Hun has mentioned the importance of promoting involvement through profiles of let's say, "under-middle aged" folks that have interest in the creation of this center. I think this is a good idea. If we had a booth at Greenlife (now Whole Foods), think about who we'd want to get interested--young people have energy and a healthy attachment to the Asheville community. Asheville is known for its entrepreneurship. Whether it's the character of the people who are attracted to it or the lack of readymade jobs, Asheville supports the new, the up-and-coming. Us in the over 50-crowd can contribute and be supportive as well, but I encourage those of the younger crowd to make your interest known. You know who you are. I look forward to follower's comments about the promotional process.
In one way or another, I have been involved in growing businesses since I graduated from college. My Dad was a firm believer in on-the-job training but not so much in grad school, so I took what I could get. Whether it was retail, profit or non-profit, it takes energy and a kind of outreach. Yes, even nonprofits need to promote and "make money" so to say. We have so many electronic resources available to us now to draw people in, but we also have the old-fashioned word-of-mouth system. I see Asheville as a group of regional and cultural "pockets." I am sure many of us are part of a particular pocket or two. Let's brainstorm on how we can articulate to others what we are envisioning. I've had the advantage of being to most of the local Bhuddhist centers, Cloud Cottage, Windhorse, Great Tree, Mountain Mindfullness, Shambala, Annatasatti, Cheri Huber-style Zen, Southern Dharma (more of a non-religious/spiritual retreat center bent on Buddhism somewhat). Let's think about what we can offer that's different from these centers...well, urban pretty much says it. But much, much more than that because it is a different tradition of Buddhism than has been prevalent here. let's keep the envisioning and conversation going.
I think having a booth at GreenLife at some point will definitely be a way to let the community know that Urban Dharma is "Coming Soon." Both Laura and Ryan's recent postings is reminding us that we need a good marketing plan. The immediate steps towards that is the publicity website, the feed for the website (i.e. mission statement, who we are, how you can help info etc.) and the profile highlights). So, let's keep those efforts going!
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