To view the recording of this session, please click "Watch Live" in the upper right-hand corner.How do you create that perfect combination of interpretive vehicles to reach your various audiences? Our panelists will explore the right mix of brochures, QR codes, signage, apps, and other tools to connect our visitors to our beautiful garden spaces. We will explore expectations for each interpretive tool as well as the target audiences and driving factors for selecting these tools for your garden. Hear from gardens in different geographic settings and about the process, challenges, and benefits of developing interpretive tools for diverse audiences.

To view the recording of this session, please click "Watch Live" in the upper right-hand corner.It's what on everyone's minds right now – how do you budget for the coming year after the events of 2020? How can boards and garden leadership come together effectively to navigate difficult conversations, explore new paradigms, and shore up financial strength? We'll provide some stories from the field and a trends report from the most recent survey of public gardens, and provide lots of time for breakout room discussion. 

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With its many challenges-from a global health crisis and economic uncertainty to social upheavals and major elections-2020 was a year like no other. In this presentation, we pair the latest giving data with long-term trends to explore how arts and culture organizations can successfully navigate current economic, social, and political impacts. We'll also explore ways to balance financial strength with mission delivery in our collective new financial landscape.Presenter: Ashley Thompson, Managing Director, Blackbaud Institute

COVID gave us the catalyst to focus on virtually connecting with our Members. Now several months in, many of us are thinking about continuing these engagements in future. Hear about 10 ideas, in 10 minutes, that your Members will love!Presenter: Melissa Dietrich, Association Director of Membership, Longwood GardensJoin a ROUNDTABLE at 3:15 PM and discuss! 

When coronavirus hit, Bok Tower Gardens took a science-based response by developing a partnership with a local hospital system. Learn how they identified key decision makers, developed the proposal, framed the needs, and explored opportunities like a hotline to a Medical Director to bring wellness education and other healthy living programming to another level. Presenter: Melissa Tyrone, CFRE, Director of Philanthropy & Membership, Bok Tower Gardens Join the CORPORATION PARTNERSHIPS ROUNDTABLE at 3:15 PM to discuss! 

Our Friends of the Arboretum board and membership is largely white, affluent retirees and is not reflective of the diverse population of New Hanover County. As our gardens are free and available daily to all our citizens, we desire to engage and recruit members of other races and ethnicities to better serve the educational mission of Cooperative Extension. This presentation will outline the steps, methods and results of an initiative in Fall, 2020 to acknowledge Hispanic Heritage Month. Presenters: Laura McCabe, Membership Chair, Friends of the NHC Arboretum; Lloyd Singleton, Director, NC Cooperative Extension, New Hanover County Center and ArboretumJoin a ROUNDTABLE at 3:15 PM and discuss!

How do you stay connected to donors during a pandemic? You get creative and parlay opportunities! Hear how Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden engaged with top tier donors through contactless private tours of their Plumeria collection. Brittany Fabeck shares the steps she took to invite donors, safety measures taken during the tour, and the great fundraising results from the experience.Presenter: Brittany Fabeck, Donor Relations Manager, Los Angeles County Arboretum Foundation Join a ROUNDTABLE at 3:15 PM and discuss!

A frank conversation about membership acquisition. We will discuss budget cuts, campaign ideas, and creating interactive virtual engagement in our new world. Four diverse institutes will share their trials and successes in expanding their acquisition strategy. Presenters: Melissa Dietrich, Associate Director of Membership, Longwood Gardens; Brian Russo, Director of Membership and Annual Giving, Naples Botanical Garden; Colleen Conaty, Assistant Director, Membership, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library; Missy Whisler, Senior Vice President of Sales & Development, Dallas Arboretum and Botanical GardenJoin a ROUNDTABLE at 3:15 PM and discuss!

Page Kiniry of Brookgreen Gardens and Greer Polansky of The Angeletti Group will co-present on the ins and outs of conducting their capital campaign during this unpredictable time of a worldwide pandemic. From communicating with early donors who gave before the COVID-19 crisis, to cultivating and soliciting additional donors during the pandemic, they will explore the many ways fundraising is changing in this complex environment. They will also offer strategies that can be used both within the context of a capital campaign and in a major gift program - staying true to your organization's mission with an eye to the many changes that are happening in our national and global landscape. Presenters: Page H. Kiniry, President & CEO, Brookgreen Gardens; Greer Polansky, The Angeletti Group Join a ROUNDTABLE at 3:15 PM and discuss! 

