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Ideas Backlog

Purpose: Capture good ideas not in current scope. Review periodically for inclusion.

→ See Operational Resources for available assets, rooms, and current assignments.

Center Improvements

Idea Priority Resources Needed Status
Digital kiosk system High Kiosk resources Earliest opportunity
"Nature Does Yoga" garden High Garden resources Design ready, budget pending
Professional signage Medium $2-5K, design work Backlog
Welcome desk setup Medium Furniture, greeter schedule Backlog
Lighting improvements Low Electrician, fixtures Future
Entrance construction Low Major budget, permits Beyond 6 months

Technology & Systems

Idea Priority Resources Needed Status
Sakhi: AI buddy for teachers High AI/LLM, runbooks, knowledge base Conceptual — see note below
Advanced CRM integration Medium IT Lead, HubSpot/Mailchimp After basic streamlining
Automated retention workflows High IT resources In progress (n8n)
Metrics dashboard Medium IT Lead, data sources After CRM
Volunteer management platform Medium Research, budget Evaluating options
Event check-in system Low Tablet + app Part of kiosk project
Sakhi Concept Note — AI buddy for everyone in the ecosystem

Why "Sakhi"

Sanskrit for companion/friend. The system becomes the supportive buddy that makes it easy for anyone to contribute — not just the heroes who can do it all.

The Core Problem

Everyone is on their own. New volunteers don't know where to start. Teachers reinvent wheels. Leads scramble without templates. Knowledge lives in people's heads, not in systems.

Sakhi for Each Player

🌱 New Volunteer

"I want to help but I don't know how"

Their Question Sakhi's Response
"What can I do?" Here are 5 ways to help this week, sorted by time commitment (15 min → 2 hrs)
"I have Sunday free" Great! Here's what's happening Sunday and how you can plug in
"I'm good at design" We need help with [X]. Here's the brief and who to contact
"What's expected of me?" Here's exactly what [role] involves — no surprises

Value: Reduces "I don't know where to start" paralysis. Matches energy to opportunity.

🙋 Regular Volunteer

"I do my thing but don't know what else is happening"

Their Question Sakhi's Response
"What's coming up?" Here's the next 2 weeks: events, deadlines, who's leading what
"Who's handling intro talks?" [Name] is lead. Here's how to reach them if you want to help
"I can't make it Sunday" No problem. Here's who to notify and how to find a backup
"How did last course go?" Here's the retrospective — what worked, what didn't

Value: Visibility without meetings. Stay connected without overhead.

🧘 Suburb Teacher

"I'd help at the center but it's too much coordination"

Their Question Sakhi's Response
"What would I actually do?" Lead a 45-min session. Here's the exact runbook
"What if I have questions?" Ask me anytime. Or here's the backup human contact
"Once a month?" Yes. Pick your day. Everything else is handled
"What's the format for Long Kriya?" [Runbook with timing, setup, what to say]

Value: Minimal ask, explicit expectations. No A-to-Z burden.

📋 Course Lead (Rotating)

"I'm new to leading — don't want to mess up"

Their Question Sakhi's Response
"What do I do first?" Here's your 6-week countdown. Week 1 priorities: [X, Y, Z]
"How did last team do intro talks?" They ran 3 sessions. Here's their template and learnings
"I'm stuck on venue booking" Here's the checklist and past contacts that worked
"Who can I ask?" Previous leads are available for 2 weeks. Here's how to reach them

Value: Never start from scratch. Institutional memory on demand. Guiltless learning.

🎯 Central Team (2)

"We support everyone but can't be everywhere"

Their Need Sakhi's Response
See what's happening Dashboard: all activities, owners, status, blockers
Know who needs help Flags: these leads haven't checked in, these tasks are overdue
Avoid being bottleneck Sakhi handles routine questions so you handle exceptions
Maintain consistency Sakhi enforces templates, formats, standards

Value: Oversight without micromanagement. Scale support without burnout.

🏠 Center Regulars / Graduates

"I'm part of the community but don't know what's happening"

Their Question Sakhi's Response
"What's this week at the center?" [Schedule with times, what each thing is]
"I want to bring a friend" Great! Here's what's beginner-friendly and when
"How do I volunteer?" [Link to how-to-volunteer.md] — start here
"When's the next course?" [Dates, registration link, who to contact]

Value: Always-on concierge. No "I didn't know that was happening."

Sakhi + Google Drive Integration

The Reality: Templates, contact lists (libraries, participants), and event docs already live on Google Drive. That's where collaboration happens. Sakhi shouldn't replace this — it should make Drive more useful.

