Re: Scenario One

by tcspain(at)unccvm.uncc.edu (TANYA SPAIN)

 Date:  Wed, 21 Jan 1998 12:30:24 -0500
 To:  hwg-elections(at)hwg.org
  todo: View Thread, Original
>Scenario One:
>
>Giant Software Company approaches the Guild, wanting to donate server
>hardware and software, as well as a $50,000 cash donation. In exchange,
>they are asking for a statement of donation (e.g. servers provided by GSC)
>and a logo to be placed prominently on the front page, and for "bragging
>rights" that state the Guild relies on GSC servers to conduct our virtual
>business.
>Should the Guild accept such a donation?
>Would you approve the quid pro quo?
>What if they wanted more visibility? Free banner ads? A dedicated
>"sponsors" page with promotional material?
>Would you offer something else in exchange?
>If you were to turn it down, what justification would you use?
>Does your decision best server the membership and the corporation at the
>same time?

Step One:
I would suggest we consider some issues then decide if the server and its
software are something that we can use.

1) Does the software allow us to maintain all of our current operations?
2) Will this new server have all of the necessary compilers (C, Perl, etc.)
for our current CGI's?
3) Will the switchover be seamless to members?
4) Can we maintain this server remotely? If not, where would it be housed?
Will this be a permanent location? Who will run/maintain the server?
Etcetera.

If we feel that this server and software will work well for our needs, has
features that will allow us to expand, and we can maintain it with little
extra effort, I think we should proceed to the next step. Otherwise, I
think we would have to decline acceptance of the donation, based on
whichever of the above is in conflict.

Step Two:
Clearly define the agreement.
I would suggest that the Guild express to the company, in writing, that we
are pleased to have received their offer to donate the server
hardware/software and cash. This correspondance should include that we are
willing to accept the donation and list the terms with which the Guild
would be willing comply. In my opinion, these terms should look something
like this (these are not finessed, just something to convey my ideas):

1) We will list the company's name on our "Sponsors Page" (or other
appropriate name for the page) only and include a line describing the gift.
How we categorize donations may need to be considered. For example, do we
create "named" categories referring to dollar amounts donated, or just list
dollar amounts, or just names and exact donation, or not even mention
dollar amounts and only list names? We could probably bat this around and
come up with a good idea.

2) The only occurance of any logos (if we decide we think logos are ok at
all) would be on this "Sponsors Page" with a size limit of __ pixels by
___pixels.

3) We would be happy to provide a copy of our logo for the company to
display on their web page (maybe also consider a copy for print material)
that must be displayed according to a set of guidelines that we also
provide. I think this is a great way for the company to show its customers
the value of their product and its actual users. It also serves our needs
for more "esposure".

As far as bragging rights, we may wish to consider creating a page that
lists "techie" details such as the exact server hardware & software being
used and possibly any other hardware/software or shareware (e.g., CGI's not
written by the Guild) used to create the many pages in our site. If we do
something like this, then I think we would be able to accomodate the
company's request for "bragging rights".

I don't see any reason to decline accepting the donation because of their
initial visibility requests. I think we can easily negotiate on those
points and justify our stance on why we wouldn't allow certain things, if
we chose not to allow those things. The most important factor in this part
is just getting our agreement with them spelled out, clearly, in writing.

I believe this process would serve the Guild well.

Tanya Spain

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