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#1. Make a plan for meeting your responsibilities
We know that every Panda Ambassador has their hands full with personal and professional commitments, so we appreciate your readiness to take on the Panda Ambassador role and the responsibilities that come with it. A great place to start is to decide how you’ll balance your variety of responsibilities with the requirements for participation in the Panda Ambassador program, namely:
- completing at least 4 approved Panda Ambassador projects per year
- attending at least 6 monthly calls live, or attending at least 4 calls live and watching at least 2 recordings
- staying active and engaged in the online Panda Ambassador community, including creating 2 original posts per year and regularly engaging with others’ content
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#2. Decide on the four things you want to accomplish in your first year
Approved projects and participation are the primary ways Panda Ambassadors help carry out WWF’s mission in their communities and contribute to protecting the planet. What those projects are is largely up to you! We have a long list of options, but you’re free to come up with your own ideas too. You can take this short quiz to help you figure out what projects are right for you. Here's an example of what your first year as a Panda Ambassador could look like.
My four projects for the year
- Recruit 10 people to sign up for WWF’s Action Center
- Call my US representatives about an important environmental issue
- Participate in a local climate march
- Host a WWF fundraiser as my birthday party
My four projects for the year
- Educate local businesses about how to be more sustainable
- Organize a neighborhood cleanup
- Participate in WWF’s Lobby Day
- Start a blog about how environmental issues matter to my local community
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#3. Keep WWF Informed
The big thing to remember is to keep WWF informed of what you're planning.
In the Toolkit, there is a link to Submit Your Project Idea. There, you should let us know the details of the project you are planning, and we can help provide you with additional resources!
What do you do once your project is complete? Click the link in the Toolkit for Completed Project Report.
Want to know if something is "big enough" to count? If we have any advice? If anyone's ever tried something like this before? Just ask. We're here to help. Email us at [email protected].
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#4. Make full use of your toolkit resources
The Panda Ambassador toolkit contains how-to guides, ready-made presentations, project ideas, social media assets, and more. These are here for you, so dive in.
Want to host an event but don’t know where to start? There’s a guide for that. Want to give a presentation to your school on food waste? We’ve got you covered with the slides, the script, and some public speaking pointers! Want to encourage local businesses to become greener? Yep, we’ve got help for that, too.
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#5. Attend the monthly Panda Ambassador Calls
Each month we host a conference call for Panda Ambassadors. This is where you will get the latest information on WWF priorities and initiatives, hear from WWF experts, and get to know what projects other Panda Ambassadors are working on, including opportunities for you to help out.
Especially as a new Panda Ambassador, it’s really important to make time to attend these calls if at all possible. If you absolutely can’t attend, you can catch up on past calls by visiting our meetings archive, hosted in the Resources section of the online community on Mobilize.
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#6. Sign up for and respond to WWF action alerts
When something really big is going on and we need your help—either by signing a petition, contacting your representatives, or writing to other decision-makers—we’ll let you know via email and/or text. Because you are a Panda Ambassador, we’re counting on you to take action and spread the word to your friends, family, and community.
You’ve probably already signed up, but if you haven’t, go ahead and do it now. (Be sure to include your phone number too!) Responding to and sharing action alerts is one of the easiest ways you can make a big impact on issues affecting the world right now.
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#7. Reach out to your fellow Panda Ambassadors
As a Panda Ambassador, one of your greatest resources is the network of existing ambassadors. These are some of the country’s most talented, compassionate, and hard-working people. Now that you’re one of them, you get the incredible privilege of picking their brains from time to time!
Join the online community if you haven’t already, and introduce yourself. Ask questions, share your ideas, and ask for feedback. You’ll find so many people willing to listen and help.
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#8. Have fun!
Saving the planet doesn’t have to be a chore. Finding a way to combine your favorite interests and hobbies with your projects as a Panda Ambassador can be the key to a long, fulfilling, and productive relationship. There’s a way to use your skills, experience, and interests, whatever they may be, to further your work as a Panda Ambassador.
If you’re stumped, make a list of your favorite hobbies or interests and post on the online community for suggestions on how to translate that to a Panda Ambassador project. Or send WWF an email and we can help you figure it out.
