"pay it forward" program proposal

Wow, I ignore the computer for two days and this thing takes off ! lol I'm glad people are interested in this. Ricky, I didn't know Sanjay had laid this out a long time ago, we talked about it the day after I posted. Hopefully lots of people sign up. This could really be great for the club and the area.
 
Let me preempt this by saying I am _NOT_ an expert at this tool but you guys should check out http://docs.google.com. You can put up a shared spreadsheet to track all of this stuff. I'm not sure how much control you have over it, but I know it's a very popular tool and worth the time for somebody to look at.

I was so exicted when I first read about the pay-it-forward program on the site a while back and so dissapointed when I didn't hear about it again. I'd be interested although my tank space is starting to get sparce.

I only have one question...How do we know what to buy up front? In other words...how do we know what is desirable and where to get it?
 
Maybe the members who are going to be in the "Pay it forward" should make a wants list of the top three things they would like to have. Then coordinate with the other members in the program so that not everyone is going to have the same coral in the program.

Kevin... We have a doc section on ncpars.org which we can load a final(noneditable) copy. The only way then to edit the copy is from the administrator of the program.
 
Thanks, I will play around with that program.

What is desirable? Thats a very good question and I think the easiest answer would be to ask the other members participating. Personally, I would buy something that I like and want in my tank then donate it to the program. If no one wants it, atleast I will have something I like. Either way would be fine. Perhaps we should also implement a time limit to request the item so that someone isnt stuck trying to offer a coral for a long period of time. Thanks for asking.

Al
 
Good idea Rick although it sounds a bit challenging since there is an endless varierty of corals out there. Keeping a tally would definitely help members decide what to buy for the program.

If anyone participating has something they would like to submit. Please email me at perezaf01@yahoo.com
If members would like to implement the top three requests, you can also email me that information.
I would like to get this started before the end of the week if possible.

Thanks
Al
 
I don't have anything to request, but after emailing you I thought about something that might be nice - what if you posted the amount of people who are interested and their general interests. You could say that there are 10 people interested with 7 for mainly sps, 2 zoas, and 1 lps. I know that would help me decide if I wanted to do this. In my scenario it would be much more beneficial to those who want to trade sps as they would be possibly getting 6 pieces where as the zoa people would only be getting 1. I don't care if it's not posted here but on thh ncpars site, but it would be easier to make a commitment to something that coudl be relatively pricey if we knew there would be a decent return.
 
One thing that confuses me here is the whole "pay it forward" concept (DBTC) as I understand it means I really shouldn't have to buy anything. Somebody gives me something free and in return (if it grows) I give away atleast 3 frags of that colony to somebody else. Now at some point somebody has to start these chains and I would suspect that it would happen from somebody bringing something in from outside our group and eventually giving just 1 piece away to somebody to start that chain.

Do I have that right? If I'm wrong, please tell me.

If that's the case then I already have corals that were given to me free that I'm more than willing to pass on and start an official chain to anybody that I know buys in. Honestly there have been some of us doing this "underground" already which is why I have several nice "free" started colonies in my tank.

And Rick...the reason I suggest the google tool is I seriously doubt that ANYBODY on the BOD is going to want to take the responsibility of download/updating/uploading...it's just too much. I would think leaving a password protected spreadsheet that somebody on the BOD monitors would be easier but that's just the data-geek in me talking. :)

I also have a nice purple bonsai that in another 6 months or so might be ready to frag that I'd give 1 piece out to start a chain.
 
Fizz, you're 99% right however as I understood it people from inside the clubs buy things to start the chains. As for what's desirable and what isn't, look at our frag swaps, if you find a bright coral that you never see listed on fragswapper chances are the club would benefit from having it.
 
I think all this can be done without buying anything. I am with Fizz. its given to you free with the intent that you will be giving it away for free to others when it grows for you.

I'll be happy to throw a bunch of SPS in the DBTC pool to get this off the ground.

sanjay.
 
i just picked up about 50 corals for a store im building and i got a neon geen lokani im willing to put into the program.i was gonna take it for my personal reef but im excited about this pay it forward and i think it'll be real cool.
 
I agree. I think there is enough diversity in this club to atleast program started. Buying corals will eventually happen once everyone has what they want.

