Calling all tree callers!

By Andy Meeks

Would you like to help more trees be planted around town? Do you like talking with people interested in the same thing? You can do both as a tree caller for Friends of Trees this season!

You’ll help connect interested homeowners to the right tree for their space and tastes as well as let them know how they can volunteer at the planting event in their neighborhood. It’s a bit of community organizing and a bit of customer service—all in the service of increasing our urban canopy.

Joining our tree caller team will help our neighborhood coordinators, trained volunteers who organize their neighborhood plantings on an annual basis, reach all of their neighbors who want to plant trees this season. You may also make phone calls to organize the planting itself by contacting utility locate services before the holes are dug for a planting event. All of these things are incredibly helpful in organizing our neighborhood plantings.

Tree calls can be made on Wednesday evenings from the Friends of Trees office, where staff and other volunteers will call people between 5:30 and 8:30 pm. We’ll provide a training to teach you about the various trees that we sell and plant, and help you learn our ordering system. We’ll also give you tips on how to make a good connection with the person you call. These are not cold calls. They are calls to interested homeowners who want trees from Friends of Trees!

We ask that you attend at least five Wednesday evening events between September and March. The first session will be a training, and you can create your own schedule for the four remaining Wednesdays when it’s most convenient for you. Friends of Trees staff members are friendly and helpful, and they try to make the Wednesdays as fun as possible. (Do you like pizza?)

If you’re interested in joining us as a tree caller, or if you have questions about this role, please contact Andy Meeks in the Volunteer & Outreach Program at 503-282-8846 ext. 24.  We look forward to working with you!

— Meeks is the Volunteer & Outreach Manager for Friends of Trees.