Join a breakout room for a 40-minute moderated deep-dive networking session with your fellow attendees to explore a variety of development and membership issues.

Sometimes the worst of times brings out the best in people. This past year has challenged all of us to stand and deliver during extraordinary circumstances. We can all benefit from honing our skills in how to lead in times of crisis, whether a department head, executive leader, or as a team member. Hear three inspiring stories of how garden leaders led their teams creatively and thoughtfully during 2020, and identify actionable steps you can take in the coming months and year to strengthen your skills in effective leadership.  Moderator: Joan Thomas, CFRE, Director, External Relations, American Public Gardens Association Presenters: Andrea Nickrent, VP, Development & Marketing, Naples Botanical Garden; Cindy Brown, Education Specialist, Smithsonian Gardens; Jonathan M. Wright, Ruth Lilly Deputy Director for Horticulture and Natural Resources, Newfields 

Combining analytics and your annual fund allows for relevant, data-driven decision making. Katie Sharrard from Atlanta Botanical Garden will present on results from segmentation and A/B testing done in 2019-20 that includes data on the value of wealth screening, printing expense, and email solicitation.  Presenter: Katie Sharrard, Advancement Database Manager, Atlanta Botanical Garden 

Spend 10 minutes before Happy Hour trying a taste of Mindfulness. What is Mindfulness beyond a trendy buzzword? How can it help you in these challenging times? Explore the scientifically documented benefits of a mindfulness practice and spending time in nature. Lynn Swain is Director of Development for Cornell Botanic Gardens and in the process of certifying to become an Anusara Yoga teacher.

"Survey Says...!"Join us for some light-hearted fun and real connectivity with your fellow colleagues, hosted by emcee Brian Russo from Naples Botanical Garden.Do you miss attending in-person events riding the bus to and from sites and getting to know people? Well, get ready because we'll be taking the "virtual bus" together using the power of Zoom by pairing you up, then pairing the pairs, and so on until you have connected with at least 7 new people. [Because really, isn't that what we miss - connecting with others?]We'll also play the WFH (Working From Home) version of "Family Feud" based on your early responses to our survey.So stick around, grab the beverage of your choice and wind down the first day with your fellow attendees. We're glad you're here!

This informal and candid panel conversation, moderated by author and membership strategist Rosie Siemer, will explore a number of timely and fundamental topics about inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) in public garden membership including: - The role of membership in supporting IDEA priorities - Evolving the traditional membership program structure to better serve our communities - Opportunities to proactively attract more diverse audiences for membership - Balancing member revenue strategies with IDEA goals - Gaining a deeper understanding of member needs - Mitigating or removing barriers that prevent nontraditional audiences from participating and joining as members.Join a ROUNDTABLE at 3:15 PM and discuss!

As a casualty of the pandemic, membership in most visitor-based organizations has seen a drop in membership counts. In this fast-paced session come to learn how to turn your large lapsed member file into engaged, recaptured members using a variety of methods. Your lapsed recapture processes must be ramped up right now to bring back recently lapsed members with the right engaging copy, offers, and more. Presenters include an agency expert and a garden peer who will share what is working (and not). You'll leave with practical how-to's for making your lapsed file re-engage successfully.Presenters: Lori Bockstanz, Assistant Director of Development, Membership, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center; Martha Ernst, Daniller + CompanyJoin a ROUNDTABLE at 3:30 PM and discuss! 

Many fundraisers have the experience of a prospective donor suddenly going radio silent or ceasing to respond to the gift officer's communication. Often this occurs at precisely the wrong moment, e.g., the prospect was going to review a proposal or agree to an important next step. This circumstance may be complicated by the COVID pandemic, when uncertainties have multiplied and meeting in person or running into one another at an event is no longer possible. Gift officers reach an impasse, uncertain what to do next. In this session, we will discuss why this scenario may occur, separating what is and is not within the gift officer's control and offering options and next steps. Specific scenarios will be considered, and attendees will leave the session with actionable, proven tools to apply to their own fundraising work.Presenters: Lynn Swain, Director of Development, Cornell Botanic Gardens; Elizabeth Burnett, Senior Consultant, Plus Delta Partners Join a ROUNDTABLE at 3:30 PM and discuss! 

