school garden support
organization network
The SGSO Network is an open peer-to-peer learning network with the goal of growing,
sustaining and elevating a movement of equitable garden-based education.
We provide professional & leadership development, resources, and platforms to
connect for members serving at a school, district, regional, state, or national level.
We Facilitate Peer to Peer Learning
Promising Practices
500+ resources, shared by SGSO Peers, on Key Activities related to managing school garden programming.
Online Forum
A forum of 900 members discussing topics related to running school garden programs.
Webinars
Since 2017, presenting an average of 10 webinars per year with an average live viewership of 180.
In-Person Gatherings
Growing School Garden Summit, Leadership Institute, & conference meetups
For the Purpose of Growing
We facilitate peer-to-peer learning in order to build more school gardens, allow students and teachers to use and engage in
school gardens, and implement more policies and commitments from institutions to incorporate school gardens.
We Operate with Mission-Driven Values
- Accessible, open communication that encourages collaboration, networking, and the cross-pollination of ideas.
- Transparency, open-source sharing, when possible, and mutual support
- Intentionally seek to make our organization, resources, and the experience of school gardening accessible to all children and communities
- Commitment to an equitable movement and organization - one that strives for inclusion and justice, acknowledges and celebrates diversity and strives to bring this lens to all of our work.
Structure
We are a network of school garden professionals, serving programs at any level, from individual school gardens to School Garden Support Organizations (SGSOs) who support multiple school gardens.
Staff
Staff Members manage day-to-day operations and interact with members, Peer Learning Communities & the Governance Board to enact our strategic goals.
Governance
Our Governance Board meets monthly to enact the Strategic Plan, while also serving on Peer Learning Communities. We work to ensure that the Governance Board reflects the level of diversity within our network
Peer Learning Communities
Peer Learning Communities accomplish a mix of ongoing and time-limited tasks & projects and are carried out by the Governance Board and members. The Network welcomes task & project ideas from all members
Members
Membership is free and open to anyone looking to advance their school gardening efforts, whether at an individual school garden or across many school gardens.
About our Members
We are a network of school garden professionals, serving programs at any level, from individual school gardens to School Garden
Support Organizations (SGSOs) who support multiple school gardens.
Currently, our network consists of over 4,200 individuals representing more than 2,000 organizations or
schools that support tens of thousands of gardens.
How our Members Describe Us
2021 Impact Report
Impact From 2014-Today
- Members: 4,300
- Member Organizations: 2,000+
- Webinars: 40
- SGSO Leadership Institutes: 5
- 2020 Coast to Coast participants: 30,000+
- Online Forum posts: 19,800
Strategic Plan
Our 2021 Strategic Plan sets forth
the following 3-year high-level vision
and strategies for our network.
Vision
Support the growth and sustainability of an equitable school garden movement.
Programs & Services
Relevant, collaborative, member-valued, and data-driven programming focused on furthering the collective mission of the Network and that of the school garden movement.
Membership
Engaged members who are committed to peer-to-peer learning, networking, and collaboration, and have agency within the network to participate in how best serves each unique need.
Operations & Infrastructure
Clear and organized infrastructure that provides support while allowing for the emergent, organic, vibrant, and collaborative leadership that makes the Network unique.
Finances
A fiscally sustainable organization with long term plans for support via diversified funding and revenue streams.
Strategies for Success
SGSO Network Timeline
