Zoom AI Meeting summary for Edwin Rutsch's Personal Meeting Room (05/04/2025)
Quick recap
The group discussed their recent empathy training events and the broader empathy movement, emphasizing the importance of framing their work as part of a larger movement to bridge political divides. They also explored fundraising strategies, including the idea of selling T-shirts, creating a paid workshop on the definition of empathy, and charging for empathy circle facilitation training. The team agreed to improve their pitch at events, revisit the idea of charging a small fee for online training, and move forward with creating T-shirts, while also considering the financial aspects of their movement.
Next steps
• Bill and Ingrid to research and design T-shirts with empathy-related messages
• William to draft a formalized pitch for donations that can be used across all chapters
• Bill to forward Valerie's email with donation pitch to William
• Ingrid to invite people to the May 13th Tuesday meeting about finances
• Edwin to continue working on the presentation and workshop on the definition of empathy
• Edwin to summarize new fundraising ideas and movement-building focus in the next newsletter
• Ingrid and Edwin to review QuickBooks setup with the CPA
• Bill and Ingrid to explore the model for charging for empathy circle facilitation training for schools and companies
Summary
Empathy Training and Financial Support
The group discusses their recent empathy training events and the broader empathy movement. Ingrid shares positive feedback from participants at a recent event in Phoenix, noting that some found it more impactful than therapy. Edwin emphasizes the importance of framing their work as part of a larger empathy movement, suggesting it could help bridge political divides. The group also discusses the need for financing to support their efforts, with Edwin proposing that as more people get involved, there will be more creativity in generating income. They agree on the importance of keeping their mission and purpose at the forefront, believing that financial support will follow.
Training Progress and Registration Fee
In the meeting, Bill, Ingrid, Edwin, and William discussed the progress of their training and the potential for a $10 registration fee. They also considered the idea of accepting donations on a sliding scale. Bill proposed a plan to craft emails for participants and suggested a transition to a $10 registration fee when they reach a certain number of participants. The team also discussed the idea of selling merchandise, particularly T-shirts, to support their cause. Ingrid suggested focusing on a higher quality and more appealing design for the T-shirts to encourage people to wear them.
Empathy T-Shirt Project and Newsletter Performance
The team discussed the idea of creating a T-shirt with a heart and the words "Love" or "Empathy" to promote a culture of empathy. They considered different colors and designs, and the possibility of involving the community in the project. The team also discussed the organization of their projects and the potential for different people to take on different tasks. They also discussed the performance of their newsletters, with an open rate of 60% and a click rate of 1.8%. The team agreed to keep the newsletters simple and not overload them with too much information.
Fundraising T-Shirts for Empathy
In the meeting, Bill, Janna, Edwin, and Ingrid discussed the idea of selling T-shirts as a fundraising method for their organization. They considered partnering with companies like Life is Good to create empathy-themed shirts. However, they also acknowledged the need for a system to collect revenue from these sales. Ingrid suggested reaching out to other nonprofits to explore potential partnerships. The team agreed on the importance of organizing and implementing these projects, with Bill emphasizing the need to utilize the resources they currently have. They also discussed the potential for continuous fundraising at events.
Designing Empathy T-Shirts for Promotion
Bill, Edwin, and Ingrid discussed the idea of creating and selling T-shirts to support a culture of empathy. Bill expressed his willingness to be involved and support the initiative, while also acknowledging the need for promotional support. Ingrid offered to handle the fulfillment aspect, but emphasized the importance of designing a T-shirt that appeals to everyone. The team agreed to work together to design the T-shirts and determine the wording for the initiative.
Empathy Movement and Financial Discussions
In the meeting, the team discussed the idea of building an empathy movement and the potential for a culture of empathy. They considered inviting people for input on what they would like to see in the movement. The team also discussed the financial aspects of the movement, with the suggestion of incorporating a financial component into the second meeting of the month. The team agreed to this proposal and decided to have the financial discussions on the second Tuesday of the month. They also discussed the idea of having a donation basket at the Empathy Cafe, but decided to keep the donations freely offered.
Empathy Movement Fundraising Strategies
The group discusses fundraising strategies for their empathy movement. They agree to improve their pitch at events, revisit the idea of charging a small fee for online training, and move forward with creating T-shirts. Edwin mentions developing a paid workshop on the definition of empathy, while Bill suggests charging for empathy circle facilitation training for schools and companies. Ingrid proposes summarizing these ideas in the next newsletter to inform supporters about the movement's new phase and financial needs. Edwin emphasizes the importance of having clear, specific fundraising objectives that people can emotionally connect with.
VIEW RECORDING - 67 mins (No highlights)
Discuss fundraising strategies and organizational development for the Empathy Movement.