Many, if not most gardens offer ways for the public to celebrate, commemorate, or remember loved ones with unique and meaningful tribute gift opportunities. Presenters from Denver Botanic Gardens and Bok Tower Gardens will discuss personal experiences of what has and hasn't worked for them including plaques, pavers, trees, dedicated tribute funds, special projects and more. They'll also share the process of developing programs and policies that set donor expectations and when it's okay to make exceptions. Presenters: Robert Price, Manager of Annual Giving, Denver Botanic Gardens; Kelsey Jaffer, Associate Director of Philanthropy, Bok Tower Gardens Join a ROUNDTABLE at 3:30 PM and discuss!

As a start-up organization (with no track record in operations or fundraising) – a group of passionate, dedicated volunteers and staff made a visionary founder's dream come true: build a world-class botanic garden in the most diverse and fourth largest city in the US. Five and a half years and $38.2M later, phase I of the Houston Botanic Garden opened in fall 2020 on schedule. What did the Garden do right? How will it prepare for Phase II? Session will include lessons learned from challenges and adaptable strategies for capital campaigns.Presenter: Laura A Easton, LMSW, CFRE, Vice President of Development & Membership, Houston Botanic Garden Join a ROUNDTABLE at 3:30 PM and discuss! 

Join a breakout room for a 40-minute moderated deep-dive networking session with your fellow attendees to explore a variety of development and membership issues. 

As gardens continue to grow their visitation, exhibitions and programming, it can be challenging to balance sustainable revenue streams with accessibility for income qualified audiences. This session highlights specific examples with data and provides insight on Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens' successes and shortcomings thus far. Data from credible sources will illustrate why intentional and targeted access efforts are important for longevity and the success of membership and development programs. Presenter: Rachel Vaught, Member Relations Manager, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Public gardens have felt the impact of the global pandemic in many ways, but this challenging time has highlighted opportunities as well. Research reveals the importance of a public garden's biggest advocates – its members. Member engagement was increasing in importance even before the pandemic, and it's only grown more crucial now as entities consider how to make every pair of feet in the door count. In this presentation, Colleen Dilenschneider, Chief Market Engagement Officer of IMPACTS Experience and author of the popular website for cultural executives Know Your Own Bone, will show you the math on why members are particularly critical for public gardens right now. Just how monetarily valuable are members? Are members approaching the pandemic differently? Are they more or less likely to endorse a visit to others than they were before the pandemic? How can we motivate them to renew? This presentation will answer these questions by sharing data to help you effectively engage these advocates in a pandemic-impacted world.Presenter: Colleen Dilenschneider, IMPACT Research We are grateful to Bok Tower Gardens for making Ms. Dilenschneider's appearance possible.  

To watch this webinar recording, click "Check In" in the upper right hand corner. The video will then load and, simply, click the play button. If you have questions be sure to reach out to info@publicgardens.org.For slides, click here. Additional Documents can be found under the "Slides" tab.Prior to 2018 the Allen Centennial Garden (ACG) had to beg students to apply for internships. Even then, less than 10 students applied for available summer positions.That all changed when the staff at ACG decided to reimagine what an internship could and should look like. Internships shifted from task-oriented roles to positions that allowed for student creativity and critical thinking skills to flourish. ACG also implemented an apprenticeship program which allowed former interns to return to the Garden and continue working in a higher capacity (managing programs, garden spaces, and other students). For the last two internship cycles, ACG has seen 100+ applicants representing diverse identities and majors. Graduated students have gone on to work for NPR, TikTok, and AmeriCorps and cite ACG as integral in their personal and professional development.In addition to more meaningful tasks that yielded real world experiences, ACG commits to students personal and professional development through coaching style management, workshops, and field trips to network with other green industry professionals.Presenters: Elin Filbey, Director of Programs and Community Outreach; Kolin Goldschmidt, Outreach Specialist; Josh Steger, Director of Horticulture, Allen Centennial GardenIntroductions: Tyler Hale, Plant Protection Program Manager, American Public Gardens Association Links to resources mentioned in this webinar: *Email for follow up questions or inquiries: info@allencentennialgarden.org *ACG Intern application form: https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0lErpT9FtuuyU8R *The Leader as Coach by Herminia Ibarra and Anne Scoular for Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2019/11/the-leader-as-coach *From Dismantling Racism: A Workbook for Social Change Groups by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun, ChangeWork, 2001: https://www.thc.texas.gov/public/upload/preserve/museums/files/White_Supremacy_Culture.pdf *ACG Virtual Events and Programming Examples: https://allencentennialgarden.wisc.edu/events/ *The Association's College and University Gardens Community: https://community.publicgardens.org/participate/community-home?CommunityKey=09c1552a-c99a-4752-8a36-16a482233d6cVideo edited by: Caitlin Simkovich, Creative Projects Coordinator, American Public Gardens Association

