Remarks from the Board Chair
Hi everyone,
I had the honor of stepping into the role of Board Chair in January this year. I’m grateful for the excellent foundational work that Camara, our founder, and previous board members have done to build an inclusive outdoor community in our city.
I began my term with a clear vision to scale our organization. Over the past six months, I have collaborated closely with each current board director, understanding their unique aspirations and expertise. Together, with your support, we have achieved remarkable progress. I'd like to share some of these accomplishments with you. I want to emphasize that the incredible results we’ve achieved so far are a collective effort. Every board member, hike leader, and volunteer has contributed to our growth.
Thank you for your continued dedication and support. Together, we are making Let's Hike T.O. a thriving and inclusive outdoor community. I look forward to an exciting second half of the year and achieving even more milestones with your help.
- Patricia
Highlights of our activities in first half of the year
1. Hiking Trips:
Total Hikes: We organized 46 hikes by the end of July, an impressive 50% increase from the same period of last year.
Partner-Exclusive Hikes: 8 hikes (17%) were exclusive to partners like UoT, Humber College, and HomeFirst Shelter.
Ticketed Hikes: 38 hikes (83%), including 35 urban hikes and 3 bus/camping hikes. Impressively, 40% of these ticketed hikes sold out!
Experience Rating: Our average feedback rating this year is 4.9 out of 5, an improvement from 4.7 last year and 4.6 the year before. This success is thanks to our dedicated hike leaders, who are the backbone of our organization.
2. Hike Community:
Participants: We’ve sold approximately 950 tickets this year, doubling last year's sales from the same period.
Growth Through Referrals: 40% of our hikers joined us through family and friend recommendations. This kind of endorsement is the highest compliment we can receive.
Social Media Growth: Our Instagram following grew by 30%, from 3,500 at the end of 2023 to ~4,400 currently.
3. Volunteer Community:
We expanded from 35 active volunteers to 50, enhancing our capacity to host and support more hikes.
4. Finance:
Cost Optimization: By reassessing and switching service providers, we reduced our fixed costs by 55%.
Reinvestment: The savings allowed us to enhance the hiking experience by providing first aid kits and T-shirts for hike leaders, improving safety, consistency, and branding. Additionally, we built a new website and increased our budget for appreciation events.
5. Operations:
Processes and Tools: We revamped several policies, processes, and intake forms to increase cross-functional efficiency, improve data, and unlock analytics.
Analytics: We implemented new analytic capabilities for real-time, accurate performance tracking, enabling data-driven decisions and continuous improvement.
Exciting activities we plan for the second half of the year:
Enhancing Hiking Experience: Based on community feedback, we aim to offer more themed hikes, such as cultural tours, historical site visits, culinary adventures, apple picking, and brewery tours.Share your ideas with Laura, who will also reach out with suggestions.
Testing New Hiking Experiences: Enabled by the right insurance coverage, we are piloting multi-day hiking/camping trips, aiming to expand our ‘product catelogue’. Our Treasurer, Linh, is leading this effort. If you want to help shape this offering, reach out to her.
Launching Our Website: Our new website, with full event management capabilities, will launch in September and help our community save on hefty Eventbrite fees. Expect a virtual training invite from me in the next couple of weeks.
Launching a Community Newsletter: We plan to send the first newsletter to our community of 4,000-5,000 people, including hikers, community partners, and general supporters, to keep everyone informed, strengthen our community bonds and encourage greater support.
Launching Annual Impact Report: At the end of this year, we will launch our first annual impact report, led by our EDI Director, Mahlon. This report is crucial for demonstrating our accountability and ensuring transparency with our supporters.
Pictures from Q2 Voluteer Appreciation Event:
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