Our Organization

Over 400 volunteers and donors have contributed their hard work and creativity to LaunchPad's various projects during our first year.

Over 250 members are involved in projects: contributing skills, art, materials, equipment, and financial backing, planning events, art installations, classes and workshops .

Each Semi-Autonomous Working Group (SAWG) has 1-3 Co-Anchors - a coordinator and understudy, two co-bottom-liners, its up to each group - to cooordinate its project and to represent it on the LaunchPad Council. For purposes of any democratic vote, each working group casts one vote.

The LaunchPad Board of Directors (Council) is made up of those people who have made a minimum 3-month commitment to coordinate a specific project (SAWG). The Council sets policy on a consensus basis.

LaunchPad's Director is, for the present, the steward of the LaunchPad vision, responsible for steering the group in healthy directions, negotiating contracts & partnerships with other organizations, and making sure the board's decision's are respected. The Director makes the call when financial or legal obligations necessitate that a decision be made on short notice.

Each SAWG  has its own mandate, mode of operation, and representation on the LaunchPad Council.
Below is a listing of current or in-the-works SAWGs, their Anchors’ descriptions, and contact addresses:

Education Coordinators - recruit teachers, plan & schedule classes, schedule spaces. planned areas include eco-friendly trade skills, circus skills and other performing arts, sculptural and other visual arts skills, bike maintenance classes, comp tech, job placement, small business mentoring..
 contact: education@l-pad.com

Bicycle shop & library anchors - acquire donations, recruit & staff workdays, set schedule, produces fundraisers, promo/signage.
 contact: bikeshop@l-pad.com

Computer Lab Stewards - acquire & maintains hardware, software. work with education coordinator and volunteers to create classes and staff open hours, promo/signage.
 contact: complab@l-pad.com

Shop Stewards - works with director/constr coordinator to develop a system of monitoring tools, insuring people using tools are qualified to use them w/o damaging them. works with class schedule coordinator to develop skills classes. keeps track of consumables, shop budget, schedule meetings/workdays of volunteers/members as s)he sees fit.
 contact: shop@l-pad.com

Art Studios - to be determined. Studios recently opened for rent. Art studio issues may fold into shop, or take on their own identity.
 contact: j@l-pad.com

Event Coordinators - schedule, staff & publicise events, any needed meetings or workdays.
 contact: events@l-pad.com

Community Garden Coordinators - make sure garden is mapped, raised boxes built, stocked with compost and then topsoil, plan what will be planted where and when. keeps track of tools, compost, watering, worm-bin, promo/signage. schedules meetings/workdays.
 contact: communitygarden@l-pad.com

Art Coordinators - coordinate mural projects, sculpture garden, indoor gallery space and signage for LaunchPad.
 contact: art@l-pad.com

Indie Media Initiative - acquire equipment, publicise event, prep space and cleanup, acquire styley consciousness-expanding films..
 contact: imi@l-pad.com

Space Design - responsible for looking ahead, seeing that our space design predicts & allows for the needs of this rapidly expanding & evolving community. priorities are flexibility, lighting, eco-awareness, cost. Design person consults specialists as needed, schedules meetings/workdays.
 contact: j@l-pad.com

Construction coordinator - builds according to the design. schedules meetings/workdays.
 contact: j@l-pad.com

Support crew – this crew of specialists serve the whole organization rather than just one project. The Human Resources person helps find the volunteer coordinators & specialists.Microecon Mgrs - keep track of LPad fund, keep track of $LPad flow, develop microeconomy, monitor overall budgets and overhead, develop long range financial plan. Non-profit process herder guides us through the process of acquiring 501(c)3 and related stuff. PR person writes copy for website, brochures, flyers, grant writing, acquisition, press releases, etc. Grant writers & acquisitions work to acquire funding for various programs, maintains wishlist, work on in-kind donations and sponsorship from other institutions. Documentarians - make sure the perfect photo-op of an event or process is not missed, keep track of LPad history in photos & documents. Webmaster - design & build LPad website, working with director, responsible for acquiring content from PR person, documentarian, teaching coordinator etc.
  contact: supportcrew@l-pad.com


Most of the departments/SAWGs are often looking for new co-anchors or interns. In particular, we are currently seeking new people for Comp lab, Microecon Mgr, IMI.

New projects/SAWGs can be proposed at any Council meeting by anyone who has a new idea.