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I want the Love Donna Flora event to be as transparent and open as possible and will bring the major decisions to the community for discussion and decision. The first TOUGH decision is about the issue of split-donations. Please let me lay out the issue, open this plurk up for discussion and then I will post a second plurk for voting.

Here are the bare bones of the two sides of the issue. I assume the discussion will flush it out more thoroughly. The goal is to come to a democratic decision, openly and with fair and frank discussion. Since some people have deeply felt opinions on both sides, consensus is not possible, but I hope that the discussion will allow both sides of the issue to support whatever decision the majority votes for.

What does support mean when you disagree with the result? It means accepting the process and agreeing to disagree. It does not mean that you have to attend, to shop or to donate, but that you will not actively criticize and disparage the event. I hope that with an open, community-driven decision process that we can short-circuit that kind of criticism. My fingers are crossed.

100% Donation Only: Some designers will not participate if the event has split donations because they feel it is unseemly to make money on an event for someone’s illness. It feels, to them, like profiting off someone’s illness. Several events have proven to be very successful with 100% only. It is possible that more exclusive brands will participate if there are no split donations

Split Script: Some designers will not be able to participate if they cannot split the revenue. If we think of it as a percentage of their monthly production, it is a huge donation. We don’t ask people in RL to give up 15% of their income. This will give more people the opportunity to help, including people who cannot afford to help otherwise. Several events have been very successful with split scripts. It is possible a wider variety of brands can participate if there are split donations.

Here are Three proposals

1) Only 100% donation items allowed.
2) Designers can choose between 50%, 75% and 100% donation.
3) Designers must have one 100% item and may add 2 additional items that they may split at 50 or 75%.

Rules of Discussion:
Stick to the merits, the pros and the cons of the different proposals.
Assume the motives of others are as positive as your own.
Remember the goal is a successful event, not winning a debate.