April 2024 Membership Drive: Keeping Fanworks Safe

The OTW has recently completed two surveys with our project users to find out more about what they know about our work. In our 16th Anniversary Survey, 87% of the 67,474 fans who responded said that they had never heard of OTW's Open Doors. However, in our International Fanworks Day (IFD) 10th Anniversary Survey, over 60% of survey takers said they did know that the OTW preserves fandom archives, although only 28% knew that we help preserve physical fanworks as well.

So we'd like to put a spotlight on the important work that this OTW project does. Open Doors began in 2009 by facilitating donations of fan creations, such as zines, audio and video tapes, and ephemera, to academic libraries who house and preserve them. In 2012, they began the first of over 100 digital archive imports to AO3. This project imports archive content in all languages and formats.

In 2022, they went one step further and created the AO3 Fanzine Scan Hosting Project, through which fanfiction and fanart originally published in print fanzines is imported to AO3.

When you support the OTW, you support the work of Open Doors and all our projects in preserving the history and works created by fans over decades. And for those who are able to donate, we have some items we think you'll find worth keeping as well!

Our IFD survey revealed that over 11% of the survey takers had created fannish poetry. But if you haven't yet, with a US$75 donation you can try your hand at it with our new poetry magnets featuring fun fannish words!

For a US$40 donation, we now have a new sticker set of animal themed OTW + project logos.

You can also set up a recurring donation and save towards the gift of your choice. Just select the gift you want, and if the total for that donation doesn't reach the amount needed for the gift you selected, future donations will be applied. Those of you in the U.S. might also be able to double your contribution via employer matching: contact your HR department to find out if this is an option for you.

A donation of US$10 or more will also allow you to become a member of the OTW. OTW members have the right to vote for the Board of Directors — the OTW’s governing board. You have until June 30, 2024, to become a member if you would like to vote in this year’s election, which will be held in August.

We hope that many of you will take this opportunity to donate to keep Open Doors doing their work, as well as Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. And for all of those OTW members who are renewing their membership, thank you for your continued support!

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The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.