# Berkeley REACH Supporters Update: September 2018

Since our big fundraising push at the end of June (thanks!), REACH has been making progress on a number of fronts.

### Finances & Structure

The June fundraising push let us commit to a 13-month lease (Aug 1, 2018 - Aug 31, 2019).

In June, we raised about $18k in one time donations, which allowed us to pay the $11k deposit for the space and have a bit left over for administrative expenses as well as saving some for the future.

Since late June, the Patreon monthly pledge total has fluctuated between $4,400 and $5,600 (with some people adjusting pledges up and some down), currently at $4,478. We have continued renting out rooms, bringing in another ~$1.5k/month. This allowed us to fund some improvements to the space on top of paying rent from July - September! (See below for specifics.) We also recently heard that we will likely be receiving a grant which will allow us to pay a part time manager for the space! (Details forthcoming once it is officially announced.)

REACH incorporated as a non-profit (Berkeley Rationality and Effective Altruism Community Hub Incorporated) in May with a three-member board: Sarah (Stardust) Spikes, Andrew Rettek, and Doe Dearr. We have received our Employer Identification Number (EIN) which has allowed us to open a bank account for REACH. The board began the application for 501(c)3 status on 8/2; we have heard that it takes anywhere from 3 to 9 months to be fully processed.

In August, Stardust started an external (mostly remote) 20hr/week job, but is still the Executive Director. We are working on setting up payroll for a part-time manager for the space.

### Survey & Stakeholder Meeting

In July, we ran a survey (around 40 responses, [detailed analysis here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mJ79n__ifD_tepWQ8T8umrElKyY4jkUhTRm18UzTV2g/edit?usp=sharing)) and a stakeholder meeting (around 30 attendees). Here’s some of the feedback we heard:

#### **You weren’t sure when events were happening, when it was okay to drop in, and whether you had to be quiet during coworking hours.**

*   We started announcing and running intentional coworking days at least once a week, which include facilitated (quiet) pomodoros with announced breaks for chatting and sometimes a group lunch expedition. Room C is generally open for people who want to chat or take video calls during poms.

*   There is less-structured coworking with no quietness rules from 11am to 5pm on weekdays whenever there is not a structured day scheduled, though if everyone present decides to start doing sync’d poms, that is very welcome!

*   We created a list of people who are authorized to host events in the space, now known as [REACH Stewards](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w0wO3DcIcDzZMaE7Q4iJDViYchp5yK1DH8dv8Smtro4/edit#).

*   If you want to host something, get a steward to co-host with you! (ask in #event-planning channel on Discord)
*   If you want to have access to the space when there’s not an event going on, ask a steward for access (in #at-reach-now)

*   We try to keep the events [calendar on the website](https://www.berkeleyreach.org/calendar) up to date, as well as continuing to post them on the [FB page](https://www.facebook.com/pg/reachberkeley/events/).

#### **Although you like the _location_** **of the space, you found it cluttered and crowded**.

*   Despite the rent increase, we decided to stick with the current location for now.
*   We’ve replaced the bulky wicker chairs with sturdy folding chairs that can be hung compactly on the wall when not in use.
*   We’ve removed some of the less functional furniture in favor of items that take up less space and taken most of the “stuff swap” items to goodwill.

*   There’s still a small amount of free staple clothing (t-shirts, pants, dresses) and costume items.

*   We’ve also set up two of the 4 [side rooms](https://www.berkeleyreach.org/using-private-rooms-at-reach) as primarily coworking spaces, with the ability to host people short term, as opposed to bedrooms that can occasionally be used for coworking or other events.

#### **The social norms at REACH can be confusing**.

*   We’ve created a [Code of Conduct](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-s-7MFHXTVMx2Yn5zOFVFln-cpvw8FIDZjOdvFLxpwE/edit) and have set up nominations for the REACH Panel, which will handle disputes as well as vetting REACH Stewards to help keep the space running smoothly.

*   Panel voting will occur 9/19-9/26. Only REACH Stakeholders will be able to vote, and the vote will happen via the new [stakeholder mailing list](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/reach-stakeholders) (if you were not already invited and believe you meet the criteria, you can request to join. The criteria are any of the following: donated at least $50 to REACH, volunteered at least 5 hours, or run at least 3 events).
*   Note that current Stewards are interim until the Panel is in place to set up the authorization process.

*   We expect the CoC to change and evolve along with the space, so if you see anything there that seems like a bad policy, feel free to bring it up with Sarah or any REACH Steward you feel comfortable with.

### Upcoming Improvements and Experiments

#### **We have a prioritized list of further [space improvements and volunteer tasks](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ybBiHxc_ryVIA_dyBug9PaqPa1dIaQhs2U2N9qf0E4M/edit#).**

*   We have made most of the improvements mentioned in the survey (seating, the shower, lighting, coworking setup).

*   There is a standing desk in room C now with 2 monitors, as well as a couch

*   We are planning to create a sound-isolated section of Room C for taking calls.
*   We would still like to replace the kitchen sink.

#### **We’re going to continue pushing for a variety of events**.

*   We got requests for more serious EA events (e.g. talks from community leaders, rationality practice, public double-crux sessions, speakers from other intentional communities).

*   We have since been more proactive in terms of inviting speakers from the community, including 3 speakers in the last 2 weeks
*   We’ve also taken on a new series of Thursday Rationality meetups (though Stardust dropped the ball on scheduling last week, pushing last week’s event to Monday)

*   On the community-focused side, we heard that you’d like to see movie nights, writing events, and more group music events

*   There have been some movie nights, but there are not currently plans for recurring movie night events at REACH

*   Please get in touch if you’d like our support to run any events, especially of the types mentioned above!

### Links and Resources

At the July stakeholder meeting, we realized that many of you don’t know where to find information about REACH. Here’s a start:

REACH website: [https://www.berkeleyreach.org/](https://www.berkeleyreach.org/%5C)

Facebook page: [https://www.facebook.com/reachberkeley/](https://www.facebook.com/reachberkeley/)

[REACH Resources](https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1QzsPxN6rCsLqcQ5z3TfyVasvBpF1_ovx) (e.g. checklists for event hosting)

[Event Request form](https://docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/1q6cAVmmebKvEcP4Wbx9_23XqKAkv4S1_rS3aQmR2iJI/edit) (use if you want to host events)

Discord: We don’t want the invite link on the public web due to privacy concerns, so ask Stardust for an invite if you need it.