86 Sponsor

This page is for current Noisebridge community members considering sponsoring someone's return from the 86 page. Read this carefully before agreeing to sponsor anyone.

What Does It Mean to Sponsor Someone?

When you sponsor someone's return from the 86 page, you are putting your own social capital on the line. You're telling the community: "I believe this person has changed, and I'm willing to stake my reputation on it."

This is a significant commitment. If things go well, you helped someone get a second chance. If things go badly, the community will remember that you vouched for this person - and it will affect how much weight your future vouches carry.

Before You Agree to Sponsor

Ask Yourself These Questions

1. Do I actually know this person well enough? Not just their version of events, but their patterns of behavior over time?
2. Have I witnessed genuine change? Not just apologies, but observable differences in how they handle conflict, take responsibility, and respect boundaries?
3. Am I prepared to be present and involved? Sponsoring isn't just getting someone in the door - it's active involvement during their probationary period.
4. Am I doing this for the right reasons? Friendship alone isn't enough. You need to genuinely believe this benefits Noisebridge, not just your friend.
5. Can I articulate the harm they caused? Have I done the work to understand - from people who were harmed, not the banned person - what actually happened and who was affected?
6. Am I prepared to ask them to leave if needed? If their behavior regresses, can you be the one to enforce boundaries?

If you can't answer "yes" to all of these, you should probably decline.

Your Responsibilities as a Sponsor

Before the Return: Understand the Harm

Your primary responsibility as a sponsor is to understand the harm that was caused. This is non-negotiable. If you cannot articulate at a meeting what harm was caused and who was harmed, you have no credibility as a sponsor.

This requires extensive discovery:

• Read the 86 page entry - But don't stop there. The entry is intentionally minimal.
• Talk to people who were harmed - Not just witnesses, but the people who experienced the harm directly. Listen without defending.
• Talk to people who were present - Get multiple perspectives on what happened and the context around it.
• Don't rely on the banned person's account - They have every reason to minimize or reframe. You need independent understanding.
• Identify who would feel unsafe - Through your conversations, find out which community members would feel unsafe around, or be completely unwelcoming towards, the person you want to sponsor. This is critical information.

Only after you have done this work can you:

• Set clear expectations - Make sure the person you're sponsoring understands this is probationary and conditional
• Negotiate terms - Work with community members to establish what "probation" looks like: time limits, restricted areas, specific behaviors to demonstrate, etc.

During the Probationary Period

• Be physically present - When possible, be at Noisebridge at the same time as the person you sponsored
• Check in regularly - Both with the person you sponsored and with others in the community about how it's going
• Enforce boundaries - If the person violates terms of their return, you may need to be the one to ask them to leave
• Communicate with the community - Keep people informed about how probation is progressing
• Accept feedback - If people raise concerns, take them seriously. Don't dismiss them to defend your sponsee.

If Things Go Wrong

If the person you sponsored reverts to harmful behavior:

• Act quickly - Don't wait for it to escalate.
• Take responsibility - You vouched for them. Acknowledge that.
• Help enforce the consequence - You may need to be the one who asks them to leave again.
• Learn from it - This doesn't mean never sponsor anyone again, but it should inform your judgment going forward.

What Probation Looks Like

There's no standard template - each situation is different. But probation typically involves:

• A defined time period - Possibly some number of months
• Defined time windows - Spans of time when this person CAN be there, outside of which they should not be. This is the best way to make it possible for more skeptical community members to "titrate" their exposure to this person.
• Increased scrutiny - People will be watching more closely than normal
• Quick consequences - Less tolerance for behavior that would normally get a warning
• Regular check-ins - With the sponsor and community members
• Gradual trust-building - The person earns back trust through demonstrated behavior over time, not through a single grand gesture

Trust is rebuilt individually, not collectively. Different community members will come to trust the person again at different rates - or not at all.

What You're NOT Responsible For

• Making everyone like them again - That's not your job and it's not possible to force
• Their behavior after probation ends - At some point, they're responsible for themselves

Why This Matters

The sponsorship system exists because trust can only be rebuilt through individual relationships. There's no committee that can vote someone trustworthy. There's no form they can fill out.

When you sponsor someone, you're providing the bridge between the community's need for accountability and the possibility of genuine redemption. It's a valuable role - but only if you take it seriously.

If you're not willing to accept the responsibility and risk involved, it's better to say no. There's no shame in declining. In fact, declining when you're uncertain is itself a form of excellent community stewardship.

See Also

• Path_to_86 - How someone ends up on (and gets off) the 86 page
• 86 - The list of banned individuals
• Conflict Resolution - Overview of how we handle conflicts
• Mediation - The mediation process