Community Exchange Institute Survey – Volunteer Orientation

Want to improve your resume and the Portland/Oregon economy at the same time? Care for some rock solid research experience to include in your professional skills and abilities? Or perhaps you are looking for volunteer opportunities that make will make a huge impact in all sectors? Look no further! Bring yourself, your friends, and about 10 hours of your time.

The Community Exchange Institute continues to make progress in its research of the trade exchange/commercial barter industry to help reignite Portland’s economy! Collin Ferguson, Sarah Noyes, and Cynthia Casas recently traveled to Colorado to study with industry leaders where they learned the critical business drivers necessary to operate a trade exchange.

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Now, the next phase in the research is to survey the Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington business communities and businesses currently participating in Pacific Northwest trade exchanges to what those business want in a trade exchange. This public benefit research will support trade exchanges in the Pacific Northwest. The resulting report will be published by the Center for the Development of Social Finance (CDSF), the International Leadership Investment Fund (ILIF), and the Social Sustainability Colloquium at Portland State University.

The Community Exchange Institute (CEI) needs 25 volunteers to call and visit local businesses in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington surveying their responses to questions about trade exchanges. CEI and Volunteer Research Associates will survey 500 businesses, which will include targeting businesses in five key industries and businesses in the Hillsdale Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon and the Fourth Plain Corridor in Vancouver, Washington.

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The Details: * Surveys will be delivered to Volunteer Research Associates at the orientation meeting. * Each volunteer will be provided a list of 20 businesses to call or visit. * Volunteers can schedule the surveys on their own time or on one of four pre-scheduled work days:  March, 25th, April 1st, 6th and 9th. * Each volunteer will spend close to 7 hours surveying. * All survey responses are due April 9th, 2010.

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Volunteer Research Associates are encouraged to add the following job description to their resumes:

Volunteer Research Associate, Community Exchange Institute, March-April 2010 * Took surveys of potential trade exchange members * Recorded and collected data * Contributed to the design, execution, evaluation of survey data * Presented research to the public

Please RSVP by visiting the Community Exchange Network of Portland (CEN|PDX) Facebook page [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=91455214714] for one of two orientation meetings on March 22nd and 23rd, at 6PM to 7:30PM at NedSpace Downtown, 920 SW 3rd, Ave., Portland, OR, 97230. Bring your friends!

OPTIONAL SURVEY CELEBRATION: After completion of the survey, Volunteer Research Associates are invited to a pizza party – date, time and place is TBA.