Q3 2020 Quarterly Report
For the Quarter Ended September 30, 2020
Prepared by Editor in Chief
I. Organizational Updates
Expanding the Mission
As of the date that this report was prepared, SnoQap includes 24 writers, 10 members of the Leadership team, and 7 members on the Board of Directors. Historically, the third quarter has been challenging for our organization. With the start of the academic year, many writers shift their focus to schoolwork and recruiting, which consumes the majority of their time. This cyclical trend, when paired with the global COVID-19 pandemic, has led to the loss of 16 writers over the quarter. Due to the circumstances, we have readjusted our year-end goal from 40 to 30 writers. After analyzing trends in engagement and strategizing SnoQap’s future, we believe that it is in the best interest of our team to reduce writers’ submissions to once a month. Thus, as of this quarter, we moved from a bi-weekly submission schedule to a monthly submission schedule. While writers are allowed and encouraged to submit on a more frequent basis, only one article per month is required to maintain membership in the organization. The majority of the Leadership team is undergraduate students, and we understand the struggles of balancing various priorities. We will continue to accommodate the needs of our writers, who are at the heart of our organization. Our team remains optimistic and has worked tirelessly to maintain SnoQap’s unique culture of collaboration and innovation.
Despite obstacles, this quarter has had many positive developments. Thanks to Board Member Scott Glascott and Social Media Manager Alexandria Sanatore, our Mailchimp newsletter is ready to go live at the start of the fourth quarter. We hope that bringing content to subscribers’ inboxes will strengthen levels of engagement.
Moreover, Board Members Karl Warfel and Anna Yurkova have spearheaded the development of thorough content guidelines for article submissions. We have extended the checklist items that editors use in reviewing a writer’s submission. This checklist is a standard tool that has been utilized by our team, for it allows the editor to apply editorial techniques consistently across writers. By strengthening our content standards, we are further challenging writers to present a strong, analytical, and unbiased argument.
With the addition of Talent Success Manager Anne Marie DeCarolis to the organization, we are helping writers succeed through writing, professional, and leadership development. Beyond strengthening our team’s technical skills, we are looking to invest in the long-term success of our writers through mentorship, coaching sessions, and hands-on training.
II. Community Highlights
Torin McFarland
After two and a half years at SnoQap, our veteran Editor, Torin McFarland, has parted from the organization to fully devote his time to his academic studies. Torin is a 1st-year Finance PhD Student at Drexel University, with research concentrations in M&A, PE, and corporate debt. Since joining the team, Torin has played a pivotal role in SnoQap’s rapid growth and continued success. From Contributing Writer to Editor to Editor in Chief, he has truly seen all sides of SnoQap's operations. As a leader, Torin ensured that nothing slipped through the cracks. He formalized a wide array of processes, helping to set precedents for future Editor in Chiefs. His attention to detail and analytical skills helped him flag issues and quickly devise solutions. Torin acted as a true friend and mentor as I acclimated to the role of Editor in Chief. He has always been willing to lend a helping hand and offer his support. To say that Torin will be missed is an understatement; however, we cannot wait to see his list of accomplishments grow even longer! He is always welcome back at SnoQap, and we wish him luck in all of his future endeavors. Thank you for everything, Torin.
III. Expanding the SnoQap Team
This quarter, SnoQap is grateful to grow our devoted Leadership Team:
Anne Marie DeCarolis joined the SnoQap team as our Talent Success Manager. Anne Marie is a Talent Development professional who earned her MBA and BS in HR Management from DeSales and Immaculata Universities. She has experience in Learning & Development and Diversity & Inclusion with global chemical and aerospace organizations. To date, Anne Marie has coached over 400 leaders. She developed a passion for writing at an early age, mentored student writers for 4 years at IU's Writing Center and recently launched an HR blog entitled Today's Unicorn Talent. Anne Marie is excited to bring her passion for early career talent and leadership development to the growing SnoQap team.
