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Pioneer FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions from Pioneers about the Pioneer Program, plus Life, the Universe, and Everything Stitch

Written by Maddy King

This article is part of the Pioneer Resource Center, which provides information, guidance, and resources for Pioneers and Community Champions to help them activate and grow their local Stitch community.

There is a lot of information in the Pioneer Program, and sometimes you just want a quick answer! Here's a collection of common questions. If your query isn’t answered, please email volunteers@stitch.net, or contact the Stitch Pioneer Coordinator Lead.

What is expected of me as a Stitch Pioneer?

The Pioneer Program begins as a 6-month program, which involves being an active member of your local Stitch community. The top priority for Pioneers is to host a minimum of four in-person events within their first 6 months. Ideally, Pioneers will also join monthly Pioneer calls and be an engaged member of the Pioneer community.

Another important expectation – fun! Being part of Stitch is being part of a group of people who want to connect, get out and about, and be involved in their community. Did you know that trying new activities that bring enjoyment matters more to your well-being and is a significant predictor of successful aging? Researchers call this innovation in leisure. So while Pioneers have some expectations of them, these will be for the immediate and long-term benefit of themselves and others in the community. What a gift you are giving to the local Stitch community!

What can you expect from Stitch as a Pioneer?

This Pioneer Program isn’t all one way – Stitch is here to support you through it! You can expect to join the Pioneer community, filled with people who have been in your position before and are happy to share their advice and learnings.

You’ll receive a variety of resources to help you engage your local Stitch community, from toolkits and advice articles to Stitch adding you to private Pioneering groups (both global and regional) to connect you to your neighbouring Pioneers. There are Pioneer calls, as well, where you can join to ask any Stitch, Pioneering, or community questions you’d like to discuss. Stitch enables your Welcomer settings to help you connect with new Stitch members (more on this below!). Also, when you have three or more upcoming events, we’ll also activate digital advertising in your area.

Tell me more about activating digital advertising in my area!

Happy to! When we see three or more upcoming activities in your area, Stitch will begin digital advertising locally to encourage new memberships. We’ve found this is hugely impactful in establishing the community, as new members are more likely to attend events when they first join, particularly if welcomed by the event host.

Having at least three or more upcoming Stitch activities means digital advertising will remain active, and we’ll be driving more people to join not only the Stitch community, but your events as well!

What is a Stitch Welcomer?

You can make a big difference to how welcome new Stitch members feel when they join the community, simply by clicking a single button on Stitch! A Stitch Welcomer is a member of the community who has received enough positive ratings to be able to set up automated messages Stitch sends to new members. You can learn more about it here.

Can I be a Pioneer for more than 6 months?

Yes, you can continue being a Pioneer if you are interested and have met the requirements of a Pioneer.

What are the monthly Pioneer calls, and do I have to attend them?

Each month, the Stitch Pioneer Coordinator Lead will host a call for Pioneers around the world to come together and share updates, feedback, ideas, and answer any questions. Time zones can make it tricky, but the alternating times of the call mean that it will be held at a suitable hour for your area every two months.

It’s understood that joining calls won’t always be possible, so we record them for those who can’t attend and would like to catch up later.

Why is being a Pioneer important?

Your participation in the Pioneer Program will be enormously valuable in building the community and increasing activities in your region. It often takes just one person to step up for others to feel comfortable coming along. Thank you for being that person!

How do I manage attendee behaviours at in-person events?

Stitch is about bringing the community together. In every community, there are people who have different levels of social skills and social awareness compared to others. This can be difficult to navigate when you feel responsible for the group's enjoyment of an activity.

What do I do about people who treat Stitch like a dating site?

Stitch is about helping people find connection. It's not primarily a dating site, but people have found romantic connections through Stitch, as it's a great way to meet people. As a result, some people will inevitably come to Stitch events primarily for this purpose.

Regarding behaviours at in-person events and members who treat Stitch like a dating site: Stitch has very clear guidelines on unacceptable behaviors and the behaviors we like to encourage at Stitch events. If the behavior falls into the unacceptable category, or if you're not sure, report the person to Stitch support immediately. Reporting doesn't necessarily get them in trouble; it just tells our support team to keep a closer eye on their interactions. If the Support Team notices any behaviour that raises red flags, they can appropriately work with that member to help them be a valuable member of the Stitch community.

If the behaviour does not qualify as unacceptable, but is annoying, antisocial or awkward, you have a couple of options. You may want to leave the person to learn better social skills on their own. Or you might want to take the person aside for a friendly, open chat about the expectations you have for your event. Diverse communities always contain social challenges - try to approach this with kindness and inclusivity, and give the person the chance to learn how to be a valuable event attendee.

Can I share my personal contact details with other members (e.g. phone number or email address) via direct message?

Yes. When you attempt to do this, you will be alerted to only share your information with other members that you know and trust. The alert will not block you from sharing.

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