Leadership in the Garden best practices and lessons learned from Gateway Greening’s 30+ years of community gardening experience …

Welcome & Introductions Hannah Reinhart Garden Program Director ng.org x104 Matt Even Community outreach specialist org x112

Purpose of Tonight’s Workshop Prepare for possible challenges so that they can be properly addressed & ensure a rewarding gardening experience Share best practices and local resources Network with other gardeners Goal to have an interactive session (however on topic) Ask questions and be prepared to be called on to share your experiences!

Challenges & Solutions It’s one thing to put a plant in the ground and quite another to keep it growing.

Most Common Challenges  Access to water  Theft and vandalism  Maintaining membership and recruitment  Physical garden maintenance

Theft & vandalism  Have a strong presence at the garden  Get to know your garden’s immediate neighbors  Signage—Make a name for yourself & invite others by posting workdays!  Fencing—Costly but effective  Natural fencing— Think poky!  Grow more food more strategically

Membership, morale & recruitment  Flyers, door-to-door community surveys & publicity events  Websites & social media  Community outreach to: Schools & youth programs Churches Local businesses Neighborhood Assoc. One time, big impact volunteer groups Civic leaders/NSOs Libraries

Recruitment Don Strohmeyer and The Garden of Courage gardeners in the College Hill neighborhood went door-to-door promoting the garden. College Hill Door-to-Door Survey Address ___________________________________________________________________ No one home_______________ House vacant__________ DATE of visit_____________ Name ______________________________ Phone and or _______________ Years in area___________ Know about the garden__________________ Interested in fresh produce? ____________________________________ Any Garden experience? _______________________________________ Other notes: (garden noticed, dog warning, fence, etc.)

Management & maintenance  Develop and enforce garden guidelines  Share the work load!  Establish a garden waiting list  Rethink the garden paradigm

Gardener Guidelines  Application  Membership Fee  Plot Maintenance  Garden Maintenance  Planting Restrictions  End of Season  Composting  Materials and Tools  Pesticides  Other people’s plots  Water  Pets and Children  Alcohol and Drugs  Unwanted Activities  Violation of Garden Rules

Gardener Application  Amendment to the guidelines including: Basic contact information Sign up for garden job/crew Procedure for dealing with violations Photo permission Phone and list permission Hold harmless clause Both leader and member retain copies

Community Garden Job Descriptions Garden Co- Leaders Plot Coordinator Grounds Crew Maintenance Crew Supply Crew Composting Crew Events Crew Treasurer Communications Crew Outreach and Community Relations Horticulture Advisors Monitors Security Translation Leadership Team

Real world Job Descriptions Examples

Contact List for Garden Jobs  Job  Name(s)  Phone   Name  Phone   Plot #

Garden Map

Fundraising  Bed fees  Events  Sponsorship by Neighborhood Assoc. or Business Assoc.  Grants, local and national  In-kind donations  Community-based funds through community development block funds, neighborhood & business assoc, and garden clubs.

Benefits of Community Gardening  Food production and access  Nutrition  Exercise  Mental health  Community  Environment  Education  Youth  Income  Crime prevention  Property values Preaching to the choir, but important to articulate for fundraising and publicity

GGI research experiences  Whitmire Study Examined several quality of life indicators related to economic development and neighborhood stability using 1990 and 2000 census data Found outstanding improvements in 54 community garden areas within a 0.3-mile radius of a CG as compared to the census tracts in which they reside

Whitmire study findings Within the immediate garden areas: People are willing to spend more on rent. Home values and mortgage costs increased. Median household income increased dramatically. Population loss decreased. Rate of owner occupied housing increased. Percentage of renters paying 19% or less of their income as rent increased. Diversity increased

Established March, 2009 Communicating your Impact: A Case Study

Partners Gateway Greening UMSL’s Students of Service City of Normandy Normandy School District River Des Peres Watershed Coalition Operation Food Search

“Brand” Elements Logo: Signage in visible area, Letterhead, Business cards, Buttons, Facebook, Flyers Facebook/Web: Use regularly; Create events; Upload photos; Encourage “friends” to post; Create a blog or become a blog item; Always bring it up in conversation; It’s FREE, but telling your story requires TIME! Voice mailbox: Use Voice Mail as an interactive tool; Keep it fresh; Encourage callers to leave a message; Have multiple address lists; Make sure you have control of sent s; Regularly maintain address book; Pass along pertinent info. Events: Make sure they’re well done; Have sign-in sheets; the garden; Advertise on Facebook, via and voice mail; Clean up (very important); Think “kid friendly.”

