GOAL REACHED!!!! Send Kim to Let's Test Oz

Thankyou everyone for your help, I've reached my goal and will be updating the totals here when the site admin team return to work next week.

As stated previously, any funds raised in excess of my goal will be donated to Per Scholas, or you can donate to them directly for the excellent work they're doing.

http://itesting.com.au/2014/07/24/how-a-test-community-became-a-family/

Thank you all, and I hope you recognise that you've joined a community\family larger than this cause.

--Kim

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I recently suffered some acute anxiety attacks during a testing event in Sydney, which prevented me from attending a testing peer conference in Wellington. Instead I chose to stay close to home that weekend, to focus on some immediate steps towards recovery.

I'm still on the long path to recovery, and I feel confident that I will be well enough to attend a conference away from home within 2 months. I haven't been able to come to terms with the idea of missing Lets Test Oz, until recent cashflow issues made me accept that it was out of my reach this year.

And then:

@raine_check: Crowdsource? If it can work for potato salad...

I have an amazing group of friends and peers on twitter who were encouraging me to try crowd funding, within minutes of the suggestion being raised by Joshua Raine. I've looked into it, tallied the exact costs of my attendance, and now here I am, asking you to please "give a little"!

Here's some more background information, on myself, and on the conference:

http://kengel100.wordpress.com/2014/07/15/recognising-my-strengths/

http://lets-test.com/?page_id=1863

http://yesbroken.com/2014/04/29/the-value-of-a-conference/

http://itesting.com.au/2014/07/07/lets-test-oz-a-wiz-of-an-idea/

Here are my promises to all donors.

I give my word that I will meet each of these promises.

1. Regardless of whether I meet my goal:

I will write blog posts about this crowdfunding experience. (Starting with my initial impression - i.e. Oh wow, everyone on this site deserves and needs the money way more than I do)

2. IF I meet my goal:

I'll attend Let's Test Oz, wow!

I'll write blog posts about my experiences at www.isitgoodenoughyet.com to share what I have learned with others.

I'll seek out newbies at the conference, and help them learn in any way that I can. In particular, by encouraging them join the online software testing community via twitter

http://isitgoodenoughyet.com/2014/02/23/test-tweeting/ and the Software Testing Club

http://www.softwaretestingclub.com/.

Present at least one talk or workshop based I what I learn at Let's Test Oz, to the Auckland Testers Meetup group.

3. If I do not meet my goal:

If I fall short of my goal and I am unable to attend Let's Test Oz in 2014, all money donated to this cause will be donated to Per Scholas instead - a cause my donors can be proud to support

http://perscholas.org/.

4. Perks (a la KickStarter-style incentives)

$10 - Thanks! A special mention on Twitter to say thank you for your support!

$25 - Shout out! $10 perk plus Link to your blog\twitter\LinkedIn\website from my blog posts about this funding exercise, including a logo\pic if you'd like :)

$50 - Pay it forward! $10 & $25 perks plus I will pay it forward, by donating $50 to another cause on this site. 1 per sponsor, 1 per month starting in November 2014. You can follow along with these donations monthly, from my personal blog site kengel100.wordpress.com (like I said, my cashflow issues are temporary).

$100 - Share the love! - If I happen to get one or more sponsors of $100+, I will sponsor Oxfam NZ $50\month, starting in November and with no forseeable end date.

(as well as the Thanks!, Shout out! and Pay it forward!)

5. ALL monies received over the target amount will be donated to Per Scholas.

http://perscholas.org/

http://bouldertester.blogspot.co.nz/2014/07/its-not-just-about-testing.html

So if I do manage to hit target you may prefer to donate to another cause on here instead, and that way you get to choose, and it may even be tax deductible.

So, what do you think?