How can i get involved in my community
7 Simple Ways You Can Get Involved in Your Community
By Alicia Sparks Akers on September 30, 2014
I spent last Saturday at a local music and arts festival and when I say local, I mean LOCAL. Organizers held the venue in my citys park, all food vendors were from mom-and-pop shops around town (no national chains), artists from around the area displayed their jewelry, paintings, clothing, and other merchandise, and all musicians were from within the tri-state area. I had a great time shopping, eating, and listening to great tunes with family and friends, and Im grateful for everyone who worked so hard to put together the festival.
Im a firm believer that getting involved in your community is beneficial for both your mind and your body. Theres a sense of connection, solidarity, and strength that comes from organizing or participating in an event within your own neck of the woods.
With that being said, below are seven ways you can get involved in your own community.
1. Look for Local Events
Keep an eye on newspaper and news station announcements. Whether its a music and arts festival, a performance by your local dance troupe, or a special presentation such as an outdoor movie viewing, GO!
2. Volunteer Your Time
There are TONS of ways you can volunteer your time. For example, you might volunteer as a dog walker for your local animal shelter or volunteer to read to the elderly at retirement homes. Just think about whats important to you, reach out to that organization, and ask!
3. Donate Your Resources
If you dont have time to volunteer, then donate. Actually, donate anyway! Some donation ideas include donating:
- Clothes and household goods to your local thrift shops or area Salvation Army or Goodwill.
- Food to your citys food bank.
- Bed linens to your towns city mission or homeless shelter.
- Books to area libraries.
- Food, cleaning supplies, and bedding to your local animal shelter.
NOTE: Theres DEFINITELY nothing wrong with donating money, too, but I feel like actual products get you more involved in the community.
4. Shop Locally
Buy from local vendors. I purchased the cutest handmade bracelet from the festival, and there were paintings and clothes there, too. You can also skip the Big Box grocery stores and shop with locally owned grocers or at farmer markets.
5. Join a Class or Group
Two summers ago I joined a running class hosted by a track runner from one of my states universities, which surprise! is located in my city. I met like-minded people, learned more about an activity I enjoy, and spent registration money you guessed it locally.
My town also has ongoing groups for runners, bikers (of the pedaling variety), and other outdoor activities.
6. Support Your Local Sports Teams
You might not even be aware of how many sports teams surround you. Think about it. Does your town have a Little League? What about a Minor League? Think about high school and college sports teams can you go support them? Remember: Players play because they love the game, but seeing fans in the stands can make a world of difference.
7. Organize Your Own Event
OK, so maybe you don’t feel qualified (or have enough time) to organize something as involved as a music and arts festival or marathon, but that doesn’t mean you can’t team up with a few friends and organize a fun event! Think about special kids’ events at the library, car washes to raise money for your church, or putting together goodie baskets for hospitals and retirement homes.
Your turn! How do YOU get involved in YOUR community?
Photo by Elaine Casap on Unsplash.
How to Get More Involved With Your Community
Start » Strategy
Giving back to the community is crucial to building trust and personal relationships with your customers. Here’s how to get more involved with your community.
By: Nicole Fallon , Contributor
Looking for a way to give back to the community? Organize volunteer opportunities like park clean-ups or food drives.
— Getty Images/SDI Productions As a small business owner, giving back to your community is a win-win situation. Not only are you supporting important local initiatives and organizations, but you’re also forging connections with your customers and showing them you care about what’s important to them.
“Consumers appreciate businesses that not only want to sell but genuinely care about the needs of the communities they’re in,” said Deiver Montes, co-founder of Avalon Sports. “There’s no better way to build rapport with your community than getting involved at a local level.”
In addition to helping your company gain more exposure and ultimately more business, donating your time, goods or financial resources to a worthy cause can also “help to improve employee morale and make improvements to the community and neighborhoods surrounding the business location,” added Helen Varvi, deputy director of Wellspring Center for Prevention.
Here are six ways to get more involved with your community and give back as a business.
Donate to local charities
Donating to a charitable cause or local nonprofit is a simple yet effective way to give your community the tools it needs to make a difference. This is a good entry point for businesses that want to give back, as it’s often as easy as clicking a button on a website or mailing a check. You might also consider donating products or offering pro bono services to community organizations for even greater brand exposure and community impact.
[Read more: What Is Corporate Social Responsibility?]
Serve on a board
Joining a board, such as a nonprofit board, business organization board or school board, is a great way to get involved with your local community and to help serve the community’s needs. These boards also offer an incredible opportunity to network with other local leaders and make important connections that can contribute to your business’s future growth.
Sponsor local events and sports teams
Nearly every community hosts local events and organized sports teams.
Sponsoring these events or teams allows for an opportunity to be a part of your community culture, while also generating valuable engagement and positive public relations for your business.
