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ContributionsThere are many ways to contribute to the work of ASK-Solutions. In addition to time and knowledge, materials, tools, machines, parts, equipment and other resources can also be directly useful within the work of the foundation and its projects.
These do not always have to be new items. Equipment, tools or materials that are no longer being used somewhere can gain new value within other work. What is useful depends on the purpose, the project and the way in which the work is concretely implemented.
Much practical work requires materials and resources that are used, processed, repaired or put back into use. A contribution can therefore take many different forms: from a box of fasteners or electronic components to hand tools, a machine or equipment for a workspace.
Hand tools, measuring equipment, workshop machines and specialist tools can be useful for repair, maintenance, education, workshops and project work. Older equipment can also be of interest when it is safe and technically usable or can be responsibly restored.
Wood, steel, filament, fasteners, electronics, cables, mechanical parts and other project materials can be used directly in practical work. Offcuts and leftover materials can also be valuable when their dimensions, quantity and quality suit the work.
Computers, electronics, machines and other technical items do not always have to be written off when they are no longer being used. They can sometimes be put back into use, serve as a source of parts, or be used to support repair, research and knowledge sharing.
A contribution is most useful when there is a realistic application for it. Projects and concrete implementations can differ in available space, equipment, activities and possibilities for storage and processing. Something that is useful within one implementation may not be suitable somewhere else.
For larger machines, large quantities of material, unusual substances or items that require maintenance or repair, it is therefore useful to coordinate in advance. This allows us to determine whether there is a suitable destination and helps prevent useful items from ultimately having to be stored or disposed of.
An item that is contributed does not necessarily have to be used in the same form in which it arrives. An older machine may be put back into use after maintenance, equipment may contain useful parts, and leftover material may become part of a repair, test piece, workshop or technical project.
In this way, a material contribution can support practical work, knowledge sharing and reuse at the same time. The starting point remains that there should be a genuinely useful application within the relevant work or project.
This website describes the types of contributions that are possible in general. Concrete needs are maintained as much as possible within the project for which the contribution is needed. Where a project has different concrete implementations, this information can be specified further by the people responsible for a particular implementation.
The project The Owl’s Nest is a clear example. This project is built around a shareable work model that can be implemented by different operators at different locations. One implementation may therefore need tools for maintenance or materials for workshops, while another may instead need parts, electronics, equipment or facilities for a coffee corner.
The project The Owl’s Nest is built around a shareable work model for practical work, learning, making, repairing and working together. Operators can implement that model at different locations and may need different materials, equipment and facilities.
Concrete needs can therefore differ by operator and implementation. The project website provides information about ways to contribute and about the different implementations of the work model.
Depending on the phase of the project, the project Bōzuki may be able to use parts, materials, tools, technical equipment and other contributions related to design, fabrication, electronics and documentation.
The project website describes which forms of contribution are possible and what is currently needed.
Not every contribution consists of materials or equipment. Sometimes space, transport, access to a facility or making a practical resource available can make the difference. An organisation can also, for example, make something temporarily available without transferring ownership.
If you can offer something and it is not immediately clear where it would fit, you do not need to choose a project or concrete destination yourself first. We can look together at which work or project may have a useful application for it. Where a project has different implementations, it can then be coordinated where the contribution fits best in practice.
A financial contribution can support the public-benefit work of the foundation more broadly or, where this is administratively and practically possible, be designated for a particular project or a concrete implementation of that project.
With sponsorship, appropriate visibility is agreed alongside the contribution. Where and how a sponsor is mentioned depends on the work, project or concrete implementation to which the sponsorship relates.
What is needed changes with the work. Projects can therefore publish current requests when specific materials, equipment, parts or other support are needed. For projects with different concrete implementations, such a request can be specified further by the relevant operator.
Updates and examples can also show how previous contributions have been used. A contribution does not always have to match an existing request, however. If you have something available that you think may be useful, you can also discuss it directly with us. Where a suitable destination exists within a project, further coordination can take place with the people responsible for that work.
Do you have materials, equipment, parts or something else available and are you unsure where it could be useful? Get in touch with us.
Would you prefer to make a voluntary financial contribution instead of contributing materials or equipment? See the available payment methods and information about possible designations.
In addition to materials and financial resources, you can also contribute time, knowledge and practical effort to ASK-Solutions or one of its projects.
Explore ASK-Solutions projects to see where different forms of technical, practical and social contributions can be put to use.
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