Cohousing-L Mailing List: Responses to Membership Outreach Queries

[Margery McIver (hodee]

Cohousers:

Below you'll find a repost of my three Cohousing-L queries about membership
outreach, and then all the responses I've received. Thanks so much to those
who took the time to offer their advice to Hundredfold.

Leo Horrigan
Hundredfold Farm Project
Orrtanna, PA (near Gettysburg)



-----Original Message-----
From: cohousing-l [at] freedom2.mtn.org
[mailto:cohousing-l [at] freedom2.mtn.org]On Behalf Of Margery McIver
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2000 10:18 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Seeking Advice on Membership Outreach


Fellow Cohousers:

The Hundredfold Farm cohousing project is at a crucial stage in its
development. We are going through an approval process to buy an 80-acre
parcel of land just west of Gettysburg, Pa., and hope to break ground on a
15-home development in June.

Currently, only seven families are invested in the project (although a few
others are considering it seriously). We need to step up our membership
outreach efforts, and are looking for advice from more experienced
cohousers.

Here are my specific queries:

1) Is it possible to tap into the waiting lists of any existing cohousing
communities (could we repay the favor with homegrown vegetables?)? Since we
are on a tight timeline, we¹d like to take a shortcut by seeking out people
who are already interested in cohousing.

2) What outreach methods have been most effective for other groups? We are
looking into print ads in newsletters and small weeklies. We have also done
local presentations (dog-and-pony shows). How effective have these methods
been for other groups? What other methods have you used?

3) Hundredfold plans to initiate a community supported agriculture (CSA)
farm on the 80 acres. How unique is this in cohousing? Are there other CSAs
based in cohousing communities?

If it turns out we will be the first such cohousing community, this would be
a nice thing to mention in our ads. If there are existing CSA/cohousing
projects, we¹d like to seek out their advice.

Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Leo Horrigan
Hundredfold Farm Community
Orrtanna, PA
Website: http://users.supernet.com/rhubarb

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-----Original Message-----
From: Chris ScottHanson [mailto:chris [at] cohousingresources.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2000 11:14 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Re: Seeking Advice on Membership Outreach

There is a cohousing specific Membership and Outreach Manual located at
...... http://www.cohousingresources.com/Manual/Introduction.htm

This site includes some 40 pages of material about membership and outreach,
including an outline of a cohousing marketing plan, etc.  There are lots of
examples and it is free for everyone to use, print, download, etc.

NOTE:  The various materials in this manual were developed over a ten year
period by cohousers and their hired professionals, both in Canada and the
US.  It was edited and assembled by Kelly ScottHanson and then self
published at Kinkos some time ago in hard copy, however, the hard copies are
now gone.  More recently it was "dumped" onto our website to make it
available to more people, more easily.

The current format of the manual on the website is a bit cumbersome.  We are
making efforts to improve the format and readability. Comments, suggestions
or volunteer web design work are all accepted and would be greatly
appreciated.

If you have questions or concerns about the content of this Manual, if you
have contributions to make, send an email to chris [at] cohousingresources.com.
We will be happy to include better and more updated information as it
becomes available.

Or, if you just want to talk about membership and marketing, you may want to
call Kelly at (206)842-9160.

Chris ScottHanson

Cohousing Resources, LLC
Ecovillage, Cohousing & Sustainable Communities
Development and Consulting

email:          Chris [at] CohousingResources.com
web site:      http://www.CohousingResources.com

9813 NE Murden Cove Dr.
Bainbridge Island, WA  98110

(206)842-9160
(206)842-9203 FAX
(206)369-7755 Cell

Author of:

The Cohousing Handbook,
BUILDING A PLACE FOR COMMUNITY

Hartley & Marks Publishers, Vancouver BC
Check our website for ordering information at
http://www.cohousingresources.com/Handbook.htm

"A must read for anyone ready to move beyond talk."

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Hi, I will be in your area over Memorial Day weekend visting with the
Hartzell family. Perhaps we can meet over dinner and chat.

Rob Sandelin
Northwest Intentional Communities Association

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Could you please send answers to the list.  We are interested.  Thanks.
Shelly DeMeo
Greater Hartford Cohousing

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> 2) What outreach methods have been most effective for other groups? We
are
> looking into print ads in newsletters and small weeklies. We have also
done
> local presentations (dog-and-pony shows). How effective have these
methods
> been for other groups? What other methods have you used?

The experience at Wasatch Commons in Salt Lake City was that --

Two separate realtors didn't produce a single lead.  Neither did the ad in
the Salt Lake Tribune (large local daily).

For a few members, the first contact was a flyer for a presentation.

The most successful ads were in an alternative weekly paper (The Catalyst,
covering politics, environmentalism, alternative medicine, feng shui etc.,
restaurant reviews; ads for coffee shops, independent bookstores, health
food stores).  Those generated a couple of calls a month, which we would
follow up with a mailing of the brochure describing our project and
literature on cohousing (copies of articles, etc.).

