OERF:Invitation to give the gift of knowledge

A strategic invitation - Join the OER Foundation as a Donor Partner or Contributing Member
In the spirit of open philanthropy, we extend an invitation to you, your department and/or organisation to join the OER Foundation in co-designing and collaborating on strategic and sustainable futures for education today.

The Open Education Resource (OER) Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that provides leadership, international networking and support for educators and educational institutions to achieve their objectives through open education approaches. I'm sure you've noted the 2009 Horizon report for Australia and New Zealand which prioritises open content as a significant technology that will affect the practice of teaching, learning, and creative enquiry.

WikiEducator is a flagship open content project of the OER Foundation. It is one of the world’s most productive OER wikis in the formal education sector. WikiEducator is a top 100K website with educators collaborating on the development and reuse of OER on a global scale. The OER Foundation is also home to the Learning4Content project, the world’s largest training initiative to build skills for collaborative OER development. We provide free training to thousands of educators from all parts of the world. (Our recent “WikiEducator Gives Back” online workshop attracted 420 educators from 50 different countries and we offer at least one online workshop every month).

OER is the means by which education at all levels can be more accessible, more affordable and more efficient --- and we can assist you in realising tangible benefits for your organisation from selective implementation of open education models. Joining the OER Foundation will:


 * Provide access to international thought leadership and networking for new models of financial sustainability and growth for your institution.
 * Help you to reduce the cost (and time) associated with the design and development of teaching materials. As a non-profit, the OER Foundation invests surplus funds in course development and members have voting rights to determine content development priorities.
 * Provide free access to professional training for your staff in OER approaches and international peer collaboration using new technologies and pedagogies.

Please review our membership categories (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum). Join educational leaders like Athabasca University, BCcampus, the Commonwealth of Learning, Empire State College (State University of New York), MSUglobal (Michigan State University) and Otago Polytechic as contributing members of the OER Foundation. We look forward to [mailto:wayne@oerfoundation.org making contact] to discuss any questions you may have and would be pleased to schedule a Skype or Gmail video conference at your convenience.

In the event that an OER membership is not appropriate for your organisation at this time, we ask you to consider making a small charitable donation to help support our efforts working at the heart of the education endeavour: sharing knowledge freely. Through your generosity, donations help support the technology infrastructure of the WikiEducator website and to provide free training for thousands of educators around the world. Donations can be made online, and there is a USD$200 “Donor Partner” category designed for organisations and individuals: http://wikieducator.org/OERF:Donate.

Please join our international network of educators, utilising innovative and proven growth strategies to realise the promise of open education. By working together, we are reaping the rewards. Donate now ...

With kind regards

The OER Foundation, [mailto:wayne@oerfoundation.org email].

Links and Further Information

 * Inaugural Annual Report of the OER Foundation: http://oerfoundation.org/files/OERF-Report_2009-Pre-Audit-version.pdf
 * Membership levels and benefits: http://wikieducator.org/OERF:Join
 * Founding member status is awarded to all institutions joining before 31 December 2010
 * Join immediately online: https://oerfoundation.org/oerf/ (The OER Foundation will contact you to discuss needs and how to support you in achieving your objectives.)

Selected Media Links

 * Launch of the OER Foundation: http://wikieducator.org/Launch_of_the_OER_foundation
 * About WikiEducator, Otago Daily Times: http://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/84632/making-connections
 * Donation messages: http://wikieducator.org/OERF:Why_donate
 * Recent interview with Creative Commons (International): http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/2247

Why donate?
Prof Brenda Gourley, former Vice Chancellor, Open University, United Kingdom:

"'To have reached the stage where we are technically able to share knowledge and enhance education right across the world is a wonderful thing. This sharing, however, cannot be done at zero cost. Suitable, web-ready material needs to be adapted, designed and paid for by somebody. The costs are extraordinarily modest by the standards used before OER and the benefits beyond imagination. In these days of scarce resources we cannot let the enormous potential of an excellent OER venture like WikiEducator to founder on the rocks of under-funding. I would hope that those who can give (however modestly) are fired by its importance and far-reaching effects - and give generously.'"