RE: Workdays & volunteer hours as prerequisite of garden membership

**"jana remy" r*@uci.edu**

At the Verano Community Garden in Irvine, CA, we hold quarterly clean-ups
and require each gardener to attend and work for two hours at each of the
clean-ups.  If they can't attend, they're required to do a two-hour make-up
task.

At our clean-ups we mulch paths, clear weeds, clean out abandoned plots,
etc.  We used to require a $20 deposit, in addition to annual dues, that was
refunded if gardners attended clean-ups and was not refunded if they didn't.
It got to be quite a hassle to keep track of who worked when and whether
they needed refunds, so we now we just mandate the work hours for everyone.
Those gardeners who serve on the Garden Council don't have to pay annual
dues. We often have difficulty filling the Council positions--it seems that
most people would rather pay the money than put in the time to run for
office and perform their duties. 

Jana Remy 
Treasurer, Verano Community Garden  

-----Original Message-----
From: Andrea Jadwin [a*@pacbell.net] 
Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2006 7:17 PM
To: Betsy Johnson
Cc: 'Patty Zehl'; 'ACGA List Serve'
Subject: Re: [cg] Workdays & volunteer hours as prerequisite of garden
membership

At White Crane Springs Community Garden in San Francisco, we require a
certain number of hours (12) of community service each year.  We prefer that
they be accomplished in conjunction with our spring and fall meetings but
gardeners can also attend the first Saturday of every month 'work days' to
meet their obligation.  This works well for people who don't necessarily
like to be part of a committee or just prefer to accomplish things like path
clearing, weeding, plot building, etc. on their own time.

We've also considered higher fees for gardeners who don't participate in
community projects but the truth is, we'd rather have the sweat equity than
the cash.

Andrea  Jadwin
Coordinator, White Crane Springs Community Garden

On Jul 27, 2006, at 12:08 PM, Betsy Johnson wrote:

> I know of some gardens that actually charge of fee ($50) if gardeners 
> do not attend enough of the required workdays or contribute to overall 
> garden maintenance.  Having a strong waiting list of gardeners really 
> helps with enforcement as well.
>
> Betsy Johnson
> Executive Director
> American Community Gardening Assoc.
> 877-275-2242  betsyjohnson@communitygarden.org
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: community_garden-admin@mallorn.com
> [community_garden-admin@mallorn.com] On Behalf Of Patty Zehl
> Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2006 12:00 PM
> To: ACGA List Serve
> Subject: [cg] Workdays & volunteer hours as prerequisite of garden 
> membership
>
> We currently require our garden members to sign up to participate in 
> committees each year which pertain to maintenance, operation and the 
> newsletter.  My experience in our community garden indicates that this 
> needs to be changed, as we have very poor response to requests for 
> participation by our committee chair persons.  Our gardeners do not 
> live in the neighborhood, and many of them seem more concerned about 
> their individual plots and not the garden as a whole.  This lack of 
> participation shows in the appearance of the garden.  A few people put 
> a lot of effort in, but the rest are not doing their fair share.
>
>
>
> I have heard that some gardens require a certain number of volunteer 
> hours per plot per year; and these volunteer hours can be used during 
> workdays that are held throughout the year.  This sounds very 
> interesting, and I would like to hear what other community gardens are 
> doing, and if your garden requires volunteer hours, how many.  How do 
> you encourage participation, and is it a requirement.
>
>
>
> I'd appreciate any ideas you can share with me about your own 
> community gardens.
>
>
>
> Patty
>
> Manhattan, KS
>
>
> ______________________________________________________
> The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of 
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>
> ______________________________________________________
> The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of 
> ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA 
> and to find out how to join, please go to http:// 
> www.communitygarden.org
>
>
> To post an e-mail to the list:  community_garden@mallorn.com
>
> To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription:  https:// 
> secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden

______________________________________________________
The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org

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