Committees

GARDENS COMMITTEES & COORDINATORS
Join one (or more!) of the committees/working groups below to help keep the Gardens running smoothly. Committees evaluate the needs in their area and develop specific projects, task lists, action plans and budgets in the spring to present to the board. They work together with appropriate coordinators and special job volunteers to see that approved projects and tasks are delegated or carried out on workdays. Committee work has a more flexible schedule than Saturday workdays with a wide variety of tasks to suit your interests and skills. Committee coordinators convene and facilitate committee meetings as needed to identify projects and tasks, match individuals with jobs, help set task timelines, and liaison with the board. Friends are welcome to co-coordinate.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR 2021
Deputy workday coordinator 
Database assistance (Airtable)    “Alternate workday” organizers
Bulletin board monitor                    Newsletter editor
Events/potluck facilitator               Plot rehabilitation & staking team
Calendar “numbers” person         Help with calendar marketing
Tabling at spring events                 Social media publicity
Parade organizing                            Truck drivers

OPERATIONS Committee

Oversees structural and grounds maintenance (e.g., fence and tool shed repairs, mowing, signs, general garden appearance), water/hose/tool maintenance, compost, plot supervision and improvements, and identification of workday tasks for each month. This committee works with:

• Workday Coordinator/Leader (Deputy workday coordinator needed, also alternate workday organizers): Assemble list of tasks for monthly workdays in consultation with the board, committee coordinators, and other coordinators; remind signed-up gardeners (using list from database manager) to attend each month’s workday. Lead a regular Saturday workday effort as needed, or organize an “alternate mid-month workdays” one Sunday a month from ~3–5 pm during May, Sept and October, and one weekday evening a month during the hotter months of June to August. Schedule the date, announce it on the email list, arrive early, sign workers in, organize work groups, and report worker’s names to the database manager. Responsible for communicating with board and the other operations managers listed below.
• Compost Coordinators: Organize and lead compost volunteers and other workday help to maximize quality and orderliness of the gardens’ compost system. Always lots of enthusiastic helpers! Master Composter training or previous experience a major plus. Put your leadership skills and compost knowledge to work! Team members needed.
• Herb Garden Coordinator: Organize volunteers to maintain a large herb garden on the highway side of Gardens.
• Mowing Coordinator: Oversee training and scheduling of mowers, report maintenance to power equipment manager. Mowers get trained on using the equipment (2 line trimmers, etc.) and mow areas of greatest need (check in with coordinator) on own schedule; track & report hours worked to database manager. Learn & follow procedures for filling gas cans. Team members always needed.
• Mulch & Manure: Seek out sources and arrange delivery of manure, wood chips and straw to the garden. Arrange for first load of composted manure to be delivered mid to late April. Currently compost/manure mix comes from Cornell, details on past sources available.
• Plot Monitors: check that plots are being properly maintained, report to board if not.
• Truck Drivers Needed: Donate truck time as needed (trips to Solid Waste, buy materials, etc.). Track & report hours to database manager (2 hours truck time = 4 hours work credit)
• Water, & Hose Manager: Turn water on & off for season, and lead efforts to maintain hoses.
• Tool Manager: inventory tool sheds, purchase tools as needed, track warranties.
• Woodchuck Monitor: supervise very small team of reliable gardeners to check & bait traps twice a day while trapping, liaison with licensed nuisance wildlife control operator to remove woodchucks.

LAND PERMANENCY Working Group & Coordinator

Volunteers welcome here: Work with the board to ensure the future of the Gardens, identifying challenges and opportunities for protecting the future of the gardens and community gardening in Ithaca. This group also works in coordination with the public outreach committee, building awareness of the Gardens and their value to Ithaca.

MEMBERSHIP Committee & Coordinator

Carry out registration activities: monitor wait list, set the registration timeline, update gardener forms, do registration mailings, process renewals, assign new plots. Busiest January–March each year, coordinating renewal and new gardener registrations. This committee works with the following coordinators to process registration materials, and ensure that members fulfill their work commitment.

• Database Manager & Database Assistant: Data entry, database maintenance, generate address labels for mailings, etc.
• Volunteer Coordinator: At beginning of season, obtain list of gardeners who can’t work on workdays or have special needs from database manager and match them with specific jobs that meet maintenance or other goals of the Gardens. Obtain ideas for special jobs from the various committees. Maintain an online listing of these jobs for future reference: skills needed, time required, and time of year they can be done. Coordinator can work mostly from home via email and telephone. Great for organized self-starter who would like to help other gardeners fulfill their work requirement!
• Work Hours Monitor: Remind members about work hours owed or commitments not begun.
• Wait List Coordinator: Respond to people who sign up for the wait list; response varies in a routine way during the season.

ELECTIONS/ANNUAL MEETING Committee & Coordinator

Both coordinator and team needed here. Recruit and receive nominations for the board elections each fall: collect candidate statements, print ballots, help prepare for the annual meeting where committee holds the election, tally ballots & announce the results at the meeting.

COMMUNICATIONS/OUTREACH Committee & Coordinator

Oversee both external outreach and internal communications. The committee develops and helps implement strategies and activities to strengthen ties between the Ithaca Community Gardens and the greater Ithaca community, plans and oversees the implementation of events and celebrations, develops content for the garden website, creates a presence for the Gardens on Facebook and Twitter, produces press releases as needed, and conducts media outreach. Internally, the group helps set garden email list policy and development in collaboration with the email list manager, explores potential for a members-only portion of the website, and identifies ways to connect garden neighbors to each other more easily.

• Calendar Working Group: Assist team with marketing and tracking sales.
• Tabling at spring events.
• Webmaster: Manage the design and input of information provided for website. Basic HTML and knowledge of WordPress.
• Website Updating: Work closely with board to keep website content current.
• Email List Manager: Maintain group email list, currently on Riseup.net. Doesn’t take a lot of time but must be done promptly.
• Publicity Coordinator: Each spring, distribute information to local newspapers, local government, and social service agencies to familiarize them and their public with the Gardens and how to get on wait list for next season. During the growing season, assist in generating positive press about the Gardens: prompt journalists to write articles in local newspapers, take photos of gardens and events or collect photos from other gardeners, etc. Use your imagination and creativity! Self-starter needed.
• Bulletin Board Monitor: Organize our bulletin boards on the tool sheds! Post up-to-date plot maps, announcements, garden rules, etc. What do you think should be there? Contact board members and others for materials. Take charge and make bulletin boards useful and attractive.
• Potluck/Events Facilitator: Help gardeners become better acquainted.

EDUCATION Committee & Coordinator

Committee members needed: Organize new gardener orientations, set up, advertise, and coordinate workshops for gardeners and the public, and create education posters and other materials, for example on invasive weeds, seasonal insect challenges, beneficial native plants and insects, etc. Plan and organize several events during season (e.g., Gardener Orientation, Urban Gardening Day, one or two special garden workshops). Use the Gardens’ email list and web page to post relevant classes and events sponsored by other organizations such as Cooperative Extension. Help address education needs of both novice and experienced gardeners.

• Education Program team members (the more the merrier!): Take on a specific task from the committee: conduct or organize an outside source to conduct a workshop or presentation on a particular topic, volunteer to make an educational poster relevant to the gardens, put together a kids’ day activity in the gardens, hold a canning workshop, demonstrate a food preservation technique, or … apply your imagination and share your skills!
• Urban Gardening Day planning: create a steering committee with other community group participants.