Volunteer your time
One of the best ways to get involved in your community is by getting hands-on experience and volunteering. Pick a cause that is important to you and your team and aligns with your brand values, and plan a day to volunteer together. Aside from supporting the cause, you’ll be building team camaraderie and contributing to a positive company culture.
“When a business’s mission or founding purpose aligns with a similar or specific community organization, it is an awesome synergy,” said Melanie Fountaine, co-founder and COO of Joshin. “For instance, if a business works with families with special needs, supporting a local nonprofit for people with special needs is a win-win. It creates a relationship and feeling of connection.”
[Read more: 7 Wellness Benefits You Can Offer Employees]
Consumers appreciate businesses that not only want to sell but genuinely care about the needs of the communities they’re in.
Deiver Montes, co-founder of Avalon Sports
Join your local chamber of commerce
Your local chamber of commerce is a centerpiece for business in your community. Getting involved with your own allows you the opportunity to network with other small businesses in the area. It also gives you the opportunity to become among the leading experts in your industry.
Participate in online community forums
Most communities have a website or news publication where local residents and organizations can connect with each other via an online forum. Adam Eisenberg, senior editor of community engagement at hyperlocal publisher Patch, recommends this as an effective way for businesses to stay in touch with the community and its needs.
“Local businesses were hit particularly hard during the coronavirus crisis and the ripple effects are still being felt over a year later,” Eisenberg told CO—. “Neighbors and local customers want to support local businesses now more than ever.
Getting involved in these conversations can help forge real, lasting connections between local customers and small businesses in the community.”
[Read more: Building Your Reputation in the Community? 3 Tips for Getting Involved]
Whatever way you choose to give back, make sure it’s authentically aligned with your brand and its values, as well as important to your local community overall.
“Be transparent and authentic in [your] interactions with local customers,” said Eisenberg. “Customers build affinities for businesses when there's more to the experience than just a transaction, so the more ways businesses can find to engage local customers and get them involved in their efforts to give back, the more likely they are to see those efforts pay off.”
“Whatever you do, you do it from your heart, whether it’s donating your time, talent or treasure,” added Pat Mathews, co-founder of Avalon Sports. “The more genuine and authentic you are, the better it [will] be received and appreciated.
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Published May 07, 2021
How to offer to take surveys in communities and social networks?
Answered by Svetlana Ratner, UX Research Lead at SKB Kontur.
If we are talking about communities on the topics of "product creation", "research", "customdev" - I consider recruiting in them a bad idea and will resort to it only as a last resort.
First of all, people who are too similar to you sit in such chats, and we conduct research to expand our understanding of the audience. Even if the target audience of the product is formally gathered in the chat, I recommend looking for more dissimilar respondents - this way you will get more insights. nine0005
Secondly, community members may react negatively to your request. At a minimum, they will discuss what an impudent person you are, at the maximum - ruin your reputation and that of the company. Then it will be more difficult to ask for expert help from the community.
Content
- Respondents’ motivations
- How to write a text asking you to take a survey
- Examples of good survey invitations for members of the product community
- Conclusions
- More to read about surveys
Respondents' motivations
Most requests for help with research are: "I'm doing a series of interviews" or "We want to do research.
" But how is this useful to a potential respondent? The questioner is so obsessed with his tasks that he does not think about the needs of the interlocutor. I'm not talking about the "bun", which must be offered in return (on the contrary, it can harm), but about the needs that a person satisfies when participating in research. nine0029 It is useful to keep these needs in focus when you are choosing a channel for finding respondents, formulating a message, and writing an invitation.
I identify three main motives that drive research participants:
- Pragmatism. The respondent expects to receive profit from participation in the study: problem solving, access to a limited resource, financial reward.
- Selfishness or the desire for recognition. Some people like to feel like they're experts - it adds value and tickles the ego. nine0018
- Altruism. There are people for whom it is important and pleasant to help others.
The most useful motive for a researcher is pragmatism, and it is in the context of “the ability to solve your problem” through communication with an expert (interviewer).
A pragmatist who is on fire because of an unresolved problem will give the most relevant and useful feedback about your idea. Such a respondent does not need to pay remuneration, on the contrary, he himself is interested in buying your solution. nine0005
The most dangerous motive for an explorer is altruism. Since the main need of the altruist is to help, he can agree to the study, but at the same time he will not be the target audience. As a result, you will get irrelevant feedback and waste your time. Therefore, it is dangerous to invite friends “from the first circle” to the study - they agree so as not to leave you in trouble.
How to write a text asking for a survey
We found that pragmatism is the most appropriate motive for respondents. To attract pragmatists, it is important to write the invitation correctly. I am guided by three principles: benefit, personalization, respect. nine0005
Benefit - trying to describe the benefits of the offer for the survey participant.
