TLDR: As Communications Coordinator for the nonprofit Michigan Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (MITESOL), Josie tackled three major challenges: transitioning the organization to Google Workspace for centralized collaboration, moving the website to a new all-in-one nonprofit management platform, and creating a virtual conference portal when the pandemic made in-person events impossible.
Organization Introduction
“Michigan Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages is a state affiliate of the professional association, TESOL International. MITESOL is composed of professionals who are involved in the teaching of students for whom English is a second or additional language (ESL). … [Their] main mission is to provide leadership and support for professionals involved in TESOL across the state. Among the ways [they] accomplish this is holding an annual conference and sharing pertinent information with [their] members via [their] listserv and social media.” (source)
Josie stepped up as a volunteer board member to fill the Communications Coordinator position while attending a MITESOL conference during her master's program in TESOL.
The Challenges
MITESOL faced three major organizational challenges that needed to be addressed:
Decentralized collaboration: Board members needed a centralized system for managing organizational email addresses, storing board information, and collaborating online.
Outdated website platform: The organization's website needed to transition to a new all-in-one nonprofit management software system that would better serve their membership database and organizational needs.
Pandemic disruption: When the pandemic halted in-person events, MITESOL needed a way to hold their annual conference virtually without losing the community connection and educational value members expected.
“Josie does not shy away from difficult tasks and is willing to collaborate to complete the challenge at hand. …Her presence and legacy on the [MITESOL] board will continue through the longevity of the projects she helped accomplish. I know Josie can benefit other organizations with her skill set. Ms. Gruber is a valuable team member with organizational and systemic thinking.”
— Dr. Christina T. Kozlowski, MITESOL President & Administrator of Language Acquisition, Warren Consolidated Schools
The Solutions
As Communications Coordinator, Josie developed solutions for each of these challenges:
Google Workspace implementation: Established Google Workspace accounts for organizational email addresses, board information management, and online collaboration, including the migration of all files and folders from the previous system (31 hours). Josie served as the administrator of the organization's Google Workspace account, including resetting user passwords, transitioning accounts between incoming and outgoing board members, and providing reports on system usage. She also wrote reference documents for current and future board members to get the most out of Google Workspace.
Website platform transition: Contributed to the design of the new website and led the transition from the old system to the new all-in-one nonprofit management software system, SilkStart (85 hours). This included migrating content and ensuring the new platform would serve both public-facing website needs and back-end membership management.
Virtual conference portal: Constructed a comprehensive virtual conference portal when in-person events were no longer possible. This included creating the 2020 conference program with all mail merged information and designing graphics for the conference program, social media, and website.
Ongoing communications: Strategized statewide member communications and social media posts to distribute organizational and field-related information and promote events hosted by organizations in the TESOL field. Served as central point of contact for inquiries sent to the organization's main email address.
The Impact
The best parts about these projects are the lasting impacts for MITESOL and its members! To name a few:
Board members now have a centralized place to collaborate and manage email accounts through Google Workspace.
The new website platform provides a more user-friendly experience for both members and administrators, with an integrated membership database.
MITESOL successfully held a contactless virtual conference during the pandemic, maintaining community connection and professional development opportunities for members.
The organization has a more cohesive online presence with branding colors used more consistently across platforms.
Future board members have reference documentation to help them effectively use the systems Josie implemented.
Examples of Josie’s Work
Online Conference Portal
Marketing Emails
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Conference Program Graphics
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