What Sakhi Can Do With Drive:

Use Case How It Works
Surface the right template "I need to plan an intro talk" → Here's the template, already linked
Pre-fill event docs "Create doc for Jan 15 intro" → New doc from template with date, venue fields ready
Find past examples "How did we do library outreach last time?" → Here's the doc from October
Know what exists "Do we have a flyer for WMD?" → Yes, here's the link. Or: No, want me to start one?
Track what's current "Which contact list is latest?" → This one, updated Dec 20

Example Flow: New Intro Talk

Volunteer: "I'm leading intro talk next Saturday"

Sakhi: "Great! Here's what I can set up for you:

        ✓ Event doc (from template) — [Create now]
        ✓ Attendee sign-in sheet — [Create now]
        ✓ Venue checklist — [Link to existing]
        ✓ Follow-up email template — [Link to existing]

        Want me to create the event doc with Jan 18 pre-filled?"

Volunteer: "Yes"

Sakhi: "Done. Here's your doc: [link]
        I've added it to the January Events folder.
        Reminder: Venue confirmation needed by Wednesday."

My Opinion on This Idea:

This is high-value and low-risk:

  1. Meets people where they are — Drive is already the tool. No new system to learn.

  2. Reduces "where is it?" friction — Half the battle is finding the right template. Sakhi eliminates that.

  3. Enables consistency — If Sakhi always starts from the same template, outputs stay consistent even with rotating leads.

  4. Quick win for Phase 1 — Even without AI, a well-organized Drive + clear index achieves 70% of this. Sakhi just makes it conversational.

  5. Pre-filling is the magic — The difference between "here's a blank template" and "here's your doc with date/venue/contact already filled" is huge for reducing activation energy.

Caution: - Don't over-engineer. Start with a simple template index that Sakhi can reference. - Keep the source of truth in Drive, not in Sakhi's memory. - Human still reviews/edits — Sakhi just gets them started faster.

Implementation Path

  1. Phase 1: Knowledge base — Document runbooks, FAQs, templates. Organize Drive with clear folders.
  2. Phase 2: Simple interface — WhatsApp bot or web chat (NotebookLM, Claude, etc.)
  3. Phase 3: Drive integration — Sakhi can link to and create docs from templates
  4. Phase 4: Proactive nudges — Sakhi reaches out at milestones, not just responds
  5. Phase 5: Human backup — For anything Sakhi can't handle, warm handoff to right person

What Sakhi Is NOT

  • Not a replacement for human connection
  • Not a task manager (use existing tools for that)
  • Not the decision-maker — surfaces info, humans decide
  • Not a replacement for Drive — works with it

See lessons-learned.md for origin context. See lessons-learned.md for course lead context.

Partnerships

Idea Priority Resources Needed Status
Embassy meditation programs High External venues Research phase
Corporate wellness packages Medium Pricing, materials Backlog
Healthcare facility partnerships Low Credentials, contacts Future
Yoga studio cross-referrals Medium Outreach Lead Not started
University/college outreach Low Student contacts Future

Programs & Offerings

Idea Priority Resources Needed Status
Community hangouts (food, events) High Space, volunteers, food budget Not started — see note below
FitDC graduate conversion Medium $50 pricing, outreach Not actively promoted
Teacher training pipeline Low Central coordination Future
Youth programs Low Curriculum, teachers Future
Corporate lunch-and-learn Medium Materials, scheduling Backlog
Community Building Note — Why food and hangouts matter

The Insight

Young professionals want community spaces, not just class times. A yoga studio's value isn't just the practice — it's the place to belong.

What This Looks Like

  • Post-session tea/snacks with no agenda
  • Monthly potluck or community dinner
  • "Hang out at the center" culture (not just "attend and leave")
  • Events that aren't classes: movie nights, book clubs, outdoor activities

Why This Matters for Conversions

  1. Footfalls → Familiarity → Trust → Eventual deeper engagement
  2. People who "just hang out" become word-of-mouth ambassadors
  3. Low-pressure environment lets people stumble into knowledge naturally

Integration with Existing Programs

  • After Sunday Long Kriya + Knowledge in Action → stay for lunch
  • After intro sessions → casual tea and conversation
  • Monthly community event on the calendar

See lessons-learned.md for strategic framing.

Outreach & Marketing

Idea Priority Resources Needed Status
Research compilation doc High Digital assets Needs creation
Video testimonials Medium Volunteers, camera Backlog
Professional photography Medium Photographer, events Backlog
Social media content calendar High Communications Lead In progress

Process & Governance

Idea Priority Resources Needed Status
Volunteer recognition program Medium Recognition criteria, rewards Backlog
Graduate ambassador incentives Medium Incentive structure Backlog
Monthly metrics review High Dashboard, cadence To implement
Quarterly planning rhythm Medium Calendar, templates To implement

Quick Add

To add an idea: Add row to relevant table with Priority and Resources.

To promote an idea: Update Status, assign Owner in operational-resources.md, move to planning doc.

Last updated: 2025-12-24

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