We heard you loud and clear after the first public meeting back in November (meeting minutes). And we have spent the last two months compiling your comments – all 180 of them – and began to think about committees that could be built to actually implement your ideas.
Below is the breakdown of your ideas into these generalized broad categories. And from these categories, we have identified the following committees and their tasks:
- Bylaws – governing documents and non-profit status
- Communications – web, social media, PR, newsletters
- Economic Development – development awareness, planning and business support
- Grow JPF – recruitment, membership, business and neighbor outreach, welcome wagon
- Livability & Attractiveness – beautification, garden club, local arts
- Social / Events – neighbors’ night out, pub crawl, family picnic, shop local events
- Fundraising & Services – fundraising and charity partnerships
You may have noticed that we added a few committees outside of your suggestions. So let’s explain.
Bylaws
The Bylaws committee will be the committee that helps us develop a governing document, or constitution, or bylaws. These rules are necessary so that we can take the legal steps of incorporating ourselves as a non-profit organization. Incorporation does a couple of things for us – it removes liability from individuals and places it with the organization, thus protecting all of us, and it allows us to raise money in a formal way. But, in order to incorporate, we need bylaws that spell out who the officers are and what the purpose of the group is for.
Communications
Communications is exactly what you think it is and it is the source for a lot of our success to date. We’ve prided ourselves on transparency and openness and access and communications helps us do that. This involves web development and maintenance, social media control over our Twitter, Facebook and other accounts, public relations, newsletters, and graphics work. Work in this committee touches every part of our organization.
Economic Development
We see economic development as being a committee fully engaged with what development opportunities are going on. We’re looking for people that understand and/or have a passion in urban planning, real estate development, economic development and related areas. This committee will keep the organization aware of future trends, challenges, and projects and how they might affect our community.
Grow JPF
This committee is our recruiting arm and is composed of a couple of moving parts. Business recruitment will work with local businesses, particularly real estate brokers – making sure our materials are in the hands of new residents in the neighborhood. The committee will also ensure that we spread our marketing materials around, making us accessible to the public at as many places as possible. The second part of this comprises the welcome wagon – an idea that the best way to recruit new members is by introducing ourselves early on to new residents and to help make Jefferson Park home for a new family. Additionally, we expect that as our bylaws are passed and non-profit status obtained, that membership coordination may reside within or split off from this committee.
Livability & Attractiveness
The Livability & Attractiveness committee will work with others to achieve and enhance the beauty in Jefferson Park. This could be done through local arts, through a Garden Club or beautification committee, placemaking or other such efforts that help give Jefferson Park a sense of place.
Social / Events
This committee will plan our fun activities. Everything from our meeting locations and social events to neighbors’ night outs, restaurant and pub crawls, family picnics, shop local and other events, this committee can expect to be busy.
Fundraising & Services
This will be the committee that helps JPF to give back to our community. We aim to partner with local non-profits to seek ways to improve the quality of life for our neighbors in any way that we can.