[Communications] Group Volunteer Gardening Opportunities

Tue Jun 8 15:46:06 CDT 2021

This is a good point, Julie!

About the waiver:
If CCGA only provides the initial contact between the volunteer group and the garden, I don’t think we would be the party to supply the liability waiver - we would not be liable for anything. Wouldn’t it would be the garden and associated organization where the volunteering is happening? What we could do is provide this form as a resource for gardens to use. 

And the form PDF is helpful to get us started on a CCGA version.

Thank you!!
Amy

> On Jun 8, 2021, at 3:28 PM, Julie Samuels <jsamuels1966 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> There will be a requirement here for considering the liability if anyone is injured in a volunteer activity.   In the Austin 
> Town Hall garden we have "volunteers" sign a waiver.  I've attached a copy of the volunteer waiver form and also  a real "busy"  application form FYI
> 
> Julie
> 
> On Tue, Jun 8, 2021 at 12:36 PM Amy Olson via Communications <communications at chicagocommunitygardens.org <mailto:communications at chicagocommunitygardens.org>> wrote:
> Fantastic! I will send this email to Sarah and see what she says. It may help inform our form.
> 
> Amy
> 
>> On Jun 8, 2021, at 12:13 PM, Lorraine Kells <lxkells at gmail.com <mailto:lxkells at gmail.com>> wrote:
>> 
>> Amy, and all
>> 
>> Thanks this is a great response, and yes, we have talked about creating this form.  One form was for community gardens to request volunteers on an as needed basis. The other form, which could stand more permanently was for groups to make their volunteer availability known.  Are you thinking of just one exchange for the volunteer group?   I think we decided it was unlikely that any "bad actors"would go to our website and misuse this form, so with that distraction set aside, let's do this.
>> 
>> Lorraine
>> 
>> On Tue, Jun 8, 2021 at 12:06 PM Amy Olson <akeo at me.com <mailto:akeo at me.com>> wrote:
>> Hi Lorraine and all - here’s a draft response to Sarah. I think we could create a sign up form for her and let her people set up the actual arrangement for volunteering. But then we should really consider developing a tool for connecting volunteers to gardens. It would be so useful!
>> 
>> 
>> …..
>> 
>> Hi Sarah,
>> 
>> Thanks for reaching out to CCGA about volunteering in community gardens!
>> 
>> We don’t normally organize specific community garden volunteer days, but can connect you to gardens that need volunteers - I am sure there are quite a few that would appreciate the help! Then, you could coordinate directly with the garden managers about the specifics (time, group size, length of time, etc) We do have a need for volunteers from time to time when we hold plant distributions, and can pass your info along to that team if you’d like, but to get in the dirt and play, you’ll want to be in the gardens!
>> 
>> We have been talking about making a tool that allows volunteer groups to connect to gardens via our website or an app, it seems it would be very useful.
>> 
>> I’m thinking for now, we could send an email to our subscribers (1,775), and also post this on social media (2,800 followers) to get the word out. Then we could create a brief interest form and share the responses with you. You can think about any parameters we should include, like location, dates, days of the week, time spent, etc.
>> 
>> To answer your questions, I envision that some gardens would be able to accommodate drop-in volunteers, and many would schedule visits, especially if there are groups. I think each garden is a little different as far as the group size right now. Larger gardens can accommodate larger groups safely. As far as time spent or monthly hours, each garden is a little different! 
>> 
>> I’m happy to talk more about this idea with you, and thanks again for reaching out to us!
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> Amy 
>> 
>> CCGA Communications team
>> 
>> …
>> 
>> amy olson (she/her)
>> designer + grower
>> akeo at me.com <mailto:akeo at me.com>
>> 312.925.2148
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Jun 8, 2021, at 11:14 AM, Sarah Nowicki (RAPP) via Communications <communications at chicagocommunitygardens.org <mailto:communications at chicagocommunitygardens.org>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi there,
>>>  
>>> My name is Sarah Nowicki, and I’m the Administrative Coordinator / Office Manager for RAPP Chicago—so nice to virtually meet you!
>>>  
>>> Now that things are starting to get a bit back to normal, our team is looking into community gardens where we could volunteer as a group. Are you currently accepting volunteer groups, and are there any restrictions or procedures in place for that? 
>>>  
>>> A few additional questions:
>>> Can you drop-in any time or do you need to schedule visits?
>>> Is there a group minimum or maximum number of participants?
>>> Is there a required length of time per visit, or a required number of monthly hours?
>>> Any other important info?
>>>  
>>> Thanks so much!
>>> Sarah
>>>  
>>> Sarah Nowicki (She/Her)
>>> Administrative Coordinator
>>> Office Manager
>>> 
>>> <image002.png>
>>> 225 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60601
>>> M: +1.312.890.5032 <tel:+13128905032>
>>> sarah.nowicki at rapp.com <mailto:sarah.nowicki at rapp.com>   |   rapp.com <http://www.rapp.com/>
>>>  
>>> This email is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. Dissemination, distribution, or copying of this email or the information herein by anyone other than the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, is prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately.
>>> 
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> <Volunteer_Application_for_Adults.pdf><CG Liability Waiver Form 4B.pdf>

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