Progress report
This is my first progress report and I intend to make a weekly report with daily logs.
September
Started work on the 17 September as an intern, with the title Marketing and International Programs Coordinator. Mainly the position is working on finding better ways to engage members in being more active with TakingITGlobal and have them work on getting TIG’s programs more relevant to their community.
I had 2 week initiation period with Michelle and Jen getting familiar with the TIG country sites and the work that has been done till then.
Loaded a bunch of e-mails to the relationship manager – This gave me the opportunity get an understanding of the relationship between members and TIG as well as the staff. I wrote up my suggestions of how to have better engagement of members.
I approved articles and organizations. This was to get a feel of the administration database.
October
This month was mainly the time when I worked with Jen and Michelle on the guide to developing the country sites and figured out how best to structure the system. I came to the conclusion that I will be concentrating on engaging members using the country site as a tool and resource to all my ideas. The country sites have clearly outlined my role and what I will be doing whilst an intern for TIG. Developing the guide was like a journey for me, where I picked up a lot of the values I believe I have gained and/or matured in the short period of time I was with TIG. Which where namely team work, leadership, hard work and friendship.
I got in contact with a lot of members and advisors. Worked on collecting and creating a excel database for the Stockholm Challenge potential partners that Jen went to. I planned to contact these orgs as soon as the guide is sent.
After having worked with the TIG team for about one and a half months I have began seeing TIG in a whole new way. I am beginning to ask myself several questions of which the main question was, ‘Why should we encourage more membership engagement?’ This at first seemed like a dumb question because I to encourage the values that TIG has and to foster a network…whilst I was going on and on about that, I put myself in the situation I should have put myself a long time ago. Our members who aren’t that active seem to be from countries that actually pay for the internet. This means that for most the rare times that they do get online they have specific sites and e-mails that they need to go to and do, remembering that time is limited. I realized that in order for us to expect activity we have to show how relevant we are. The only way to show that relevance to a person with limited time is to be able to have an identified the impact we have caused in the community. We have hosted events and workshops but after that events and workshop is posted on the site we have no idea if at all it helped or not. This is when I thought of suggesting the TIG Action Team.
There was a incredible brainstorming session that that happened between me, Jen and Sush, that lasted to the night where we discussed on this issue. We came up with 10 positions that covered 3 major concerns.
1. Getting members to add content to the country sites
2. Making TakingITGlobal relevant to the local community
3. Fostering the sense of team work, and networking between members.
This was what I believed the best way to be fair in expecting members to add content to the site and still be addressing people’s concerns. I felt that we should not expect to have an increased member activity yet we have hundreds of dedicated volunteers signed waiting for approval, and even those approved not knowing what to do.
Nick offered me to help me when I start to work on the partners for the country sites and funding.
November
We finalized the guide to developing your country site. The international coordination team e-mailed members letting them know that the guide is out. Emails also sent to youth representatives and applicants telling them to reapply, with the new application form, because the before there was no criteria established.
Strategy proposed for getting members involved. Members will be working in teams and sourcing information to add to the database.
I have responded to all youth rep applications with approvals or declines. This is not really the response I was thinking but I guess I have to sit down and think of how we can do things. I want to present a strategy on the 22nd of Nov. at the staff meeting at the town house.
I have joined a couple of projects where I am a leader mainly in TIG participation, country sites and AIDS awareness.
I also met Liz and discussed on how to work together. It will be great.
I guess the progress report has been summarized and as I said before I will be writing weekly reports I hope.
The last thing I want to say is working with the TIG team and staff has been absolutely gr8. You guys are the greatest, every body. Your leadership and friendship has incredible. You guys have inspired me, informed me as well as involved me in the everything. TIG is slowly beginning to be my life.