To watch on-demand, click "watch live" and then press the play button.ExamplesUniversity of Michigan - Living Collection App: https://umich.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2e16df9a29a540db91b0383d7fc39a7bArcGIS Hub Example – University of Michigan - https://mbgna-umich.hub.arcgis.com/Huntington Orchids StoryMap - https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/d6a0766fef2b47b199ef82ae7b778a86Naples Botanical Garden StoryMap: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/8f01cafa860b414da432ec47b3fc4ddb ResourcesEsri Non-Profit Program: https://www.esri.com/en-us/industries/sustainability/nonprofit-program/overviewTraining Plan: https://www.esri.com/training/catalog/5b733e9d2fad23092c930883/arcgis-online-fundamentals/Learn ArcGIS: https://learn.arcgis.com/en/gallery/https://www.publicgardens.org/members/member-affinity-programs/esri-gis-softwarehttps://www.publicgardens.org/mapmaking-made-easySo you've heard the term GIS, know that it stands for Geographic Information System, and understand that it is a robust tool that combines technology and maps. Now you are interested in finding out more about the possibilities and whether or not investing in the resources to take advantage of this type of tool would be valuable for your public garden (spoiler alert: you can obtain ESRI GIS software for free!). If any of this describes your situation, you won't want to miss this webinar with ESRI Senior Solution Engineer, Brian Baldwin. Brian will help lift the veil and reveal how you can obtain GIS software for free, how to get started with it, and the many ways this software can be used for public gardens.Webinar Presenter: Brian Baldwin, Senior Solution Engineer, Esri Introductions: Lauren Garcia Chance, PhD, Outreach Manager, American Public Gardens Association Video edited by: Caitlin Simkovich, Creative Projects Coordinator, American Public Gardens Association

In the first webinar, Getting Started with GIS, we looked at the value of GIS for public gardens and how you can start down the path to using this technology to support your institution. In this webinar, users will see demonstrations that dive deeper into configurable applications for web and mobile devices. The webinar will highlight how using these easy to configure tools will allow you to better collect information on your grounds, share data with internal staff and the public, and build dashboarding tools for planning and operations. We will also highlight Esri's Disaster Response Program, which provides tools and resources during unplanned events.Speaker: Brian Baldwin, Senior Solution Engineer, Esri

To watch this webinar recording, click "Check In" in the upper right hand corner. The video will then load and, simply, click the play button. If you have questions be sure to reach out to info@publicgardens.org.As volunteer managers, we understand the value and importance of our volunteers, but how do you effectively convey this to your staff, funders and community?This 60 minute session is designed to help you align the importance of your volunteer program to the mission of your garden, and to understand your role and value in advancing your volunteer program. You will gain strategies on how to "know" your volunteers and to use that information, engage volunteers strategically in your organization, build relationships with community organizations aligned with your mission, and ultimately improve volunteer recognition and retention.Session includes actionable recommendations for measuring value, guidelines for engaging stakeholders and community partners, and creative ideas for communicating the value of your volunteers.Speaker Eryn Hatzithomas is the Community Engagement Manager for Queens Botanical Garden in New York- the place where people, plants and cultures meet. Her work focuses on building community partnerships and managing the volunteer program, while also supporting development and outreach initiatives at the Garden. Eryn previously served as a Vice President of Human Resources Information Reporting and as a Learning & Performance Measurement Consultant for Bank of America, Inc.Introductions & Moderation by: Alexis Bacon, Program and Member Services Assistant, American Public Gardens Association, Volunteer Community Staff LiaisonAdditional support provided by: Briana Berkowitz, Virtual Conference and Professional Development Assistant, American Public Gardens AssociationVideo edited by: Caitlin Simkovich, Creative Projects Coordinator, American Public Gardens AssociationCommunity forum: https://bit.ly/3hPEr4n

