Every couple of months when you discover the rolled-up publication stuffed in your doorknob or perhaps folded and slid into your screen door or under your mat, it’s likely you don’t give much thought to how it got there. While the content is the most important aspect of the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association Newsletter, it shouldn’t be overlooked that this is one of the few neighborhood newsletters hand-delivered to each and every residence, as well as to many local businesses. Key to the system is tight organization and a multitude of dutiful volunteers.
It starts with picking up the 2,650 copies printed from the UPS store on Sandy Boulevard, then breaking these down into boxes for ten captains and their teams of neighborhood volunteers, then further breaking the newsletters down into the 53 individual carrier routes—each of which has been laid out in a color-coded geographic grid covering the entire neighborhood—and culminating in deliveries to homes and businesses, with routes completed in 20 to 50 minutes depending on the size of the route size and pace of the walker. The goal is to coordinate and accomplish the whole operation in approximately two and a half weeks, with newsletters delivered no later than mid-month, but preferably during the first week. That said, variables like sickness, vacations, and inclement weather make the goal challenging at times—which is why we are always on the lookout for B-W residents willing to consider volunteering to be “on call”—i.e., to serve as substitute carriers. (Contact Georgina Head, georginafh@outlook.com to sign up.)
Despite widespread popularity within the neighborhood, the door-to-door newsletter delivery system is not without its critics, especially in the area of cost-benefit analysis. It is argued, for instance, that significant sums of money could be freed up to fund BWNA projects if the newsletter were to go totally digital, expanding on the online color version currently accessible via BWNA website (www.bwna.us). After all, the argument continues, many residents prefer to get their news online anyway, and for those who don’t, a few piles of printed newsletters could be placed at effective points throughout the neighborhood for individuals to access. But the debate has inevitably swung back in favor of individual delivery of newsletters as a primary communication tool for BWNA, with the emphasis on quality of content. (As for my own personal experience, I’ve always received numerous “thank yous” and other signs of appreciation every time I walk my delivery route—just reinforcing my thumbs-up enthusiasm!)
So next time you find the newsletter at your door, realize that a host of your fellow neighbors had a hand in it getting there, hopefully generating a little good cheer as they make their way.