The Starbucks Community Service page has gone through a major overhaul – and it appears to be all major improvements!
Here’s the link that I want to highlight, and encourage you to join:
http://community.starbucks.com/index.jspa
To be honest, I don’t know exactly when this change happened. It’s significant enough that I thought I should point it out. Just in terms of history, this is about the third incarnation of the Community Service page in a short time. Back in 2008, there was a version based upon the V2V website platform – “Volunteer to Volunteer.” I remember that site well, and liked it, but somehow it never garnered the strong attention that Starbucks wanted it to have. That website is now long since defunct. In 2010, Starbucks launched their own volunteering website for partners only. That was based upon a partnership with Hands On Network. Shortly after the 2010 version of the website launched, I wrote a blog article about it here: Starbucks launches a partner-only community service website. Of course that old 2010 blog article is now out of date! All the more reason that I need to write a new one.
The newest version of the Community Service website allows both a partner and a customer log in. It appears that you can create a profile, and even “add friends.” You can see that I haven’t had the chance yet to fill in my profile:
There are lots of things that I like about this new and improved community service page: It is super easy to search for volunteering opportunities by either location or date. Of course I love that there is both a customer and a partner component. My bias is that Starbucks works best when we work together! No matter what version of community service page Starbucks has, it works when people get involved, so yet one more reason I am asking my readers to log in, take a look around, and join in!
By the way, I think the last time I wrote about community service was in relation to the 5th of July Gas Works Park clean up project. Every year, Starbucks partners and customers work together to clean up a large Seattle park on July 5th.
I have to thank Starbucks store manager Sherri Corwin for drawing my attention to this new website. Her community service project is coming up next weekend, and she is still looking for volunteers, in case you’re reading this and want to help out in Ellensburg, Washington.
So once again, here’s the link:
http://community.starbucks.com/index.jspa
Go get your hands dirty now! 😉
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This is a really good idea, and I especially like that the volunteering aspect of a partner and customer coalition has been considered. 🙂
Great new website! Thanks Melody. Funny thing is that I put in my zip code and up came no projects in my area. I find that the volunteer projects around here are slim or not at all. I wonder if this new website will generate some projects.
I like the new changes! What I like best though is that because I was a member of the partner site already I didn’t have to sign up again. I need to fill out my profile, but I still have all of my friends and it’s easy to search for projects.
@purple1 There were only two Seattle projects that came up for me and both of them are over already, so maybe Feb is a slow month. The great thing about this site is that you can create projects and invite people. If there’s nothing on the list, maybe you can join forces with a couple local stores where you know the partners and make something happen. 🙂 My partners never want to set up anything, but when I invite them they show up ready to go and usually with backup (in the form of significant others, small children, and best friends). We always have a blast volunteering together.
Check back closer to April for new events. Last year April was our Global Month of Service, and it looks like that is going to be the case again this year. (at least, it will be in Canada, I don’t know about the US) So there should be organized events everywhere in April. Of course, it’s possible the website may not be used to promote these events if partners don’t know about the site or how to use it.
Michelle – You’ve hit on something very important. It’s about US. It is not about Starbucks. Every time Starbucks has produced one of these comm service sites, the problem has been not enough people using it. Well, how do people use it? First people have to talk about. Spread the word.
I blame us. WE are responsible not Starbucks. When it comes to things that partners/customers want to talk about, this is NOT it. Look, it has 4 comments, and the steaming pitcher thread has over 40.
I’ll be totally honest here that when I log into my bit.ly statistics I can see that people are not clicking through this link when I (or others) tweet it, and it’s not being shared via facebook. It’s hardly being RT’d. When I tweet it, I don’t get people tweeting back saying “Oh I’m excited for this opportunity” I HAVE had a ton of people tweet at me how much they love the new milk steaming pitchers. In fact, I’ve nearly been overwhelmed with tweets about milk steaming pitchers. Why is community service so NOT talked about?
Let’s face it, this will sound harsh, but it looks like people give great lip-service to community service, but each and every one of us has to promote it to get enough people involved. The steaming pitchers thread has had like 9 facebook shares. This thread has had just two.
This blog post is NOT exciting people. Perhaps a few people will read what I write and get mad, but frankly, if this website (meaning the Starbucks comm service website) is going to be a hit, it needs the huge viral spread that somehow milk steaming pitchers is getting – And trust me, I never thought that milk steaming pitchers was going to be a huge hit.
I am disappointed. I’m sorry. There is a trend – People don’t want to talk about community service, and that has to happen! That’s probably why Starbucks is on like version number 3 of the comm service site in a short time – None of them have had huge involvement. Who knew? They aren’t going to spread like wildfire but milk pitchers will. I’m sorry to sound harsh.
I have to agree Melody, We have the rackspace foundation here at work and they have many events, but only a small portion of people participate.
I belonged to a service fraternity (alpha phi omega) in college and it was a very small group.
Community service is hard work, time consuming, and gets dirty.
I know i currently hardly do any community service – i always put it off as i am too tired, or too busy. I think if i had friends participating in something (like habitat) i would go because it is more fun as a group with people you know, but alone, i doubt i’d do it.
The only thing i do now is mentor high school students on computers on my days off, because my friends are also helping mentor.
I wonder how we get more groups of friends to do this as entertainment? it is fun, esp. with friends.
It saddens me a bit that people aren’t more interested in helping their communities. I had some partners at my last store who were very interested in starting things up, but sadly I was moved before I got a chance to participate in any of the things they were working on. Even at Christmas…we put out a box to collect toys for the Children’s Aid Society and someone stole toys out of the box.
I would love to do a Habitat project. I am actually going to be meeting with a nearby manager in a couple of weeks to discuss community events.
I’m pleased that this version of the website seems to allow Canadians to use it, the previous incarnation did not.
Just curious again there are new signage and posters up at my local SB about community involvement and wonder if this is a national outreach or just regional.
@Purple1 – It is national. Actually every April is considered to be Starbucks’ emphasis month for community service. I was planning on doing a blog post for Vote.Give.Grow but I am overwhelmed. It feels like there are a zillion things to write about right now. I may still get that up soon, it’s just that I am going to end up with like 20 blog posts this month at the rate I am going!
@purple1 Every district in the US has been challenged to contribute this year and it’s mandatory for the management teams in my district (no biggie, all of us volunteered last year too.) I don’t know if it’s mandatory anywhere else. Our region is having their DM summit during/after a big community service event as well. It’s nice to see the big push that Sbux is making this year, but I wish it were easier to get customers involved. I haven’t had a single customer ask me about the signage yet. >.<
MagicKat – Why wait for your customers to ask about the signs? Connect with them and invite them to join you at your event!