Roles and Responsibilities

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NeighborSpace gardens are built on partnerships between four entities:

  1. NeighborSpace
  2. Community Organization Partners
  3. Garden Leadership Team
  4. Garden Stakeholders

NeighborSpace

the urban land trust which protects over 100 community-managed spaces across Chicago

  • Manages bureaucratic and legal requirements (e.g. land ownership, insurance, water).
  • Makes regular site visits and communicates with garden team.
  • Responds to emergencies (e.g. flooding and fallen trees).
  • Assists in leadership team transition and micro-network development/ transition.
  • Offer support systems for resources (Mulch/Soil deliveries, Tool Library, Signage, Project Support, Volunteer Matching, Professional Development Opportunities- Composting, Leadership, etc.)

Garden Leadership Team

a team who manage day to day garden operations, as well as on-going community involvement
a team of three or more leaders is recommended

  • Ensure fellow gardeners and visitors follow Site Guidelines.
  • Organize the ongoing community stewardship of the site.
  • Engage garden stakeholders, including neighbors.
  • Keep your garden stakeholder list up-to-date and share with NeighborSpace each year.
  • Register garden and keep up to date with the Chicago Urban Ag Mapping project (CUAMP).
    Note: we will automatically email you a link to CUAMP when you complete this form.
  • Communicate effectively and consistently with Community Organization Partner, NeighborSpace, and Garden Stakeholders.

Community Organization Partner (COP)

the organization(s) supporting and sometimes overseeing the Garden Leadership Team

  • Provide resources- tools, storage and meeting space, bathrooms, internet access, fundraising, lawn mowing, and when appropriate, document this support with a memorandum of understanding.
  • Determine, develop, and support garden leadership team for the good of the garden.
  • As appropriate, integrate the site with the COP’s own programs and membership.
  • Host events, workdays, festivals, and open houses in garden space as much as possible.

Garden Members and Stakeholders

including neighbors, volunteers, and visitors of garden 

    • Participate positively as a garden supporter,  occasionally, or often. 
    • Support garden in a multitude of ways, either by gardening, reading, volunteering, mowing parkway, attending events, and/or  donating time, materials, ideas, encouragement,  or money.
    • Stakeholders are broadly defined, and could include neighbors,  schools, churches, businesses, etc.  
  • A healthy group of stakeholders allows for smoother garden leadership transitions.