Vegetarian Food Fair Manual Project

The Vegetarian Food Fair Manual Project

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Part IV

Section 26: Revising the procedure and updating organizing documentation

By the time you finish planning and holding a vegetarian food fair, you will have a sheaf of paperwork and information as well as a folder full of notes and checklists that you created yourself or collected at the food fair. You should organize these papers and file them for future use. Your organization is already likely to have extensive files from other activities, so getting everything arranged may simply be a matter of creating a new folder for food fair-related paperwork. Because planning and holding a food fair is a comparatively large organizational task that usually becomes more complex as the fair gets larger, it pays to keep the files as orderly as possible and take advantage of computers to make the files easier to use.

Computer files

You no doubt have access to a computer through either your organization or one of its members. Following are some suggestions for making the most of your computer for food fair planning. Be sure to keep a disk backup of all databases and text files you create:

Databases When you store information in a database, it not only becomes easy to find but it is also readily available for anyone to use. If someone new takes over organizing the food fair in the future, he or she simply needs to find the computer files from last year to have access to contact names, telephone numbers, and fax numbers. You should record the information you wrote down in Section 2 first. Enter the names and contact information of every business, organization, or local department you contacted while organizing the fair. Leave space to make notes about their response or information that may be helpful. Even those whose responses were negative should be placed in the database to save time and remember correctly who was there and who wasn't.

You should also create a list of volunteers, even if some of the volunteers are not members of your organization. Having these names for future events or fairs could prove valuable, and you might be able to tap into their skills and know-how for any number of campaigns you pursue.

Now is also a good time to update member files if you had new members join at the fair. You might also create a database for the information you collected from fair attendees (see Section 22). These files are the starting point for new activities, campaigns, and actions that will further the goals and mission of your organization. TOP

Electronic folders Having letterhead, media releases, letters, and other documents stored on the computer can save countless hours of reinventing the wheel for your next event. Although you may want to tweak the logo or change the contact information in the letterhead, the basic format of the document won't change much from year to year, and the template will serve as both a reminder of last year's materials and a starting point for creating something new. Name documents clearly, and placed them in the same directory for easy access. TOP

Hard copy information

Some of the materials you gather during the food fair will not be in electronic form and will need to be filed. Other "material" is the actual experience itself. You will have gained a lot of insight and literacy about food fairs throughout the planning, and you want to record as much of that experience as possible for future fairs.

Updating the manual This manual was purposely printed in large format with wide margins and space for notes and record keeping. After the fair is over, you might find it helpful to go back through this manual, making notes and revising what you recorded to reflect the actual event. You might want to add to the budget or cross out items for which you won't need to budget in the future. You might also make notes in the margins of different sections to remind you of something that pertains specifically to your event but was not covered in the general discussion offered here.

Eventually you may want to write up your own manual, one that pertains specifically to your food fair. Several of the larger vegetarian organizations have done just that, and this kind of manual can be invaluable as the fair grows in size and duration. Your organization will grow, too, which means that responsibilities for organizing an annual food fair may fall to different people each year. Handing them a manual to follow is the easiest way to guarantee a successful fair year after year.

Even an annotated manual, however, is more useful than a stack of papers and photocopies of old forms and letters. Keep your documentation as orderly as possible and be disciplined about updating it each time you have a food fair or related event.

Recording new ideas You should make a prominent separate file that contains new ideas or suggestions for next year's food fair. Take time to sit down with the core volunteers who helped organize the fair and brainstorm again about what you liked and disliked about the event, what made it go smoothly, and what the reactions of the media and the public were to the event. Thinking about these things while they are fresh in your mind will pay dividends when planning begins for the next food fair.

Writing up the experience The next newsletter you print after the food fair should contain coverage of the event, and you should think about what you want to highlight for your readers, some of whom probably attended and others who could not come for one reason or another. You might also want to write up the experience as a useful reminder for next year or as an informative tidbit for future organizers. Impressions and insights are valuable, and with all of the details of planning, you may not have had a chance to reflect on how well you think the food fair met its goals and purpose. You might think about the larger goal of raising awareness and educating the public about vegetarianism and how the fair advanced these ideals in your community. The impressions and responses you get from media, volunteers, and the public (see Sections 23 and 24) will provide insight. TOP