In the high-tech world we live in you can text, instant message, e-mail, fax, and communicate in many other ways without ever even having to talk to a person face-to-face. Even a phone conversation is somewhat removed and less personal than a good ‘ole fashioned face-to-face meeting.
Why do I bring this up? Well in the world of community playground building, one of the greatest opportunities you have is to bring people together. This includes getting to know great resources in your community that you may want to stay in touch with long after the build.
One of the best ways to bring people together is not only by recruiting everyone you can, but also getting local businesses involved. Often, when it comes to recruiting volunteers and food, people want to maintain a safe distance and just send a letter. However, you’ll have greater success and much better relationship building by walking up to people (either door to door or business to business) and asking them to be a part of the great project you have in the works.
Have you walked door to door or business to business before? What were your challenges? What advice do you have for people stepping out of their comfort zone to recruit in person instead of over the phone or through a letter in the mail? What success stories can you share?