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

[Lorraine Kells]

Asha,

At least 3 of the four of us will definitely meet with you on Thursday. I'm
so glad this is finally happening. We've found time for 2 to 3 pm, or
starting at 3pm  Let us know more closely what works for you.  We are
looking forward to this and will send you the meeting link soon.

Lorraine

On Sun, Sep 8, 2024 at 3:24 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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