Subject: Re: CSA-L and Outreach and Turnover Questions

From: [email-masked] (Sarah Milstein)
Date: Sat, 13 Jul 1996 23:00:21 GMT

Hi, John. 
 
A few months ago, you wrote: 
 
>We've just finished signing up members for our third year at Prairieland  
>CSA in Champaign, IL.  Over three years we've grown from 30 (1994) to 70  
>(1995) to 110 (1996)  members, but have had high turnover and a trend  
>toward more people purchasing the smaller of the two size shares we  
>offer... 
>Approximately 2/3 of last years 70 shareholders left and many more new  
>members joined this year.  
 
Most CSAs with whom I've discussed this issue report that they find the
same trend in buying patterns:  every year, more people opt for the smaller
of two sizes.  But a 66% turnover rate sounds high to me.  The Roxbury NYC
retention rate was about 75% from last year to this year (with a slight
increase in membership, from 225 to 230 shares -- small size), and other
CSAs have told me that after a few years -- barring a major upheaval in the
garden or a change of staff or distribution site -- they stabilize at a
similar level. 
 
Everyone seems to find that non-renewing members don't return surveys. I
wonder, though, if they'd be willing to talk on the phone for five minutes.
 Next year, I'm planning to initiate a little phone campaign to discover
why people don't renew with us, and I'll report back my findings. 
 
I'll be quite curious to learn why you find people aren't renewing with
Prairieland. 
 
Sarah

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From: [email-masked] (Sarah Milstein)
Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 04:07:03 GMT

On Jul 14, 1996 07:48:50, [email-masked]' wrote: 

>I do believe, that if people had more ideas of how to eat more vegetables
in 
>easily prepared and very palatable ways, they would not be so quick to
give 
>up the CSA weekly box.  
 
I think you're quite right that sharers are easily overwhelmed by their
veggies and often don't know what to do with them.   
 
We distribute a one-page farm letter each week, with a handwritten note
from one of the farm staff on one side and several recipes for the most
unusual or abundant veggies that week.  And we find that people are often
fanatical about getting their farm letter and recipes -- more so than they
are about their vegetables!  Many a sharer has told me how important those
recipes have been in helping them stay on top of their weekly produce. 
 
We're endlessly learning that education is a big part of CSA... 
 
Sarah