Behind the Scenes at First Book Canada: Calyssa

Can you tell us a bit about what you do as the Communications Coordinator?

As Communications Coordinator, I create, curate, and manage all our communications going out across a variety of channels. I’m constantly checking on our online community through our social media platforms, creating emails to our donors and members, and reaching out to the general public and media through advisories and press releases, and writing blog posts.

I’m also responsible for our volunteer outreach and management, for both office volunteers and volunteers for our programs across the country.

Out of all these different parts of your job, which one gets you the most excited?

Getting to interact with the First Book Canada community online is definitely the best. I love getting to see the photos and stories that members share with us including giving books to children, members receiving books from a book distribution or the Marketplace, or communities sharing in the love of reading.

What’s something surprising about your job?

Something that constantly surprises me about my job is how many different things can show up and encompass what I do in a day. While I’m focused on the communications aspect of my job, since we run so many different programs and initiatives, I often get to dive into a variety of different projects. I can jump between social, email, donor engagement, media relations, and more in just a single day. It can get overwhelming at times but I like the challenge!

What’s something that you’d love people to know about us?

Something I’d love for people to know about us is how focused we are on making sure kids get access to the right books at the right time. With our First Book Canada Marketplace, we’re trying to move the needle and encourage our publishing partners to continue expanding the variety of stories they publish and feature more characters from diverse backgrounds. We know this will make a huge difference for the kids that educators work with across the country.

Any final comments you’d like to share?

If you aren’t already following us, find us online at @FirstBookCanada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. We love hearing from you, so tag us in the fantastic work you’re doing to get #bookstokids.