TOWN TIP #1: Engaging Your Town

FT Campaigns Intern August 19, 2014

Community Org BadgeReaching Goal #3: Engaging Your Town

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Goal #3 is all about engaging community organizations. To reach this goal you will need to complete the following:

  • Based on population size, your town will have a certain number of community organizations offering a Fair Trade product.
  • This means getting a commitment from community organizations like schools, places of worship and even offices to serve, use, or sell Fair Trade products.

 

The Obstacles

The Solutions

Knowing who to partner with Do a quick Google search to find what organizations exist in your town. For example: find nonprofits that work with sustainability issues and search their website for the appropriate staff to contact.  First, ask how you can help THEIR organization. Present Fair Trade to their staff with the goal of connecting to their mission. 
Discovering which Fair Trade products to source Suggest appropriate products for each organization. For example, Fair Trade hand lotion at a receptionist’s desk, Fair Trade protein bars at a yoga studio. Click here to see more suggestions.
Finding time to outreach Delegate, delegate, delegate! Make a plan for each committee member to approach 1 or 2 organizations a month. Let each member pick organizations they are interested in or have connections to. 

 

Guidelines to help prepare yourself for the fall:

  1. At your next meeting have everyone make a list of community organizations they are associated with. For example: where their kids go to school, doctors’ offices they visit, congregations
    20 Window Clings

    The Fair Trade Town Campaign in Healdsburg, CA purchased window clings for retail locations and community organizations to display in their windows.

    they attend, community organizations they are members of, places they volunteer, any organization that they donate to, where they do yoga, gyms they attend, rec centers they use, where they take their pets, where they work.  All of these organizations are places where coffee and tea are served or a product is sold that could be Fair Trade (yoga gear, small gifts, etc). Each committee member should be given the goal of contacting 1 or 2 of these organizations each month. This best practice is better than cold calling.

  2. A quick Google search will give you ideas of who to contact. To search organizations close to you, type “your town” plus “organization type”. For example: by searching “Boulder nonprofit”, “Boulder church”, or “Boulder school” gives you hundreds of places to start.

 

Answer the Question:  How have YOU successfully engaged your town?

 

Check out our other resources:

Fair Trade Product Placement List

Fundraising Resource

Community Engagement Letter

 

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FT Campaigns Intern,