Welcome to the GoG!

[skysweep 541]

 

Hello, and welcome to the Gallery of Goodwill! We hope youll enjoy your stay.

So what exactly do we do?

What we are here to do is to do good things with this community we love so much, and hope we can inspire others to do the same!

 

Scattered throughout the different threads are the different topics on things you might want to know about this project, and enough space to discuss it. It doesnt matter if youre an artist, a potential beneficiary or someone who thinks this is a cool idea, there is space for everyone here.

 

Thanks for your time, and I hope you will stay and help us in our journey to help others!

 

This thread is here for announcements, important guidelines and stuff like that. If you want to partake in the GoG, we will assume you read everything in here since all the really important stuff goes here.

 

Just a few things to note. We have just a few guidelines on how to act around here. Some youll have seen on MLP Forums, some are more specific to us. But in general:

 

• Respect others and be kind (i.e don’t be mean)

• Be fair about requests (don’t beg or harass for them, don’t be selfish)

• No NSFW or other 18+ stuff or links to them

• Do not bring arguments or fights and/or start them here.

• If you have issues, bring it up with a staff member (Do not abuse them).

• Community staff/Poniverse staff have final say in what is and isn’t appropriate.

 

Keep to these and youll be fine.

Thanks, and we hope to see you around!

 

So what are we up to now?

We are finding new ways to reach out! There is so much we wish to do, and we are discussing how we can do that to reach more people!

We also are looking to partner with various mental health charities around the world; helping people struggling with difficult times is what we are set up to do!
 

 

[Artimis Whooves 1,576]

Aloha peeps!
some of you may know me, but for those who don't; Aloha! I'm Artie :]
I'm the PR guy for GOG. I'll be doing the best I can to get GOG out there.
I like games, movies, shows, music, dumb photo-shopped stuff, comics, and pineapples [in no particular order].

If you have any questions or ideas you wanna run by me, feel free to do so! All my contact stuff is on my profile.

[LordSwinton 759]

On 4/27/2018 at 11:18 AM, skysweep said:

Lord Swinton (Co-Founder and Deputy Head)

As stated above, I'll be lending a hoof to @Skysweep in handling things 

Hit me up if you need anything!

[ambergerr 77]

On 4/27/2018 at 3:18 AM, skysweep said:

Ambergerr (Co-Founder and Deputy Head, Dept Lead of Systems and Development)

That would be me!  Thanks for your interest in our growing project, we hope you stick around! 

[LadyGabes 32]

Hii! I'm new on the forum. I'm here for voluntary as an artist blep

I'm not 100000000,00% brony, but i watch the show and i love it, also have one piece on my dA gallery where i turned myself into a pony, so, heheh

I like to make people happy, and i really want to be useful so hhhh

I don't have a ponysona. I guess it is my version as a pony like i said before, who knows

I'm brazillian! So, if i make a gramatical mistake, please don't be angryy ;U;

I'm 15 and i love Loki rip

Here's the piece i talked about (it was a base because i was lazy LMAO) (but i can still draw alone don't screm)

[Feather Spiral 1,892]

Henlo .3.

I was wondering if I could join as a volunteer, I mainly write but I can also draw. Plus, I essentially have nothing to do until I get a decent job somewhere. (Perhaps as a beneficiary too, except nobody here knows about my problems.)

But I have difficulty grasping certain things about this whole Goodwill business... Does it have anything to do with the Goodwill charity I've read about?

Sponsors in particular confuse me the most; seems like they're there to ensure the legitimacy of requests. Making sure the beneficiary is genuinely feeling down in the dumps, how's that gonna work? Will my friend 'A' have to tell a complete stranger 'B' all about their problems (which they may be uncomfortable with) until 'B' is sure 'A' needs the support?

I also have been talking to a few people in need of some cheer, but they don't know anyone here and I'm not sure they'll wanna share their feelings with strangers (even if I vouch for you peeps). I might as well just take it upon myself to write or draw something, but my motivation for spontaneous gifts has slithered its way into the sewers, for several personal reasons.

