The Basics

So, I'm gonna do it.....I'm going to copy content from our website to here. I suppose I could just direct you there, but I just wrote parts of this, and I'm proud of it. And I'm too tired to rewrite it. I hope you find this useful. Why Sharing Backyards? One of the biggest barriers to growing food in the city is access to land - despite the fact that many yards, lawns, and backyards have plenty of room to spare. Sharing Backyards links people with unused yard space with those looking for a place to grow food. If you have a garden and want to share it with someone, or if you are looking for a space to garden, Sharing Backyards is for you. Start a program in YOUR community To start a program in your community, you can become one of our "Local Partners". As a Local Partner, your responsibilities would be: 1. Getting the word out through whatever means possible in your area -- getting pamphlets to the appropriate coffee shops, farmers markets, community centers, food banks, etc.(wherever people gather), also through web links, emails, list-serves networking with other organizations, etc. 2. Answering all correspondence in a respectful & timely manner....mostly this will be people asking about how they can help, or wondering how to use the service. 3. Keeping in regular contact with Sharing Backyards' central organization. 4. Working with local media sources (newspapers, magazines, newsletters, blogs, etc) to keep a "buzz" going on your local program. You will have the support of Sharing Backyards' Project Leader in all news articles / stories. Generally, we'll speak to the media about the overall project, while we'll refer media to you for segments on your local efforts and program. We have already created a beautiful pamphlet promoting Sharing Backyards that can be adapted to any city. Upon becoming a local partner we will send you a customized version for your area. Some organizations choose to embed our mapping program directly into their site and include "quick links" to the maps of the surrounding areas. For a good example of this option, please visit www.yardsharing.org . Contact us soon to become a partner to this steadily growing, international movement for urban agriculture. Sharing Backyards would look great on your organization's list of projects, and has potential to greatly benefit your community! How to sign up: 1) Send us an email agreeing to be our Local Partner in your area. Affirm your dedication to promoting the project in your decided area, giving approx 5-10 volunteer hrs per week, as needed. 2)Specify the scope of your area (city, metro area, county, state, etc) 3) Send your Organizations name as you'd like it to appear, along with your web address. if you aren't a part of an organization, you can simply become "Sharing Backyards ____________(your community) Note that Sharing Backyards is a trademark of the Lifecycles Project society, but can be borrowed with permission. 4) Send us your logo for the printed materials, along with the contact email you'd like on the pamphlets. You can create your own logo too -- see our other programs for examples. Note that one of our volunteers will send the pamphlet to you when its' ready -- watch for it in your inbox, and your junk / spam filters. 5) Decide if you'd like the map embedded into your site, or simply the use of your splash page within our site. See Portland or Cleveland for examples. 6) Decide whether you'd like to be responsible for finding advertisers / sponsors in your area or not. We will also be hiring a marketer, and we'll set up sponsors in your area as we need to, to fulfill our central funding needs. In that case you'll still receive your 40% commission per month. We'll notify you when the marketer reaches your area, at which time you'll be required to stop seeking sponsors so our efforts can be concentrated. 7) If you decide to leave the project, we'll need the following: - at least a month's notice - reasons for leaving (so we can learn) - a full report of your allies, volunteers, and contacts made within the community, so I can pass this along to the next person -a written agreement not to turn around and start a competing organization 8) Please read and understand the Sharing Backyards "Terms of Use" (posted to the bottom of every page within our system). Please check back on these once a month, to keep abreast of changes. **If a Local Partner is not adequately managing their community SBY program, Sharing Backyards reserves the right to take control of that program. To become a local partner, or find out more, please email us here: info(at)sharingbackyards.com If you understand what you've read here, and you'd like to sign up, please send a message including the list above and your responses in bold beneath each. Please save any questions for the bottom of the page, so we can keep the agreement as one document for our records. Please pass our site on to anyone who might be interested -- Lets get our cities growing! www.sharingbackyards.com

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