Motivation Sarah Nerswick Motivation Sarah Nerswick

Donate To Help Florida Better Relief Fund

You have probably seen the devastation that Hurricane Ian had upon Florida. Watching in disbelief the lives that have been lost and changed forever. You also may be wondering how you can help.

Green & Growing Education is following the Florida FFA Associations suggestion and if you feel led to donate to the cause here is all the information.

The Florida FFA Disaster Relief Fund was been created to help Florida FFA chapters rebuild following natural disasters, such as Hurricane Ian. Donations to this fund will be dispersed directly to agricultural education programs and FFA chapters affected by catastrophic events.

You can donate directly to think link: https://donorbox.org/betterdaysfund

Or send checks to:

Florida FFA Foundation
Attn: Better Days Fund
5000 Firetower Rd.
Haines City, FL 33844

Green & Growing Education is donating the profits from all Starter Pack sales from Monday 10/3-Friday 10/7 to this relief fund.

Read More
FFA Sarah Nerswick FFA Sarah Nerswick

How You Can Raise Funds for Your Chapter Without Fundraising

We all know the *typical* FFA fundraisers…

Boston Butts

Plant Sales

Poinsettias

Meat Sticks

Donuts

Cookie Dough

And the list goes on.

What if there was a way for you to earn money for your chapter without the constant management of a typical fundraiser?!

There are a few ways that G&G community members have found success in some not so typical fundraisers! Hear from these successful teachers on the latest episode of the G&G Podcast!

Business sponsorships

Learn how Allison Heald from Alabama got her students National Convention trip paid for by local businesses on the G&G Podcast Episode 132.

Donors choose

Amber Nead from North Carolina has received over $4800 from Donors Choose to fund 7 projects!. Need some tips? Check out her Germinate session from Summer 2020.

Community partners

Your community could be just waiting for the opportunity to help your chapter reach it’s fundraising goals. Check out Cara Parlato-Butler’s Summer 2022 Germinate session on building community partnerships.

Letter writing

What if a simple letter could bring in thousands of dollars for your chapter. Learn how on Episode 18 of the G&G Podcast

School Based Enterprises

Fundraising could be your day to day happenings. Doggy daycare, farmers market, floral shop, the sky is the limit. Check out Abbey Brown from Georgia’s Germinate 2022 Summer session on implementing School Based Enterprises

Ps... wanna raise some funds for your personal development? G&G's inangual PD scholarship application is OPEN. Check it out here!


Read More
Sarah Nerswick Sarah Nerswick

Your Guide to Training Your FFA Members to Fundraise With Ease

It’s fundraising season…

Isn’t every season fundraising season? 

Fundraising isn’t about money

It’s about opportunity, it’s about impact, it’s about legacy!

The funds you raise gives students an opportunity which impacts their lives and can eventually lead to a legacy they build for their families, friends and careers.

It’s not about meat sticks, plants or fruit. It’s so much more. And that is the VERY reason we should put more intention and care into our fundraisers!

If you are looking for that intention and care. Here are a few tips!

1.Be a storyteller

You know what sells? Things that people can buy EMOTIONALLY. How much more likely are you to buy the wreath from the kid who told the story about how the wreath is helping their chapter sponsor a local animal shelter versus the kid who just asks for the sale?

Teach the students to tell the story of the fund. Remember you aren’t raising money, you are raising opportunities!

2. Be specific

Confused people don’t sell! When you are SPECIFIC about your fundraiser it is easier for people to buy. Be specific about WHAT you are selling, WHERE you are selling it, WHEN they can pick up, and WHY you are selling it (remember to be a story teller). Make sure you your students know the answers to all of these questions before selling!

3. Find your people

Not everyone wants a wreath, not everyone wants a geranium, not everyone wants a meat stick, not everyone wants a donut. AND THAT IS OK. Your job is to FIND the people who DO want it and SHOW UP where they are! Selling meat sticks with a newspaper article might not hit the right audience. Selling the plant sale with posters around the school might not hit the right audience. Dive deep into WHO the RIGHT buyer is, and find out where they show up, and sell there!

September 2022 is all about fundraisers in the G&G world! Be ready to learn more about how to continue to focus on the intention of fundraisers! Wanna hear some real life examples of being a storyteller, being specific and finding your people? Check out Episode 131 on the Green & Growing Podcast!

Read More
Classroom Sarah Nerswick Classroom Sarah Nerswick

Start the New Year With Intention With One Word-Downloadable Inside

Y’all I loved this in 2019, and now it’s back (AGAIN)!

The new year is around the corner (so is GERMINATE Virtual Conference, have you registered yet?)

Time to think about how we want to see 2022, and what to personally focus on to move forward.

What a great opportunity to do this with your students…

But, any old worksheet just won’t do this justice! This is a BIG DEAL so it needed to be more that JUST an activity.

So, after thinking and seeing some other ideas similar to this online (like All About Me banners) I decided to make my own back in 2019 and it has been updated for you for 2022!

And thus, the One Word Banner was made.

On the back side are prompts to run through with the kids.

  • Step 1: Brainstorm as many words as you can that will embody 2022.

  • Step 2: Circle THREE that you like the most and write why you could see that as your ONE WORD.

  • Step 3: Pick ONE WORD and explain why that one is the best for you in 2021.

  • Step 4: On the other (blank) side creatively design your ONE WORD for 2021.

After they were done I decided to hang them on my personal growth wall (I have the FFA mission on the different walls of my room).

It was a GREAT activity that the kids took seriously and I love how for the rest of the semester they will be able to SEE their personal WORD day in and day out!

Wanna try it out? Here is a link to the document!

If you try it out with your students make sure you tag @sarahnerswick & @greenandgrowingedu so I can see the awesomeness your students create!


Read More
Classroom Sarah Nerswick Classroom Sarah Nerswick

Scavenger Hunt for National FFA Convention

We can't wait to see you at National Convention in a few short days!

If you haven’t heard, we are doing a meet up!

The Marigold Meetup (if you don’t get the reference, check out this podcast episode) is on Thursday October 28 from 9-11 a.m.

 

You know you want to come to the Marigold Meetup and you know that keeping your kids occupied at the Expo will give you the time and space to attend the Marigold Meetup.

Picture this. I can see you now…

It’s Thursday at the National Convention. At 8:30 a.m. you have arrived at the Expo Center and start your lesson brief for your students. As you explain their scavenger hunt goals, you can feel the electricity of the environment and the excitement of your students donning the blue & gold jacket. As you pass out the scavenger hunts, the kids in their groups rush into the expo hall ready to learn and connect with others. You turn around confidently to go up the escalator and sky walk to the JW Marriott and feel at ease because you know you students are completing a quality curriculum-based activity while you fill your cup up with coffee and community at the marigold meet up. 

That's the picture you want to see on Thursday October 28th right?


Well, you are just ONE CLICK away from that activity. Download the G&G Convention Expo Scavenger Hunt HERE


Ps... if you aren't attending National Convention, but still want an easy to implement activity for your kiddos with you in the classroom...

Check out the Retiring Officer Reflection worksheet (Pss...I am leaving this activity as part of my sub plans, but have used it before during the FFA Unit)

Read More