We owe you a status update. The Pamalogy Society has still not incorporated as of the time of this writing. The plan is to release the podcast and watch that grow for a while. For any public charity to get a start, a broad base of supporters is required. That’s a challenge for us because the philosophy of awesomeness is new for most people. They don’t know why they should give their time, talent or treasure. We have to share what we are, what we stand for, and what we are doing. Our new blogcast is possibly the best mechanism for accomplishing that.
Waiting
It’s been suggested that we go ahead and incorporate with the members we already have. That way we could obtain a 501(c)3 status faster and start asking for grants and donations. With that money, we could start incubating worthy projects immediately. Money does make a big difference. But even more vital than money, is people volunteering and supporting a charity for the right reasons. We need one year to grow first. We need a planting season, a cultivation season, and then finally a harvest season. We need to sow by disseminating information. We need to cultivate by working with our early stage volunteers. And then, when the right formula for talent and treasure exists, we can utilize those resources to guide a growing society into the maximization of its awesomeness with an abundant harvest and watch it multiply. Our leaders need to arise as podcast listeners, blog readers and Pamalogy 101 graduates.
I personally think asking for money up-front would be a mistake. As true as it is that it is a mismatch for me as a founder of something so visionary to earn my living driving Uber while I wait for sufficient funding to serve as a full time executive director, I also believe it is essential that from this core base of volunteers, that leaders should arise, sharing and improving on my own vision. Be patient with us while we get this gradual start with such humble beginnings.
Very Humble Beginnings
I know what you’re thinking. Why did I wear such casual clothes when I made the Pamalogy 101 videos? Here’s the back story…
We made those videos from the retail space we rented at Railroad Square before COVID put an end to physical gatherings. We were located between two major colleges – FAMU and FSU in Tallahassee, Florida. We provided comfortable couches to relax on. The casual dress was part of that atmosphere. We were picturing an inviting place, where people could be themselves and bare their souls as we discussed Pamalogy.
The storefront was tiny. It was a humble place to reach out and a good learning experience. I had interacted with tens of thousands of students while driving for Uber and Lyft. If that many quality conversations could take place on short rides, what would happen if those same students also had a place to come and stay – maybe follow up on that “mind blowing” experience they so often said they’d had. “Best Uber ever.” I can’t tell you how many times I heard this. I can’t tell you how many amazed looks I saw on faces. It was a lot.
Sadly, I do have to report that there has been a signficant drop in the quality of rideshare Pamalogy discussions since COVID. The mask is a major conversation inhibitor. When wearing a mask, my glasses get foggy. Of the approximate 50,000 passengers I’ve driven in the past seven years, about 30% were discussing Pamalogy prior to COVID but that number has dropped to as little as 5%.
Still, the uber conversations have been very encouraging to me and still are. The rides are always comfortable and conducive to open conversation, like cabby confessions. When I opened the storefront, I didn’t want to dress any differently there than I did in my car. Often, I’d stop there for breaks while driving, or make appointments. Making the Pamalogy 101 videos from the store seemed appropriate, although an office would have been better than a store front. But I wanted visibility. I wanted people to drive by and see the Pamalogy logo on the sign by the storefront.
Naturally, I always wore my Pamalogy hats while Ubering and that didn’t change when serving at the storefront. The top hats were conversation starters and I still always wear one. I’ve always promised to give away a Pamalogy hat to anyone who took our free course, and I’ve delivered on that promise 100%. Better yet, the offer still stands. This begs the question of how we can sustain it. We are willing to bet that if anyone learns what Pamalogy is and earns a hat, they will be happy to donate to the Pamalogy Society.
Then that cool looking hat won’t be my conversation piece; it will be theirs. It will be ours. It could be yours. It’s how you spread news about things. Hence the distinct Pamalogy logo of steam punk top hat with sprocket. I know it clashes with some of the clothes I was wearing in the Pamalogy 101 videos. Whether in a car or in a video, there is no question it stands out. That’s the point. But we don’t always dress up.
The Hats
You should be aware that how to dress fashionably with a top hat was at the heart of why we chose the top hat for the logo in the first place. When wearing a top hat, a person must ask what the occasion is. When asking what an occasion might be, one must consider what types of things must take place in their life to justify those occasions. In every case, it’s something awesome. There’s either some wonderful musician or artist wearing it, or a magician, or a wealthy philanthropist at a fundraising ball, or a politician influencing the world among the very wealthy. Or perhaps, it is a wedding, a very wonderful wedding one is attending, or standing in a place of honor as a groomsman.
Sprockets and symbols on our hats represent various achievements as Pamalogy Society members. You’ll hear more about that over time. Just know, that the hat is a challenge. I can buy them in bulk and sew on symbolic badges to honor those who’ve earned them. When you see it, understand it’s purpose. It is there to ask you what you could be, what you could do. How will you maximize your awesomeness? How will that top hat be justified by occasions in your life that call for its placement on your head?
The Plans
Good things take time and some of those things take money. Because I spend my time Ubering and don’t have a core of video volunteers, just about all the work you see is done by me. I’d like to redo Pamalogy 101. It deserves good graphics. I would redo it all and make significant improvements if I had time. I prioritize my work. I’m a full time student at Arizona State University online. I’ll graduate in December at the current pace. I’ll add to the BA in music composition I earned in 1980 and the MTh in theology I earned in 1995 a degree in interdisciplinary studies with concentrations in organizational leadership and philosophy. I felt this degree would help me develop the skills I’ll need to serve as executive director of the Pamalogy Society and so far, that’s turned out to be true. Worth it. Going to school full time while working full time has robbed me of the time it would take to also make improvements to Pamalogy 101, but I want you to know that a redo of that course is planned. It will happen sooner rather than later only if volunteers suddenly rise up, but I don’t expect a host of volunteers to appear until the blogcast has thousands of followers. I’m thinking the Pamalogy 101 redo should take place in Spring 2023, or so. Just guessing on that.
The Needs
Near term, we need a vice president and a secretary of the board of directors. I have a volunteer VP, but that person would not be capable of replacing me. I am looking for another me to fill that role. I do want to make sure I’ve had my say about my own vision, but I am not irreplaceable and do plan to leave the Pamalogy Society to the world as a legacy. The treasurer position is filled. We do still need to fill the vacancy for secretary of the board. I am committed to diversity and inclusion from the board through the whole organization. Those who speak English as a second language are of particular interest if they can write in English and communicate what Pamalogy is and is doing in their own language. We could technically incorporate with the volunteers we already have for the board, but we are holding off until passionate Pamalogists are insisting they help.
By incorporating, obviously, we can start asking for donations. This will involve grant searching and writing. We have the know how but need to put in the hours. Having money to free people up to ask for money seems somewhat circular but makes sense when looking at the numbers. There are many foundations and grants available that we could write, funding a variety of activities on our agenda. Communicating what Pamalogy is is part of that and is first priority.
Setting up an incubation program is also a high priority. We want to fund and provide human resources for worthy projects, such as those found on JamesCarvin.com. It’s in our mission statement. It’s how we think awesomeness can best be maximized, not just through words, but in action, as the podcast explains. The incubation program is a high priority, but being realistic, we can’t offer volunteers that we don’t have. That places it into the long term category. We’ll do it as soon as we can. For today, it will suffice to see that we have priorities that make sense. Our readers and listeners should be in touch wit us in real time. You should know our progress and know our pain as we anxiously wait times when we can do much more than we are presently capable of.
With the right leadership, there is little we can’t do. If you have any questions about all this, or want to help, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We want to change the world. We want it to be as awesome as possible. We want you to join us and contribute what you can.
Thank you!
James Carvin
561-906-2888
