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Coordinate a VSDC gathering

Here are ideas and information to help people organize gatherings. Variations and suggestions are welcome.

Tasks

All coordinators

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Read information for VSDC coordinators.

Determine event information

Choose event date and time. Try to avoid conflicts with other activities. Pick dates enough in advance to have adequate time to publicize it, especially in printed VSDC newsletter.

Determine event location. Ask for volunteers to host event. Consider rotating the gathering locations throughout the metropolitan area.

Tell host what information to provide to you and when you need it. Help host decide what location and contact information (name, phone, email, address) is publicized and where, considering privacy and spam. For a potluck, arrange who will provide plates, utensils, and napkins.

Ponder event issues.

Determine event details. Research travel directions.

Put it in writing

When describing recurring events, divide information into 2 categories, recurring and one-time, avoiding repetition.

Tell VSDC your plans for the upcoming gathering, so they can be publicized.

Prepare an email with event details for people who request more information.

If you have an email list of people interested in the event, send a notice to them, maybe 3 weeks before the event.

Event publicity other than through VSDC is done sometimes but not usually.

Coordinate event

Reply to inquiries about your upcoming event, both RSVPs and requests for information, within 24 hours after they are sent to you.

If the event is not in the immediate DC area, or is not near public transportation, consider arranging group travel or carpools to the event.

Attend your event, or appoint someone else to be in charge.

Tasks for recurring events, optional

Write about aspects common to most your events. Occasionally review the information on your web page, keeping it current, and adding any good new information.

Maintain an announcement email list. Handle requests by people to be added and removed from the list.

Issues to ponder

Anticipate issues that will arise and take time to resolve. For example, for an event at a restaurant, determine beforehand which foods are vegan, and how you'll communicate that information to the participants. Also, consider what might happen that would necessitate canceling the event or making changes.

Attendance questions:

• What is the maximum number of people who may attend?
• Is there a minimum number of people who need to RSVP to have the event?
• What is the desired number of attendees? How much publicity will attract that number?
• Why might someone not attend the event?
• Is the event accessible to people with disabilities or without a car?
• What groups of people will most likely want to attend the event?

Businesses

If money is involved, then the fewer the number of people profiting from participants, and the higher the price to participate, the more VSDC approval is needed, and the more VSDC, members, or participants should get benefits not normally received, such as a discount, bonus, priority, or donation. Some places give discounts to groups. If the event involves a business participating in VSDC GreenRewards, does each person need to bring a VSDC membership card to get the discount? Do the profits support a socially responsible organization?

Has VSDC approved any questionable situations?

Maximize effective use of the business. The more a business benefits from your event, for the amount of time and money they spend to provide their service, the more you can request from the business. Businesses profit through money and publicity. Reduce their workload; provide information, such as travel directions, that participants would otherwise contact the business to obtain. In return, request other favors from the business, such as extra vegan accommodations.

We don't want to take business away from vegetarian businesses, so avoid creating events that compete with them, such as some types of classes.

Describing recurring events

When planning more than one similar or related event, such as events that occur regularly, such as monthly, provide a description that applies to all or most of them. Separately, describe what is unique to each individual event. Avoiding the repetition of information common to similar events saves space and reading time.

Places to describe a recurring event

On the website, each recurring event can have its own page of information common to most of those events. On that page, include only information that does not change frequently. A link to that page is put in each related individual event notice on the page describing all planned upcoming events.

In the newsletter, each group of similar upcoming events is placed together with information common to that group. The common information is generally only one paragraph.

Both the website and the newsletter always have a section that provides information common to most VSDC events, such as everyone is welcome regardless of membership or diet.

A short list of recurring VSDC events is on the website and in the VSDC brochure.

Other places to include recurring information are: (1) welcome message emailed to people who subscribe to your email distribution list, (2) printed flyer or brochure, and (3) article in the newsletter.

Recurring event information

• Frequency of the event, such as monthly, bimonthly, or annually.
• Any usual meeting day, time, and place.
• Any other event details common to most events.
• Links to related vegetarian resources in the local community.

