The Community Relations Developer is responsible for promoting and growing an organization called i.c.stars within the local community. This includes giving presentations about i.c.stars' offerings, developing relationships with partner organizations, and recruiting participants for programs like web studio days. The position requires being goal-oriented, flexible, and passionate about spreading enthusiasm for i.c.stars' mission. Duties involve marketing, outreach, and staffing various community initiatives and events.
3. It is essential that the job incumbent be goal oriented; Achieving the organization’s strategic plan requires the incumbent to establish goals for marketing and recruiting and persistently work to achieve those goals.
4. The organization operates in a fast paced environment, so the ability to be flexible is crucial. The Community Relations Developer will discover how much work and dedication it takes to create the Community Leaders of tomorrow.
22. Looking Forward Tasks for next year. Implementation of systems to ensure we have the capacity and quality needed to facilitate Web Studios with our community partners. (Beginning documentation exists for this.) Prepare and develop Web Studio instructors with a clear understanding of the Web Studio teaching paradigm and objectives. How will information be communicated to and among the alumni community? Some suggestions… Develop Alumni Newsletter Gather Current Alumni Contact Info Post Alumni Meeting Minutes on the Vault Consistent Chair for AA meetings
Guiding QuestionsStep 1- How? Meet people, look online, read the newspaper, listen to the radio, keep your eyes open on the street…pretty much any and every way you can find out about orgs do it. Conferences, fairs, the list keeps going. Step 2- What are they fighting for?Step 3- Can they use a Web Studio? Would a Web Studio make sense for their clients and their organization? What are the organization’s technological needs?Step 4- Who has the power to book time in their org’s computer lab? That’s the person you want. Discuss Web Studio and its goal to provide technology access and education to create change. Discuss MoU. The MoU can be mentioned at this point or during Step 5. Step 5- Preferably the meeting will be at their space to prepare for how we need to set-up on the day of the Web Studio.
Step 1- Meet. Very much a carry over from the research stage. In addition to logistical info and organization history and mission its fulfilling and rewarding to ask questions like these: Who is the contact person, why do they do what they do? What do they spend their time doing? Why is their work valuable to them? Step 2- Memorandum of Understanding. Close the meeting with the signing of the MoU which should have been mentioned and discussed during the research stage (Steps 4 and 5). Keeps both of us on our toes. Step 3- Schedule a date for the Web Studio
Guiding Questions Intro- Bringing the participants into the story of i.c.stars and our vision. How will you as facilitator connect with the participants? What questions, what stories will make this Web Studio important to participants? What story connects you (the facilitator) to the mission of i.c.stars?Workshop- How will you, as facilitator, guide participants through the process? How will you structure the workshop so that participants will walk away knowing they learned something valuable and accomplished something worthwhile?Next Steps- Would you schedule another Web Studio with this organization? Why, why not? What went well? What can be improved? Is there a possibility for another Web Studio? Is there a possibility for i.c.stars to provide another technology need for the organization? Bridges, job opportunity, Project 4? From this step you can start the process over again with another organization beginning, of course, with research.
I began doing relational meetings with alums to discover 1 who they were, 2 what their relationship to the AA was and why and 3 what it was that they wanted. I call or e-mail and ask for 30-45min of their time. We usually meet at the studio or a coffee shop or bar. After the meeting I jot down a few personal notes as to how I can see the alum getting involved in an action. The wants I found had to do with the Alumni Association to be more effective in initiating change. The energy that came from those wants was translated into the Alumni Retreat, Alumni Service Day, the Digital Divide Project and Love Day. Those ideas started as seeds within a few alums- Retreat, Brandies Dunagan; Service Day, Tiffany Baggett; Digital Divide, Thomas Chatman; Love Day, Jonathan Ratliff –and I made sure they grew by meeting repeatedly and constantly agitating those who held the ideas.
Step 1- Know your reason to meet with the people you’re meeting with. Why are you meeting with this person? What can they give to contribute to the cause?Step 2- Ask. First, ask yourself what you care about and why it is that you care. If you don’t find passion driving you during a relational meeting the people you’re meeting with will sense it and will be reluctant to share their passion even if they are passionate. Ideally, during a relational meeting you’re talking about an issue you care so deeply about and sharing stories you think the whole world should know you’re passion is shared and sustains you and the other person. The aim is to build a relationship bound by a shared common interest in doing something to change the world. The best way to do this is to ask every relevant question you can think of to find out what this person cares about and why. What does she spend her time doing? What does she care about and why? Does she care about the same issues you do (hopefully the answer is yes), why?Step 3- Listen. Listen to the answers of your questions. I would advise that one cares as deeply about the person you’re meeting with as one does about the issue one is discussing. Preferably one cares about the person more so, regardless of any issues actually. Hey, we’re all in this together right?Step 4- Relate. A relational meeting is not an interview. A relational meeting is, well, a meeting to relate. Share your passion and your stories as you dig for the passions and stories of those you meet with. I’ve only said what’s been said before. ‘Roots for Radicals’ by Ed Chambers (especially Chapter 2) is a great introduction to organizing.
Step 1- Do a lot of relational meetings (see previous slide). No number specifically. You’ll know when you need to do more or could be spending your time in different ways. Step 2- Evaluation. In order for this step to be overwhelming a little evaluation should happen after each relational meeting. What have you learned about yourself, about the people you’re meeting? What pisses people off, what gets them out of bed in the morning? What anger, what passion is shared by people? What do folks say they want? What change in the world are folks willing to work for?Step 3- Synthesis. After the evaluation what action is necessary to bring about the change you want to make? What is shared among the people you’re meeting with?
Step 1- Know what you want. This should be clear from the synthesis. If it isn’t then you have some more listening to do. Step 2- Identify who to ask to get what you want- the target.Step 3- Ask the target for what you want. The asking is an action and should be powerful enough to get what you want when you ask.