TAFA: The Textile and Fiber Art List (A project of Rayela Art)

What does your business do?
TAFA's main mission is to provide markets for its members. It also helps them streamline their presence on the web. Each member has a member profile on our site, www.tafalist.com, with a bio on who they are and widgets of their places on the web. We have communities on facebook, flickr and etsy. The idea is that by banding together, we can access buyers that would not normally find us if we were promoting our businesses alone.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
Every bit helps as TAFA builds its presence. The membership fee is low to encourage struggling, small businesses to apply and we do have ads that help support the site. But, we have not had enough to really move the organization into the places that it needs to be. $1,000 could buy us a voice that we don't have right now. We need to join other trade associations and advertise in a couple of leading magazines. These are expensive and we will choose whatever fits within that budget that would be most beneficial for the TAFA members.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
Oh, TAFA has already earned credits that way to last a lifetime! Most of our members are women and a great many of them are completely lost on the web. They know how to navigate a bit, but have no clue on how they need to use social media and other tools that are out there. TAFA has given them free direction and assistance when they voice their distress. We will set up many tools on the new website which will be free for them. In helping them become better at what they do, it stands to reason that they will also help their peers.