Loving your life in SPI? Help spread the word by becoming a Thrive Ally! Our community's greatest asset is our people. And there’s no better way to learn about a new place than to hear directly from the community members themselves. We’re looking for passionate community members to be advocates for Springfield and Sangamon County. Bring your enthusiasm and help spread the word about how great it is to live and work in the Springfield area by signing up to be a Thrive Ally. We host short training sessions twice a year to certify new members, networking meetups, and you’ll be the first to know about all Thrive In SPI news. Ultimately, we want you to help us cheer on our community, educate others, and speak up in a positive way on social media. Program Purpose Being a newbie in any scenario can be difficult. Research focused on why people leave or stay in a city revealed that ease of acclimation and fit with the city are the top reasons new residents choose to stay where they moved. The purpose of this program is to recruit and support a group of community advocates who are diverse in background, ethnicity, industry, experience, and religion, in an effort to: provide opportunities for potential and new residents to connect with community members that have similar interests or qualities help ease potential and new residents transition to the area create valuable connections between new and current residents When someone new is considering a move or has recently moved to the Springfield area, they can scan through the Thrive Ally team and connect with someone who shares similar interests or lifestyle. And, because each Thrive Ally loves the Springfield and Sangamon County area, they can help communicate everything great about our community in their own way. Program Requirements: If you’re interested in spreading love for Springfield & Sangamon County as a Thrive Ally, here’s what you’ll need to do: Complete the application so we can learn more about you and create your profile Be an advocate for our city and county in a positive and authentic way Attend one 30 minute training session to learn about Thrive in SPI and interact with other members of the program Be available to prospective or new residents by social media, phone, in-person, or by other means Continue to be an informed citizen of our community Connect with other program participants as needed Keep a log of your interactions as a Thrive Ally Skill Requirements: The skills required to be the best Thrive Ally are simple: Passionately advocating for Springfield and Sangamon County Communicating proficiently on social media, e-mail, phone, and, potentially, in-person (if desired) Demonstrating a willingness to meet new people and share your experiences Rules of Engagement: Because our goal is to provide new and potential residents with the best the Springfield area has to offer, there are also some rules for engagement: A Thrive Ally adds value when connecting with prospects The Thrive Ally program is not a platform for formal presentations, lead generation or selling your business services A Thrive Ally strives to be positive and authentic about the City of Springfield and Sangamon County Most of all…have fun! Sign up to be an Ally!