On Wednesday, June 5th, Events and Outreach volunteers met to check in on progress of event planning and to discuss budget issues.
Updates from various volunteers were shared, including the new Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition LinkedIn page, which people can follow for updates.
Additionally, the need for volunteers for the four Open Streets this summer was emphasized. Kevin Kalligher, Volunteer Coordinator for Open Streets, encouraged those present to spread the word about the need for volunteers through their personal networks, and to volunteer themselves.
Volunteers are also needed to help plan the 2013 Member Party. Contact Christ Nelson ([email protected]) if you are interested in helping out with this event.
The Happy Hour group updated the larger group on progress for the next Happy Hour; they are looking for a suitable venue for a June event. More details to follow.
The Rides group is in the process of planning the next group ride. More discussion is needed for the planning of logistics.
After sharing all updates, the large group broke into smaller groups to discuss budget proposals for events related costs. The proposals were discussed as a large group and an Events Budget was determined for the remainder of 2013.
Tabling was also discussed at this meeting, both in the form of a debrief from tabling at May Day (giveaways such as stickers were a big hit) and as a question raised about how to deal with individuals who approach volunteers with negative comments about bicycles or the Coalition. A volunteer was assigned to make up a short “talking points” list for dealing with negative individuals. Additionally, proposals on how to get more volunteers to table were shared, such as: specific requests, personalized requests, and showing gratitude for volunteers.
The next Events/Outreach meeting will be scheduled for 5-6 weeks from this meeting.
