All workshops are held at the Just Food office (1155 Avenue of the Americas between 44th Street and 45th Street, 3rd floor) from 6:00pm to 8:00pm unless otherwise noted. To RSVP for a workshop, please e-mail wenjay@justfood.org
Special Workshop Series: CSA for Everyone
Many CSAs across the city are interested in creating flexible payment options so that members of their community can join their CSA regardless of their income. This year, in partnership with (HANNYS) Hunger Action Network of New York State, Just Food will be offering a five part workshop series focusing on including community members of all income levels in your CSA.
May 2010 (Date TBD): Engaging Members in Your CSA - We will share ideas on how to engage all of your members in the CSA with the goal of retaining your members throughout the season.
Past Workshops
Wednesday, November 11, 2009: Flexible Payment Options - In this workshop, we will talk about the basics of making your CSA available to everyone in your community regardless of income. We will also go over the possible payment strategies for making CSA even more affordable. Strategies will include sliding scale pricing, subsidized shares, revolving loan funds and paying in installments.
Thursday, December 10, 2009: Food Stamps and CSA - Participants will learn how CSAs can accept food stamps as payment for their shares, with ideas on how to manage this process. We will walk participants through the application process to become certified to accept food stamps for CSA membership.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010: Fundraising - This workshop will help participants think about what resources are out there to help them raise money to be able to offer lower cost shares to members or to create revolving loan funds. We will discuss grant opportunities and share fundraising event ideas.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010: Outreach to Low Income Community Members: - We will focus on outreach to low-income community members. Participants will learn specific key points to discuss when explaining CSA to community members, we will brainstorm places to get the word out to low income community members, and we will discuss how to create an outreach plan. We will also look at how a CSA share financially compares to other things on your shopping list.
Monthly Workshop Series
Each month, we host a different workshop that pertains to the development of your CSA. These workshops are helpful to new CSAs and also pre-existing ones.
Monday, March 8, 2010: Core Group Development Part I - Presents ideas for recruiting additional core group members, options for organizing your core group roles and thoughts on determining your core groups relationship with your farm.
Monday, April 12, 2010: Visiting the Farm - Provides everything you need to know to organize and conduct a successful farm visit, including hints about transportation from experienced CSA coordinators.
Monday, May 10, 2010: Successful Distribution - Prepares CSA coordinators to set up a successful distribution routine, with hints provided by experienced CSA coordinators.
Monday, June 14, 2010: Volunteer Management - Provides information on how to get members to understand and value the volunteer requirement and the logistics of volunteer management. Helps CSA organizers develop strategies for effective communication between everyone involved in your CSA.
Monday, July 12, 2010: Member Surveys - Discuss strategies for getting feedback through a member surveys, as well as, for responding to member feedback
Monday, August 9, 2010: Community Building - Brainstorm ideas on how to develop more community among your CSA members
Monday, September 13, 2009: Incorporating Policy and Advocacy into Your CSA - Explore possibilities for encouraging your members to be involved with food and farm policy issues.
Monday, October 18, 2010: Core Group Development Part II - Focuses on developing a smoothly working, cohesive core group to ensure the success of a CSA project.
Monday, November 8, 2010: Additional Products - We will help your CSA think through the pros and cons of adding additional products to your CSA offerings, learn tips to make it as successful as possible, and talk about sources for the products that you are interested in. Experienced CSA coordinators who have offered additional products to their members will be there to share their experiences.
Past Workshops
December 14, 2009: How to Talk CSA/Flexible Payment Options for CSAs - Provides city groups with an in-depth explanation of CSAs benefits and limitations, and a framework for discussing CSA with potential members. Presents possible payment strategies for making CSA even more affordable for people of all income levels.
Monday, January 11, 2010: Outreach - Participants will discuss different ways to reach potential CSA members. We will also look at examples of past outreach materials, and brainstorm outreach events and strategies for ways to reach out to the whole community.
Monday, February 8, 2010: Building a CSA Database - Gives CSA coordinators information about how to build and maintain a database, and the best ways to keep track of CSA member records.
How to Start a CSA Workshop
If you or someone you know is interested in starting a new CSA site, we hope you can attend our workshop on how to start a CSA, where we will help you plan and brainstorm for a new CSA. We'll answer questions such as how Just Food can find you a farmer, where to set up the distribution site, how to recruit members, etc.
There are no workshops scheduled at this time.
