Author Archives: Meredith

Nite Owls Proposal Outline

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Executive Summary by: Meredith Taylor

Statement of Need by: Catherine Paczkowski

Population Served by Catherine Packowski

Project Overview and Strategy by Carla Tabb

  • Evening students are usually more mature students with unique needs that we believe would be met with the creation of an evening/weekend campus at City Tech. This would include an office of weekend services.
  • This would include an extensive program of courses offered for weekend, evening and the summer semester.
  • Core classes as well as internships would be a major part of the curriculum.
  • Internships should be focused on students who do not have the experience in the particular fields.
  • Internship requirements should be different for evening students – they should have the option of beginning in the spring and completing during the fall semester without having an Incomplete grade.
  • Daycare facilities should be integral part of the program.
  • Administrative offices including the Registrar, Bursar, and Financial Aid would be available during this time.
  • Additional hours for tutoring, career advisement, extended computer lab hours would form part of the weekend services.
  • Established course tracks dependent on scheduling and graduation goals.

 Expected Barriers/Challenges by Meredith Taylor

Project Outcomes by Meredith Taylor

Project Budget by Luis Campoverde

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HENRY STREET SETTLEMENT

265 Henry Street New York, NY 10002

 

April 1, 2015

 

Mr. Tom Finkelpearl

Commissioner

New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

31 Chambers Street New York, New York 10007

Ref.: Henry Street Settlement Job Training and Placement

Dear Mr. Finkelpearl:

Henry Street Settlement is pleased to present this proposal for your review. We are a not-for-profit social service agency located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, specifically targeting individuals of that neighborhood, even though we welcome persons from all five boroughs. We are excited to partner with you to fund our Assisted Competitive Employment and the Unlimited Computer Training Program for mentally challenged youth ages 14 to 18. The objective of these programs is to help these individuals become self-sufficient and independent adults.

During the past years we have observed that a number of the young people who join our after school programs, are unable to be a part of the traditional programs because of their mental capacity. Expanding on the promise “no child left behind” we saw a need to address this issue by providing services aimed at helping these young people transition into society. The program aims to provide employment training skills at all levels which are attainable on an individual level, thereby increasing the confidence of these young people into entering the workforce.

We have seen measurable success and we now hope to expand our programs to address the need to include Saturdays, Sundays and an eight week program in the summer. Our proposal requests $10,000.00 to purchase up-to-date computers and other office equipment with which we can better train our participants. Our program is staffed by volunteers and so we do not have the extra expense of staff.

We appreciate you taking an interest in helping our youth develop their skills through our Assisted Competitive Employment and the Unlimited Computer Training Program. We invite you to pay us a personal visit at your convenience, in order to see the outstanding results of this program.

We hope that you will give our project further consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact me for additional information or questions regarding our program.

Sincerely

 

Greg Rideout

Deputy Program Officer

Profile of Etsy

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Founder/Co-Founders: Who founded the company? Are they still involved in day to day operations?

 The site was launched on June 18, 2005, by iospace, a small company composed of Robert Kalin, Chris Maguire, and Haim Schoppik. Later Jared Tarbell joined the team. Former NPR executive Maria Thomas joined as COO in 2008, was promoted to CEO and left Etsy in December 2009. Robert Kalin resumed his role as CEO from December 2009 until July 2011, when Chad Dickerson was named the company’s CEO.

Office/Headquarters: Where is the company located? Do they have a single headquarters, or do they have locations throughout the country/world?

The company is headquartered in the DUMBO area of Brooklyn. There are additional offices in Berlin, Dublin, London, Melbourne, Paris, San Francisco, Toronto, and Hudson, NY.

Investors: Who invested in the company when it was in its start up phase?

Investors include Sean Meenan,  Spencer and Judson Ain, Union Square Ventures, and founders of Flickr and Delicious. Union Square Ventures helped raised about $1 million in two rounds.

Products/Services:  What does the company offer its users/subscribers? Services, products, consumer goods?

Etsy provides a platform for crafters, and hobbyists to sell their goods. Registration is required for both sellers and buyers who want to engage in transactions on the website. Originally, items that could be sold on the site were required to be handmade and vintage by at least 20 years. However, recently the current CEO, Chad Dickerson, has altered some of the limitations on items listed for sale.

Method of making money:

 Etsy makes money by charging a listing fee of US$.20 for each item and getting 3.5% of every sale. The average sale is about $15 or $20.  Sale prices of products are determined by the shop owner. They are sent a bill at the end of every month payable by the 15th of the following month.

Revenue:

 Etsy’s revenue for 2014 was $195.59 million.

Target customers: Who are the target customers for the company?

Etsy targets creative entrepreneurs located worldwide. The company provides a place for people to make, sell, or buy unique items. Etsy customers can find unusual products which are not readily available elsewhere.

How many current users/customers, etc: How many customers do they currently have?

According to their website, Etsy has a global network of 1.4 million active sellers and 19.8 million active buyers.

How does the company advertise its product/services?

