Thanks, Vivian. Yes, it's not quite what I need but I do appreciate the enthusiasm!
We don't need to envelope ourselves within an organization. We own the farm, have farming experience, and now we have the 501c. I've done pro bono work, grant applications, grant budget reporting, social media, and event management, so I'll be handling all that.
But it is good to knock heads with people who are walking the same path, especially since there seem to be so few of us! Can it be that there are only three such farms in the entire U.S.?? Surely not.
Some of the questions I have are:
* Do you schedule volunteers on a daily basis or for specific work parties, or both?
* What's your retention rate with volunteers? What do they most like/hate to do?
* Is scheduling volunteers via a WordPress plugin calendar helpful?
* Which grantors have been most supportive so far?
* How do you keep track of in-kind donations so sponsors can write those off? (In-kind would be gas, livestock feed, seed, etc. that is donated.)
* Do you liaise with gleaning organizations, and which ones have been most organized and helpful?
* Do your food recipients have problems with refrigeration? (Those that do are often the ones most in need of fresh food because org's like Feeding America won't deliver to them.)
* Have you had to navigate hurdles and requirements for food purity and preservation?
* What is your funding income split between website donations, targeted campaigns, and sponsors?
* Have you considered crowdfunding through Barnraiser.us?
* Do you host any events, and have they generated profit for you?
