Farms Team Onboarding

--- tags: onboarding, farm_team, 2020 title: Farms Team Onboarding --- # Farms Team Volunteers :::info *Thank you so much for volunteering your time with us! This document lays out everything you need to know in order to do research and call farms, but please know we are always available to chat if any questions or ideas come up :)* ::: :::success ## Table of Contents - Finding farms to contact - Reaching out - Maintaining the Connection ##### *If you have any questions throughout the onboarding process, please feel free to reach out to Ben Collier (203) 233-5915 or Cooper Adams (310) 745-3007.* ::: ## Finding Farms to Contact ### Reseach Team - A dedicated group within the Farms team is tasked with guiding what produce we are focusing on each week. This is based on a bunch of factors such as crop cycles and real-time food insecurity. - Once we know what produce or product we are focusing on for that week(s), it is up to everyone on the Farms team to research individual contacts for us to call during the week. **There are a few ways to go about your search for quality contacts:** ### Google search - Use keywords like "farms in surplus" (or variations upon this phrase) for the product your sprint is working on. - [Google News](https://news.google.com/topstories?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en) prioritizes recent results - Articles writted about COVID-19 are a great source for information on food insecurity and the farm supply chain - Especially **LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS** - Commissions, co-ops, and associations are **KEY CONTACTS TO FIND**, Why? - These organizations represent large groups of farmers and will often know which of their members are struggling with surplus right now. This is how we landed 1.5 million pounds of 🥔 six weeks ago!! ### Glossary or database - Sites like [Manta]() provide searchable databases of farms - For example, you may specify an area and a type of produce like ["Broccoli in California"](https://www.manta.com/mb_45_C00A10B7_05/broccoli_farm/california) - Some farms have sites to share what excess supplies they have available for purchase or donation - [Here](https://flfarmtoyou.fdacs.gov/consumers.aspx) is an example of this kind of list for Florida - **Note**: *This kind of resource is valuable because it narrows our search to only include farms that have produce right now.* ## Reaching Out This section outlines the process of reaching out to farms once you have a list of contacts. Cold calling is one of the most important and worthwhile skills you can have in any line of work, so as unusual as it can be at first, stick with it and we guarantee it will be worth your time. ### Voicemail Keep in mind that essential workers like farmers are very busy during these stressful times! Often, you'll leave a voicemail. Here is a template that you may find useful: :::success #### FarmLink Voicemail Template *Hi __insert contact’s name__, my name is __insert your name__ and I am calling you to talk about FarmLink. We are a volunteer-run, non-profit looking to connect farms with surpluses to food banks in need in order to fight the growing food instability crisis brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. We use funds raised from external donations to pay farmers and distributors, like yourself, to redirect their surpluses to local food banks. Please give me a call back at, _______, or visit our website at http://www.thefarmlinkproject.org for more information. Stay safe and have a nice day. Thank you.* ::: ### Phone conversation If someone answers the phone, it’ll often be a clerk or employee who will refer you to their boss. To both of them, I usually start with a very similar variation of the voicemail: :::success #### Starting a phone conversation *Hi __insert contact’s name__, my name is __insert_your_name__ and I am calling you to talk about FarmLink. We are a non-profit looking to connect farms with surpluses to food banks in need in order to fight the growing food instability crisis brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. We use funds raised from external donations to pay farmers and distributors, like yourself, to redirect their surpluses to local food banks. Do you currently have any surplus or product that you would be interested in us purchasing to donate to people in need?* ::: ***Here are some useful talking points that might come up during the beginning of your conversation:*** - *FarmLink is 501c3 eligible, so donations are tax-deductible. Our fiscal sponsor is [Food Finders](https://www.foodfinders.org/).* - *We fundraise externally with the intention of helping ease the financial burden of donating on the farmer, and we have provided **over $530,000 of wages for drivers and farm workers.*** - Our project is young but we are growing fast. In the our first six weeks, we have moved over **8.6 million pounds of produce and dairy products to food banks around the country.** - **A good thing to mention**: **MEDIA EXPOSURE** - We highlight the stories of everyone we work with both on social media and through the Impact section of our website. We have achieved over 30 million individual media impressions, and this exposure raises awareness about life as farmer, the issues farmers face on both a daily and long-term basis, and how farmers are truly the backbone of America. - A **good thing to ask**: why are you experiencing surplus right now? - This will give us valuable insight as we continue to understand why food waste is happening, put it in the notes section! ***How to handle common responses:*** - **"We're already working with a local food bank."** - Tell them that is great to hear! We do not need to be the point person for EVERY farm in the country, so when you hear someone is working with their local food banks already, make it clear you are HAPPY to hear that because it is exactly what we want to happen. - Ask them if they know of any farms or suppliers that might find the resources that FarmLink has to offer helpful. - **"We don't have anything to give right now."