ORGANIZATION
OUR MISSION
MEMBER PARTICIPATION IS CRITICAL TO OUR SUCCESS
Started in 1999, our history shows the extraordinary amount of volunteer effort that has gone into making this club a vibrant community organization. Our strength and versatility has continued to grow thanks to all who have shared their personal expertise and enthusiasm through the various volunteer positions they have taken on. Each autumn we ask members to fill several elected and appointed roles for the following calendar year. We’ve adopted a team approach to encourage members to share their time and talents based on availability and interest. Our teams reflect the club’s overall focus on civic beautification, community engagement, and educational programs.
CIVIC PROJECTS TEAM
This team focuses on civic engagement and beautification by caring for several garden beds and planters in Grantham at the Fire Station, Post Office, Town Hall, Dunbar Free Library, and the triangle garden at the intersection of Routes 10 and 114. The team also coordinates an annual spring roadside cleanup and periodic special efforts such as the Garden Angels Project, which resulted in planting more than a thousand daffodil bulbs in Grantham and the refurbishment of the gardens at the Fire Station sign.
COMMUNICATIONS TEAM
This team’s focus is on keeping club members and the community up-to-date on the programs, social activities, and fundraising events being planned by other teams utilizing email, the GGC website, and Facebook. Communications efforts also include preparing a wide variety of support materials such as informational flyers, promotional signs, online signups, spreadsheets, and order forms.
FUNDRAISING TEAM
This team seeks opportunities to raise funds to cover the club’s educational efforts such as programs, speaker fees, and student scholarships. Typically, the largest fundraiser is a community plant sale of perennials and annuals held each spring, followed by a small bulb sale in the autumn. To support the Civic Gardens efforts, this team solicits financial support from local businesses to provide the necessary materials for the planters and gardens.
HOSPITALITY TEAM
This team connects with members and guests attending club events by preparing a welcoming meeting space and organizing refreshments. The team arranges seating and sets up tables for the Coffee and Conversation that precedes all in-person programs, and they restore the meeting room to its original condition. This team also oversees the preparation, setup, and cleanup for social activities such as potlucks and parties.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a BOARD composed of five voting members. Four Executive Officers are elected each year by the membership and serve a one-year term—President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Recording Secretary. Additionally, there are Team Leaders appointed for Civic Projects, Communications, Fundraising, Hospitality, Membership, Programs, and Scholarships. The Executive Officers and Team Leaders comprise the STEERING COMMITTEE, who meet monthly to discuss upcoming events. The President appoints one of the Team Leaders to serve as the fifth voting member of the BOARD.
MEMBERSHIP TEAM
This team shares their enthusiasm for the club by welcoming members and visitors at in-person meetings, answering questions, making introductions, and encouraging members to join a team and participate in activities. The team is responsible for membership administration, distribution of new-member welcome gifts, and follow-up with visitors who have expressed an interest in membership.
PROGRAM TEAM
This team researches, selects, and makes the arrangements for the educational programs and field trips that take place throughout the year based on member interests. Programs typically are presentations made by local and state-wide experts and authors covering a variety of gardening and environmental topics. The team also provides a summary of these events for posting on the website.
SCHOLARSHIP TEAM
This team leads the club's efforts in providing financial scholarships to New Hampshire students about to graduate from high school, as well as those already attending college, who are preparing for a career in horticulture, landscaping, forestry, agriculture, plant sciences, or environmental sciences at a post-secondary institution. The team is responsible for cultivating and maintaining relationships with local schools, reviewing submissions, and making award recommendations to the Board.
- promote through education the love of gardening among amateurs
- promote the study of horticulture
- protect our native trees, wildflowers, pollinators, and birds
- encourage civic beautification
- engage in activities that are charitable and educational, including without limitation, awarding educational scholarships and grants in furtherance of this mission
MEMBER PARTICIPATION IS CRITICAL TO OUR SUCCESS
Started in 1999, our history shows the extraordinary amount of volunteer effort that has gone into making this club a vibrant community organization. Our strength and versatility has continued to grow thanks to all who have shared their personal expertise and enthusiasm through the various volunteer positions they have taken on. Each autumn we ask members to fill several elected and appointed roles for the following calendar year. We’ve adopted a team approach to encourage members to share their time and talents based on availability and interest. Our teams reflect the club’s overall focus on civic beautification, community engagement, and educational programs.
CIVIC PROJECTS TEAM
This team focuses on civic engagement and beautification by caring for several garden beds and planters in Grantham at the Fire Station, Post Office, Town Hall, Dunbar Free Library, and the triangle garden at the intersection of Routes 10 and 114. The team also coordinates an annual spring roadside cleanup and periodic special efforts such as the Garden Angels Project, which resulted in planting more than a thousand daffodil bulbs in Grantham and the refurbishment of the gardens at the Fire Station sign.
COMMUNICATIONS TEAM
This team’s focus is on keeping club members and the community up-to-date on the programs, social activities, and fundraising events being planned by other teams utilizing email, the GGC website, and Facebook. Communications efforts also include preparing a wide variety of support materials such as informational flyers, promotional signs, online signups, spreadsheets, and order forms.
FUNDRAISING TEAM
This team seeks opportunities to raise funds to cover the club’s educational efforts such as programs, speaker fees, and student scholarships. Typically, the largest fundraiser is a community plant sale of perennials and annuals held each spring, followed by a small bulb sale in the autumn. To support the Civic Gardens efforts, this team solicits financial support from local businesses to provide the necessary materials for the planters and gardens.
HOSPITALITY TEAM
This team connects with members and guests attending club events by preparing a welcoming meeting space and organizing refreshments. The team arranges seating and sets up tables for the Coffee and Conversation that precedes all in-person programs, and they restore the meeting room to its original condition. This team also oversees the preparation, setup, and cleanup for social activities such as potlucks and parties.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a BOARD composed of five voting members. Four Executive Officers are elected each year by the membership and serve a one-year term—President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Recording Secretary. Additionally, there are Team Leaders appointed for Civic Projects, Communications, Fundraising, Hospitality, Membership, Programs, and Scholarships. The Executive Officers and Team Leaders comprise the STEERING COMMITTEE, who meet monthly to discuss upcoming events. The President appoints one of the Team Leaders to serve as the fifth voting member of the BOARD.
MEMBERSHIP TEAM
This team shares their enthusiasm for the club by welcoming members and visitors at in-person meetings, answering questions, making introductions, and encouraging members to join a team and participate in activities. The team is responsible for membership administration, distribution of new-member welcome gifts, and follow-up with visitors who have expressed an interest in membership.
PROGRAM TEAM
This team researches, selects, and makes the arrangements for the educational programs and field trips that take place throughout the year based on member interests. Programs typically are presentations made by local and state-wide experts and authors covering a variety of gardening and environmental topics. The team also provides a summary of these events for posting on the website.
SCHOLARSHIP TEAM
This team leads the club's efforts in providing financial scholarships to New Hampshire students about to graduate from high school, as well as those already attending college, who are preparing for a career in horticulture, landscaping, forestry, agriculture, plant sciences, or environmental sciences at a post-secondary institution. The team is responsible for cultivating and maintaining relationships with local schools, reviewing submissions, and making award recommendations to the Board.