The Point of No Return

Starting this week (mostly likely Wednesday) i would like to begin canvassing around the Baybrook communities. I want to begin hitting the community centers and local organizations in this area to notify the members about the Garden Gala and also begin selling tickets to those who cannot access the missiontix. I understand Dr. King and a couple other students began communicating with some businesses in this area and were successful and i would like to continue this pattern. Once i have established myself in the Baybrook communities i want to move toward the city or near the 2640 space. My primary focus in this area is to communicate with the local businesses with hopes of obtaining food donations or other items for our auction. 

On a lighter note, the Filbert Street Garden Workday was a success and we ended up having a great turnout. I felt that everyone there was productive and we all enjoyed our time learning and putting our hands in the soil. We planted apple trees, built bird posts, cut weeds, and contributed to sustaining the garden overall. 

Throwing Some Pitches

So this week outreach and promotions is focused on creating attention grabbing pitches that will be sent out to local Baltimore city newspapers, magazines, and news reporters. These pitches need to be both informative and catchy. We must show these media outlets why it would be beneficial for the greater Baltimore area to both cover and advertise our Garden Gala. It is important to inform them that we are college students working with non-profits to raise profits to support a community garden (Filbert Street Garden) in the Baltimore City area with limited access to fresh produce; as well as, providing funds to help sustain the educational program at the Filbert Street Garden. In addition, it would be wise to incorporate pictures of these garden workshops and some of the vegetables produced by the garden into the pitch releases. 

While working on the pitches, we will also set up Ads under event sections on craigslist, UMBC popular blogs, and local paper calendars. These ads will help notify individuals about our upcoming event!!

The following link identifies the key components of media pitches and compares them to media press releases. 

http://technori.com/2013/03/3327-want-press-coverage-for-your-startup-master-your-media-pitch/

E-Mails Are Out

After sending out the ASK forms today, i feel as though this is only the start. I'm excited to see the finalized Save The Date cards for the Garden Gala and looking forward to jumping out into the community and passing those around. I plan on expanding on the current ASK list by adding more restaurants around the Baltimore area and canvassing the Baybrook area in person. The Facebook page is completed with the event being posted and the next step is to complete the press release ASAP. Also, our Wordpress webpage is in need of pictures and other multimedia so we can have that up in running. 

In addition, next week is our promotional week at UMBC and a great way for us to make some money, sell t-shirts, and inform our staff and students about the May 18 Garden Gala. 

The Importance Of Time

So there's just about 7 weeks left before our fundraiser is underway and things are about to get hectic. I'm excited about starting our canvassing of both the Baybrook community as well as the greater Baltimore because we now have our ASK letters completed and are finalizing our "save the date" cards (WHICH LOOK AMAZING!!!). Now we (especially me and the outreach committee) need to begin contacting these local businesses and informing them of our cause and asking them how they can contribute. I plan on doing the majority of my canvassing during the week due to other obligations I have on the weekends; however, I know Curtis is more likely available on the weekends. Yet I believe everything will turn out wonderful because our class is full of knowledgeable students who have taken pride in our fundraiser and will not allow it to fail.

My second cultural documentation project will cover Brooklyn Park but i have yet to start research on that due to my revision of my first Guano project.