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  • From: Tobias Schonwetter <tobias AT creativecommons.org>
  • To: CC Africa mailing list <ccafrica AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [ccAfrica] Fwd: [cc-affiliates] Staff reductions at Creative Commons HQ
  • Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 09:05:28 +0200

Hi all:

for those who haven’t seen this yet on the affiliate list.

Best,

Tobias
---
Dr. Tobias Schonwetter
Regional Coordinator: Africa
Creative Commons

twitter: @tobyschonwetter

Make a donation to support Creative Commons in 2015: http://bit.ly/supportcc2015







Begin forwarded message:

Date: 17 January 2015 at 20:22:17 PM SAST
From: Ryan Merkley | Creative Commons <ryan AT creativecommons.org>
Subject: [cc-affiliates] Staff reductions at Creative Commons HQ

Dear affiliates,

I’m writing you because we have made some difficult changes to our staffing at CC HQ this week, and I want you to know what’s going on, and how you can help.

This week, I made a series of staff reductions to bring our budget under control for 2015, reducing our total staff by six, or roughly one third. The staff who will be leaving CC include: Val Cavazos, Meryl Mohan, Billy Meinke, Elliot Harmon, Puneet Kishor, and Kat Walsh. These are budget and program-driven reductions, and do not reflect the performance of these staff in any way. All of them have made valuable and lasting contributions to CC and our community, and I'm sorry to have to let them go, and wish them well.

It won’t be a surprise to you that CC has become less sustainable in recent years, or that I have been working aggressively with our staff to improve our funding situation for 2015 and beyond. Late last year, we closed down our office on Castro St. in Mountain View, taking the organization fully virtual. This was both to reduce expenses but also because it wasn’t being used effectively. Combined with the staffing changes above, these reductions will reduce CC’s operating budget by over $850,000 annually.

CC has been more than 90 percent grant funded for a number of years, with reduced cash reserves. With these changes, we are working to adjust the ratio and rebuild some reserves, but we are also seeking new revenues. For example, following the very successful State of the Commons report, our recent year-end fundraising campaign returned a 45 percent increase in donations over 2013, and more donations than any previous year. It’s a great start, and I believe we are on a path to sustainability, with much more to do in 2015.

We have a number of programs and grant commitments that we have made through 2015 and beyond. None of those commitments will be affected by the changes we made today, and we have a strong, motivated team going forward with us. This is the only round of reductions that we have planned, and we have not made any budget cuts to our regional coordinators, or our affiliate support budgets. We also remain committed to this year's global summit, and I look forward to seeing all of you together soon.

It is my hope that 2015 will be a year of rebuilding, followed by new growth and new opportunities for CC. I want to assure you that we’re on a track towards sustainability, that I have every confidence in the team at CC, and strong support from our board.

These kinds of changes are hard, because those who are leaving are both colleagues and friends. I hope you will reach out to them and help them as they seek opportunities and find new ones. Others may ask you about changes they’ve heard about at CC, and I encourage you to share this information with them, and also to suggest they engage us directly wherever appropriate.

I’m happy to answer any questions you may have, and as always, welcome your ideas and suggestions.

Best,
Ryan

--

Ryan Merkley
CEO, Creative Commons
ryan AT creativecommons.org

+1 416.802.0662
@ryanmerkley

Please make a donation: https://donate.creativecommons.org

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  • [ccAfrica] Fwd: [cc-affiliates] Staff reductions at Creative Commons HQ, Tobias Schonwetter, 01/19/2015

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