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Fundraising
The fundraising committee has drafted a plan that includes a gift chart, or ladder, based on the need to raise $400,000. Major donors will be cultivated through dinners, events, and meetings with board members and Lovel. Small donors will be solicited at various events and at the market. We will do more to cultivate mid-level donors—donors who gave small amounts last year but who could give more. They would be invited to events such as cooking classes, outings on a sailing yacht, farm tours, and so on. We will be asking SJIFMA members to provide support (e.g., ingredients, services) for these events.
The Ag Guild proposes to co-host a fall harvest dinner and auction with the SJIFMA. We would work closely with the SJIFMA to determine how the money raised will be used.
The plan also includes having a regular booth at the Farmers' Market, ideally at each market this season. We propose that we share space with the Farmers’ Market manager. Board members and vendors could wear buttons, saying “Ask me about the Permanent Farmers' Market!”. We plan to do Rapid Market Assessments on a few market days to obtain information relative to the PFM and to advertise the project.
The fundraising committee currently has one non-board member (Suzy Wampler) and would like to add many more. If you are interesting in joining the fundraising committee, please contact Mark: mark@mmadsen.org,
Lovel will do a Q&A with basic facts to distribute to all who will be answering questions about the project.
Mark offered to host a cocktail party where he will present the fundraising plan to members of the SJIFMA. Mark will also be available to talk with SJIFMA members after the market. Need to coordinate with FMA.
Nichols Street Property
It was presented to the AG Board that the SJIFMA is asking for a long-term lease of the PFM facility on Wednesdays and Saturdays at a flat fee of $5000 per year, to be renegotiated after 5 years. Kitchen, freezers, and coolers would be dealt with separately on a vendor-by-vendor basis.
We discussed whether to lease to the SJIFMA on a flat-fee basis or a per-stall basis. We would like the SJIFMA to reconsider the $5000 flat-fee idea to better reflect the growth of the market and revenues that we expect due to the new, year-round facility.
In a survey last year, several vendors indicated a need for refrigeration/freezer capabilities at the PFM. At the recent FMA meeting, we discussed tradeoffs of storage space versus refrigeration/freezer space. We are asking members to please give us an update on your refrigeration requirements.
A USDA architect is available to assist in designing farmers' market facilities. Lovel would like him to review design issues such as aisle widths and traffic flow.
The Nichols Walk Condo Association is still considering the new design. Their next meeting with Elaine and Lovel is on April 23. If they agree with our proposal, a new site design will be made available to the Ag Guild board and the SJIFMA members.
Communications Tool
Eliza, Candace and Peggy compiled a list of requirements for an on-line system designed to enhance communication among the various agriculture organizations in SJC. They are listed in the attached spreadsheet. We would like the SJIFMA to look over the requirements and make suggestions for additions, deletions, etc.
The Puget Sound Food Network (PSFN) being developed by the NABC will have Phase I completed by the end of April. We propose that we participate in the food network and will keep you informed when on-line capabilities are available.
Next Ag Guild Meeting
The next Ag Guild board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 6 at 1:00 PM.