Alexandria Sanatore has stepped into the position of Social Media Manager. She has worked to help us build out and implement a robust social media strategy. Alexandria is a junior at Marist, where she is a Political Science & Economics double-major minoring in Spanish & Global Studies. She is currently an intern for the Alzheimer’s Association and works at the Marist POLL. Alexandria is an assistant in the Marist Abroad Office and represents the inaugural Freshman Dublin Experience program class, for which she was the Social Media Coordinator.
Monica Wallace was promoted from Contributing Writer to Editor, adding another valuable member to the editorial team. Monica Wallace is a 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 year. She continued to develop her passion for these topics while serving as an Economics Research Fellow at her university. While writing for SnoQap, she continued 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 a Service Leader, Orientation Advisor, and Peer Mentor for first generation college students in the upcoming year.
Jaret Prothro was promoted from Associate Contributing Writer to Editor, further strengthening our top-notch editorial team. Jaret is a senior at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Biomechanics. He is interested in emerging technologies in the space and biotech sectors. Jaret is also a member of the Sports Analytics Club which works closely with the Baltimore Orioles on data analytics projects, allowing him to continue to develop his programming skills. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and throwing around the baseball.
Jon Wang was promoted from Contributing Writer to Application Recruiter, optimizing lead generation in our recruiting department. Jon is a junior at Bucknell University majoring in international relations and minoring in economics with a concentration in sustainability and economic development in Asia. Jon recently completed an externship at Joseph Gunnar LLC., has recently competed in a StartUp Bucknell program sponsored by Deloitte, and is a member of the Bison Investment Club at Bucknell. He will be studying abroad next fall, participating in IFSA Butler's International Business program in Shanghai, China. During his free time, he enjoys watching sports and playing music.
Shraiy Gupta was promoted from Associate Contributing Writer to Contributing Writer, and he has played an integral role in creating SnoQap’s first line of merchandise. Shraiy Gupta is a senior majoring in Biomedical and Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. With a passion for pharmacy and drug engineering, he decided to pursue a concentration in Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology. At Carnegie, Shraiy is an active member in the Academic Development Administration, tutoring his peers in Biology. Currently, he enjoys devoting his time towards understanding developments in the world of engineering and medicine and how those developments shape the world around him. In his free time, he enjoys running, playing tennis, and playing the ukulele. After graduating, Shraiy aspires to work in product manufacturing/development in either the chemicals or pharmaceuticals sectors.
IV. Applications, Acceptances, and Traffic
For the month of July, we accepted 5 of the 11 applications but lost 6 writers on our team. This generated a 6 Month Average Acceptance Rate of 27.7%. As evidenced by the below table, our 3 Month Average Applications has decreased over the quarter, falling from 16.3 in July to 12.0 in August and 9.0 in September. We attribute these high attrition rates to the global pandemic, which has exacerbated our cyclical loss in writers that occurs during the back to school season.
In response, we altered our recruiting process in the month of September. After thorough analysis, we found a way in which to streamline and maximize the efficiency of our recruiting department. Instead of requiring writers to submit a sample article of 750 to 1,250 words, we require prospective writers to submit a 300 character sample that outlines his/her first article topic. This short sample serves as the foundation of the writer’s first article. Acceptance Recruiter Henry SooHoo created a visual that will be used in future communications with prospective writers (see below). Oftentimes, writers are confused with the next steps in the recruiting process; however, this graphic provides clarity as well as visual appeal.
Moreover, Sean Francis, one of our veteran editors, created a short guide to help new writers become acclimated to our core communication platform: Slack. Internal surveys have found that many writers have issues with turning on Slack notifications and managing the different channels, therefore impeding team collaboration.
Both Sean’s guide and Henry’s visual, married with the new 300 character sample requirement, have already improved our inflow of writers. In fact, we accepted all of the 8 applicants in the month of September.
Overall, Q3 has been a successful quarter in terms of long-term development and strategizing. We are eager to see how these positive developments continue into Q4 and beyond.
