There are positives and negatives to marketing and visibility strategies for a small program situated within a large company. On the positive side, New Roots has access to the many avenues through which the IRC promotes itself and its clients, including Facebook posts, email blasts, and community events. Often, IRC programs..
Donation needs for New Roots often center around the emergency food pantry, and garden supplies. The IRC receives a great deal of community support, and the Development team often receives offers from community members and companies for donations to certain programs..
The New Roots program has the benefit of access to the IRC’s volunteer and communications systems, the most notable of which are a large existing pool of on-call community volunteers and a dedicated Volunteer Specialist who manages requests for volunteers..
Good Cheer uses a variety of methods to keep the organization visible to the community. Social media is a quick, simple way to tell stories and generate interest in volunteering or donating..
Whidbey Island has a large community of homeowners engaged in growing their own produce, as well as numerous fruit trees located around the South end. The food bank sees a steady flow of produce donations from the community during the growing season, and the fruit tree gleaning program was created to help prevent excess fruit from going to waste..
Good Cheer relies on over 3,000 hours of volunteer service each month, performed by around 200 volunteers. Whidbey Island is a tight-knit community; news travels mostly through word of mouth, and relationships are key to engaging and retaining volunteers..
Overview: In light of the need for quality and healthy meals for food-insecure people, community meals are an excellent way to bring folks together while making sure everyone has access to good food without barriers..
Marketing and Visibility During the first year of the Community Food Projects, the VISTA’s work has primarily been building relationships – and therefore visibility and recognition – within the local community, specifically among other emergency food relief and food security groups whose partnership will be…
The Community Food Projects developed by the first-year VISTA have not so far included volunteers because they are primarily still in the development phase. Volunteers have also been readily available when needed through the structure of each project. The first community meal pilot under the program provided a weekly lunch while a local meal-providing agency (Salvation Army) was taking an administrative break over the summer months..
When volunteers sign-up, they are put on an email listserv (e.g. MailChimp). When a gleaning event is scheduled, an email is sent out to volunteers. If email is not an option for some, take the time to call them; it is worth it!