A Hair-Brained Idea Turned Real—Sharing the HOWie Love

A few years ago I had this little hair-brained idea; it came and went. Then it came again. And again. It started niggling me gently, then prodding me and, finally, screaming for attention. It goes like this:

What if…(all the best ideas start that way)…those of us who know how awesomely-mind-bowingly-amazing the HOW Design Conference is pool our money together to send someone to HOW on us? Not HOW-funded, but HOW veterans-funded. Peer to peer. 

With all that screaming (from the little hair-brained idea), it was hard to concentrate, so I invited my amazingly-creative pal Stefan Mumaw to be my sounding board. For some unknown reason, he accepted, and he liked the idea (I guess the idea screaming didn't bother him). Between the two of us, we hashed-out the finer details of the plan. Then I contacted HOW. For some reason, they listened. And they loved the idea!

Thus was born the HOW Veterans Grant, a chance for HOW veterans to give back to their industry by sending a newbie to HOW.

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Love HOWie do it!

Remember your first HOW Conference? It blew your mind with amazing sessions and topics. You discovered that these are your people, who then became your extended family. You came home ready to design the world. As a HOW veteran, you now have the opportunity to share that HOW love by helping to send a newbie to HOW. Let's show them HOWie do it!

But wait! Which newbie gets to feel the love? People who have not been to HOW before answer the question, "Why should you go to HOW?" with either a one-page written answer, an 8.5 x 11" (or smaller) poster, or a 30-second (or less) video. A group of this year's HOW speakers will curate the answers down to a dozen or so. Then the voting is opened up to the public. 

HOW is not the least expensive conference—but it is the best conference for learning, growing, and connecting. For a Big Ticket (entrance to all four conferences), airfare into San Francisco, and a hotel room for five nights, we're asking to raise $3500. That's just 35 people, donating $100 each. If we raise $7000, two people can go, etc. Any amount between $3500 and $7000 will be rolled over into next year's grant.

Each donation helps, no matter the size—even $10. Every person who donates will get special recognition at the conference, and a little something to add onto your HOW badge that designates you as someone who donated. Even if you're unable to contribute, help us spread the word to other HOW veterans who know the value of attending.

Applicants who apply answer the question "Why should I go to HOW?" (emailed to HOWVeteransGrant@gmail.com by May 10, 2013). The person awarded the grant will be interviewed a few times throughout the conference, to get a newbie's perspective and record the sense of wonder and the enthusiasm. HOW will use the interviews to market next year's conference.

The Indiegogo account is all set up and already taking contributions. I love my HOWies! While the initial seed was my idea, it could not have even begun to sprout without the support of many people, including those at HOW. I don't want the kudos for this; I want the kudos go to those who contribute money to the grant. Let's see how big the wings on this little sprouted idea can get! Wouldn't it be awesome if enough money was collected so two people could go? Now THAT would be amazing!

If you haven't yet contributed to the HOW Veterans Grant, please do! If you've already contributed, thank you!! 

If you've never been to a HOW Conference and wonder what all the fuss is about, please apply for the grant. Thank you in advance for all your support in bringing this particular hair-brained idea to life!

Thanks for reading!
Cami  =)