Root & Branch owner Nikko Snyder has worked on a wide range of innovative projects with non-profit organizations, small businesses, and social enterprises. Here’s a taste.
Regina Farmers’ Market Co-operative
As Executive Director, Nikko directed the development and growth of the Regina Farmers’ Market Co-operative (RFM) from 2015 to 2019. The RFM is a year-round farmers’ market made up of 100+ member businesses. During her time with the RFM, Nikko:
Expanded operations from 10 to 12 months per year. • Increased overall revenue by 36% between 2016 and 2018. • Secured multi-year operational funding for the first time in the organization’s 40+ year history. • Increased Instagram followers by 63% to 15,000+, and Facebook followers by 30% to 20,000+ since 2017.
Services & Skills:
- Financial management
- Fund development
- Event planning & coordination
- Marketing, communications & social media
- Stakeholder engagement
- Operations management
- Non-profit governance
- Policy development
- Project management
Know Your Farmer
Nikko developed Know Your Farmer as a way to promote the RFM’s expansion to year-round operations and strengthen connections between local farmers and local eaters. The seven-part series featured in-depth interviews with different growers or makers each week, and was presented at the farmers’ market and on Facebook Live.
Services & Skills:
- Concept development
- Event planning & coordination
- Marketing & social media
- Interviewing
- Public speaking & presentation
Market Under the Stars
During her time with the Regina Farmers’ Market, Nikko was instrumental in growing the RFM’s evening series Market Under the Stars to epic proportions, increasing the profitability of the series by 127% over four years.
Services & Skills:
- Event planning & management
- Process & policy development
- Marketing, communications & social media
- Financial management
- Relationship management
- Project management
Holiday Night Market
Building on the success of the RFM’s summer evening market series, in 2017 Nikko launched the Holiday Night Market, a special evening farmers’ market featuring vendors, live music, local food and drink, and family friendly activities. Nearly 2,500 people attended the inaugural event.
Services & Skills:
- Concept development
- Event planning and coordination
- Marketing, communications & social media
- Financial management
- Volunteer management
- Project management
Community Food Assessment & Food Regina
Nikko was a leading force behind the Regina Community Food Assessment (CFA), a community-based participatory research project that took stock of the regional food system and identified existing resources, gaps, and opportunities to improve community food security. Nikko was also a founding member of Food Regina, a coalition of local individuals and organizations that established to implement the findings of the Regina CFA.
Services & Skills:
- Relationship building & stakeholder engagement
- Participatory research
- Non-profit governance
- Fund development
- Project management
Food Security Workshops
In 2012 and 2013, Root & Branch designed and presented a number of sold out public workshops on a range of topics related to food security and sustainable small scale food production.
Services & Skills:
- Concept development
- Workshop design & facilitation
- Public speaking
- Event planning & coordination
- Market, communications & social media
- Project management
The Farmers’ Table
In 2013, Nikko worked with a group of sustainable Saskatchewan family farmers to launch The Farmers’ Table, a producer-governed non-profit and online local food distribution system.
Services & Skills:
- Non-profit incorporation
- Non-profit governance
- Strategic planning
- Business planning
- Website development
- Project management
- Policy development
- Brand development
HIP: Heritage Improv Project
As the Executive Director of the Heritage Community Association in 2013, Nikko developed HIP: Heritage Improv Project, an innovative arts-based program to engage multiple inner city neighbourhood demographics. Working with theatre artists-in-residence Johanna Bundon and Jayden Pfeiffer, HIP partnered with the neighbourhood school, a youth emergency shelter, a shelter for women and children, and an organization serving adults with acquired brain injuries and developmental disabilities. Through HIP we offered a range of improvisation workshops that brought diverse community members together using the common language of art and improv.
Services & Skills:
- Concept development
- Program development
- Fund development
- Stakeholder engagement & relationship building
- Financial management
- Project management
TEDx Regina
In 2012, Nikko was invited to speak at the inaugural TEDx Regina. She spoke about her year-long project to not purchase anything new, and the personal transformation that took place.
Briarpatch Magazine
In 2006, Nikko moved to Regina to take on the Publisher role with social justice magazine Briarpatch. She remained active with the organization until 2011, on a contract and freelance basis as a writer and consultant.
Services & Skills:
- Creative non-fiction writing
- Marketing & communications
- Fund development
- Distribution & circulation
- Project management
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