Etsy has created an online community where prospective and existing Etsy sellers are supported. Etsy advertises to enlist vendors to join their marketplace through its website, educational workshops/clinics hosted at the Etsy Labs, and events hosted by Etsy sellers sponsored by Etsy through its “Teams Fellowship Program.” This program provides “Etsy teams” with curated packages that are a great advertising opportunity. Educational workshops and team-produced pop-up shops or craft shows as well as direction and feedback for online promotional campaigns are some of the ways Etsy provides advertising support to its vendors.

Etsy advertises to consumer buyers through its website by posting new product features in the site’s main showcase, blog posts and promotional listings by sellers in the community/forums section. Many Etsy shopping apps such as “Esty-fu,” “Etsy On Sale,” “Smart Etsy,” “Etsy fAn,” “Browsing for Etsy” as well as the “Sell on Etsy App” function as advertising/support tools for vendors and help prospective buyers navigate through the vast Etsy marketplace.

Etsy also has its own press team that works extensively with journalists around the world to share “compelling, unique stories,” provide press releases and special reports as well as create submissions to Etsy’s online News Blog.

Competitors/Competitive Advantage: What companies offer services/products that compete with your chosen company? What sets your chosen company apart from its competitors?

Hoovers has listed the following top three competitors for Etsy, Inc:

Amazon.com, Inc., Ebay Inc. and Craigslist, Inc.

Smaller competitors for Etsy include:

DaWanda, based in Germany, this company’s downside is the 5 percent closing fee on sold items, which is considerably higher than 3.5 percent charged by Etsy. Also all items are priced in euros resulting in foreign currency charges for domestic buyers.

Bonanza is a company that focuses on higher-end clothing and fashion but is considerably smaller than Etsy.

Zibbet, based in Australia and small in comparison, has the competitive disadvantage of all payments settled only through PayPal.

iCraft ,based in Canada, is exceedingly smaller and items are listed in Canadian or US dollars, depending on where the seller is located. Most sellers don’t ship across the border so shoppers must check each item to see if they can legitimately purchase it.

By encouraging “competitive positioning,” Etsy has set itself apart from its competitors by providing a community where “sellers of all kinds are continually trying to satisfy customer needs in innovative ways.” Unlike its competitors who house junk resellers to peddlers of mass produced knockoffs, Etsy has created an alternative marketplace devoted to the sale of handmade and vintage items only.

 

References:

https://www.etsy.com/about/?ref=ftr   “About Etsy”

https://www.etsy.com/careers/job/ooNy0fwt  “Seller Education Intern”

https://www.etsy.com/help/article/342 “Teams Fellowship Program”

https://www.etsy.com/community/events/?ref=ftr “Events”

http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/competition.Etsy_Inc.f6a918ae255cc94d.html “Top Competitors for Etsy, Inc.”

https://blog.etsy.com/en/2013/5-steps-to-stand-out-from-the-competition/ “The Etsy Blog: 5 Steps to Stand Out From the Competition” Jeff Shah 3/12/13

http://www.pcworld.com/article/255698/the_5_best_online_marketplaces_for_selling_handmade_goods.html – “The 5 Best Online Marketplaces for Selling Handmade Goods.” Christopher Null, PCWorld 3/18/2012

https://www.etsy.com/press/?ref=ftr “Press,” “From the blog,” “Press Releases, “Reports,” “Press Coverage”

https://www.etsy.com/apps/?page=1 “Apps for Etsy”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/16/business/media/etsys-success-raises-problems-of-credibility-and-scale.html

Etsy’s Success Gives Rise to Problems of Credibility and Scale By HIROKO TABUCHIMARCH 15, 2015

Gigaom

Om Malik (24 August 2013). “Meet the man behind New York’s other billion dollar internet company. This one makes money”.

https://gigaom.com/2013/08/23/meet-the-man-behind-new-yorks-other-billion-dollar-internet-company-this-one-makes-money/?utm_source=General+Users&utm_campaign=3ca142ef09-c%3Acln%2Cmob%2Ctec%2Cvid%2Capl+d%3A08-24&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1dd83065c6-3ca142ef09-99463257

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etsy

 Bloomberg.com

Miller, Kerry (2007-06-12). “Etsy: A Site for Artisans Takes Off”. BusinessWeek. Retrieved 2007-12-19.

http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2007-06-12/etsy-a-site-for-artisans-takes-offbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice

 Etsy Prospectus

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1370637/000119312515077045/d806992ds1.htm

 

 

 

 

 

Meredith Pascal-Taylor’s Cover Letter

2 Replies

March 9, 2015

Dear Sir/Madam:

I am interested in the position of Immigration Paralegal/Immigration Expert which I saw advertised in the Daily News.

At my previous job, I served as an Immigration Legal Assistant for over 13 years. I was responsible for preparing documents for clients to obtain legal status through family and employer based petitions. In this capacity, I have learned to effectively build rapport with clients developing long term relationships leading to client referrals. This requires excellent note taking, listening and conversational skills, multi-tasking, all of which I possess.

Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to serve a variety of individuals and have earned a reputation of being reliable and dependable, accustomed to working in a fast paced environment.  With the experience in my past employment, I know that I can handle anything that this role can throw at me.

I look forward to speaking with you soon. I can be reached at the e-mail address/telephone number above.

Sincerely,

Meredith Taylor