Weekly update, Oct., 3, 2014
On October 1, following our proposal presentation, we received feedback on our proposal from Sonia Strobel, Managing Director of Skipper Otto's CSF (see e-mail below). We therefore needed to modify our proposal based on Sonia's suggestions.
From: Sonia Strobel <sonia@skipperotto.ca>
Date: October 1, 2014 at 3:31:58 PM PDT
To: amartin52001@yahoo.ca
Cc: Emma Holmes <emma@skipperotto.ca>
Subject: Re: Proposal
Hi Allison,
Thanks for the link to your proposal! We enjoyed reading it and we're really impressed with the work you've done! We're excited to work with your group. I have some big picture feedback, as well as some minor little edits to your proposal.
We didn't realize until the meeting with you how research based the project should be. When we spoke with the coordinator, we initially talked about an education based project where you would make some online resources for us. We understand now that this doesn't fit in with your program, and although your project to research food based workshops in Vancouver sounds interesting, it's not super relevant for our needs.
Through a grant from UBC, we were able to run a workshop program this past spring and summer where we gained a lot of information about cost, duration, and timing for workshops. Both what is realistic for us, and what our members want. The problem is that, in order for workshops to economically viable for us, we need to charge more than our members want to pay. So, for us, it would be more relevant if you would focus your project on the second research question.
Mostly, we'd like you to focus on non-members rather than our own members. We send out several surveys to our members and don't want to spam them. Another email survey will frustrate our members and probably not yield many replies anyway. Also, the people we are most interested in are those who aren't currently members but could become members. We want to know what are the barriers to joining the CSF. Is it confusing? Do they not "get" the model? How could we help them "get it." Do they not have freezer space?
Some people to target are people at
- the False Creek Fisherman's Wharf/ Go Fish Restaurant/ Granville Island
- Farmer's Markets,
- at CSA pick-ups
- at wild salmon and seafood events,
- through the Living Ocean's Society's mailing list (they surveyed prospective CSF members and have a list of people who were interested in joining a potential CSF.
This survey doesn't need to focus on workshop related questions, more on the barriers to joining. We are surveying our members right now and have asked them questions related to workshops.
One thing I just thought of today that might be a useful way to get data from existing members would be to survey members in person at a pick-up. If you could come up with a short list of questions which would take roughly 5 minutes for members to address in person, I'd feel comfortable with you hanging around and approaching members at pick-ups or markets and asking them in person rather than emailing or calling them. I'd like you to make clear you who you are -- that you are students in this specific program doing a research project -- and then ask them just roughly 3-4 very specific questions about what things they found confusing before they became members, what are reasons that they think are barriers for their friend to join. I don't want this to target ways they want to see us improve their CSF experience, but rather for them, as CSF members, to think back to the time before they joined and try to remember what was confusing to them, what were reasons they were perhaps not going to join, what information or what materials helped them make the decision to join, what would have helped at that time when they were trying to understand how the CSF worked and trying to make the decision about joining. I think it might be challenging to get this kind of data from non-members as they may not understand how the CSF works, but that is also a useful resource if we can get them to understand it and then get them to articulate what are/ were barriers to joining?
Some minor details:
"They are transforming the way in which seafood is produced, consumed, and valued by creating a direct connection between local fishermen, and consumers" is quoted as Will Valley, but he got it from some of our own copy, so it is actually our quote. Please attribute it to Skipper Otto's CSF.
We aren't in Manitoba - only as far as Alberta and Saskatchewan.
I hope this feedback is helpful and please let us know how things continue to unfold!
Sonia