Strategic Partnerships for Community Orchards
Each month, we share expert-led training sessions to help community orchard stewards grow and care for thriving fruit trees. On this page, you’ll find a recorded workshop, a summary of key takeaways, and additional resources to deepen your knowledge. Be sure to explore past workshops for even more insights into urban orcharding best practices!
Interested in attending a workshop? Sign up for our workshop series email list!
Key Partnership Principles
Alignment is critical - If you have to convince someone your partnership makes sense, it's probably not a good fit; natural alignment around food access, community, environment, or education works best
Research before asking - Understand potential partners' interests and priorities before meetings to demonstrate alignment
Right-size the ask - Match volunteer opportunities to site capacity; not all orchards can handle 50 volunteers at once
People want to help - Most people will find a way to say yes, even if not exactly as requested; they may offer in-kind donations instead of cash
Successful Partnership Models
Corporate Volunteer Programs:
Corporate team-building days that include a donation to cover project costs
Corporate donations corresponding to volunteer hours by employees
Remote-work companies especially value in-person volunteer opportunities for teams to be together in person
Local Business Support:
Proximity matters - businesses near orchards may support through marketing budgets if signage is offered
Hardware stores donate lumber, breweries donate beer for volunteers, and coffee shops provide refreshments
Scaling local partnerships: example of a local restaurant chain supporting a site near each of their locations
Making the Ask
Best Practices:
Ask "How do you support nonprofits?" to understand their giving structure before making specific requests
Listen more than talk to learn about their goals and past partnerships
Curate asks specifically for each partner rather than offering a menu of options
Share your passion for the mission and invite them to join that impact
Three-part structure:
Brief explanation of who you are/your site
Why it aligns with their values
Simple, curated way to get involved
Follow-up Essentials
Send thank-you email with photos within 1-2 days of volunteer events
Share impact updates (recipes, seed packets, stories) quarterly if possible
Provide concrete numbers showing donation impact (trees planted, fruit produced, people served)
Stewardship Tactics:
Send photos showing long-term impact (fruit from trees volunteers planted in the past)
Calendar follow-up time rather than relying on memory
Book next year's spring volunteer days in November to secure commitment early
Volunteer Engagement Insights
Simple tasks work well - moving mulch, weeding, or basic maintenance excites desk workers happy to be outdoors
Kids love jujubes because they can shake fruit from trees and handle small fruit
Spread large groups across multiple sites (orchard + adjacent garden or park) when capacity is limited
Why Partnerships Fail
Funding priority shifts - Organizations change focus areas
Leadership changes - New CEOs bring their own partnership priorities; mitigate by building relationships at multiple organizational levels
Lack of follow-through - Not updating partners or showing appreciation damages relationships
Poor succession planning - When contacts leave, request introductions to replacements immediately
Tool for Identifying Partners
Use this worksheet to identify potential partners and plan your first ask!
