Q2 2020 Quarterly Report

For the Quarter Ended June 30, 2020

I. Organizational Updates 

Expanding the Mission

As of the date that this report was prepared, there are 45 members of the SnoQap community. This number includes 31 writers, 7 members of the leadership team, and 7 members on the Board of Directors. As our organization continues to grow, our team has worked to maintain SnoQap’s unique culture of collaboration and innovation. We have bound together during these challenging times and are proud of the sense of community that is at the crux of our success. Since its inception, SnoQap has leveraged the power of technology to bring together bright, passionate individuals. With the outbreak of COVID-19, our society has transitioned to remote workplaces. Fortunately for SnoQap, social collaboration platforms are core drivers of operations. Armed with a talented team and the necessary technological tools, continued growth is on the horizon.

Removal Process

As SnoQap faces unprecedented levels of expansion and engagement, our community remains committed to its core principles of growth and collaboration. SnoQap's community standard ensures that editors are focusing their efforts properly and that the resources of this organization are effectively allocated. Beginning in May, we have implemented a formalized removal process to shed SnoQap of non-active writers.  A writer is deemed “non-active” when he or she fails to communicate with a member of the leadership team after a three week period. Thinning our organization has allowed editors to better serve their writer base. Our team understands that writers’ circumstances change and a continued commitment to SnoQap may not be feasible. Nevertheless, we are extremely grateful for previous writers’ insight and dedication to our community, and we wish them luck on future endeavors.

II. Promotions

Leadership

Madison Colledge was promoted from Editor to Senior Editor, a new position that was created to ensure that onboarding procedures are executed thoroughly and effectively. We project that this inflow of new writers over the quarter will continue, and the Senior Editor position is crucial to the organization’s operational success. Madison is a graduate of Marist College where she majored in political science and environmental policy. She also has an ABA certified paralegal certificate. She has been with SnoQap since April of 2016 but took a short hiatus to move to Spain to work as an English teaching assistant. After her year abroad she began working as a paralegal. She loves reading, cooking, and anything outdoors!

Henry SooHoo was promoted from Contributing Writer to Acceptance Recruiter, and his transition has helped streamline and optimize the recruiting process. Henry is a graduate of Bentley University where he majored in economics and finance and minored in CIS. He spent his junior year attending the General Course at LSE. His academic interests included monetary policy, analysis of financial markets and public policy, and behavioral economics. At the LSE, Henry was a member of the debate and rowing teams along with micro-finance. Always open to new ideas, he encourages readers to reach out about shared interests.

Michael Provvisionato was promoted from Contributing Writer to Editor, allowing our leadership team to effectively allocate resources as our organization grows. Michael is a sophomore attending Providence College where he is majoring in Finance and minoring in Economics. At school, he is a part of the Honors Fast Track Finance cohort, Finance Society, Entrepreneurship Society, and International Business Club. He is an equities analyst for the Finance Society's Model Portfolio Fund, where he analyzes and recommends buy/sell decisions on technology equities. Michael has continued his lifelong passion for hockey through playing on Providence College's nationally-ranked club hockey team. He is fascinated by the fields of Private Equity, Hedge Fund Management, Venture Capital, and Global Economics and is excited to pursue a career in one of those fields.

Writers

Monica Wallace was promoted from Junior Contributing Writer to Contributing Writer upon the submission of her sixth article. Monica Wallace is a rising junior at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. She is currently pursuing a double major in Economics and Politics. She had the unique opportunity to gain firsthand experience interning for a Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives last semester. While writing for SnoQap, she aims to continue exploring the intersection between politics and economics, while commenting on how this relationship affects the citizens living in these countries. She continues to be active in her school community, serving as the Treasurer of the Student Government Association and a Resident Assistant in the upcoming year.

Thomas (TJ) Dellacroce was promoted from Junior Contributing Writer to Contributing Writer upon the submission of his sixth article. TJ is a junior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute attaining his BS in industrial engineering and his MS in management. He plays varsity baseball and is involved in Greek life as a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. TJ is passionate about politics and sustainability, and aims to use his engineering degree to better pursue these passions further. In his free time TJ enjoys weightlifting, playing basketball, and volunteering on political campaigns.

Steven Obadiah was promoted from Junior Contributing Writer to Contributing Writer upon the submission of his sixth article. Steven Obadiah is a senior at Bentley University studying Economics-Finance and minoring in Sustainability and Computer Information Systems. His interest in social and ecological sustainability has grown throughout his undergraduate years and was especially solidified during his General Course studies at the London School of Economics. Now, he likes to focus his research on the intersection of economics, sustainability, and public policy as well as any disruptive technologies in those fields. In his free time, Steven enjoys screenplay writing and learning code.

Benjamin Bock was promoted from Junior Contributing Writer to Contributing Writer upon the submission of his sixth article. Ben Bock is a senior at Villanova University studying chemical engineering. He is passionate about sustainability and the environment, and he is doing his senior research on sustainable alternatives in wastewater treatment. He is known as a leader on Villanova’s campus, serving as the President of Engineering Student Council and the Technology Chair for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. While writing for SnoQap, he will cover current events on STEM and sports topics, and he will assess the broader impact these events have in the real world. In his free time, he enjoys playing Jeopardy! with his family, cooking, playing basketball, and hanging out with friends.

III. Applications, Acceptances, and Traffic

The month of May marked an all-time high in terms of the number of applications and acceptances, with 24 applications processed and 7 writers accepted. As depicted by the following table, the 6-Month Average Acceptance rate has been declining due to the leadership team’s increased selectivity in the screening process. In order to retain our base of committed writers, SnoQap prioritizes quality over quantity during the recruiting process. On that note, leadership is collaborating with the Board of Directors to produce formalized content guidelines for our writers to follow. As the inflow of applications quickens, it is our goal to ensure that we systemize as many processes as possible in order to maximize growth opportunities.

The average days to acceptance is shrinking, a sign of our improved recruiting process. This number is projected to contract further as we restructure the recruiting department of our organization. SnoQap’s Senior Talent Acquisition Manager, Anirudh Sharma, has done an excellent job at onboarding new writers. In fact, as of March 2020, the average days it took a writer to accept an offer was approximately 31.9. As of April, however, this number has dropped to 9.58. The recruiting process has been made more efficient with the onboarding of Henry SooHoo as an Acceptance Recruiter. Anirudh will continue to supervise Acceptance Recruiters and Application Recruiters,  allowing for quicker lead generation and integration of new writers into the organization. 

Over the past quarter, page views decreased 3.5% while visits to the site declined 2.8%. Nevertheless, pageviews are up 58.4% year over year. This quarterly decline in page views can be attributed to the current global environment. People are less inclined to visit our site when they are inundated with news regarding the pandemic. However, in order to strengthen SnoQap’s brand image, the leadership team is planning to hire a Social Media Manager in Q3 2020.