We’re kicking off 2018 with some big news: as of Jan. 2, we are changing our name from the Stewardship Network: New England to Nature Groupie.
We’re excited! And we hope our volunteers, partners and colleagues in the world of stewardship and citizen science in New England are too. You can find us on social media @Nature_Groupie beginning this week, though if you already “like” our pages, you’ve already seen the change. You can also join us for a Facebook Live chat on Friday, Jan. 5 at noon (EST)!
Are You A Nature Groupie?
Nature Groupies are people who volunteer for nature. Nature Groupies love the outdoors in New England, and want to give back to the places they love. Nature Groupies are happy giving their time when it fits in their busy schedules, and like to share their volunteer experiences with friends, family, and other Nature Groupies. Nature Groupies are all ages, and from all walks of life.
Are you a Nature Groupie? We hope so! You can join us here.
But why change our name? We wanted to make it easier for Nature Groupies in New England to find each other, connect with our partners, and volunteer.
In 2016, we surveyed our partners in citizen science, stewardship and volunteering in New England. We wanted to know what it’s like to volunteer with our partner organizations and our staff and how we can better create a culture of stewardship throughout the region.
The answers were illuminating. When asked about working with our partners and staff, volunteers said the words that best described their experiences included: “Super-friendly!” “Passionate,” “Collaborative,” and (best of all) “It’s fun!”
Today, our community of volunteers is 2,600 people strong. In the last four years, more than 200 organizations have used our events calendar to recruit volunteers for more than 942 events. Each year, we see a 30 percent increase in event postings, and most new projects need at least 10-15 new volunteers. Meeting this demand means reaching out to people who don’t know us, better connecting with those who do, and passing on the excitement and passion that drives our mission.
We chose Nature Groupie because it’s memorable and fun — easy to search for online, and fun for new volunteers to find and share. The orange creature in our new logo exemplifies the pure joy that comes with volunteering outdoors, and the new branding welcomes people and invites them to join us.
Join the Fun
We’ll still have a packed calendar that connects you to volunteer experiences (it’ll get even better with a fresh update coming this year). You can still download stewardship training guides, borrow tools, and connect to citizen science projects in New England. You’ll still find our staff at the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension.
Nature Groupie is thinking big in 2018 and beyond. Instead of 2,000 volunteers for nature, why not 20,000? Our technology platform brings together exciting projects and partners in every corner of New England. The table is set for a lot more volunteer action. Nature Groupie is committed to creating a culture of stewardship in New England and to involving thousands of other new Nature Groupies in that effort. We hope you’ll join the fun.