** - Thank them for taking the time of day to talk to you. - Give them your contact information for the future. Get their contact information as well. - Ask for their email and follow up using our [Email Template](https://hackmd.io/_IaKFnXbStyTT3WRFeDCKA?both#Email-Template). - **If they transfer your call, and you get through, do the following:** - Make sure to refer to the initial contact when you get transferred. Often the person who picks up the line does not know how you reached them. - Make note of the new contact information (name, number, title) - **"Are donations tax-deductible?"** - Yes! FarmLink is 501c3 eligible, so donations are tax-deductible. Our fiscal sponsor is [Food Finders](https://www.foodfinders.org/). - **Any Questions to do with PRICING** - Every deal will be different, but we have some general price points that we look for. Your contact may ask you about how much we offer for their product. - **Good Responses to Give**: - "Every deal is different for us, but we are committed to a price that is fair and will help alleviate the financial burden that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on so many farmers." - "If you can give me any information about your current pricing, I will take it back to my finance team and hopefully we can come to a mutually benefical agreement." - "Although we will not be able to pay full market price, we promise to take every step to make this as beneficial as possible for you." ::: success ### You found a new partner for FarmLink! *If the farm has a current surplus and is willing to make a deal right now, please contact your sprint leader. They will direct you to the right person to get the deal moving through the FarmLink pipeline. You will be the person who gets to finalize the deal, calling the farmer and telling them we are able to buy their surplus. This is the best part of the job.* ::: ## Maintaining the Connection It's important to us that any information we find is stored correctly. There are **three** kinds of interactions between volunteer and farmer, and the FarmLink team records each of these separately: voicemail, phone conversation, and email. These can easily be entered on our Google Sheets contact page. ### Voicemail Most of your calls will end up going to voicemail, or often you'll leave your information for a manager or owner of the farm/supplier. This is NOT the time to forget about the contact. When you leave a voicemail, there are a few steps to take to follow-up. * Look up the company or farm name. Often times they will have a website with a staff directory. If there is one, choose the most appropriate person to follow up with and do so via email. (Please note if you followed up already on Google Sheets) * Usually this will be the head of the farm, or head of operations/partnerships for a company. * If there is no staff directory, figure out if there are other ways to follow-up, for example, social media (FB, Instagram). If you are able to find a follow-up email, social media account, or phone number, please make a note of it on Google Sheets. This should include all the information necessary that will make it a piece of cake to go back to any contact and see what steps have already been taken to follow up with them. ### Phone Conversation If you actually speak with someone, as opposed to leaving a voicemail or your information, please fill out the contact to the best of your ability. *This step should be completed regardless of the farm's current ability to contribute.* ### Email Often, your contact will ask you to follow-up over email (this option may be preferred to a phone conversation). An email allows you to share our core mission, our wesbite, and anything specific that the contact might have asked for in a phone conversation. If it's possible to make your email personal, please try to do so! Feel free to use the following email template: #### Follow-Up Email Template (To a Farmer) :::success Hi _________, It was a pleasure to speak with you today, thank you for taking the time out of your day to do so. FarmLink is young but we are growing fast. In our first three months, we have moved over 8.6 million pounds of surplus produce and dairy products to food banks around the country. At the same time, we have paid over $535,000 in wages to farmers and truckers, made possible through the donations we have received from more than 5,000 people around the country. Please let me know if you have any interest in hearing more about our project or think there is a chance we could work together to help get the food you have spent so much time creating into the hands of people who need it the most. Sincerely, 'Your_Name_Here' farmlinkproject.org Feel free to add phone # ::: #### Follow-Up Email Template (After Voicemail) :::success Hi _________, My name is ______, I just left a message for someone named _____ on your staff. I work with a completely volunteer-run, non-profit organization called FarmLink. Our core mission is connecting farmers with surplus to food banks in need. We do this by buying surplus product with donations we receive from people all across the country and then, facilitating the shipment of the surplus with those same donations. By doing this, not only are we getting food into the hands of those who need it, but are also able to provide a source of income for farmers and truckers who have been hit so hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. FarmLink is young but we are growing fast. In our first three months, we have moved over 8.6 million pounds of surplus produce and dairy products to food banks around the country. At the same time, we have paid over $535,000 in wages to farmers and truckers, made possible through the donations we have received from more than 5,000 people around the country. Please let me know if you have any interest in hearing more about our project or think there is a chance we could work together to help get the food you have spent so much time creating into the hands of people who need it the most. Sincerely, 'Your_Name_Here' farmlinkproject.org Feel free to add phone # ::: <br> <br> :::info We can't wait for you to join the team! Your work is the beating heart of FarmLink and without it, we would not have the slightest chance to relieve food instability and prevent food waste. Welcome to FarmLink! :::