Should our forum create a community events calendar and recruit volunteers?

[AbigailB]

I was trying to plan my weekend and realized it's surprisingly difficult to find a centralized list of what's happening around town, from farmers' markets to library workshops. It would be fantastic if our community forum had a dedicated events calendar where local organizations and even members could post and promote their events. This could really help boost attendance and strengthen local connections. Is this something the moderation team has considered, and if there's interest, would volunteers be needed to help manage and populate the calendar?

[Kyle_L]

Love this idea—centralizing events would save people a ton of digging. If the moderation team is on board, we could start with a lightweight calendar and a simple posting form.

[GraceCM]

I’d be happy to help test a pilot. A basic Google Calendar or Notion page where organizers submit events via a form, then a couple of moderators approve and publish, could work well.

[Edward.J]

Key pieces to plan: posting guidelines, privacy rules (what details to show), spam controls, and a dedicated volunteer role (calendar editor). We’d need a regular cadence (weekly updates, monthly QA) and a plan to retire outdated listings.

[Jonathan3]

Phased approach: 1) quick interest poll; 2) MVP calendar with a handful of categories (Markets, Workshops, Community). 3) feedback loop and improvements; 4) expand to add email digest or RSS feed. Tools: Airtable for forms plus calendar view, or a WordPress plugin if the site uses WP.

[Victoria.M]

Would this live on the site, or be a linked external calendar? Also: who should we coordinate with—the community board, local libraries, or the parks department—and what would be the minimum time commitment for volunteers?