All Hands in the Dirt: A Guide to Designing and Creating Natural School Grounds

Chapter 3. Developing Your Project Team

Once you've been given the green light to proceed, it's time to get down to some specifics. Who is going to be involved in the project, what do you want to accomplish and how is it going to get done?

How to Build an Effective Team

Refer to the information you gathered from Template 1. For the areas of planning, fundraising, planting, maintenance and publicity, make a list of all the people who expressed an interest in helping. (For the moment, set aside the responses of the students, as they will be involved in all areas of the project.) Using the chart below, note the type of group that person comes from.

Number of People from Each Group Interested in Each Task Area
People	Planning	Fundraising	Planting	Maintenance	Publicity	Other	Totals
Teachers
Principal
Parents
Board Members
Administrators
Maintenance Staff
Neighbours
Community Members
Totals

On any project, it is often the case that most of the work gets done by only a few people. However, the more people involved, the lighter the demands on everyone and the greater the probability the project will be a success.

Establish a core team of people who are willing to see the project through from beginning to end and to provide continuity every step of the way. Refer to the task area lists. Identify individuals from each group whose names appear under each task area. For example, are there any teachers who have expressed an interest in helping out with all or most of the task areas? Parents? Community members? They are good candidates for a steering committee, taking on long-term positions and serving as representatives for their respective groups.

Once you have a core team committed to the project, organize the first official meeting of this group. Brainstorm about the potential stages of the project, some of the tasks that will need to be accomplished and potential subcommittees or work groups. The stages of a typical project usually correspond to those outlined in this book: forming committees, choosing and surveying the site, designing the project, making a project plan, gathering funds, planting, publicizing your efforts and maintaining and updating the project.

Keep in mind that these stages are not necessarily discrete and that the process is not linear. At times, some of the stages will overlap, occur simultaneously or even happen out of order. Each group's process is unique; the information provided here is meant to serve only as a guide for how to proceed.

Forming Committees and Defining Roles

Reach out to the wider community and be as inclusive as possible to get lots of people involved. Keep committees from becoming too large and unwieldy by forming subcommittees or working groups. Even if there is only a small group of people doing the bulk of the work (as is often the case), divide the tasks to focus efforts and define areas of responsibility. Group tasks as follows to organize your volunteers effectively.

Site Planning
Purpose: to propose creative solutions to address design and environmental issues related to the site.

Tasks:

conduct a site inventory;

determine style and design issues;

suggest a layout of design elements.

Documentation
Purpose: to document the entire process through the various stages of implementation.

Tasks:

record the findings of each of the task areas;

take before and after photos and record video cassettes;

encourage students to use creative expressions and artwork;

establish a project journal to record the project's evolution;

collect written materials related to the project (for example, news clippings, meeting agendas, letters of support).

Planting Design
Purpose: to select appropriate plants and design a layout that is ecologically and socially responsive to the area.

Tasks:

research appropriate native plant species and their physical needs;

research proper maintenance procedures for chosen species and create a maintenance program;

research habitat needs of wildlife species native to the area;

determine which wildlife species will be encouraged;

decide if any structures need to be built (bird and toad houses, bat boxes);

establish a formal planting plan and layout.

Technical
Purpose: to determine technical requirements of implementing the plan.

Tasks:

research and incorporate safety considerations into design and planting;

research, source and cost construction materials;

arrange for utility checks;

propose a construction schedule;

organize work parties and planting days;

supervise deliveries of supplies and construction activities.

Publicity and Fundraising
Purpose: to raise cash and donated materials and promote the project in order to gain support and recognition for the work being done.

Tasks:

research potential financial supporters;

prepare fundraising proposals;

manage project budget and account;

solicit donations of supplies, materials and tools;

organize fundraising events;

prepare reports for funders;

prepare and submit press releases and articles to local media;

organize information evenings;

create displays to share information with the community and other schools.

Once the core group has outlined the task areas needed, the next step is to assign people to them. Contact those who expressed interest and invite them to a general meeting. Remember that the volunteers will decide on the specifics of what to do and how to do it. Try to end up with at least one core group member and a representative from each stakeholder group, including students, assigned to each task area.

Establishing a Statement of Purpose

Focus the group on the common purpose for undertaking the project. Encourage the group to come up with a statement of purpose for its efforts. What is the ultimate goal of this project? What are we trying to accomplish? For whom are we doing this? Ask yourselves these questions, then formulate a sentence or two that can be used to keep the group focused on the purpose of the project and to communicate that message to others when enlisting their support. If you ever get stalled when deciding on options for your naturalization project, refer to the statement for guidance.

Once you have established a focus for your efforts, you can set some broad goals. These might include increasing the comfort of students through sun or wind shelter, diversifying play activities and fostering the school identity. Get a feel for what you'd like to accomplish and don't limit your options. Leave the details for later. These goals are only meant to provide a direction for your efforts, to get you started on your way and to help your group begin to focus.

Working Well with Volunteers

Most naturalization projects are completely volunteer-driven. Recognize your dedicated volunteers for their tremendous efforts. Here are some tips on working successfully with volunteers. Remember that they should be used to supplement or aid in the efforts of students and teachers, not replace them.

Where to Find Volunteers

Contact local groups in your community. Try gardening clubs, naturalist organizations, outdoors clubs, senior citizens' organizations and educational institutions.
Contact high schools, colleges and universities in your area. Students may be looking for opportunities to do community work or gain work experience.

How to Engage Volunteers

Provide volunteers with a list of available tasks and then allow them to choose. Always seek their consent before assigning a duty or offering their assistance to someone.
People are more likely to become involved in a task that is well defined. Be clear and specific.
Offer an orientation to volunteers so that they can see how they fit into the bigger picture and can meet other volunteers and feel part of a team. This is also an opportunity to educate volunteers about both the philosophy of your project and the basic skills needed to do the work.

How to Recognize Volunteers' Efforts

Integrate volunteer appreciation into major events of your project. Have students write letters of appreciation for volunteers' time and energy. Ask a teacher to have his or her class to write official thank-you letters. Volunteers love this feedback from the students.

Organize recognition events such as ceremonies, garden parties and press events.

List volunteers' names in the school newsletter.

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