US city ambassadors guide
The CouchSurfing Wiki, an informal workspace which anyone can edit.
Welcome new city ambassadors! Being a city ambassador in the United States should be a fun and interesting experience to be enjoyed. There are a few guidelines that ambassadors should try to adhere to, but like most things in life it is what you make of it. In order to help you along and hopefully make your job a little less confusing, this page is meant as a brief guide including basic information, contacts, guidelines, and ideas. Take a moment to look it over.
Contents |
Starting out
Well, now that you've gotten your yellow flag you may be struggling to answer what would seem like a simple question, "So what exactly is a city ambassador?"
Description
Ambassadors promote the values that embody the Couchsurfing Spirit. City Ambassadors are also the voice and ear to their local community, and source of information for all the members of their local community.
Responsibilities
Most City Ambassadors contribute at least 10 hours per month but this varies greatly from person to person. We want to make sure all Ambassadors love what they do. Please always feel free to ask for help. You can contribute in many ways according to what interests you the most. The essential duties that City Ambassadors should participate in are:
- New Member Welcome- Use the greetings page to greet new members. You can greet members from anywhere in the world. Be sure pay special attention to the new members in your area. You should tell them that you're a local City Ambassador and tell them about the city group and why they should join. Don't forget to mention the local meetings.
- Contact Us Answers- Members frequently use the Contact Us page to ask a wide range of questions to the site. A team of volunteers answers these questions and most of the answers come from the Ambassador Management Team members.
- Local Events Organizing- Couchsurfing isn't just for backpacking through European capitals on the cheap. As a City Ambassador you should facilitate activity and the development of meaningful relationships in your local community by organizing or helping to organize local events. This can be done through you local group. See below for more information.
- City Online Group Moderation- You may be invited (or apply) to be a moderator, and therefore a larger voice in your city's online group. After a period of time as an Ambassador and you think that you should be driving instead of riding, get with it. Speak to your mentors!
Groups
If you are not a member of these groups, contact the moderator and ask to be added. This is not done automatically and sometimes new City Ambassadors aren't added to a group they should be in.
Regions
In the United States the CS organization is divided into a few general regions. Each region has one or more Country Ambassadors. You should maintain contact with your regions Country Ambassador and consider helping or visiting the other city ambassadors nearby.
note: The following list may not be entirely up to date
South
includes (in order of size): Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, District of Columbia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi
- CS Group- US Southern Ambs
Calivada
includes the great states of California and Nevada
- Country Ambassador- Amanda in Pheonix, AZ
Midwest
includes (in order of size): Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, West Virginia, South Dakota, North Dakota
- Country Ambassadors- David in South Bend, IN; Nicole in Chicago, IL; Lisa in Dayton, OH
- CS Group- US Midwest Ambs
Southwest
includes (in order of size): Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico
- Country Ambassador- Mike in Denver, CO
- CS Group- US Southwestern Ambs
Northeast
includes (in order of size): New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Delaware
- Country Ambassadors- Kelly in Pittsburgh, PA ; JMFUNDAL in Buffalo, NY ; Seth in New York City
- CS Group- US Northeastern Ambs
Northwest
includes (in order of size): Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming
- Country Ambassadors- None at this time. Call the AMC if you are interested.
