[Communications] CCGA volunteers opportunities in your new community in Chicago

[Lorraine Kells]

Hello Asha,

Thank you for responding to those questions and offering suggestions. I've
just contacted others on the communication team to set up a zoom meet. You
may already have told me what works for you, but I didn't make a note of
it, so what works for you?

Lorraine

On Sun, Sep 8, 2024, 1:41 PM Asha Coutrier <acoutrie at gmail.com> wrote:

> Good afternoon Lorraine,
>
> I do have experience with WordPress and I have been looking at joining the
> garden at 65th and Woodlawn :)
>
> Also, after looking through the website, I found some areas where CCGA
> could make their information more easily accessible!
>
> Links on the front page of the website (like those underneath the
> Neighborhood Garden Network tab) either lead to empty webpages (
> https://www.petersongarden.org/lander), facebook pages,
> https://m.facebook.com/GrowingPride/), or sometimes an email ((GET
> Gardening (Englewood) get.gardening at yahoo.com).
>
> It would be more cohesive and easier to navigate if the pages led to a
> database/ one page that listed all the available contact information for
> these organizations.
>
> There's also a lot of click-through people have to do in order to do
> things like joining the forum, so if we make it easier for people to
> sign-up for that we can apply the same strategy to the newsletter, and
> could garner more subscribers.
>
> I suggest we start utilizing Airtable as it's a super inexpensive method
> of organizing the complex streams of information we have into a singular
> database. It has integrations for WordPress, Instagram, Facebook, Gmail,
> and all the current apps we utilize for organizational management.
>
> For example: If someone wanted to sign up for a gardening plot, we can
> have a list of the plots available on Airtable, and people can use the form
> integration to submit their requests. As those requests come in, we can
> easily visualize who might want the same plot, what isn't available, and we
> can begin to assign them. There will always be a record of who is assigned
> to the plot and as the owners change, we can update the Airtable entry with
> the new owners.
>
> We can also keep a list of organizations we partner with in Airtable and
> the most recent communications we have had. It's a super multifaceted tool
> that we can do a lot with before having to purchase a license. I have
> attached a link to their website for your reference and can gladly put
> together a demo for your review to better visualize the proposed solutions.
>
> Airtable: https://www.airtable.com/solutions/operations
>
> I look forward to hearing back from you!
> Best,
>
> Asha Coutrier
> e: acoutrie at gmail.com
>
> On Thu, Sep 5, 2024, 5:50 PM Lorraine Kells <lxkells at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hello Asha,
>>
>> I hope you had a pleasant holiday; it was quite lovely weather for
>> Chicago.
>>
>> I want to resume our conversation about CCGA and move things forward more
>> quickly for you.  I'm wondering if you've found a garden in or near Hyde
>> Park to join. Being a part of CCGA starts in one of the community gardens.
>> Our website has a map of community gardens that we're continuing to update
>> with information about each garden, steward's contact, and bed
>> availability, and more.  Please take a look at it and tell me if you find
>> it user friendly.  It's what we need our intern to work on.  Please
>> familiarize yourself with the website so you can direct questions to us,
>> and you can begin with this email.
>>
>>
>> https://chicagocommunitygardens.org/community-garden-network/ccga-community-garden-map/
>>
>> We have a social media presence with our Facebook and Instagram accounts
>> which is an important part of making connections with community gardeners,
>> to engage with them, let them know about workshops, distributions of plant
>> material, and sharing posts with partner organizations. If you haven't
>> visited our page, it's
>> https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoCommunityGardenersAssociation/
>>
>> We love that you have working knowledge of photoshop and mailchimp. Are
>> you familiar with WordPress which we use for the website? We 're a pretty
>> simple set up and we look forward to meeting you soon via zoom.
>>
>> Best,
>> Lorraine
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Aug 27, 2024 at 6:37 PM Asha Coutrier <acoutrie at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Lorraine,
>>>
>>> I understood and apologize for the over enthusiasm conveyed in my last
>>> email.  I am mainly available during the afternoons of Wednesday-Friday
>>> from 12-4 PM. If that allotted time isn't convenient for the committee, I'm
>>> sure I can work with a group time that you all propose.
>>>
>>> Thank you again for the consideration and I look forward to talking with
>>> you all soon :)
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>> Asha Coutrier
>>> e: acoutrie at gmail.com
>>>
>>> On Tue, Aug 27, 2024, 6:23 PM Lorraine Kells <lxkells at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Asha,
>>>>
>>>> I hoped you understood the internship is a consideration and not a firm
>>>> commitment yet. We want to meet with you on zoom and go over a number of
>>>> things.
>>>>
>>>> This is a committee decision. Please understand we are very interested,
>>>> but will want to meet and talk with you on a zoom call.
>>>>
>>>> L
>>>>
>>>> What is a good time for you? The rest of the team will try to make
>>>> something work.
>>>>
>>>> Regard,
>>>> Lorraine
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, Aug 27, 2024, 4:37 PM Asha Coutrier <acoutrie at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Good afternoon Lorraine,
>>>>>
>>>>> It's wonderful hearing back from you, and I would love to join the
>>>>> team as a paid intern! I have a plethora of experience creating newsletters
>>>>> through MailChimp, designing social media content with both
>>>>> Canva/Photoshop, and acting as an overall communication liaison on behalf
>>>>> of my managers in each of my professional positions.
>>>>>
>>>>> This would be an awesome opportunity to exercise my creativity while
>>>>> offering my toolkit to an organization with an amazing mission. I would be
>>>>> able to start as soon as possible :)
>>>>>
>>>>> Thank you so much for this opportunity!
>>>>>
>>>>> Best,
>>>>>
>>>>> Asha Coutrier
>>>>> e: acoutrie at gmail.com
>>>>>
>>>>> On Tue, Aug 27, 2024, 4:25 PM Lorraine Kells <lxkells at gmail.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hello Asha,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We received an email from you last July, the 3rd in fact; however, we
>>>>>> were on our summer break and did not respond in a timely manner.  Likely we
>>>>>> missed your short visit to Chicago as well.  We hope to make amends.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You mentioned combining your love of gardening with your professional
>>>>>> background in August when you'd be moving to Hyde Park.  Here we are in
>>>>>> August, and we are impressed with your professional background, by the way.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Writing articles and monthly newsletters  is something we would find
>>>>>> very useful on our Communications Team, if you would consider joining that
>>>>>> working group as a volunteer, even as a paid intern. The internship would
>>>>>> be a short term position. The Communications Team is an all volunteer small
>>>>>> group tasked with  creating and managing all  aspects of CCGA
>>>>>> communications, including writing and producing this newsletter, the
>>>>>> CCGA website and social media channels, marketing and technical
>>>>>> support for workshops, the annual conference, virtual events, fundraising
>>>>>> campaigns, and anything else that may arise.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We're looking for someone with a zest for the task and a willingness
>>>>>> to engage people! We’re hoping to expand our team to support our technical
>>>>>> goals. If you have web support experience, public relations or
>>>>>> graphic design experience, enjoy photography or videography, like engaging
>>>>>> with social media, or just like connecting with people, let us hear from
>>>>>> you Asha.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Best,
>>>>>> CCGA Communications Team
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
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