To watch this webinar recording, click "Check In" in the upper right hand corner. The video will then load and, simply, click the play button. If you have questions be sure to reach out to info@publicgardens.org.In this webinar, you'll learn more about how your garden can enhance its biodiversity and conservation goals. Gardens worldwide engage in biodiversity and conservation work through wild collecting trips, preserving specimens in herbaria and seed banks, championing research programs to learn about at-risk plants, and protecting and propagating native plants throughout their region as well as in their own gardens.Beatriz Maruri-Aguilar from Cadereyta Regional Botanic Garden, Damon Waitt from North Carolina Botanic Garden, and Silvia Alvarez Clare from The Morton Arboretum will present on biodiversity and conservation initiatives at their gardens. Each of the presenting gardens received recognition through our Sustainability Index for their extraordinary biodiversity and conservation work. We also hear from Holly Forbes, Curator at the University of California Botanical Garden and Chair of the Association's Plant Conservation Community, who speaks about the Community, its resources, and how to get involved.Please note that the "Sustainability Insights" portion of this webinar was not recorded. Also, there were some technical difficulties during Beatriz Maruri-Aguilar's presentation that resulted in occasional interruptions to her audio and video.This webinar series has been generously sponsored by IrisBG.Learn more about the Association's Sustainability Index on our website here: https://www.publicgardens.org/sustainability-indexPlant Conservation Community Forum: https://bit.ly/3xVJk1zAssociation Webinar Team: Introductions by: Alexis Bacon, Program and Member Services CoordinatorAdditional support provided by: Pam Allenstein, Manager, Plant Collections NetworkVideo edited by: Caitlin Simkovich, Creative Projects Coordinator

Join us for an interactive workshop on the practice of tree pollarding. Learn what coppicing and pollarding are, why this arboricultural practice is so important to the preservation of trees, and how it differs from the much discouraged practice of "topping." Historically whole woodlands were coppiced or pollarded, which led to increased tree diversity and promoted the numbers and kinds of insects, birds and other creatures who lived among the trees and the open understory vegetation.Speaker William Bryant Logan is the author of multiple books and is on the faculty of the New York Botanical Garden. He has spent the last three decades working in trees. He is a certified arborist, and founder and president of Urban Arborists, Inc., a Brooklyn-based tree company.

Over the past 10 years since the establishment of the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, our plant collection has grown exponentially, but plant identification had not kept pace.Though our 10-acre site had 38,635 visitors in 2019, more than 80% of our plant collection remained unidentified. We actively searched for a grant that would allow us to design, purchase and install professional-looking display signs that go beyond just plant ID to communicate how each plant can be incorporated to beautify and enhance gardens and landscapes.The "smart" interactive plant identification program is managed by our Plant ID Chair in partnership with Master Gardeners from the UF/IFAS - St Lucie County Program and a Horticulture Program intern from University of Florida. Every display sign is educational and ""smart."" Each includes basic information such as common and scientific names, climate zones, origin, etc., with a scannable QR code. Scanning the code with a smart device will give visitors additional photographic and written details on how to properly cultivate and grow the featured plant. Guests will learn about favorable growing conditions, light, water, soil and nutrient requirements, maintenance, pest management, propagation methods, and identifying characteristics such as plant habit and floral production. In addition to the written and photographic information, the QR Code will include a voice-over providing a short, narrated overview.Ornamental horticulture is emphasized, showing decorative plant uses that will inspire creative garden designs, unique container and small space gardens, and artistic floral arrangements.