Fizz - Its funny you mentioned the fact that a bod member would not want to take the time to upload files because thats exactly what I intended to do. A sample spreadsheet can already be found at ncpars.org. I dont mind taking this responsibility. It may be alot of work at first but it should become a whole lot easier once its rolling.

For members that are participating, I am waiting for your submissions. I have only received one so far. I will post the first list this weekend on ncpars.org
Email me at perezaf01@yahoo.com

Al
 
I would like to chime in and say I am really happy to see so much interest in this. I think This can really take off. I also agree there should plenty of variety In this group that no one should have to buy anything. how ever we are a very spread out group is there any thought of how we will be getting the corals to each other?
 
PerezAF01 said:
Fizz - Its funny you mentioned the fact that a bod member would not want to take the time to upload files because thats exactly what I intended to do. A sample spreadsheet can already be found at ncpars.org. I dont mind taking this responsibility. It may be alot of work at first but it should become a whole lot easier once its rolling.
Click to expand...

I just want to make sure you understand that my comment was in NO WAY a dig at the BOD...as a former BOD member I know the pressures and the time it consumes. What I was getting at is that I personally think that if this takes off the constant downloading, updating and uploading and still being able to present it to the members and monitor who is doing their part and who isn't will be much more of an effort than one person should really be expected to handle. I'm glad you're willing to do this...very glad actually...I just hope you don't regret it in a few months! Picking the right tool is crucial.


I looked at your spread sheet and it's a good start, but just one question...does the person at the top have to give out 3 to start the chain? I have a bright yellow/green arco that is finally ready to frag but I don't think I could get 3 from it yet since it's actually in my DT, not a grow-out tank. I'd be willing to give one away at the swap, but I don't think I'll have 3.
 
Jerry... Fedex Ground service is just like overnight service in PA. If you ship in PA, it gets where it needs to go by the next day. The only catch I think is holidays as the volume increases I am sure there is less likelyhood of that happening.

Even though we are spread out... Don't we all drive hours to get to LFS for stuff we want in some cases? I think we can all figure out how to get corals to each other.

Good start to a great idea!
 
Fizz71 said:
I just want to make sure you understand that my comment was in NO WAY a dig at the BOD...as a former BOD member I know the pressures and the time it consumes. What I was getting at is that I personally think that if this takes off the constant downloading, updating and uploading and still being able to present it to the members and monitor who is doing their part and who isn't will be much more of an effort than one person should really be expected to handle. I'm glad you're willing to do this...very glad actually...I just hope you don't regret it in a few months! Picking the right tool is crucial.


I looked at your spread sheet and it's a good start, but just one question...does the person at the top have to give out 3 to start the chain? I have a bright yellow/green arco that is finally ready to frag but I don't think I could get 3 from it yet since it's actually in my DT, not a grow-out tank. I'd be willing to give one away at the swap, but I don't think I'll have 3.
Click to expand...


I agree that Senior BOD members have enough on their plates already but I think I can atleast get this program started. I am sure there will be times when I will have other things that take priority but once its rolling it will be a whole easier for another member to take over and run the show for a while. There is room for improvements and they will be made as we go. We can talk alot more about using google as a tool through PM or in person since you seem to have more experience in that.
About the three frag rule, I would like to keep that rule. I don't expect this to be an overnight thing. You can give two away and have the third person on your waiting list or wait until you can get three and give them away then. You can list them even though its not ready to cut. The goal of this program is to grow and share with the club. I expect to see people on a 3+ month waiting list for a rare coral.

Al
 
PerezAF01 said:
I agree that Senior BOD members have enough on their plates already but I think I can atleast get this program started. I am sure there will be times when I will have other things that take priority but once its rolling it will be a whole easier for another member to take over and run the show for a while. There is room for improvements and they will be made as we go. We can talk alot more about using google as a tool through PM or in person since you seem to have more experience in that.
About the three frag rule, I would like to keep that rule. I don't expect this to be an overnight thing. You can give two away and have the third person on your waiting list or wait until you can get three and give them away then. You can list them even though its not ready to cut. The goal of this program is to grow and share with the club. I expect to see people on a 3+ month waiting list for a rare coral.

Al
Click to expand...

I mean on the FIRST coral...the seeder. If I want to START a chain, is one enough?
 
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