That should be all for now, thanks in advance.

Edited July 9, 2018 by Feather Spiral

[skysweep 541]

On 7/10/2018 at 1:07 AM, Feather Spiral said:

Henlo .3.

I was wondering if I could join as a volunteer, I mainly write but I can also draw. Plus, I essentially have nothing to do until I get a decent job somewhere. (Perhaps as a beneficiary too, except nobody here knows about my problems.)

But I have difficulty grasping certain things about this whole Goodwill business... Does it have anything to do with the Goodwill charity I've read about?

Sponsors in particular confuse me the most; seems like they're there to ensure the legitimacy of requests. Making sure the beneficiary is genuinely feeling down in the dumps, how's that gonna work? Will my friend 'A' have to tell a complete stranger 'B' all about their problems (which they may be uncomfortable with) until 'B' is sure 'A' needs the support?

I also have been talking to a few people in need of some cheer, but they don't know anyone here and I'm not sure they'll wanna share their feelings with strangers (even if I vouch for you peeps). I might as well just take it upon myself to write or draw something, but my motivation for spontaneous gifts has slithered its way into the sewers, for several personal reasons.

That should be all for now, thanks in advance.

Hi! Let me go through your questions point by point. 

If you do want to join, there is a form here to fill in; we will get to you as soon as possible.

https://goo.gl/forms/KyclTrwGI2tCvPdc2

 

Well we dont really have anything to do with the Goodwill charity. Simply including the word "goodwill" in a name can simply mean that we are just here to help out. 

 

Unfortunately, as much as we would like to believe that everyone is here legitimately asking for requests and help, we have seen quite a few instances where people come in looking to score some free art. As we do have a limited number of artists working on limited numbers of requests, letting a less than honorable request slip through takes that opportunity away from someone else. Simply not screening cases isnt an option; it encourages the wrong kind of behaviour and defeats the purpose of having this project to begin with.
However, as always there is significant difficulty in balancing the need to ensure art is given to the right people, without it getting in the way of what we intend to do. Thus, no solution we could ever offer would be perfect; there will always be pros and cons to every approach. I know we dont say much, as we are all volunteers who are often busy with IRL stuff, but we are open to suggestions from anyone. Having a pool of ideas helps the process somewhat, and everyone can chip in, in some way. 

The idea of a sponsor, at least in the way it was conceptualised was to have a specific group of people who do a little investigating into who the request is supposed to be for. For instance, it can be to find out what they like about the show and what needs to be drawn to give them some hope in what theyre facing. They would also try to offer some comfort and personal interaction with people; simply issuing artworks whenever someone faces trouble makes the artwork rather meaningless. In that case, we may as well issue stock pictures with the person's OC tacked on. The intention of having the artwork drawn, by volunteers specificially for them is to encapsulate whatever problem they are going through, and to show that they arent alone in this. 

Of course its not entirely necessary for the beneficiary to regale the whole story if they do not feel comfortable. However, it does help the process a lot of they are willing to share at least a few aspects or a short summary of what they are going through. If person "A" for instance is facing study stress from school but doesnt want to regale the blow by blow account to a sponsor "B", they can say that they are facing difficulty in school; they do not need to explain why or how any of this came about, just the reality of what they are facing. With that description, the artwork is made far more meaningful than just our OCs hugging theirs, but rather showing a community supporting them through their personal problem, whatever it may be. If they dont want the artwork displayed in public because it makes them uncomfortable, then it can also be kept private; its their artwork after all, and we will respect their decision on it. 

What this hopes to do in terms of securing the process is to put some roadblocks in the way of the opportunistic dishonorable person; it will require them to get a co-conspirator to agree on a story, who will not be able to get an artwork in return; we do see the vice versa trick in the request records and strike both requests off the list and blacklist them. Faking accounts wont work either; it will tip off a sponsor if the accounts of either the requester or the beneficiary are brand new. Of course none of these measures will deter the dedicated scammer, and they were never meant to. If you put in actual effort to try and scam a charitable project out of an artwork, id wonder why you would stoop to so low a level just to save yourself a couple of bucks when you should be supporting the wonderful talent the fandom has to offer. 

