by Sheila of SewFaithful
Would you like to share a little encouragement and  Etsy knowledge with a new team member? Do you have a few spare moments to nurture a relationship with the new kid on the block?

Encouragement Cards by NewCreatioNZ

Often new members come to our team looking for guidance and support with their new Etsy shops. They are seeking fellowship with other Christians artists. But sometimes we forget that new members may not feel comfortable jumping right in the chat thread. Maybe they are reading our posts but feel like an outsider looking in. They think-who are all these people who act like they've known each other forever? Or maybe they find it confusing to even find the thread or blog. They've listed some items in their shops, but don't understand the whole tagging thing. Or they wonder how in the world do I figure out shipping costs? Some sellers are trying to write their descriptions in a language that is not native to them, and simply need help editing. (I've helped with editing English for several shops in the past).
I'm sure each one of us can remember getting started here on Etsy, and how steep the learning curve was for you (and still is for some of us). We took baby steps, and eventually got the hang of things. Did you figure it out on your own through trial and error? Perhaps there was a special friend who took you under their wing and helped show you the ropes. If not, wouldn't that have been awesome? That's what we would like to offer new team members. Someone to help with occasional questions or offer suggestions. Someone to be a point of contact if they get lost or feel overwhelmed in the chat thread.

Hello Friend by Vintage Niki

Sooooo.... Would you like to become a team mentor? There are just a few requirements:
1-You have had a shop on Etsy for at least 6 months, and have a minimum of 25 sales with excellent feedback.
2-You have been a Cast Team member for at least 3 months.
3-You are willing to make the initial contact with the new member via convo to welcome them and introduce yourself. (only new members who request a mentor will be assigned a mentor. Therefore they will be expecting you to contact them)!
4-You have a heart that is leading you to encourage and help make a new member become comfortable with our wonderful team.

Welcome Sign by Inspired by Marie

You don't have to be an Etsy expert, or have a shop that's selling like there's no tomorrow. You just need the desire to pass on what you have learned, or help find an answer when you don't already know it. you may even learn something new in the process!  Sounds easy enough right?
 I do not anticipate this to be a huge investment of any one team member's time.  Once someone gets the hang of things, there shouldn't be much to do. And if it becomes too much, we can always assign another mentor.
Please send me a convo if you are interested in mentoring or have questions, and I will start a list. If and when we have enough people willing to become mentors, we can start offering this to new members. As they are accepted to the team, if a new member asks for a mentor, I will try to match them with someone from the list with common interests, age, or location. This means there will not be a specific order to how people are matched and assigned to new members. It will depend on how many and what type shops want to participate. Once matched with a new member, I will convo you with their shop name so you can make the initial contact.

Thank you all for considering giving a little of your time to help with this endeavor! I hope it will be a rewarding experience for everyone.
Sheila of SewFaithful