Nearly a third of our residents are staff or faculty at local colleges or
universities.  I don't know if this is typical of other cohousing groups,
but it indicates a possible target audience.

Probably the most effective recruiting tool was word of mouth.  A lot of
our members first heard about cohousing from someone they knew.

Some of our efforts were simply for name recognition and to introduce more
people to the concept of cohousing.  We underwrote programs on one of the
local public radio stations, and we got written up in local papers several
times.

Kay Argyle
Wasatch Commons

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In a message dated 3/15/2000 1:20:29 PM, hodee [at] chesapeakenet.com writes:

<< Currently, only seven families are invested in the project (although a
few
others are considering it seriously). We need to step up our membership
outreach efforts, and are looking for advice from more experienced
cohousers. >>

Do you have a web site?  We got several people through ours.  If the URL at
the end of your post is your web site (http://users.supernet.com/rhubarb),
then, IMHO,  you need a new name, one that has "Hundredfold Community" or
"cohousing" in it.

Try the newspapers.  Our local newspaper (the Daily Hampshire Gazette,
"www.gazettenet.com") did several articles, including a crucial one just as
the original 8 core members started looking for an additional 16.  Cohousing

is a catchy concept, and all you need is one interested reporter.  A
reporter
can get plenty of cohousing information from you folks and the Cohousing
Network web site, as well as all the other cohousing sites.  Several other
newpapers have done stories, including the Boston Globe just a few weeks
ago.
 Your CSA goal is also a good hook for a story.

When the original core members started looking, they also held a few ""dog
and pony" informational workshops at the local YMCA, the first of which my
wife and I  and some close friends attended (they are also moving in soon,
two houses away from us!).   We also tried flyers, posters and other
outreach
ideas- they got some response, but my guess is that the newspaper articles,
informational presentations and website got the vast majority of members.

Once you get people at your meetings, you then have to keep them.
Well-organized, pragmatic meetings that show how much you love and respect
each other will go a long way towards hanging onto the folks who are truly
interested.

I hope this helps.  Good luck!

        -Roger Berman
          Pathways Cohousing
          Northampton, MA
        (where we are right in the middle of move-ins; 9 households already
in, my family is #12 to move in, closing on March 24th- yow!)

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In a message dated 3/15/2000 11:56:57 PM, hodee [at] chesapeakenet.com writes:

I forgot one other thing.  We also put together two new members packets.  We

had one for folks who just wanted genral information, and one for the people

who had been to a meeting and wanted some details on how to become a member.


Once again, good luck!

    -Roger

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Dear Leo,

Re: Outreach....
I/we have been stunned at what a lonnnng process it has been.  even 'doing
'most everything right!'

We have recently re-placed  an ad in local CLASSIFIEDS section.  we have
been
counseled that dispaly ads are not a good buy for the money.  But that a
classified will do as well.
In our local paper, and in many others, ads are placed alphabetically.
Therefore, I drafted our ad begins with 'A'!  Every detail does help!  Being

at top of section doesn't hurt!!

As to the CSA question.... I wonder.  It's true, it'd sure appeal to me.  We

don't have the land for a CSA here, just enough for small Community Garden.

In any case, if you want to mention CSA in ad, won't matter if you're the
first or not!!!  Does matter that folks know what CSA means......

We got some folks from ads, in local papers and in Mothering magazine....
some from slide show/talks.  Some, word of mouth.  We are trying now for
folks who already live hereabouts,  don't have to totally uproot themselves.

Wishing you all the best,
Ruth Hirsch
Cantines Island, Saugerties, NY [near Woodstock, NY.  One 3 bedroom, 2 bath
house to be available when one wonderful member marries out of the area this

Summer.  Room for 2 other houses on one additonal piece of land....
interested?... we'd love to hear!   We are 12 households, one commonhouse,
on
watrerfront.... ]]

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In a message dated 3/15/00 9:37:02 PM !!!First Boot!!!,
argyle [at] mines.utah.edu writes:

<< Some of our efforts were simply for name recognition and to introduce
more  people to the concept of cohousing.  We underwrote programs on one of
the local public radio stations, and we got written up in local papers
several
 times.
  >>

Tierra Nueva, central CA coast, found the same success as Kay did at Wasatch

by using small local papers, alternative press, posters announcing slide
shows.    We did the pledge drive phone brigade for the local public radio
station for 6 years and had radio interviews with them.  We also had several

newspaper articles over the years.

One thing that seemed to get alot of attention was our website, updated with

photos of construction...and it still gets lots of visitors even though we
have no available houses and a long waiting list.

We used the Cohousing Company's mailing list, available for a price, and did

some big mailings of a newsletter update...which I think had only marginal
success.  .

Another source for new members was from other California Cohousing
communities' contact lists.  We got two senior households from Two Acre Farm

who were looking for families with children...and we were looking for
seniors...so we snapped them up!

I don't know of any other coho CSA.  Best of luck to you in your worthy
venture...And if you can build it, or start building it, THEY WILL COME.

coheartedly,
Patty Mara Gourley
Tierra Nueva
Central CA Coast

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-30-