Sorry for the long answer, but i hope it does address all of your questions. 

I hope to see you around volunteering soon!

 

 

 

[Dabmanz 2,139]

On 7/12/2018 at 12:55 AM, skysweep said:

Hi! Let me go through your questions point by point. 

If you do want to join, there is a form here to fill in; we will get to you as soon as possible.

https://goo.gl/forms/KyclTrwGI2tCvPdc2

 

Well we dont really have anything to do with the Goodwill charity. Simply including the word "goodwill" in a name can simply mean that we are just here to help out. 

 

Unfortunately, as much as we would like to believe that everyone is here legitimately asking for requests and help, we have seen quite a few instances where people come in looking to score some free art. As we do have a limited number of artists working on limited numbers of requests, letting a less than honorable request slip through takes that opportunity away from someone else. Simply not screening cases isnt an option; it encourages the wrong kind of behaviour and defeats the purpose of having this project to begin with.
However, as always there is significant difficulty in balancing the need to ensure art is given to the right people, without it getting in the way of what we intend to do. Thus, no solution we could ever offer would be perfect; there will always be pros and cons to every approach. I know we dont say much, as we are all volunteers who are often busy with IRL stuff, but we are open to suggestions from anyone. Having a pool of ideas helps the process somewhat, and everyone can chip in, in some way. 

The idea of a sponsor, at least in the way it was conceptualised was to have a specific group of people who do a little investigating into who the request is supposed to be for. For instance, it can be to find out what they like about the show and what needs to be drawn to give them some hope in what theyre facing. They would also try to offer some comfort and personal interaction with people; simply issuing artworks whenever someone faces trouble makes the artwork rather meaningless. In that case, we may as well issue stock pictures with the person's OC tacked on. The intention of having the artwork drawn, by volunteers specificially for them is to encapsulate whatever problem they are going through, and to show that they arent alone in this. 

Of course its not entirely necessary for the beneficiary to regale the whole story if they do not feel comfortable. However, it does help the process a lot of they are willing to share at least a few aspects or a short summary of what they are going through. If person "A" for instance is facing study stress from school but doesnt want to regale the blow by blow account to a sponsor "B", they can say that they are facing difficulty in school; they do not need to explain why or how any of this came about, just the reality of what they are facing. With that description, the artwork is made far more meaningful than just our OCs hugging theirs, but rather showing a community supporting them through their personal problem, whatever it may be. If they dont want the artwork displayed in public because it makes them uncomfortable, then it can also be kept private; its their artwork after all, and we will respect their decision on it. 

What this hopes to do in terms of securing the process is to put some roadblocks in the way of the opportunistic dishonorable person; it will require them to get a co-conspirator to agree on a story, who will not be able to get an artwork in return; we do see the vice versa trick in the request records and strike both requests off the list and blacklist them. Faking accounts wont work either; it will tip off a sponsor if the accounts of either the requester or the beneficiary are brand new. Of course none of these measures will deter the dedicated scammer, and they were never meant to. If you put in actual effort to try and scam a charitable project out of an artwork, id wonder why you would stoop to so low a level just to save yourself a couple of bucks when you should be supporting the wonderful talent the fandom has to offer. 

Sorry for the long answer, but i hope it does address all of your questions. 

I hope to see you around volunteering soon!

 

 

 

Ive heard of the GOG a while ago but did not completely understand it till now. This is a really good idea.

[LordSwinton 759]

On 9/13/2018 at 7:30 AM, Dabmanz said:

Ive heard of the GOG a while ago but did not completely understand it till now. This is a really good idea.

 

Thank you! I'm glad you understand what we do now X3