“Brand” Elements, cont. Farmers’ Market: Great opportunity to get exposure, Sign-up for community booth, Provide take away literature, Initiate conversations, Provide a unique food/item, Once or twice a season Face-To-Face interaction: The most important communication tool; Always have talking points ready; Make sure all leaders are on the same page; Promote, and know when to back-off; Most Wayside members joined after a casual conversation

Documentation!  Wayside reported more than 3,225 pounds of harvest in 2014!  Weigh and record all harvests—every jalapeno adds up!  You cannot promote your successes if they are not documented.

How Can We Help Promote YOU As an organization, Gateway Greening is committed to the success of your garden. Trainings and workshops highlighting your successes Refer the media for interviews and photo requests Promote events through electronic channels Feature your garden in Urban Gardening and e-newsletter Post good news, events, photos and other highlights on Facebook and Twitter Promote your videos through the Gateway Greening YouTube channel Glad to help you setup up webpage, Facebook, Blog, etc. Just ask! Facilitate partnership development We can’t help if you don’t ask! 2/7/11

Leadership and Social Styles  The Director or “Driver” (in charge, direct, efficient)  The Relator or “Amiable” (needs people, consensus)  The Socializer or “Expressive” (the visionary cheerleader)  The Thinker or “Analytical” (focus on process and planning)

Take Home Message  There are different personality types, & people hear things and approach situations in different ways.  You cannot change others, but you can change yourself and your reaction to others. Barriers to understanding: -Failure to listen effectively & misinterpretation of words -Poor or incorrect word or language usage -confusing non-verbal signals (55% communication is visual, 38% is tonal, only 7% actually content) -Failure to clarify or ask questions (paraphrase, “what I hear you saying is…”)

When you Assume…  Begin partnerships acknowledging that others do NOT necessary understand or share your goals and intentions.  Be crystal clear from the get-go of what your goals are (can help prevent conflicts down the road)

Conflict Resolution—Why Bother  The problem will not go away, it will get worse.  Will affect morale  Venting to yourself or others will not help  Addressing conflict can lead to: Growth and new ideas Personal development Relief and morale Stronger team, productivity

Basic Conflict Resolution Practices  Analyze the problem, prepare for resistance, be consistent  Document the performance gap  Identify what needs to be accomplished  stay in-bounds of what to discuss  Don’t delay (except when tempers are high)  Let them feel heard  Clarify expectations and consequences  Obtain mutual commitment  Agree on a tracking method and mini- deadlines  BE RESPECTFUL

Tell the Truth Fast  State the purpose or your intention in having the discussion  The events and circumstances creating the need for the discussion.  The impact of the events and circumstances on others.

Prevent Conflict through Delegation  Delegate things that: Can be done better (with special skills) Someone can do instead of you (and develop themselves) Can be done at less cost (time is money) Can be done more efficiently

Why don’t we delegate  I can do it better myself (and want the satisfaction)  They might make a mistake  I might lose control or feel threatened by delegating  Get over it!

How to Conduct a Meeting Elements of a well-planned meeting: - Set clear goals for the meeting - Be selective about choosing a meeting site - Schedule meetings regularly - Choose a convenient time - Actively recruit members

A Standard Agenda  Sign-in  Announcements  Agenda review  Agenda  Next steps and review  Meeting notes An agenda is a tool to keep everyone on the same page and to get everyone’s issues addressed in a fair and effective way. It is a way to bring together different items in an organized manner that is manageable. It is important to provide the opportunity for everyone to add to and adjust the agenda before and at the beginning of a meeting. In regular meetings, a simple standard agenda such as the following can be used:

Problem-Solving Breakout Time! Before After