Minutes of the Special Meeting, 5/27/25

The Garden Club of Windham

Minutes of a Special Board Meeting 5/27/2025

Community Room, Windham Senior Center, 6-7 pm

Call to order – President Jay Osborne convened the meeting at 6:02 pm.

Present – Jay Osborne (president), Faith Kenton, Dan Phipps, Patty St.Louis, Carole Williamson, Pam Wright, Barbara Wright (secretary)

The purpose of the meeting was to share thoughts about the plant sale held May 17-18, celebrate successes, and discuss ways to improve it. Beyond Board members, volunteers who helped with the sale were also invited to attend. Amy Marwood and Marty LaVoy were unable to come but shared their ideas via email. Topics discussed are listed below.

Positives

There was agreement that attendance was strong, thanks in part to good publicity and better weather than last year. Plant donations were ample and included generous donations from Tri-County Greenhouse, Prides Corner Farms, and Ladd’s Garden Center. Diane and Ron Angotta gifted the Garden Club a tent, which provided a visual focal point for the sale and protection from potential rain. Interaction with the community was positive, with new donors and new buyers. Revenue from the sale totaled $1,362.36, exceeding last year’s total.

Signage

Two kinds of signs were posted: sandwich boards on the sidewalk near the sale; and smaller signs on poles at key traffic intersections. There was agreement that the signs at intersections were useful but more of them could have been posted and they should have gone up at least 5 days before the sale. More volunteers are needed for this task, and the signs should be legible from a car and laminated in case of rain.

The sandwich boards are effective but there are only two of them. We need more, and they should be set out in more places around Jillson Square.

Advertising

Advertising was good but could be more extensive and engaging  -- and begin earlier. We made use of the town’s electronic message board, local and regional Facebook pages, the Garden Club’s website, and the newsletter.  The Chronicle ran a story about the sale, and ads ran on local radio stations.

It was suggested that if individual club members post the sale on their FB pages, the message can go even more widely viral. They can also be encouraged to bring friends, family, and neighbors to the sale. Club members can appear on radio broadcasts, especially the local gardening show, in addition to providing radio blurbs.

Education

Pam Wright argued that the main purpose of the sale should be to draw in the community, inspire it, and educate about gardening; the money is not so important.

Hours and Duration

The sale ran from 8 am to 3 pm on both day one (at Jillson Square) and day two (at the Food Co-op). There was overwhelming sentiment that this was too long and burdensome for volunteers. After much discussion, the consensus was that 9 am to 1 pm would be workable, particularly since afternoon traffic was light.

The group also discussed: whether the sale should last one day or two. Opinion was divided. Some people argued that other plant sales run only one day, and this would be far less burdensome for volunteers, including those with expertise to share. Others pointed out that the second day does generate more revenue, it makes the sale available to a different clientele, and the outreach/PR/education function of the sale is enhanced.  The second day is also an opportunity to sell or give away leftover plants.

A third alternative came up: extending the plant sale to the weekend of Veggiestock. However, this would involve storing and tending the plants for an additional week, moving them to a new location, and selling plants, whereas Veggiestock gives seedlings away for free. This idea was not embraced.

Location

The group generally supported the location at Jillson Square, which is highly visible, offers good parking, and allows donors to store plants Friday night for Saturday. The Food Co-op has been gracious about hosting us, and that venue draws a different crowd.

Other locations were discussed briefly, e.g., the Senior Center or a church, as was holding the sale indoors. In this case, weather would become a non-issue, but visibility would go down. Moving plants into the location and cleaning up afterward also create additional work. Consensus seemed to be to stick with our current locations for now.

Volunteers

A recurring theme was the need for more volunteers, better organized to perform specific tasks, who are recruited and begin work on the plant sale earlier. The sense was with more clarity, more help, and more time, the experience would be more enjoyable for everyone.

Other suggestions

• ·       Put more signage up, earlier, designed for small, medium, and large formats.

• ·       Make signs reusable from year to year.

• ·       Start recruiting and planning in winter.

• ·       Have a designated person who serves as coordinator of the volunteers.

• ·       Offer volunteer training/orientation before the event.

• ·       Have volunteers sign up for specific tasks that need attention before, during, and after the sale.

• ·       Post more flyers in local businesses, places where people gather; give volunteers a map showing where to post.

• ·       Organize and display plants more effectively, e.g., for sun, shade, partial shade; herbs, perennials, annuals, trees, shrubs, bulbs, etc.

• ·       Price plants ahead of time.

• ·       Have a person who serves as “greeter.”

• ·       Have membership forms available, with a membership booklet describing the mission and work of the club.

• ·       Have a guest list to record names and emails of all visitors to the sale; assign a volunteer to solicit names of those who don’t sign up. – maybe the “greeter.” Collect visitors’ interests, ideas as possible.

• ·       Continue to offer both cash and credit card or PayPal payment options.

• ·       Hospitality: offer coffee, cookies; have a place for talking and socializing.

• ·       Offer a “workshop” or demonstration, e.g., how to plant a decorative pot or planter.

• ·       Have some kind of giveaway, e.g., seeds.

• ·       Send written thank-you notes to major donors.
  

Jay summarized the main points of the discussion, and the meeting ended at about 7 pm.

Respectfully, submitted, Barbara Wright, Secretary