Proposal re: mentoring new meetup organizers.

Here’s my first pass at how we could tackle mentorship in the Meetup.com chapter program.

Please beat it up. 😛

Audiences

IMO there are two major groups that we can help through the mentorEvent Supporter Event Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues. program:

  1. Primary audience = Completely New Organizers. They’re pumped up and excited to get goin’, but they don’t know where to start.
  2. Secondary audience = Existing Organizers: They’ve run some meetupsMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. before, but still stand to gain from the opinions/experiences of others. e.g. ideas for different meetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. group activities.

Mentor/Mentee Google Hangouts

The first big piece is similar to what Andrea’s been doing with WordCamps. We’ll provide new Meetup organizers with a series of orientation sessions spread over four weeks. Topics to cover:

1. Meetup.com 101 (Ninja Edit: Focus on the tools in this step, friendly reminders about the Spirit of WP + level of commitment.)

  • Representing WordPress: Embrace the spirit of WP!
  • Commitments: Friendly reminder that Meetups take a lot of effort.
  • Using Meetup.com: The tools at your disposal.
  • Organizer Levels: Co-organizers, event hosts, assistants, etc…

2. Planning & Preparation

  • Selecting a Venue: Transit, parking, capacity, directions, accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility), et al.
  • Content & Activities: Presentations? Social? Workshops? What’re you doing?
  • Setting RSVP Limits: The delicate balancing act.
  • Supplies & Equipment: Making a list and checking it twice.
  • Handling Expenses: Saving Cami from going insane with receipts.
  • Communication: Keeping your members in the loopLoop The Loop is PHP code used by WordPress to display posts. Using The Loop, WordPress processes each post to be displayed on the current page, and formats it according to how it matches specified criteria within The Loop tags. Any HTML or PHP code in the Loop will be processed on each post. https://codex.wordpress.org/The_Loop..

3. Day-Of

  • Signage & Access: Where’s the door, and how do I open it?
  • Registration/Signing In: Identifying the no-shows.
  • Welcoming Attendees: e.g. Tell them where the washrooms are.
  • Recording/Streaming (if possible): More good stuff for WordPress.tv.
  • Follow-Up House Cleaning: e.g. post video, send out slides, contact the no-shows.

4. Ongoing

  • Growing & Adapting to Your Local Community
  • Diversifying Activities: Something for everyone.
  • Bringing In Other Organizers: Share the load!
  • Larger Initiatives: Getting involved with the WordPress project.

Support Material/Documentation

Think of this next piece as a “Starter Kit” for organizing meetups.

These are assets that we’d create. They should be short n’ actionable. Some ideas to start:

  • Organizer’s Checklist: A “cheat sheet” that helps you prep for a meetup.
  • Templates: For Meetup groups & individual event pages. Could include:
    • Image Templates (headerHeader The header of your site is typically the first thing people will experience. The masthead or header art located across the top of your page is part of the look and feel of your website. It can influence a visitor’s opinion about your content and you/ your organization’s brand. It may also look different on different screen sizes. art, group image, images for event pages)
    • Boilerplate text (for harassment policies and other such things)
    • Project spreadsheets (similar to the budget template for WordCamps)
  • Organizer Tips: Advice from other organizers, clean n’ simple. (Inspiration)

There’s more that we can do, but this list seems long enough for now. 🙂 (I once joked with a friend about preparing Meetup.com tote boxes, but the shipping costs might make that a bit unreasonable.)

Thanks!

/am