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Sample Resource Needs

Seedlings on Windowsill

The following was identified by the Chatham Food Council Task Force.  It was grounded in the council’s critical functions:

  • Sharing information
  • Advocating for specific issues
  • Moving a policy agenda forward

The group realized that they can rely on existing resources.  For example, rather than trying to build a grassroots base for a blog, they could disseminate information through the communication channels of their member organizations.

Administrative Support Needs Possible Solutions
– Coordinate distributed communications
– Maintain internal info (contacts, etc.)
– Meet public reporting / transparency needs
– Oversee interns (collecting data, etc.)
– Fiscal management
– Avoid relying on a volunteer
In-kind County / Municipal staff
Meeting/Event Needs Possible Solutions
– Meeting space & equipment
– Food – pay local food producers for it
– Travel (to attend regional or state meetings)
– Booth display – banner / info materials
In-kind County / Municipal / Community College facilities
In-kind County / Municipal motor pool
Cash
Council Development Needs Possible Solutions
– On-going facilitation (year 1)
– Governance training (year 1)
– Periodic facilitation (after year 1)
– New member orientation (after year 1)
– Webinars / trainings
– Field trips / site visits
– Self-assessment / technical assistance
In-kind County/Municipal/Community College staff
In-kind network members
Cost-share with other food councils
Leverage state agency resources
Cash
Technology Needs Possible Solutions
– Domain name
– Web hosting
– Website design / creation – simple
– Maintenance / technical support
– Facebook page creation & maintenance
– Twitter account creation & maintenance
– E-newsletter software account
– E-newsletter template design / creation
– Annual report template
In-kind County/Municipal/Community College IT staff
In-kind County / Municipal accounts
Freeware (Google Docs, WordPress)
Scholarships / Discounts
Cash
Communications Needs Possible Solutions
– Logo design
– Content management / updates
– Social media updates
– Articles for members to disseminate
– Annual report
– Translating services
Leverage existing networks for dissemination
In-kind County/Municipal/Community College staff
In-kind network members
Cost-share with other food councils
Leverage state agency resources
Printing Needs Possible Solutions
– Annual report
– Packets for commissioner presentations
– Posters/flyers/agendas/etc.
In-kind County budget
In-kind network member budgets
Professional Service Needs Possible Solutions
– Assessment / Research
– Legal (by-laws / policy work)
– Accounting / Finances
– Grant-writing
– Facilitation
– Communications
– Design
– Technology
In-kind County/Municipal/Community College staff
In-kind network members
Cost-share with other food councils
Leverage state agency resources
Leverage university system (interns)
Cash
Other Considerations
– Asking for funds seems risky
– Shared buy-in from towns
– How do we grow into this? (ex WordPress updates until we can do a newsletter)
– These are for a three-year window
Ways to Get Money
– Line items in budgets
– Community foundations
– Crowdsourcing
– Donations – 501c3 partner
– Fundraising events
– Grants
– Network dues