Personalization - we try to describe the characteristics of the respondent as accurately as possible so that the person recognizes himself. Invitations "for everyone" work worse. Ideally, you should write not in a chat, but in a personal message to community members. If you follow the community, you know who your offer might be relevant to (keyword search sometimes helps).
Respect - we try not to burden the respondent with unnecessary work: we do not ask you to fill out large screening questionnaires or choose a slot for a meeting in your calendar. We take care of most of the organizational hassle.
The correct message might sound like this:
“Hello! Are there those who are faced with the problem of pricing in Saas-services? .
I want to test our assumptions." nine0078
I recommend trying several different approaches and seeing which works best. Recruiting respondents is also a constant experiment.
We write about product management and development in the make sense and product thinking telegram channels.
Examples of Good Survey Invitations for Product Community Members
If you've tried different search channels and there's nothing left but chat for Product Managers, here are some examples of Product Community Invitations:
- Write a useful article for participants related to the research topic or your product, and invite them to share their opinions - in the comments to the article or directly in the chat. Active commentators can be invited to participate in the study.
“Friends, hello! We collected 10 typical difficulties when implementing product X in teamwork and recommendations on how to avoid them (link to the material).
I wonder if those who use X in this chat have experienced any of this? If you tried to use it with the team, but it didn’t take off, tell me what went wrong. I will be grateful and add your case to the article. If you haven’t tried it yet and are thinking about it, write too, I’ll come in a personal to ask about doubts. ” nine0078
- Organize a related event and invite interested people to join.
“We want to get to the bottom of the difficulties that come with implementing Product X, and we're hosting a champagne and pineapple party in our office (a freebie for the pragmatist). Write to me if you implemented X and want to talk about it (call for selfish experts). If you haven’t implemented it, but are just planning to, come too, learn about the pitfalls and how to avoid them (a call for people with a problem).” nine0078
Recruit suitable respondents at or after the event.
Why you're doing surveys wrong and how to fix it
- In the expert community, ask for expert help.
Hello guys! Need advice. I can’t find suitable respondents in any way - I’m looking for directors of online stores who
This approach will hook altruists and selfish experts. Experts will want to teach you and you will get fresh recruiting ideas. Chat members who meet the requirements and don't mind helping you can respond.
An example of a good survey invitationConclusions
- Avoid using product communities to find respondents.
- Focus on the needs of potential respondents. Ask yourself the question: “What will the respondent benefit from participating in my study?”. nine0018
- The most relevant feedback comes from pragmatists. Design the invitation in such a way that pragmatists with a pronounced problem are the first to be hooked.
- Use three principles in your invitation: utility, personalization, respect.
- Try different search channels and different send options.
More to read about surveys
- How to find insights with remote moderated UX tests
- Why you're doing surveys wrong and how to fix it
- Where and how to look for respondents for interviews and surveys in foreign markets (EU, USA)?
- What keywords should be used to search for the problems and pains of the target audience in specialized forums and chats?
- How to improve communication skills?
Participation in the SharePoint developer community
Twitter LinkedIn Facebook E-mail address nine0005
- Article
- Reading takes 2 minutes
There are many ways to participate in the SharePoint (SharePoint PnP) developer community.
Here are some options:
- Participate in Microsoft Tech community SharePoint developer group discussions
- Participate in and join discussions in SharePoint video meetings
- Showcase your example, solution, or architecture design during a SharePoint Community Hangout
- Point out and resolve issues with GitHub repositories in the SharePoint GitHub organization.
- Pointing out issues in the GitHub issue lists to help other users figure out where they can be helpful. nine0018
- Provide input for new feature requests in Feedback Portal: SharePoint..
Why should I contribute?
By working on official articles, samples, and open source projects, you can be sure that your work will receive maximum exposure in the official channels from Microsoft. We'll also verify your contribution in a monthly summary (see April 2019 Update Contributors for an example). We will also credit your company if you submit your logo and allow us to use it.
nine0005
Why not link to examples from my repositories?
This implies a certain type of responsibility. Since the links to the examples are hosted on the official SharePoint Developer Portal, we need to make sure that we control the content of those examples. We cannot link to repositories or articles that are not controlled by Microsoft because we must ensure that information linked from Microsoft-controlled sites is available.
If you submit your samples to a SharePoint organization on GitHub, we make it as easy as possible to maintain them. nine0005
I have a SharePoint development sample. Can I add it to the repository?
Yes, of course. Simply submit a pull request to the appropriate GitHub repository and we will process your proposal, usually within a few days.
We're working on some cool SharePoint development best practices. Can we share this?
Yes, of course. Recommendations and articles are certainly welcome where they are needed.
