Do you like to network? Do you love trees? Coordinate with us!
By Andy Meeks
Did you know that urban street and yard trees increase air and water quality, improve neighborhood livability, help mitigate stormwater runoff, boost property values, and help beautify neighborhoods?
Would you like to meet your neighbors, develop valuable organizing skills, and have fun while helping Friends of Trees reach our ambitious goal of planting almost 6,000 street and yard trees in Portland and Vancouver this season?
If any of these possibilities intrigue or even inspire you, consider becoming a Neighborhood Coordinator with Friends of Trees for our 2011-12 planting season!
The Neighborhood Coordinator (NC) makes a Friends of Trees planting event possible by talking to neighbors about planting trees, helping neighbors order their trees in our online system, and working closely with Friends of Trees staff to organize a neighborhood planting event.
No experience is necessary! We’ll train you in all aspects of this role and support you throughout the planting season.
NCs are critical to the mission and success of Friends of Trees and work closely with staff members to help with customer questions, outreach strategies, and planting day logistics. The most important piece of the equation is the willingness to communicate with your neighbors, get excited about having more trees in your neighborhood—and, of course, have fun doing it!
NCs typically work in teams since adjacent neighborhoods are grouped into planting events together. Scheduling is flexible and most work can be done at home. The typical time commitment is approximately 60 hours from mid-summer until the planting event occurs between November and March. That’s just a few hours per week. Planting event dates vary depending on neighborhoods. Check out our online calendar to find out when your neighborhood group planting will occur.
If you’re interested, please preregister for the training by filling out this form. Please see the training schedule below.
If you have any questions about this role or would like any additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact Andy Meeks in the Volunteer & Outreach Program at [email protected] or 503-282-8846 ext. 24.
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SCHEDULE FOR NEIGHBORHOOD COORDINATOR TRAININGS
SESSION #1
The last Neighborhood Coordinator Training of the year will be held on Tuesday, August 16 from 6:00 to 8:30 pm at the Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church at 2828 SE Stephens Street in Portland.
Attendance at this session is mandatory.
SESSION #2
Portland Neighborhood Coordinators (NEW and RETURNING): A second training session will be held on Thursday, August 18 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm for new and returning NCs to meet each other and learn about our online ordering system. This will be held at the Northeast Community Center at 1630 NE 38th Avenue, Portland.
Vancouver Neighborhood Coordinators (NEW and RETURNING): The second training session will be held on Tuesday, August 23 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm for new and returning coordinators to meet each other and learn about our online ordering system. This will be held at the Firstenburg Community Center at 700 Northeast 136th Avenue in Vancouver in Community Room A.
UPDATE: **Vancouver Neighborhood Coordinators (NEW and RETURNING): The second training session will be held on Tuesday, August 23, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm so Neighborhood Coordinators can meet each other and learn about our online ordering system. This will be held at the Marshall Community Center at 1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd. in Vancouver.
–Meeks is the Volunteer & Outreach Manager for Friends of Trees.