Dev Diary #2: Patrons...
It's Dev Diary time! Last time, we took a look at the vision for Atlantic Forum and the Young Transatlantic Leadership Network (Y-TLN).
Today, we take a closer look at the work the team has done on fleshing out what we think Atlantic Forum has to offer you. Assuming anyone reading this development diary is either a (potential patron or partner we felt it was prudent to delve into this field a bit more (assuming anyone is reading these dev diaries at all!).
Patrons
The Atlantic Forum is a grass root initiative. Instead of working with a top down patron (an institution or an organization, or a very wealthy businessman) we decided that the best way to go about setting up this initative was from bottum up. This means that it's initial manpower comes from volunteers and it's initial finances come from voluntarily donations (aka from you folks!). Following our roadmap we are looking to recruit 1000 patrons in the first year to kick start the Y-TLN - or roughly 2 to 3 people a day. Currently we are nicely following this line and established a presence in 17 countries in the Trans-Atlantic Community.
As we grow we develop the Y-TLN and it's membership perks. Are patrons the same as members? Well yes and no. The Y-TLN will be legally an association, with it's own statutes, board and members to put democratic practices to the test. The Atlantic Forum, however, is a program under Pantheon, a company - as such there are no members yet. The Y-TLN is set to launch on 4 April 2020, and will turn all patrons under the age of 35 automatically into member and grant free membership for the first year! Thus by joining as a patron now, you will save membership next year, while enjoying the perks as we develop them! How is that for a win-win-win?
Of course initially the perks may seem lackluster. Aside of being able to directly get involved with the development of Atlantic Forum and the Y-TLN (leaving your mark!) the only perk at this point is the Our Views republication with our own publication: Atlantica, following shortly.
In order to make patronage more appealing we are currently seeking out partners to work with, offering access to meetings and events at a discount rate, or to events that would otherwise be behind close doors.
Check back on May 6th to learn more about our plans for partnerships! In the meantime, check out Atlantic Forum on Facebook and Twitter, and join the Atlantic Forum as a patron here!