Contact information

• How to keep informed, through you and/or through VSDC.
• Link to the list of all planned upcoming VSDC events.
• Link to your next event (so please try to have at least one always posted).
• If you have an email notification list, explain how to add and unsubscribe oneself.
• A form that visitors can submit to email you.
• If you don't give your phone number, email address, and contact form, then link to VSDC contact page.
• Is there a way for people without email and web access to be informed?

Event description

Purpose

• Inform people about the gathering.
• Tell people what they need to know to attend.
• Answer questions that people will have.
• Help people decide whether to attend.

Location

• Where is the event location?
• Help prople find it; provide zip code, plus distance and direction from landmarks.
• Any places of interest near the event, such as vegetarian businesses?
• After arriving at the location, how can people find and identify the group?

Other information

• What is the activity name, description, theme, or purpose?
• RSVP requested? RSVP preferred but come anyway? RSVP but not oblogated to attend?
  Sometimes you want "RSVP required" only on the website, because it is more public.
• Who should people contact: to RSVP, to get or give rides, and to get directions or other information?
• On the web, a link to a weather forcast might be useful for outdoor events.
• If also people not part of your VSDC event can participate, what are benefits of attending through VSDC?
• Unique aspects of an event always include the date and time of the gathering. What else?

Things to bring or pay

• If a potluck, what kind of food should people bring? Remind people to bring serving utensils.
• Should people bring their own eating utensils and plate?
• What money is needed, such as for food, parking, or admission?
  The higher the price, the more it should be rounded up to a dollar amount (ex, $8.80 becomes $9).
• Is there tax charged or unusual tip expectations?
• How will transactions be handled? What forms of payment are accepted? Order and pay individually or as a group?

Omitting some details included elsewhere such as:

• in your group list email or RSVP confirmation,
• already on the web via a link you provide, or
• with your description of your recurring event.

Reasons for omitting some details include simplifying a notice, protecting privacy, reducing clutter, increasing organization, and reducing workload. By omitting contact information that is already on pages to which you link, you help people find answers to their questions, and reduce the workload of the contact. You also reduce need for later changes. Sometimes details are omitted because the space they consume outweighs their benefits.

Tell VSDC your plans for upcoming gatherings

Specify what information should be published where.

VSDC publicizes upcoming events in five places:

• Printed newsletter mailed to VSDC members quarterly
• Email message sent to VSDC members monthly
• Web page describing upcoming VSDC events
  (Big elaborate events can also have their own page.)
• Veg-line, recorded announcements and voice mail
• Flyers at events, especially tabling

Where should each piece of location and contact information be publicized? Usually, not all location and contact details are publicized in every medium, due to privacy concerns, space limitations, or to control attendance. Often when the event is in someone's home, the street address is provided only by email from you to people who are on your email list or who RSVP. Often when the event is in a public place where space is not too limited, more details are provided in public notices. Anywhere you want neither your contact information nor the host's, tell people to contact VSDC through VSDC's website and veg-line.

Newsletter deadlines are the first day of March, June, September, and December. Words can be changed for a few more days. Include events until the middle of the first month of the subsequent issue. Also include events that will occur after that time if readers need more advance notice about them.

Website and Veg-line Deadlines:

• middle of March, June, September, and December, when the newsfeed is created for all upcoming events.
• before monthly email to members is prepared.
• after last event of each month, when the month's events are removed. Always have a recurring event posted.
• after each event, when the link to the next VSDC event is updated.
• after your event, when the link to your next event is updated. Always have an upcoming recurring event posted.
• each week, before the veg-line is updated.
• when event plans change.

If your recurring event is ever in the news, tell VSDC so a link to it can be put on the website.

An email list for your recurring event

Recurring events that are often in people's homes, a different one each time, usually have an email list so coordinators can give specific location details to people on that email list, maybe 3 weeks before each event. Omitting location details on the website helps protect the privacy of the hosts.

