My portfolio contains samples of my work. Additional samples of blogs and articles can be found at OurDownsizedLife.com and my LinkedIn account.
My Articles Published in Digital Copywriter Magazine
Fiction Contest Winner – Barefoot Writer Magazine
Funding appeal letter written for FuseChange.org
Did you see this article?
More than 100,000 NYC students are homeless, new report finds*
According to the New York Department of Education, children are the highest homeless demographic in New York City!
Homelessness is hard enough without the extra burden of navigating the school system.
Time in the classroom is vital for all children. It’s a time to connect with others and learn with their peers
School is also where students enrolled in the NYC School District Students in Temporary Housing (STH) division get much-needed services. Services are guaranteed under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
The sad truth is children living in unstable and temporary housing struggle just trying to enroll in school.
Parents enrolling their children in STH often face obstacles and delays, especially if they need to move to a different shelter.
In fact, it can take between 5 and 7 days to complete the process!
That’s over a week outside the classroom – time that could be spent learning.
Why is enrollment so hard for K-12 children in temporary housing?
A significant hurdle to enrollment is the outdated technology and manual processes used by the STH division of the NYC DOE.
One computer system has been in place for 30+ years!
The older technology and manual process cannot keep up with the growing number of students enrolled in STH.
A process that involves six city departments and several disconnected systems within the city, including the Department of Homeless Services and the Department of Social Services.
This out-of-date intake system requires multiple paper copies of the necessary forms to be filed and shared between the various agencies and departments.
Increasing the potential for delays. And errors.
Paper forms can be lost, delayed or even misread.
These delays and errors cause students to miss out on classroom time and necessary services. Services like transportation to and from school. Services like meals and school supplies.
What if technology and generosity worked together to improve the system?
My name is Sean Kvignedal, and I am the founder and president of FuseChange.org.
Our nonprofit’s primary mission is building technology solutions to accelerate social and environmental change. We are designers, developers, product specialists, and domain experts passionate about solving complex problems for good.
We are excited to share that the STH division of the NYC DOE has engaged our nonprofit to build a new K-12 Homeless Intake & Services Integration Management System.
This new technology platform will be a central place for the caseworkers to serve the students enrolled in their program. It will streamline the case worker’s daily tasks with automated data processes for intake, tracking, and reporting.
The disconnected systems throughout the workflow will be integrated.
No more multiple copies of paper forms to distribute to the Department of Homeless Services, the Department of Social Services, and other departments in the city.
Students will no longer be out of the classroom for up to a week, waiting for the paperwork to flow through the older paper-based system.
The new system will connect the student to all the services they need at the same time. No more waiting for forms to travel from one department to the next.
The Family Assistant Case Workers, the primary contact for the students and families in the STH, will have more time to work WITH the families. The time that’s now spent submitting forms, waiting for responses, and following up.
In fact, the new intake system is projected to shorten the process by 80%.
Families will receive needed services quicker when circumstances require a transfer to a different shelter because the records will be stored electronically in connected systems – not in multiple systems and paper binders.
The students will get needed transportation sooner. They will miss less classroom time and will receive nutritional meals and other benefits much quicker.
Our mission is to expand and share our knowledge with others.
This project’s ultimate goal goes beyond New York City.
Because we believe that knowledge should be shared.
We also believe that all children should have equal access to education and the services they are entitled to under the law.
Developing the new intake system as open source technology will allow FuseChange.org to offer it to departments of education and NGOs across the country – at cost!
Your help is needed
If you are still with me, thank you.
FuseChange.org needs your help to solve this problem for the students, families, and caseworkers.
As a nonprofit, we depend on organizations like yours to help us develop these life-changing solutions.
If you would like to help the homeless children enrolled in the NYC school system, we would like to send you more detailed information regarding our project.
You would not only be helping these children, but you would also be helping the homeless children in other school districts across the country.
Click this link for more information and ways that you can change the lives of children.
Sincerely,
Sean Kvignedal
President and Founder
FuseChange.org
5013c
PS: Thank you in advance for responding to this request and making a difference in the lives of future generations.
*ny.chalkbeat.org/2021/11/8
The following article is a sampling of a blog post. The client is fictional.
5 Tips for a Better Wildlife Experience
Sometimes, you just need to get away.
