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This project was completed on Jul 21, 2015
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Matched with Breauna D.
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See the Impact story
Volunteer Recruitment Plan
The Uni Project
Volunteer Recruitment Plan
Project details
What we need
- 3-5 one hour strategy sessions covering topics like potential volunteer market, timeline, strategies for outreach and recommendations for implementation (potential risks, possible management tools, etc.)
- A written summary of goals, target audiences and channels to prioritize
- A starter plan of recommendations & actionable next steps to begin executing your strategy.
What we have in place
- We know a lot about our potential volunteer market, and will soon publish a schedule for our season which will in turn dictate a timeline. We also have a pool of about 10 dedicated volunteers who can serve as resources for this work, giving us feedback and helping us think through outreach and communications.
How this will help
This project will save us $3,836 , allowing us to add 7 program days in high-need neighborhoods to our season.
Uni reading rooms are wonderful places to volunteer, and we already have a lot of interest from school groups, companies, and others. Our biggest challenge is finding the time to get a plan in place for capitalizing on this interest! We need help "packaging" the volunteer experiences we are able to offer, and making the experience the best it can be for potential partners. Dedicated volunteers are some of our best ambassadors, so we are eager to grow this important fan base.
Project plan
Posted by
Leslie D.
Co-Founder/Director
Our mission
To increase access to reading and learning opportunities through pop-up, open-air reading rooms.
What we do
The Uni Project is a small but growing nonprofit that offers a program of pop-up reading rooms to neighborhoods across New York City. Using custom-designed structures, high quality books, and a team of dedicated staff and volunteers, we install and operate reading rooms (known simply as “the Uni”) in plazas, parks, and other public spaces. We do this work to increase access to learning opportunities and improve the lives of all of the city’s residents. What happens on the ground is simple yet profound. People of all ages gather around, sit down, and read, becoming readers on a kind of stage. Neighborhoods are transformed into places where the value of reading and learning is recognized, promoted, and shared.
The first Uni reading room was launched via a crowd-funding campaign and put into service on September 11, 2011. Since then, the project has deployed pop-up reading rooms more than 200 times in New York City, serving thousands of patrons and being observed by thousands more in passing. We’ve worked together with over 25 different neighborhood groups, and partnered with the Brooklyn, Queens, and New York public libraries. We’ve expanded our collection in partnership with museums such as New York Hall of Science and MoMA. We’ve also shipped other Uni reading rooms around the world.
The Uni has been hailed as a “groundbreaking idea” by Library Journal, and in 2013 was awarded an Innovations in Reading Prize from the National Book Foundation. In 2014, the Uni was a winner of the Mayor of Boston’s Public Space Invitational, leading to a portable open-air reading room for Boston.
The Uni Project is the work of Street Lab, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded and run by Leslie and Sam Davol. Street Lab created a range of programs for public space in downtown Boston from 2006-2010 and is now based in New York.
Testimonials
Breauna did a great job for us writing up a volunteer program recommendations report, and she was also wonderful to work with. Thanks, Breauna!
I had a wonderful time getting to know Leslie and the Uni Project. She was awesome and the organization provides a much needed service in the community. They are doing awesome things!
