These FAQs will answer some of your basic questions about the Program and your responsibilities as an Ambassador. This list will grow over time and I encourage you to submit Questions/Answers to me for inclusion on the list. Forward any suggestions you have to: do_it_better@yahoo.com.

Companies and Real Estate Relocation specialists in the Buffalo/Niagara region will use the Program and you, as Ambassadors.

Corporations invest a lot of resources in recruiting and training new employees, whether they are from Buffalo or another city. They have an obvious interest in retaining these employees.

NMG was founded, in part, because we grew weary of watching our friends and family move away for economic opportunity. To reverse this trend, the Region must do more than create jobs - it must create lifestyle. NMG through all its actions groups, specifically the Ambassador Action Group, can assist employers, in making sure their new employees learn about this community, its assets and how to get involved. Through this effort, it is our hope that newcomers to our community will grow to love the area as much as we do and call it home.

NMG’s success will also be the success of corporate Buffalo-Niagara.

Deborah Lynn Williams will contact you if you are matched with a Recruit.

Chain of communication

• Company phones Buffalo Niagara Partnership (BNP)
• BNP phones NMG Liaison
• NMG Liaison phones Ambassador
• Ambassador meets with Recruit

As an Ambassador, your commitment is to be an Ambassador a maximum of 2 times a month. It is not likely we will approach this limit over the next months while the program is in its infancy. We have about 45 Ambassadors ready to go at present and are confident we have plenty of people to meet out commitment to the WNY corporate community without taxing all of you too much.

Any expense over approximately $6-8 will be reimbursed. Save your receipt and submit it to Deborah Lynn Williams for reimbursement. Our reasoning is that as an Ambassador, you should not expect reimbursement for a cup of coffee or a beer - that is your investment into the Program and our region. Of course, if dinner is part of your Ambassadorship, you will be reimbursed.

Obviously you must make every effort to be at the designated place to meet the Recruit. First thing, when you get the call from Deborah, if you have any doubt at all that you might not make it due to work commitments - err on the side of saying no to Deborah. He will call you again at another time. We want to minimize, indeed eliminate the "no-show" factor.

But, emergencies do happen. If you can’t make it - you must call Deborah Lynn ASAP. We might have another emergency name or two later on - but for now, call one of us.

Be sure to give the Recruit a way to contact you with any questions they have once they get home.

Call Deborah Lynn Williams and give her a debrief of how it went.

Make some notes and e-mail Deborah Lynn Williams with the questions the recruit asked you and anything interesting (positive or negative) that might have happened. We want to add these questions and experiences to the Ambassador Guide, currently in development, so Ambassadors will have a resource to go to if they need to know something about soccer leagues, city schools, art museums, etc.

Be sure they have information about NMG or any other group that they might be interested in getting involved in. Invite them to Thursday in the City - the idea is to get them integrated into the WNY community right from the start.

Absolutely NOT!! In fact, as an Ambassador, one of the first things you should do is make it very clear to the person you are meeting with that nothing you talk about it part of the interview process and nothing will be shared with the company. The Recruit is free to ask any questions they want without fear of being shared with the company.

This might happen. You must remember that you are not part of the interview process. Your role is as a regional advocate and information conduit. Unless you absolutely know the answer to some factual question the person has - refer them back to the company. Feel free to share positive things you might know about the company - but only if you know them to be true. Above all else - do not share anything negative - even if just a funny story or a gripe a friend told you. You have no way of knowing the truth of anything you might hear second hand and certainly don’t want to defeat the purpose of NMG and the companies. Everyone has a bad day at work and still likes their job. Sharing these "bad day at work" stories will provide no benefit.

Err on the side of positive comments or a simple "I don’t know. Ask the HR person at the company".

There might be occasions when someone is uncomfortable meeting alone with someone as an Ambassador for safety reasons. This is perfectly okay, and you should not let this deter you from becoming an Ambassador. You are welcome to have two people at the meeting, but both persons must be NMG trained Ambassadors. If you would like an Ambassador partner – let Rob Borneman know when he phones you to be an Ambassador. He will match you with someone else from our growing Ambassador database. If you work with someone else who is an Ambassador, feel free to mention this to Deborah and you might be able to team with that person.

The only requirement here is that both persons must have attended an NMG Ambassador Training session. We want all Ambassadors to understand the mission of the program, their advocacy role and be certain they understand their responsibilities. The actions of the Ambassadors will reflect on NMG as an organization and we want to have some level of "quality control".