Leave the wildlife of the city, with its traffic, crowded shopping centers, and constant noise behind.
You need to get away to a different kind of wildlife. The kind that’s found in places with hiking trails and remote campgrounds for a night under the stars.
Places where you’ll see a variety of nature’s wildlife in their natural habitats. Wildlife that’s found away from the city in nature preserves and state and national parks.
Before you jump in the car and head out, we want to share five ideas to help you see more wildlife, stay safe, and have a good time exploring the outdoors.
Research Your Trail
Whether you decide to travel to the nearest wildlife preserve for a day hike or to another state for a weekend trip, spend time researching the trails you plan to hike.
The National Parks Service has over 21,000 total miles of trails to choose from. On their website, you can find trails and the animals you may see on your hike.
If you plan to stay local and see wildlife native to your area, check your state park and nearby wildlife preserve websites.
Here’s a few things to look for when researching trails:
- Difficulty level: trails can be rated from Very East to Extremely Difficult. You’ll want to consider your hiking ability and the trail rating when planning your hike.
- Recent statistics on the active wildlife: The majority of parks and preserves will post the numbers of each species present, based on the time of day and season.
- Trail closures: often trails are closed due to weather, maintenance, and certain species’ breeding seasons.
Timing Your Hike
The season and time of day will affect what wildlife you’ll see.
Early mornings in the spring and summer are a great time to hike. The wildlife will be stirring and getting out of their burrows, nests, and undergrowth.
In the afternoon heat, you’ll see birds, but larger animals will be hiding out in the shade. And don’t forget to bring water if you’ll be hiking in the heat.
You may also see some wildlife you want to avoid — snakes are more active in the heat.
Typically, you’ll also see more activity at dusk feeding times. But, you should plan to be off the trail before dark.
If you plan to see migratory waterfowl, be sure your trail takes you along a shoreline. If you’re there at dusk, you should see and hear them as they fly in for the evening.
Refer to the website for the trail you will be exploring and see what wildlife you can expect to see based on the timing of your visit.
Walk Softly and Listen
Hiking with a speaker blasting out your favorite tunes will NOT help you see or hear wildlife on the trail. And, neither will your cell phone’s ringing and buzzing, so silence your devices and enjoy the sounds of nature.
Hike as quietly as you can and speak softly to your trail buddies. This is especially important when you spot wildlife.
And when you spot them, keep your distance. Depending on the animal, you may scare it off or encourage it to attack.
There’s an exception to the quiet rule. If you are hiking in bear county during the summer months, be loud. You want the bear to know you’re there, so they can avoid you. Check this article for more safety tips in bear country.
Look for Signs Along the Trail
Keep a look out for signs of animals while you hike.
Such as paw prints in the dirt, scat, and patches of grass that have been flattened by an animal resting. Sometimes you’ll even see burrow holes, patches of tree bark scraped off, and low-hanging branches that have been chewed.
Don’t forget to look up.
Depending on your location, you could see raccoons, birds of prey, or even a bear!
Many parks have guides in their visitor center that include information to help hikers identify animal tracks along the trail. You can also find guides on most park websites.
Bring the Right Equipment
You can’t get too close, or you’ll scare the wildlife away or encourage them to attack.
What do you do?
Bring a good pair of binoculars.
On the trail, there are just two things you want your binoculars to do — make distant objects closer and clearer.
And the better the pair, the better you can see the distant wildlife – in the air, on the ground, or perched on a tree branch. (photo credit: diane-helentjaris–unsplash)
If you don’t have a pair or you’re not happy with your current binocs, here are some things to look for when shopping:
- Wide field of view: You’ll want a magnification greater than 8 and less than 10 because the greater the magnification, the narrower the field of view. With a narrow field of vision, finding the animal you’ve spotted is harder.
- Durability: The lens quality and coating are essential. Also, see how the binoculars handle humidity and dust. They need some degree of waterproofing.
- Comfortable grip: Binoculars come in various shapes, sizes, and weights. The pair you select must feel comfortable in your hands and be easy for you to look through the lenses and adjust the focus. If possible, try before you buy.
If you have any questions or would like to recommend your favorite trail for seeing wildlife, please leave us a comment below.
