Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Marketing Expense for forming community

[Oz (oz]

Jim, as the former Coho/US Exec Dir, I think I can see it from both sides
of the table.

>From your point of view, having a table can help you connect with
prospective members
-- As Sharon points out, lots of people looking for Cohousing will attend.
And people willing to spend a few hundred dollars to learn more about
cohousing are among your best possible prospects.
-- While members of many forming groups will be attending, most are
unlikely to form meaningful connections with most of the most professionals
or activists or other networkers. With a table, all of them will (at least)
see what you're up to. You really want these folks to know about your
project, as they are in a position to tell people they meet from your area
about your project. They may also see other ways that they can help you.
-- Other groups, who rely on networking alone, will be invisible - most
attendees won't even know they're at the conference.
-- It gives you a PLACE, which, in addition to PEOPLE, is core to what
Cohousing is all about anyway

>From the Coho/US point of view, having a table helps you connect with
Coho/US and the Movement
--- Coho/US mission includes helping groups like you through its Free
Directory, Paid Advertising, and Paid Conferences
--- You'll be working with Barb, the Coho/US Advertising Manager. Barb is
great to work with and can help you in a variety of ways during and after
the conference.
--- Coho/US knows that forming groups provide core energy to the broader
movement. Aligning with the Coho/US board, staff, and many supporters
(activists and professionals) helps grow Cohousing in the United States,
--- Coho/US operates on a shoestring and badly needs any support and
people/groups are far more willing to spend money on goods and services
than they are to whip out their credit cards to make donations:

http://cohousing.org/donate

What is one new member worth to you? Other groups have offered finders fees
of $1000 to $5000, but don't usually resort to this until they actually
have unsold units which they are carrying (paying on the construction
loans/mortgages). Trust me, you'll be SOOOOO much happier if you pre-sell
all your homes BEFORE construction and almost any reasonable expense is
really cheap in contrast.

Oz Ragland
ozragland.com

On Mon, Jun 4, 2012 at 7:54 AM, Jim O'Connor <jimpen1 [at] gmail.com> wrote:

>
> We are a forming community in Eugene OR trying to decide whether to spend
> $300 or$500 on a table at the national conference.  None of our members has
> ever been to the conference.  Could some people who have been to the
> conference and exhibited comment on the worth they found for forming
> communities?  It would help.
> Jim OConnor
> Oakleigh Meadow Cohousing
> Eugene OR
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