March 26, 2010, Be Part of SBP's Network

Before volunteers arrive in New Orleans to volunteer with St. Bernard Project, most of them do not know what to expect. Many assume they will see a cleaned up city, others think there is no progress being made. The truth lies somewhere in the middle, and for a few days or one week, volunteers from across the country are immersed in the rebuilding of New Orleans.

St. Bernard Project works hard to provide our volunteers, who range from high school and college groups to retired couples, with the best and most informational and moving experience possible. Many volunteers get to meet the homeowner of the house they are working on and go on levee tours that show them the affects Katrina and the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet had on Louisiana’s wetlands. What unites the volunteers who spend time with SBP is the feeling that each of them accomplished an important step in the process of returning another deserving family home.

This group of dedicated volunteers make up a strong foundation for our ever-growing social network. SBP now has more than 5,000 Facebook fans, and more than 1,000 unique page views every week. We are also growing our followers on Twitter and update regularly about our progress.

This social network, which has expanded beyond just volunteers and donors, is at the heart of SBP’s outreach efforts. With a strong and engaged base, SBP can do amazing things. For example, SBP won $62,000 through the Chase Community Giving Facebook competition, after receiving more than 18,000 individual votes.

After this competition, SBP realized just how important and powerful an engaged group of fans on Facebook and Twitter can be. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and now, this blog are forums where current and past volunteers can come together and engage in conversation about the homes they worked on, their experiences in New Orleans or St. Bernard Parish, and share ideas about how to make St. Bernard Project better and more resilient.

Keep updated on the progress of the house you worked on through Facebook and the individual fan pages we’ve created for each house. Follow us on Twitter (@stbernardproj) for daily updates on our progress and new projects. And use this blog as a forum for hearing other volunteer experiences, stories from our homeowners and fundraising successes, among other topics.

While our goal has always been to provide the best experience for our volunteers while they are here, we want to extend that experience so when they return home, they still feel connected to the work we are doing every day and the progress that is being made in the New Orleans area.

With that, welcome to our blog. Please let us know if you’re interested in writing an entry about your experiences with SBP. Thank you!