Want to help us make our streets safer? We can definitely use your help!
Who are we looking for?
Everyone who has an interest in helping make our streets safer!
Here are where many of our current volunteers come from today:
- Students, scouts and youth group members looking for community service hours
- Residents with a growing concern about their kids and families who walk or cycle to school, work, stores and public transit stops
- Planning and smart growth professionals with expertise to lend us when we speak to transportation, police and legislative representatives
- Survivors of traffic-related crashes and loved ones of those who have been killed or injured and who can share the stories about the human toll and price we pay
- Community development association members who understand the value of supporting to businesses and resources
What skill sets are we looking for?
Everyone who has time, energy and enthusiasm to help us make our streets safer!
Many of our current volunteers help us by:
- translating content into languages spoken throughout our community
- staffing outreach tables at farmers markets, events and spreading the word in your community
- writing articles and content for publication in local media and on our web site
- spreading the word on social media to their friends and online communities
- creating graphics for our online and offline outreach efforts
- analyzing data from our Near Miss traffic incident GIS database and developing our data visualization capabilities
- maintaining our web site and improving our digital communications and engagement, such as creating short form video for social media distribution
What are some volunteering options open right now?
- Data Analytics
- This project could involve helping to create a deeper set of analytics from the Near Miss Esri data as well as create an easier, user-friendly summary of the NM data for the Police or Transportation staff to review.
- Update survey feedback to people who submit an NM report to encourage them to continue submission.
- Community Outreach
- Help collecting data at high-risk intersections plus,
- Distribute the Near Miss flyers and blinkers in communities.
- Marketing / Social Media
- The marketing and social media committee can help us devise advertising campaigns as well as help reinforce our messaging on social media platforms.
- Research
- Help develop research on topics like how effective do speed cameras work in slowing drivers down or help formulate a questionnaire for policymaker candidates in time before an election. Such a survey can be sent to all the candidates and then answers posted on our website.
- Legislative
- Help formulate letter writing (aka email) campaigns to express NoVA FSS’s support for certain laws, ordinances and/or street design improvement programs. Also, at times, show up at a public meeting where policymakers are deciding on transportation related issues to voice our support in person.
- Capital Campaign
- Grants: One of the most important committees we need help on is the capital campaign committee. We need help in drafting an the application as well finding additional grant opportunities. Most of the grants we have identified recently our relatively small, i.e. $2,000 to $5000 but they could add up to a meaningful source of funding for a Ped Ed program.
- Fund raising events such as a “walking” fund raiser held at a park or protected closed loop pathway. Registration fee covers the set-up admin and/or NoVA FSS shirt. The real revenue potential is from sponsors.
- Nominating Committee
- The committee identifies new Board chapter candidates. We are looking for new Board members in all three NoVA FSS chapters. Qualifications are a concern about pedestrian safety on our roads and willing to help promote change.