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

[Lorraine Kells]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Asha Coutrier <acoutrie at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Sep 8, 2024, 3:39 PM
Subject: Re: CCGA volunteers opportunities in your new community in Chicago
To: Lorraine Kells <lxkells at gmail.com>
Cc: JW Glass via Communications <communications at chicagocommunitygardens.org>,
Amy OLSON <akeo at me.com>, Mamie <mamie.gray2012 at gmail.com>


Good afternoon Lorraine,

I have open availability this Thursday if that works for the committee?

Best,

Asha Coutrier
e: acoutrie at gmail.com

On Sun, Sep 8, 2024, 3:25 PM Lorraine Kells <lxkells at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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