NeighborSpace gardens are built on partnerships between four entities:
- NeighborSpace
- Community Organization Partners
- Garden Leadership Team
- 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
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- Participate positively as a garden supporter, occasionally, or often.
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- 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.
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- Stakeholders are broadly defined, and could include neighbors, schools, churches, businesses, etc.
- A healthy group of stakeholders allows for smoother garden leadership transitions.