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Fall 2010 Contributions
This semester, I am working initially worked on the Corporate Sponsors, Grant List, and Public Relations sub-teams of Outreach. As part of our Corporate Sponsors research, we have run into some obstacles, especially since we are not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. As a new goal for the second half of this semester, we wanted to ask for more specific donations for corporate sponsorship, such as research/design materials. This idea was not specifically followed up on, and may be a direction to take next semester. Grant research was limited this semester; instead, Timothy Chen led the investigation of potential affiliates within Cornell University.
For our public relations team, we decided to produce AguaClara brochures, banners, and quarter cards. In an effort to increase campus visibility, I ran the demo plant and tabled at the Tau Beta Pi's Technical Science and Engineering Fair at the end of October.
My main focus of the second half of the semester was working on public relations. As part of the Outreach team, I helped run the AguaClara benefit concert, Rock for Honduras. The concert was a huge success, raising awareness and $460 for AguaClara. I specifically was in charge of gathering donations for the concert . where I purchased raffle items and decorated the donation jars. At the concert, we encouraged everyone to donate money and have a great time!
As another public relations tool, the Outreach team decided AguaClara would benefit from created a tri-fold presentation board. Using information from the website, I wrote clear, concise text for the poster board. The text outlines AguaClara's challenge, mission, technology, and implementation strategy. An One advantage of this poster board is that it can easily be updated every semester. Text and pictures are laminated, and attached to the board using Velcro.
The Outreach team is also involved in the Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair. For this event, we designed three two additional small posters to be displayed. These posters give a brief overview of AguaClara, including its mission and challenge. They will be used to elicit donations from fair-goers to raise money for plant construction.
As a final public relation measure, the team has created a newsletter for the Fall 2010 semester. I wrote articles about the latest Rock for Honduras concert, the future plant sites, and the team's push to form the AguaClara Professional Group (APG).