[Communications] [Resources] Suggested wording for Swap Table for your consideration

[Amy Olson]

Hi Mamie, 

I’m sorry this conversation became so difficult at the meeting. Speaking for myself, thanks for your email. It helps me understand a little better your perspective.

When you say you’ve received emails about the past door prize events being fun - are you referring to emails from conference attendees?
Did they also say that they enjoyed other aspects of the conference, or just the door prizes?

Because from ‘behind the scenes,’ people from the resources team, like Pat and Ellen, described how this idea of ‘prizes’ really brought out the worst in people.
Negotiating the purchase of the tools, soliciting donations, then monitoring attendees so people would not steal stuff.. this is what Pat and Ellen have described. 
CCGA should not feel obligated to provide door prizes for conference attendees for eternity.

So, I think that is why Angela and Cordia proposed the idea of a swap. A swap is about gardeners bringing things that they no longer use, or extra plants, etc. and exchanging them for something else. Or not! Perhaps they just want to donate something. It’s about giving and receiving. Not just taking. Cordia and Angela - please share your thoughts!

The energy behind this idea was not to ‘get out of’ doing any of the work involved in a door prize/raffle. It’s to foster a more sustainable conference. To eliminate the need to solicit donations from companies for more ‘stuff.’ The Resources team already gives so much away on behalf of CCGA. They are giving tools away on March 7, in fact. 

My own opinion is that we don’t need to give door prizes away at the conference. I don’t think the majority of the attendees come to the conference to get a door prize. I think they attend for the workshops and also to meet with other gardeners. Ok, maybe they also love the seed table. But it was never all about the swag, that was just extra.

Putting my own opinion aside, I want what’s best for the conference, and what’s best for CCGA. We can figure this out:
If we want to continue with giving away door prizes, we can conduct that as the Resources Team did, and allocate money to purchase new things, and ask for donations from companies. 
If we want to host a swap on behalf of the gardeners who attend, we will not promote it as any sort of ‘door prize’ event at all. It would be a sharing event. We have to think of it as the opposite of a door prize. Think of reuse, sustainability, giving, repurposing…reducing stuff.

Hope this helps in some way,
Amy


> On Feb 18, 2020, at 10:13 PM, Mamie Gray <mamiegray2012 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hello! I do not think that an honor code/system is appropriate for donated garden prizes. Yes, placing all items on a table would require minimum effort. I was under the impression that garden-type, related prizes would substitute for door prizes as done in the past. The emails that I have received on this subject are about how much “fun” it is to participate in the door prize event. If CCGA just don’t want to do the work required for a drawing, I will volunteer. Please advise. Mamie
> 
> On Tue, Feb 18, 2020 at 9:49 AM Lorraine Kells via Resources <resources at chicagocommunitygardens.org <mailto:resources at chicagocommunitygardens.org>> wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I'm submitting wording for FB and the website about the swap table, and would like to present this at the meeting tonight.  We can add info at ccga for questions, comments.
> 
> As Julie suggested no tickets are necessary, just a volunteer or two at the table which would best be among the vendor/exhibitor tables.  
> 
> 
> CCGA steps into the ‘sharing economy’ with a Garden Goods Swap
>  
> Consumption trends are changing, and "gift exchange" – sharing items – is a way to live more economically. We think gardeners are experts at thrift exchange rather than trashing what they may no longer use.  We know that in nature there is no concept of waste, simply something in the wrong place.
>  
> Bring your gently used, clean, garden related item – whether a pair of gloves, a hand tool, a rake or shovel, gardening book or unused journal, a small plaque, a potted herb, a clay pot – anything you’d like to swap at our conference. We’ll have a table set up for this garden goods swap.  Anyone who brings something can take something in exchange.  Swap as often as you see something put on the table, but always leave something.   It's best to bring an item that can be carried easily, no lawnmowers or compost bins at the table.  When you choose an item it must be taken from the table, our volunteers cannot hold items for you. 
> 
> All items left at the end of the conference will be given to a  charitable donation organizatio. Anything that is recyclable will be recycled.  
>  
> 
> -- 
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