The laws on these matters are complicated, and getting more so because of the numerous initiatives coming from Washington and elsewhere in response to the economic situation. *That* part that needs to be in professional hands, not in the hands of unqualified well-wishers.

So … by all means, participate in the brainstorming on the SaveCubeSpace blog. There are probably better tools for such things than a WordPress blog, such as Mind Maps and Dialogue Mapping (http://borasky-research.net/?q=node/15), but the community here knows WordPress, so that’s what it’s going to be.

http://www.savecubespacepdx.com/blog/?p=18

The energy of the community appears to be overwhelmingly behind CubeSpace, and I trust in the “Win-Win” principle of negotiations. I am willing to contribute my time *in those areas where I am qualified*. I’ve signed up to do two one-day courses in those areas. But I am not an attorney, an accountant, or a journalist. So I’m willing to leave those areas to the professionals, and I think we should all do the same.

My main point was that the immediate donations may get CubeSpace out of triage, but won’t fix the underlying condition. Instead of being reactionary it is better to be strategic to find a way to get through the next year. Just my unsolicited opinion.

We enjoy helping and understand that this is a tough economy, but feel there is a way to pull out of it. If we just stand and do nothing and let business fail all around us, the economy is just going to keep falling.

I understand we can’t save them all, but one who truly gives back to the community deserves to stick around.

Thank you Eva and David – CubeSpacePdx

I hope to help in any way I can.

CubeSpace has helped shape the Portland Tech Community into what it is today. Without Eva and David, where would WordCamp, BarCamp, or any of the various user groups be held? How many startups have started their journey at cubespace?

I for one know the benefit of a place like this, and would hate to see such a prominent venue for Portland tech entrepreneurs go under.

In general, I think I agree with Devils Advocate on most counts. Eva and I did not intend to ask the community for money. We threw out the idea that additional investors might help us stay afloat. We didn’t necessarily see it as likely. We certainly never considered asking for donations. But others did. Slate Technology put up a site asking for donations on our behalf. Torfino auctions put up an auction on our behalf.

I agree that there are issues with people “donating” to a for-profit business. I agree that there are questions about whether we’ll be able to make a go of it moving forward.

Eva and I are, in fact, more comfortable with people pledging money to CubeSpace/us than we are with donations at the moment. We’d like to figure out what plans we have with pledged money and then give people the opportunity to give or not depending on how they feel about our plan. That’s not how this is working, though.

People are donating because they feel like we’ve provided value in the past and want us to continue to provide this value in the future. We are humbled by this, daunted by it, and trying to figure out which way is up.

We are so appreciative to this community, even as we feel undeserving of what you all are offering us.