T-shirt merchandise project initiated with Bill and Ingrid leading
Monthly finance meetings scheduled for 2nd Tuesday, 9am Pacific
Exploring paid workshops and corporate training as revenue streams
Need for clear fundraising objectives and targeted campaigns
Implemented asking for donations at recent events, raising ~$100
Developing a standardized pitch for donations across chapters
Exploring targeted fundraising for specific initiatives (e.g., conference attendance)
Considering paid workshops and corporate training as revenue streams
Need for clear objectives to motivate donors (e.g., empathy tent at conventions)
Monthly finance meetings scheduled for 2nd Tuesday, 9am Pacific
Exploring pro bono or low-cost legal support for non-profit matters
Working on improving pitch and messaging around movement-building
Considering advanced training programs and paid facilitation opportunities
Emphasis on framing efforts as part of larger empathy movement
Potential New York Times opinion piece on empathy bridging political divides
Discussion of "leveling up" messaging in newsletter to convey growth phase
Schedule next finance meeting for May 13th, Tuesday 9am Pacific
Explore potential paid workshop and corporate training opportunities
Research t-shirt designs, suppliers. Draft initial wording "I support building a culture of empathy". Coordinate w/ Ingrid on shirt quality, colors. - WATCH (5 secs)
Research t-shirt production, fulfillment logistics. Coordinate w/ Bill on design, quality, colors. - WATCH (5 secs)
Contact Manny re: potential t-shirt design input. Draft donation pitch language based on Buddhist Retreat Center model. - WATCH (5 secs)
Draft, publish unified donation pitch incorporating Valerie's & William K's input - WATCH (5 secs)
Forward Valerie's email w/ donation pitch to William Kingsbury - WATCH (5 secs)
https://otter.ai/u/ZDX-oKHeTmhT_jAQJGVbLJmTAXY?view=summary
The meeting focused on the Empathy Circle's progress and future plans. Bill Filler reported on the successful training and new participants, while Ingrid Hirtz shared insights from a powerful empathy event in Phoenix. The group discussed the need for better scheduling and the potential of T-shirts to raise funds. They also considered improving the donation pitch and exploring partnerships with companies for merchandise. Edwin Rutsch emphasized the importance of clear financial goals and the potential for paid workshops and advanced training. The next steps include finalizing T-shirt designs and refining the donation pitch for upcoming events.
[ ] Bill and Ingrid to investigate t-shirt designs and options for selling them.
[ ] William to approach Manny about designing t-shirts.
[ ] Ingrid to research partnering with companies like Life is Good to promote empathy t-shirts.
[ ] The group to create a standardized pitch for donations to be used at events.
[ ] Ingrid to invite attendees to the May 13th finance-focused meeting.
[ ] Edwin to summarize the group's ideas about financing the movement in the next newsletter.
Ingrid Hirtz suggests starting the meeting and discusses the duration, considering one hour and a half.
Edwin Rutsch and Bill Filler express flexibility but mention their limited availability.
Ingrid Hirtz proposes an hour-long meeting with a short round of empathy sharing.
Bill Filler shares his recent activities, including sending out buddy lists and certificates, and expresses happiness about the training.
Ingrid Hirtz shares her experience from an Amplified Empathy event in Phoenix, including grounding exercises and deep sharing.
William Kingsbury highlights the emotional depth and impact of the event, comparing it to therapy.
Ingrid Hirtz and William Kingsbury discuss phrases coined by participants, emphasizing the transformative nature of empathy circles.
Ingrid Hirtz plans to align her schedule with training schedules and set up regular events in Phoenix.
William Kingsbury expresses concern about low energy but feels encouraged by new participants.
Edwin Rutsch reflects on the value of perseverance and gratitude for regular participants.
Edwin Rutsch and William Kingsbury discuss the importance of a core group and the need for new people to sustain the movement.
Edwin Rutsch suggests keeping the bigger picture in mind, including the empathy movement and its potential impact.
Edwin Rutsch discusses the need for a bigger picture and the potential of empathy to bridge political and social divides.
Edwin Rutsch considers writing an opinion piece for The New York Times to address empathy issues.
Edwin Rutsch emphasizes the importance of creativity and innovation in generating income for the movement.
Edwin Rutsch and others discuss the potential of the left to embrace empathy as a solution to current issues.
Bill Filler proposes creating T-shirts with the message "Building a Culture of Empathy" and selling them to support the movement.
Ingrid Hirtz suggests involving the community in the design process to create attractive and wearable T-shirts.
Edwin Rutsch and others discuss the logistics of merchandising, including design, fulfillment, and sales tax.
Ingrid Hirtz suggests reaching out to companies for partnerships to create empathy T-shirts and generate revenue.
Ingrid Hirtz and others discuss the importance of clear financial goals and the need for a formalized pitch for donations.
William Kingsbury suggests creating a uniform pitch for fundraising across all chapters.
Ingrid Hirtz shares her experience of asking for donations at an event, emphasizing the importance of the bigger context.
The group decides to improve the pitch and consider revisiting the question of charging a small fee for online training.
The group decides to move forward with the T-shirt idea and improve the pitch for donations.
Edwin Rutsch mentions working on a presentation on the definition of empathy and plans to create paid workshops.
Bill Filler discusses the potential of charging for advanced training and facilitation in schools and companies.
Ingrid Hirtz suggests summarizing the ideas in the next newsletter and inviting people to join the movement and support financial efforts.