Toolshed Tips: Action Planning

The Toolshed: Tips for Garden Leaders

Your December tip:  Remember that incredible brainstorm session you had with your garden group at the end of the season?  The one where you came up with a long list of ideas for the future of your garden?  If you haven’t already taken action now’s the time to dust off that list and begin some real planning for next growing season.

• Divide your list into long-term (5-7 year), medium-term (3-5 year), and short-term (1-2 year) goals.  Zero in on your short-term goals—this will tell you what you should be actively planning and fundraising for now.
• For each goal, consider: what needs to happen, who will take care of it, how long it will take to achieve, when it should happen, and what resources are needed (people, supplies, funding, etc.).  Do the same for your basic operations, such as getting your garden prepped for the season, ordering seeds and supplies, outreach and recruitment, etc.
• The end result should be an action plan for the next year or so that tells the story of what you intend to see happen with your garden and what you need to make it a reality.  This is a valuable place to start for planning as well as for raising funds for your garden.

Some resources and examples that you may want to uhttps://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/structure/strategic-planning/develop-action-plans/mainse in this process:

• The Community Tool Box section on Developing an Action Plan
• VCGN’s Garden Organizer Toolkit, resources and tips on Fundraising & Outreach

Once your plan’s complete, as always, you can find upcoming and ongoing grants on VCGN’s Garden Grants page. To learn more about planning a budget and fundraising for your garden, join us for the Community and School Garden Track at the NOFA-VT Winter Conference.