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Facilitating a Challenge

This page contains general procedures for facilitating a challenge. For the specific procedures of each challenge, go to the designated folder.

Let us know your availability for the challenge in the reminder thread that drops every mid-month in the #vc-monthly-challenge-team channel in Slack.

If you have ideas for a new challenge(s), you can propose and discuss them in the #vc-monthly-challenge-team channel on Slack or open a new discussion on GitHub.

Before the Challenge​

Coordinating with the Coffee Table Groups​

We love collaboration! We're happy to involve our Coffee Table Groups in our challenges whenever possible. Besides giving more support to our community, our goal is that the community becomes more familiar with the Coffee Table Groups and can encourage them to attend the groups more and, ultimately, give them support through volunteering.

When a challenge has been decided, reach out to the Coffee Table Group hosts, communicate about the upcoming challenge, and discuss how we can support each other during the challenge.

Writing a Blog Post​

Once the challenge has been finalized, write a blog post about it under the Virtual Coffee organization on DEV.

After completing the post, reach out to the monthly challenge team for proofreading before publishing it. The blog post can be published two days before the challenge begins or on the first day of the month.

note
  • Blog posts can be scheduled in advance.
  • A blog post is optional. However, introducing and promoting our challenges to the public and our members through blog posts is one good way to engage the public in doing the challenge with us.
  • If you're interested in writing a blog post for Virtual Coffee, please read our Community Writers page and reach out to @BekahHW so you can be added to the Virtual Coffee organization on DEV.

Updating the Challenge Pages on the Website​

One week before a challenge starts, change and adjust the challenge pages on the website to reflect the current challenge and create a PR.

For instructions on updating the pages, see the "Updating the Monthly Challenge Pages on the Website" section in the Technical Guidelines.

The First Day of the Month​

Updating the #monthly-challenge Channel on Slack​

Change the #monthly-challenge channel topic and description in Slack.

For the complete instructions, see the "Updating the #monthly-challenge Channel's Topic and Description on Slack" section in the Technical Guidelines.

Making an Announcement for a New Challenge​

Announce the challenge in the #announcements channel and crosspost it to the #monthly-challenge channel on Slack.

note

The README file for each challenge contains script templates of previous announcements. You can use them as a guide to create an announcement. If a template is unavailable, you must create one and add it to the challenge file accordingly.

During a Challenge​

Monday Goals Check-In​

Post a challenge goal check-in on Mondays at 10 AM ET in the #goals-and-wins channel.

Async Check-Ins​

Post a thread once a week in the #monthly-challenge channel (or any other dedicated channel(s) for the challenge) to check members' progress and whether they need help.

note

The README file for each challenge contains the day and time of check-ins and previous prompts.

Some challenges require daily check-in. You can automate it using the Slack bot. Learn more in the "Setting Up a Slack Bot" section in the Technical Guidelines.

Post Challenge​

  • Provide feedback in the #vc-monthly-challenge-team channel, like what went well and what could've gone better for the challenge. Let us know what support you need and what things you think would be nice to do next time.

  • Update the README file in the challenge's folder with:

    • new script templates and things we did for the challenge,
    • the month and year of the challenge,
    • the blog post(s) for the challenge, if any.