This week’s BigTent Group of the Week hails from our hometown of San Francisco, CA. Get to know the Golden Gate Mothers Group (GGMG), a 3500-member powerhouse that has recently started making full use of BigTent’s subgroups feature to organize more than 100 playgroups.
Our interview with GGMG board member, Summer Recchi, clued us into more inner workings of the club:
Q. How does your group operate on a day-to-day basis?
A. We offer a variety of services including playgroup formation, an online discussion forum, a monthly printed newsletter, kids activities, just-for-moms activities, and family social events. We also support our community by awarding $10,000 annually to charities nominated by our members.
Q. Why did you switch to BigTent?
A. BigTent has allowed us to consolidate a series of disparate services, saving us time and making our offerings more flexible. With our old systems, we would hold in-person events every other month to place moms in playgroups based solely on their work status and the age of their children. Now with BigTent, members can join a playgroup anytime, and can pick one based on a variety of factors — neighborhood, number of children, and special interests.
Q. That’s great that BigTent is helping you enrich your community. When you’re not busy with GGMG, what else are you up to?
A. I’m a stay-at-home mom with a 2-year-old daughter and a second child due in June. I teach baby sign language classes part-time, and am enjoying focusing my time on my family. At the same time, serving on the GGMG Board has helped ease the transition from corporate life (I worked for a computer software company for 10 years) to motherhood. With GGMG, I have just the right amount of mental exercise, and I enjoy being part of a team that’s making a difference in our community.
Q. Going back to GGMG, what are some of your future goals for the group?
A. We are looking at different ways to ensure our long-term sustainability. We have always been an all-volunteer group, but may try a different approach to ensure that we continue to serve the mothers of San Francisco and help them navigate this crazy time in our lives called Motherhood.
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