Christina has ever been to
• Meta-Awesome grant - winner Ponzi Awesome

Awesome Summit: Connect

Goals:

1. Build community
2. Cover unique issues
3. Build organizational APIs

Spirit of the conference: JFDI (Just .. Do It)