Overview:

What is the mission of the DC Maker’s Guild?

The District of Columbia Makers’ Guild (DCMG) is a non-profit organization that exists to unify the District’s independent maker community, raise awareness of and communicate appreciation for the quality and diversity of the locally-made artisan goods industry, and influence public policy decisions that create a business environment which allows our industry to continue to grow and flourish.

Who is on the Guild Board? 

Topaz Terry, President | Owner + Maker, Bicycle Trash and Amend + Adapt 

Katie Stack, Treasurer | Owner + Maker, Stitch & Rivet 

Lisa Ramber, Secretary | Co-owner + Maker, Kuzeh Pottery

Carlos Carmonamedina | Owner + Maker, DC is My City 

Adam Godet | Owner + Maker, Godet Woodworking 

Samantha Testa | Owner + Maker, Right Place Studio

Who is the Guild Staff? Why is the Heurich House Museum involved?

The Heurich House Museum manages the Guild through their Small Business Development program which focuses on supporting small-scale manufacturers in DC and also founded and runs the DC Brewers’ Guild. 

Utilizing the knowledge gained from working with numerous manufacturers, the Heurich House Museum’s Small Business Development program has and will continue to provide legal, operational, and consultative support to the Guild in its first few years. This not only allows the manufacturers time to focus on their individual businesses, but also broadens the scope of knowledge and experience available to create and incorporate the Guilds.

Leading the Guild is founding Heurich House Museum CEO and nonprofit attorney Kim Bender, who has experience in forming and leading several nonprofits and Alex Fraioli, Director of the Heurich House Museum’s Small Business Development program. Alex earned a master’s degree from the Business School at American University and also runs an independent marketing and design business. 

The Heurich House Museum hosts normal museum things like tours, events and exhibits, but believes that house museums should be dynamic and relevant to modern communities. For the last decade,their Small Business Program has supported thousands of small scale manufacturers through programs such as their annual Christmas Markt, Mini Markts, and management of the DC Brewers’ Guild.

What is the budget for the Guild? 

Currently, the Heurich House Museum financially sponsors the Guild. Money raised from the (D)rafts and (C)rafts festival in addition to t-shirt sales (purchase yours here) will serve as seed money for the Guild. For the first couple of years, the organization will be primarily funded by membership dues with support from fundraising events. The strategic plan outlines how the Guild plans to develop  a self-sustaining organization with diverse revenue streams over the next 3-5 years.

How is the Guild different from other organizations which have formed over the years in DC?

The Guild is by makers, for makers. The only voting members of the organization are makers themselves, which also means the Board of Directors will only ever be composed of makers. The Guild is a nonprofit, which means every dollar collected by the Guild must be spent towards operations and programs of the Guild. The staff for the Guild have over a decade of experience working alongside makers and running self-sustaining non-profits. It is the role of the staff to guide Guild members, who vote on which issues and programs the Guild will undertake within its work.

Guild Formation: 

How did the Guild form? 

In 2021, the Heurich House Museum was approached by a group of makers, whom they had worked with through their annual Christmas Markt, asking for help in forming a DC Maker’s Guild similar to how the Museum formed the DC Brewers’ Guild in 2011. 

The museum held an informational gathering about a potential guild, and anyone that expressed interest was invited to join a steering committee. Along the way, some people dropped off the committee. The people who were left on the steering committee when we were ready to incorporate became the initial board of directors. This is a pretty common way nonprofits are formed! 

What did the Guild do during 2022 & 2023? 

In 2022, the steering committee held meetings quarterly to brainstorm what the Guild could be. In early 2023 the Guild was officially incorporated as a 501(c)(6) - a nonprofit membership organization. The work done in 2023 was all about creating a structure for the Guild to operate and prepare for membership launch in early 2024. 

During 2022-3, The Heurich House Museum sponsored the Guild, working pro bono with the steering committee to incorporate the organization by creating the mission and writing bylaws, filing the necessary paperwork, setting a 3-year strategic plan, and building core values. 

The second half of 2023 year has been mainly focused on community outreach to partners that work with artisans and makers like Anacostia Arts Center, Congress Heights Arts Center, WACIF, Recast City, Made with Love DC, Takoma Collective, DC Shop Small, Femme Fatale, and more. The Guild will be holding more sessions throughout the end of the year and early next year!  

During 2023, the Guild also started raising funds through hosting the District’s first local producers’ festival (D)rafts and (C)rafts in partnership with the DC Brewers’ Guild as well as selling t-shirts.

What does 2024 look like for the Guild?

Membership will open at the end of February 2024. Guild members will be able to join committees where they will work together set-up plans for building resources both digitally and in-person, setting a legislative agenda, starting to develop educational classes for makers, and hosting maker meet-ups.

The Guild staff will run these committees and provide their non-profit management experience to guide members through the work. 

Membership: 

How can I become a member? 

The Guild will launch membership on Monday, March 4th at noon.

I am not interested in the legislative side of a Guild, why would I join?

Influencing public policy is one third of our mission, the other two parts - unifying and raising awareness - will include building various programs, educational tools, community events, and sales platform opportunities. The Guild is an organization that is created by, run by, and designed for makers. As a member you will have the opportunity to make the Guild what you want it to be alongside your community. 

A Little More Info: 

What is a Guild? Why did the board choose to use the term Guild? 

The term Guild comes from the medieval times where it represented a group of craftspeople or merchants, often having considerable power. These groups would have markers such as a seal or stamp that would validate the quality of their products. 

The modern meaning of this term is “an association of people with similar interests or pursuits.” Therefore “DC Makers’ Guild” = DC’s Professional Association of DC’s Independent Makers, Artisans, and Craftspeople. 

How can I get in touch with a Guild representative?

Email the Guild staff at hello@dcmakers.org, or send us a DM on Instagram @dcmakersguild. You can also DM any of the Guild board members on their Instagram accounts.

How will you be inclusive of the entire city? 

The Guild is in the process of developing and undertaking a grassroots outreach plan which will include all 8 wards of the city and area and will invite everyone to join us.

One of the main issues that we face is affordable workspace in DC, what is your plan to address this? 

The Guild is aware of the longstanding affordable workspace issue in the region and plans to include this as part of our legislative agenda in 2024.

watch Virtual information session: 

Please note this video is from late 2023 and there may be new information available