Every successful garden project requires committed volunteers. They become involved for a variety of reasons: to meet new people, to “make a difference” by contributing to their community, or to accompany their children who are already involved in the garden.
The major components of any volunteer management program are to:
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- Clearly define the roles of those who volunteer.
- Identify and recruit people who have the interest and enthusiasm to move the school garden forward.
- Select and place volunteers in roles that will match their skills and availability with the program’s needs.
- Orient volunteers to the overall goals of the project.
- Train volunteers in specific skills, knowledge, and goals of the project.
- Recognize and appreciate their contributions.
- Evaluate performance.
- Provide useful feedback.
Volunteer Tasks and Sources
When recruiting volunteers be sure to establish expectations of what they will be doing. Possible volunteer tasks include:
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- Organizing a parent/student workday on a Saturday.
- Helping build raised beds.
- Installing an irrigation system.
- Laying brick, blocks, or stepping stones.
- Helping build a storage shed.
- Designing a garden bulletin board or newsletter.
- Planning a harvest festival.
Volunteer sources might include:
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- Parents, grandparents, and community members.
- Local scouting groups.
- High schools, service groups, and local garden clubs.
- Farm Bureau and farmers’ markets.
- Nurseries and garden centers.
- Senior centers.
- Master Gardeners.
- Older students.
Training Volunteers
Volunteers will need an orientation to the school and to the garden. They will need basic information such as where to park, how to sign in, how to find the restrooms, and where tools are stored. You will also need to provide training in the specific tasks they will be performing with the students and how to involve students in decision making such as which seeds to plant, where to plant, etc.
Thanking Volunteers
At one school, families made contributions to fund building raised beds. Their names were carved into the raised bed edging to recognize their contributions.
Other creative ways to thank volunteers include:
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- Having an awards ceremony in the garden with students present.
- Including articles in the school and local newspapers.
- Holding a lunch or dinner in their honor.
- Writing thank you notes from the principal, parents, PTA and students.
- Sharing pictures of children and volunteers involved in the garden project.
The next step: Creating a Garden Plan.
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