The email also serves as a reminder to those who want one, or event notification for people who don't read the newsletter.

Besides information unique to the specific upcoming event, you might say a little about the recurring event in general, or a link to that information.

Help recipients understand who is sending and receiving the email and its purpose, by careful selection of email header fields: From, To, CC, and Subject. Also state the number of people or addresses to which the email was sent.

You may want to mention other events in your message, such as: (1) head count of the previous gathering, (2) thanks to its host, (3) future gathering dates, cities, and hosts, (4) a request for volunteers to host future gatherings, and (5) other news and events related to your gatherings.

Automated email list services are available to allow people to add and remove themselves. VSDC can provide one, or help you create your own.

Messages in text-only format can be read by all email recipients. Other formats, such as HTML and RTF, support formatting, such as bold, but they are not supported by all software used to read email, and the resulting messages consume more resources.

Protect privacy of email addresses on the list. In any email to many recipients, hide email addresses. Don't let each recipient learn the addresses of any of the other recipients. That also helps avoid spreading computer viruses.

Elsewhere, there's general advice about email messages.

Reply to inquiries

You'll receive RSVPs and/or requests for information via:

• Phone calls if you publicized your number.
• Email to your email address if you publicized it.
• Email from the VSDC inbound-email and veg-line coordinators.

If your event is recurring, you'll also receive email:

• via a VSDC email address.
• some of that email will be from the contact form on the website.

At your gathering

Bring to gathering

• latest VSDC newsletter
• list of upcoming VSDC events not in the newsletter
• blank email/phone signup sheet, or information on how to do it later
• VSDC introduction flyers
• flyers about your gatherings
• name tags (such as self-stick labels) and marker

Bring to a potluck

• paper and pen for people to list their dish's ingredients and their name
• masking tape for people to mark their plates and utensils
• food and a way to serve it, and your own plate and eating utensil
• extra plates, utensils, napkins, unless the host provides them
• information about what food people should bring, and why

Agenda ideas

1. Welcome attendees, and introduce yourself.
2. Thank host.
3. Ask everyone to introduce themselves.
4. Tell what VSDC is.
5. Mention relevant upcoming VSDC events.
6. Mention relevant upcoming non-VSDC events.
7. Determine the date and location of your future gatherings.
8. Ask for people to host future gatherings.
9. Ask if there any other issues, ideas, or announcements.
10. If foods are involved, tell people which is vegetarian.
11. Introduce a discussion topic, and discuss it.

Discussion topic ideas for recurring events

• What is the policy/procedure when weather or other situation affects attendance?
• What can be emailed to the list, in the regular email and separately?
• Privacy issues with email addresses in email messages: sharing and viruses.
• What other groups or businesses could be invited to a gathering?
• What other group activities are desired?
• Advice from people who have hosted events.
• How to deal with people who talk too much.
• Choose discussion topics for future gatherings.
• If it's time, who should be the next coordinator?

Restaurant checks

• Bring a calculator that works in dim light. Bring a pencil for combined checks.
• Request the check to give time for each person to review it.
• Mention sales/meal tax: DC 10%; MD 5%; VA 5% plus additional: 4% in Arlington and Falls Church, 3% in Alexandria, and 2% in Fairfax City and Vienna.
• Explain how to use calculator's % key: amount +/– tax/discount %, or amount X tax/discount % +/– =.
• Remind people to tip on amount before discounts.
• Suggest tipping more the longer the group is seated after meal arrives, the more special requests one makes, and the less the meal costs.
• Tip additionally to compensate for the costs of credit card use and separate checks.
• For combined checks, have each person initial next to items for which they have paid, to help catch mistakes.

Potluck considerations

• Which foods are allowed and restricted?
• Should people put their name and list the ingredients on paper next to their dish?
• Should people indicate whether their food contains common allergens?
• Should the host or coordinator need to bring food?
• How much food should one bring?
• VUNA has guidelines for potluck supervisors.