One of the biggest (and best) challenges entrepreneurial support organizations face is how to connect individuals who want to volunteer in the entrepreneurial community with the many opportunities that exist to do so.
At The DEC, we often have people come to us looking for ways to get involved in the local entrepreneurial community. In the past, we directed them to programs at The DEC and various organizations in the DFW startup community, but the conversation often ended there. We just didn’t have a plan to help prospective volunteers get plugged into opportunities to serve.
Part of the problem stemmed from not having a way to match the required jobs or tasks with individuals who possessed complementary skill sets. Not knowing if potential volunteers had experience in marketing, coordinating events or videography, we didn’t have a process for connecting them with the opportunities corresponding to their strong suits. In turn, there wasn’t a mechanism holding people accountable for following through with what they said they would do.
Thus, we created The DEC Ambassador Program, a three-month-long program for volunteers interested in serving within the Dallas entrepreneurial community. The program is designed to match individuals to different areas of the startup ecosystem and provide several areas/roles in which they can be more active participants. From helping with events to being a local champion for a national organization partner (e.g., Startup Weekend, Tech Cocktail, Co-Founders Lab, etc.), there are many ways to get involved. Specific projects include:
- Events
- Community Guide
- Community Awareness
- Social Media Engagement
- Connector
- Organizational Lead
- Video/Photographer
If selected, each DEC Ambassador will be asked to spend 10 to 15 hours a month volunteering in one of these roles either at The DEC or with other organizations in the ecosystem that have volunteer needs. Some of the benefits for a DEC Ambassador are:
- Free access to all DEC classes and programing.
- Mentorship from DEC staffers and our network of mentors/investors.
- Gain direct startup experience in helping us build programs for The DEC and other organizations in our entrepreneur center.
- Swag. Need we say more?
- Letters of recommendation for future work opportunities and connections to companies trying to hire in the region.
- Membership in the DEC Ambassador Network to leverage connections, relationships and expertise.
Applications are being accepted through February 28. Opportunities will be distributed once the first class has been selected. For more information about the DEC Ambassador Program or to sign up to be a DEC Ambassador, please click HERE.
The post The DEC Ambassador Program- A Good Problem to Have: Volunteers and Entrepreneurship appeared first on The Dallas Entrepreneur Center.
