Founded in July 2023, Stichting Otterdam is a Dutch nonprofit that enables anthropomorphic (“furry”) arts and culture through productions, collaborations, resources, and information.
Staff and “Volundiertjes”
Stichting Otterdam started with a series of “Otterdances” in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. With the 2024 Otterdam Furry Arts Festival we moved into our current direction, creating events for more-diverse audiences.
Board of directors
| Voorzitter / Founder | Tom Geller (“Jack Newhorse”) |
| Secretaris-penningmeester / Founder | Christiaan de die le Clercq (“Techwolf/Arumar”) |
Staff volundiertjes
Online
* Server manager: Tail
* Application manager: Tail, Arumar (Pretix)
* Web designer: Buck
* Web manager: Jack
Documentation and Communications
* Documentation manager: Tail
* Library manager: OPEN
* Social media manager: OPEN
Money
* E-commerce manager: Jack
* Grants manager: Jack
Operations
* Human resources manager: OPEN
* Physical assets manager: Zara
* Transportation manager: Zara
Event volundiertjes
We couldn’t throw events without help! See the [link]Productions[/link] page to see who helped out at each one.
Our principles
- Furry is social, psychological, and spiritual. It’s entertainment and participation. It’s a platform for creative expression; but it’s also walking down the street or sitting in a room. It’s seeing yourself and others in an interesting way. Stichting Otterdam celebrates all of these.
- Stichting Otterdam operates within general society and strives to always be good neighbours, colleagues, partners, and citizens. It seeks out places where a furry presence enriches an experience, along with experiences that enrich furries. We make furry more accessible, we don’t evangelise it.
- Stichting Otterdam operates at a professional level. We aim to be transparent and welcome critiques for improvement. We employ (and pay for) high-quality tools, experts, and best practices.
- Warm welcomes, not private jokes. Every Stichting Otterdam project must be as accessible to the first-timer as the “greymuzzle”, regardless of background or incarnation.
- Having good people is important. Blocking bad people is more important.
- Stichting Otterdam is demand-driven. It seeks out ways to fulfill its mission without duplicating efforts. If someone else is doing it well, we don’t do it.
- “Let’s not do it” is always an option. Sometimes it’s the best option.
- Culture, not cult. Communities of identity are too often cliquish, closed, and hostile to “mundanes”. Stichting Otterdam’s policies aim to broaden its operational base. Staff, board, and volundiertje positions should be transferred frequently, both to prevent consolidation of power and to develop talent within our community.
- Stichting Otterdam recognizes that a tight-knit group such as the furry community will be changed by bringing it in contact with new audiences. It sees this emergence of furry arts and entertainment as inevitable, with or without our involvement. It aims to honour and respect that community while enhancing it through new venues and ideas.
- “Geen woorden, maar daden.” We judge ourselves and others by actions, not proclamations.
Partners
We’re proud to have partnered with these organisations for past initiatives. Would you like to join them? See our Collaborations page.
