Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
important role. Share this foundational information and use it as a guiding principle, as you create the
communication vehicles necessary to convince people or organizations to fund your garden program.
Funding is available from many sources. That being said, finding those resources and understanding
if they're a good fit for your organization can be another thing. Local and state governments, found-
ations, corporations, and service organizations are some of the many groups set up to distribute funds
to organizations. They are often not publicized, so you need to know where to look. This is where a
volunteer with expertise in fundraising can really come in handy. These people are called development
directors or simply fundraisers. Don't be shy—ask the members of your garden community if they or
someone they know can offer these skills to help out.
Chances are your funding won't come from a single source. You need to look at your budget needs
and identify a variety of potential revenue sources to pay for the program. Knowing your budget needs
and the types of funding you can target will comprise what is called a development plan; and it is a
good idea to talk about fundraising and your development plan frequently throughout the year (at least
quarterly), so you can stay current on applications and research for these funds. Creating a list of fun-
draising sources and channels early in the year will help your community work collectively toward
meeting the fiscal goals for running and maintaining the garden.
Often, the types of funds you can apply for will be influenced by your nonprofit status or if you
have a fiscal sponsor. Assuming you are a relatively small, new program without 501c3 status or a fiscal
sponsor, here are some basic types of funding around which you can build your development plan.
Events and Social Media
Fundraising events come in all shapes and sizes. The easiest type is a sale. Plant sales, seed sales, bake
sales, garage sales—all are excellent for stocking your coffers. Keep in mind that people like to buy
something at a fundraiser. Even if your bake-sale cookies aren't worth their ten-dollar price tag, it al-
lows the buyer to feel good about supporting your organization while getting something fun in return.
Any concept that gets people interested in helping is a good thing; they may spread the word about the
fundraiser to their friends and families. Fundraising itself is a community-building activity, so involve
as many people as possible in the process. Be sure to research any requirements your organization might
have to pay sales tax on items you sell.
Fundraising has taken a quantum leap in recent years due to social media sites and online platforms
for crowd-sourced funding, such as Kickstarter or Ioby. Using one of these Internet-based tools will
help you tell the story of your garden, and can potentially reach a much larger audience—the “crowd” in
crowd-sourced funding—beyond your local community. And with the simplicity of sharing information
through social media, your members can easily be engaged to help spread the word about the garden's
fundraising efforts, too.
Member funding
The people involved in the garden are naturally the ones most likely to be interested in its long-term
success. Many gardens finance all or part of their operation through membership fees. If you go that
route, keep fees in line with the economics of your neighborhood and gardening community. In low-in-
come neighborhoods, a $75 fee might be a barrier to entry for people wanting to participate, whereas the
same fee might not be an issue in a high-end area. As with most garden questions, the best way to find
out what your community can manage is to ask them. Some gardens have a suggested donation model
for membership fees, often in a range between $15 and $100 per year. Share the garden budget with
