build the house! raise the barn!
keys to creating a successful farm in the dell
LEADERSHIP AND COMMITMENT
A Lead Individual
Any successful undertaking requires a leader - one single, driving force with a great ability to communicate your vision; one person to provide the endeavor's public face; one person the community will associate with the Farm in the Dell. You need an energetic, dynamic community leader who is both well-connected and well-respected in your community. Without this person, the project is not likely to succeed.
This person must be totally committed to the project and able to instill commitment in others. Because it can take five to ten years of preliminary work before your Farm is built, the leader needs to be an optimistic, visionary, long-term thinker who can keep others motivated and on-track for the duration of the project. If there is not already a single, recognized charismatic leader in your group, you need to recruit one.
Begin by listing your community's visible leaders.. .people who lead major fund-raising campaigns, such as United Way; people whose names are frequently in the news because of their good deeds; people who speak out and act to make your community a better place to live. Then, prioritize this list according to the leadership characteristics you are seeking. (Don't discount someone because you think he or she may be too busy. Remember the adage "If you want something done, ask a busy person.")
Prepare your case for recruiting a leader. One trick is to pretend that you are the prospect. Write a letter from the prospect's point of view raising all the concerns you think this person will have about your project. Then, take time to carefully answer each concern. Use this good thinking to draft a fact sheet or a page addressing each issue. Combine this with information about similar projects in a recruitment packet or binder. Call the first prospect on your list and set an appointment to visit. Don't try to recruit the person then and there on the telephone. Say something like, "Don and I would like 30 minutes to visit with you about an exciting new project for our community and hear your thoughts."
Recruitment is easier when two people participate. One person can add points the other may forget. It's important to agree ahead of time who will discuss what. When you go to the appointment, respect the time limit you suggested and include time to hear the prospect's ideas. Don't ask for a commitment on the spot. Offer the prospect some time to think about it. Then, call back for the decision. If the prospect declines, ask for suggestions for a leader; and ask if he or she would help you recruit that person. Most people who decline a request are eager to say "yes" to something else.
A Leadership Group
While a successful project requires a visible leader, one person cannot do it all. While the lead individual provides the public face of the organization, it takes a group of community leaders to make a Farm a reality. This leadership group needs many of the same attributes as the lead individual - optimism, vision, commitment, long-term thinking, and community connections and respect. They also need a realistic understanding that creating a Farm in the Dell is not an easy process; it takes time and money.
Most of the time this group "leads from behind the public spokesperson," conceptualizing and refining the vision for the Farm in the Dell; identifying, recruiting, motivating, and supervising other volunteers; securing resources; and mobilizing communications and publicity. Therefore, the leadership group needs to involve a broad cross-section of people with a variety of skills, such as accountants, attorneys, construction contractors, architects, bankers, people with community contacts, marketers, advertising/public relations specialists, parents, service providers, and agricultural specialists. A mix of expertise is important because it makes it more likely that the serious questions get asked and answered.
A SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF THE OPPORTUNITY AND THE VISION
The leadership group for the Farm in the Dell needs to spend time developing and agreeing on a clear vision of who you're trying to serve, what you want to accomplish, and what opportunities a Farm in the Dell will offer to your community. It's the leadership group's job to communicate the vision and opportunity to everyone involved in creating the Farm.
One key to success in a large undertaking such as creating a Farm in the Dell is to start small, and take small steps, building on what you know and can do well. The benefit of this approach is that it gives you time for careful and deliberate planning that can help you avoid major headaches in the future.
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In this chapter, we'll examine what it takes to move from inspiration to implementation: the personal qualities, the willing hands, the organizational structure, and the dollars needed to make your Farm in the Dell a reality. Following are descriptions of what we believe to be the keys to creating a successful Farm in the Dell:
- Leadership and commitment
- A shared understanding of the opportunity and the vision
- Planning
- A focus on the needs of the people who will live and work there
- Volunteers
- A volunteer structure
- Community-wide support
- A suitable site
- Financial support
- Appropriate site development and construction
- Patience, perseverance, and faith
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