Call ’em what you will.  A team captain. An organizer. I revel in the term “evangelist”, mostly because it’s the same term Joel Salatin uses for the ladies that organize his buyers for the online buying club :)

So, these evangelists are your first step into creating new corporate CSA programs.  But how do you find them and encourage them to sign-up?

5 tips on finding and working with your corporate evangelists

1. Pay attention to details

When corresponding and speaking with your regular CSA members, pay attention to the details.  Does their email signature contain a corporate signature?  Do they mention their company and colleagues in conversation?  If your intuition guides you to do so, you can casually bring up the idea of a corporate CSA and see if they are interested.

2. Make the corporate perks readily apparent

A casual mention of a potential group discount and to-office delivery really can’t hurt.  Letting people know about these perks helps them to understand the basic incentives to the customer for participating in a CCSA.

3. Make it easy for ’em

Setting up a page on your website that explain the corporate CSA program to interested companies and providing downloadable online forms is a very good idea.  Make it as easy as possible for future groups to approach you with all of their questions already answered.

4. Make sure they know that you do presentations

The evangelists’ colleagues will love the opportunity to meet you at a corporate Lunch ‘n Learn.  Let them know that it’s an option and what days and times in the season work best for you.

5. Don’t be pushy

Your evangelist needs to be personally passionate about organizing a corporate CSA at their office.  If the energy isn’t there and they aren’t into it, that’s OK. You’ll find others to work with!

And…

Last but not least, create lasting relationships with your evangelists.  And, if the new CCSA ends up happening don’t forget to reward them for all of their hard work!! (farm gift certificates are very welcome :)

Interested in Corporate CSA (CCSA) programs?

Check out these links:

• CCSA, the basic scoop
• Pitfalls of traditional CSA and how going corporate can improve the customer experience
• Presenting your farm at a corporate Lunch ‘n Learn 

Farms already running Corporate CSA programs include:

Fisher Farms – Alberta, Canada

Mason Farms – Pennsylvania, USA

Stoney Hills Farm Market – NJ, USA

*article feature image, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons