[Membership-affairs] NCUC Brochure

[William Drake]

Hi

In March I submitted a Fast Track Budget Request to ICANN for some money for print materials (FYI I submitted six budget requests in total, visible at https://community.icann.org/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=38045777 if anyone's interested).  I noted that  NCUC does not have any printed materials to use in outlining our activities, explaining our positions, and soliciting new members. I asked for support for two products: 1) a Brochure with information on our organization, members, and roles; and 2) Issue Briefs to be released prior to each of the 3 annual ICANN meetings that provide concise summaries (1-4 pages) of our stances on key current issues, as well as an About NCUC section with basic information and pointers to recent activities of note.  The Brochure would be geared in particular toward prospective new members in the constituency, e.g. civil society organizations and individuals in developing countries. As needed, the Issue Briefs would be calibrated to reach different types of audiences, e.g. the tech press, the wider mass media, ICANN insiders, Internet governance generalists, etc.  ICANN replied that the request was not eligible for Fast Track consideration for FY 13 but said I should resubmit it as a Regular Budget Request for FY 14, which I subsequently did.  But I also pressed them for clarification on why we needed to wait to do anything with print materials when other groups' requests for the same were approved, the amount involved was small, and we had Durban coming up, and got back this accountant-speak reply,

On Apr 18, 2013, at 7:28 AM, Xavier J. Calvez <xavier.calvez at icann.org> wrote:Printing materials funding was approved up to $30,000 as part of the FY13
> additional budget requests and funds remain available for printing
> materials for the Durban meeting, which would be used in June (prior to
> the end of FY13) for use in the July.
> As a result, Durban materials can be covered, and the FY14 request
> submitted will be deferred to the Regular Track review period and a
> decision will be made by end of June.


Meaning, in short, we could get funding to do something for Durban.  The Issue Brief idea we can put on hold, we don't have the bandwidth and time to do one now anyway, but a little brochure should be possible, which would be particularly useful since we're doing this outreach event with the African Internet governance school.  I asked Ed if he'd be willing to take the lead on making it happen in the context of the Membership Affairs Team, and asked ICANN for confirmation that the funding would be disbursed and for clarification of how this would work logistically.  I have now received the following reply:

On Jun 7, 2013, at 11:47 PM, Lynn Lipinski <lynn.lipinski at icann.org> wrote:

> Hello, Mr. Drake. I reviewed your message about the design and printing of the flyer for NCUC to use at the ICANN 47 Durban meeting. 
> 
> Our preference would be that ICANN does the printing for you, rather than that we reimburse you. We can combine your printing job with other printing jobs we are doing for Durban, including the printing of a newsletter for the ISPCP.
> 
> This would mean that we also need your final artwork no later than 24 June 2013. Is that deadline doable? 
> 
> We could also enlist the services of a graphic designer to do the layout. If you are interested I can get an estimate, and the cost could be covered by the Outreach Materials funding.

This is not quite what I initially had in mind.  Since some members of NCUC have been reluctant to accept ICANN's assistance with certain organizational functions out of concern that staff might seek to control/shape/slow up/impede processes based on perceptions of our content etc.,  I would have preferred to sidestep such concerns by doing everything ourselves and just getting ICANN to reimburse.  But if it's administratively easier for them to do it this way, and assuming we don't intend to produce a brochure containing language sharply critical of ICANN, I at least am willing to roll with their approach rather than spend cycles pushing back and trying to get a different deal.  I would rather spend the bandwidth available for this project just getting good content together.  I hope that's ok with everyone.  If not, and someone wants to take the lead on hassling with staff over this, I'd be happy to defer to your efforts.

Here's what I have in mind.  As I've noted in prior messages on this (our conversations have a way of forum shifting so I have to rewrite a lot), I've also been on the board of directors for Euralo, the European At Large org, for the past five years, and Euralo did an outreach brochure a few years back which I attach to this message for your consideration as a rough starting point model.  With a little tri-fold like this, we have six panels to work with.  Presumably we should have a top page that's visually grabby and uncluttered; a couple panels about who is NCUC and what do we stand for, how and why to get engaged and participate; a couple panels on the issues we work with and positions we take; and a panel on what is GNSO and what is ICANN (the text for which ICANN could provide with addresses etc., per the Euralo example…or we can write it but they might insist on editing).


So, they are asking for the content by 24 June—two weeks.  Can we make this happen?

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Bill


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