One last ‘bonus’ tip: Before heading off on your hiking adventure, check your equipment to be sure you have everything you need.
And check out Outdoor Gear Lovers Flash Sale for deep discounts on hiking boots, poles, backpacks, and camping supplies.
Blog Post for Outdoor Hospitality Marketing Agency Website
Reprinted with permission from Outdoor Alliances.
Keywords: relationship-building emails, market RV park
Headline:
How to Market Your RV Park with Relationship-Building Emails
Every contact with your guests is an opportunity to build relationships.
If you’re not requesting your guest’s email address when they make a reservation, you’re missing the best way to begin building that relationship. You’re also missing an opportunity to market your RV park.
The first, and often the only email some campgrounds send, is the confirmation email. Instead of stopping there, look at it as the first piece in your welcome series.
Here are the emails to include in your welcome series:
Confirmation Email
When your guest completes a reservation, the standard practice is to confirm the reservation by email.
This transactional email is your opportunity to help your guest have a great experience and let them know you’re happy they chose your park for their stay.
Include your logo, office hours, and phone number at the top of your email.
In addition to a receipt for payments made, confirmation emails often contain general information about your park or campground. Such as:
- Check-in and check-out times, including after-hour check-in
- Park rules
- Specific directions or information the guest needs before arrival.
Reminder Email
The second email in the welcome series is a friendly reminder about their upcoming stay. The main reason for reminder emails is to keep their reservation in mind.
The reminder emails should let your guest know how excited you are about their arrival. You can also include a summary of the information provided in the confirmation email regarding check-in and any updates you may have.
The schedule for reminder emails can vary based on how far in advance the reservation was made. Consider sending the first reminder about a month out for reservations made over six months in advance. A second reminder should be sent a week before check-in.
If the reservation was made less than a month in advance, send the reminder a week before check-in.
Thank You Email
The final email in the welcome series is the thank you email. This email should be sent to your guest after your park’s check-out time.
In addition to thanking them for choosing your park, ask about their stay by including a short feedback survey. These surveys can provide great information and insights to improve your guest’s experience.
You can also ask for reviews on Google and, if applicable, your RV park or resort’s affiliation/network.
Use this email to introduce the idea of continuing to stay in touch. Let them know you would like to share important information about your park and the local attractions for the coming season.
Unsubscribe Option
When your guest booked their reservation with your park, they gave you implied consent to contact them through email. However, because they didn’t state they wanted to receive additional emails beyond those directly related to their reservation, you must include information regarding unsubscribing in all future non-transactional emails.
If the unsubscribe option wasn’t included in your previous emails, add it to the ‘thank you’ and all future emails.
It can be as simple as including an unsubscribe link at the end of the email.
You can also use the unsubscribe section to show your park’s personality by using your unique voice. And give them a reason to stick around. Such as an early bird option for reservations.
Don’t worry that giving them the option to unsubscribe will cause your list to shrink. According to Campaign Monitor, unsubscribe rates for the travel, hospitality, and leisure industries are only 0.2%!
Informational Emails
Why should you continue sending your guests emails after they check out?
Because maintaining a connection between your RV resort and your guests builds your relationship. Relationship marketing provides value that creates loyalty.
A recent study showed that 77% of people from all age groups value email marketing over other promotions. Brands that describe their email marketing programs as successful report generating an average email marketing ROI of 42:1, while average email programs report an ROI of 37:1.
And more than 50% of customers preferred email communication over texts, calls, or direct mail.
Sending monthly or quarterly emails with updates about your resort, upcoming events in the area, or exciting and helpful information will build and retain relationships with your guests.
No matter how often you email your list, they’ll open your emails because of the usefulness or relevance of the content and your park’s personality showing through.
Here’s a few suggestions for email topics:
- Email prior guests in advance of the new season, letting them know the date reservations open. Consider giving an early bird discount to subscribers.
- If your park is open year-round, send reminders to book early for your busy seasons.
- Updates on any new amenities, construction, or other changes in your park.
- Provide helpful RV maintenance and travel tips.
- Consider themed emails related to each month or season.
Emails are just a start to building relationships with current and future guests.
Contact us for more information about Outdoor Alliances packages for marketing your RV park or campground.
You must be logged in to post a comment.