I am too lazy to start a new thread.
Nicole had success in Creative Arts posting a to-do list.
I am too lazy to start a new thread.
Nicole had success in Creative Arts posting a to-do list.
For continuity, Dwight’s response was in response to this question from Brian:
No reason for this to be in members only.
Nicole had success in Creative Arts posting a to-do list.
I’ve also heard some great things from Laser with their intro class
Thank you, Dwight. Tagging our instructors John @talkers and Tommy @tomthm so they don’t miss your kind words.
Laser promotes it’s monthly Maintenance Day-with-a-side-of-Committee Meeting. On our white board, Talk, on Discord. Our instructors do promote it during class and when I’m greeting members, I also invite them to be part of the team. Nothing says welcome or brings people together quite like homemade food, so they can count on me to bring a substantial snack - - hello, tacos, sliders and deviled eggs - and invite team members to bring something to share Name tags. Work side by side for three hours with someone wearing a name tag, you go quickly from stranger to at least strong acquaintance.
It’s not just about maintenance. These team members are smart, talented individuals who have ideas. Laser is not the vision of one person. A chair should give form to their function. Handle admin tasks like finances, meeting planning, paperwork,. Buy supplies. Monitor action item progress. Liasion with the Board and Chairs. Monthly reporting. Promote classes. Address safety. Essentially, clearing a path for the team members’ ideas. Exciting things are happening because @Team_Laser members have agency.
So, team, if you are reading this, can’t wait to see you Sunday. Am thinking hot ham and cheese sandwiches.
I agree clearing a path for team members’ ideas is a great goal and @team_vcc may want to sit in on the Laser Maintenance Day. I feel we could learn a thing or two from the meeting.
Although, I think pizza would go over better than tacos but I’m not a Texas native so that could just be me.
Our instructors do promote it during class and when I’m greeting members,
Putting aside that besides the fact the laser cutters are cool; this making it just like 3d printers and the other light industrial offerings at the space a self selling point at the space,
Other than word of mouth doing an established class session, talk, and calendar which all limit the awareness in their own way. What other methods does @Team_laser or any other committee team use to promote a community around their committee and/or reach out to the community as a whole?
The door is always open to you. Come aboard.
We have 600+ Laser Basics certified members. Very few are on Talk. Very few take classes each month. It is a challenge to communicate with them. It helps that Laser is located in a high traffic area. If you use the back door, you will walk past us. The whiteboard and overhead TV are critical to our communications. When the laser is running, the member is stuck hanging out. They do read the whiteboard and check the monitor - kind of like reading the cereal box at the breakfast table. I’ve had only positive feedback. Many have said thank you, that they once felt in the dark about Laser’s goings-on and no longer feel that way. The monitor has been great for Public Service Announcements, when we need to get safety warnings out fast. It has untapped potential.
Laser also has a strong community of women members. I wish we had more opportunity to interact. I’ve toyed with the idea that when I start teaching classes, I test drive my beta class with the Ladies of the Laser and get their feedback before opening it to the community.
It took me about a year from joining to getting involved. (some might now say too involved)
One of the reasons was that I had no idea how DMS was operated and governed, and another was that I somehow missed that Talk was even something I should join or pay attention to. Then I learned that Discord was another (secret?) communications channel I should pay attention to. (only mentioned on the New member 411 page)
I believe every new member should have ONE required orientation class before they can use the space or sign up for any other classes. They would receive their badge, get signed up for Talk (and discord) on the spot, get a kitchen tag (if they want one), and sign up for their first class. They could create and post a “new member hello” on Talk to introduce themselves.
The orientation class could describe how the space is organized and governed, who the board and committee members are (pictures displayed) and they’d be asked to express interest in 1-3 different committee areas. Their interest would be communicated to the committee chairs, and they could then be INVITED to participate in the next committee meeting or other events.
I honestly didn’t even know that there were committees responsible for different areas or anything like that for the longest time.
This page could be used as the basis for the class:
https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/New_Member_411
You sound like me! I joined around May of last month and I’m just now getting more involved.
This place was pretty intimidating to me at first and even though I’m pretty good at googling and I was well familiar with the wiki there are still a lot of things about DMS that I’m hazy on.
I joined the PR committee and decided the best way for me to help is to condense the FAQ and new member 411 into a printable hand-held version.
It sounds like you’ve got a good idea of what could/should go into it, I wouldn’t mind comparing notes!
I really like what Laser has added to the calendar, it would be awesome to see that kind of community engagement in every committee.
I think once we get to that point member retention numbers will get MUCH better.
Having an orientation class for new members is an excellent idea. It would a much more efficient way to convey the basics to new members.
Certainly Stephanies’ example is one great way to promote more volunteerism and engagement. Chairs getting involved, recruiting, and creating a welcoming environment are the key fundamentals of building strong committees.
Volunteers at the space, have always been born in committees, and strong busy committees feed the energy and accomplishments at the space by creating a steady stream of new help. Busy committees foster more making, bringing in more members. And we need both, in abundance.
An even simpler means of fostering more engagement, is to reach out, introduce yourself, and meet new people. Give them whatever help they need. Encourage them, and make them feel most welcome. Make them your friend. We all like to hang out with our friends.
THIS!
I moved around quite a bit as a kid. Always changed schools in the middle of the school year, which is awful. My sister and I swear that feeling you get when you walk into the cafeteria with your tray and look around for somewhere to sit - seeing only people who know each other, but don’t know you and won’t make room for you - is one of the worst feelings ever. It was so specific a feeling that we gave it name, “Cafeteria Syndrome”. We were just little kids perceiving this.
We both grew up to value and build community. We’ve said to each other that we don’t want anyone to feel the way we did as kids. It begins with saying hi to people we don’t know and asking them a question. Such a tiny recipe.