RFP: Workshop Facilitator

Job Description

2025 Garden Board Member Experience Request for Proposals 

Executive Summary 

The American Public Gardens Association (APGA) is accepting proposals from organizations to facilitate APGA’s 2025 Garden Board Member Experience workshop series in Winter 2025. The successful applicant will create and present an engaging four-part webinar series that provides in-depth education for board members and leaders of the public horticulture industry. 

Program Scope 

APGA’s Garden Board Member Experience is an annual program provided to the board members and executives of our member institutions. The goals and objectives of the Garden Board Member Experience vary year to year, addressing topical and timely themes that highlight the leadership qualities of successful board members and stress the importance of their role in the overall success of an organization. The participants of the Experience expect to learn from professionals in the nonprofit field and to come away with practical knowledge that they can use to best serve in their position as a board member. 

Board members in the horticultural field serve as trustees and advisors for public gardens, arboreta, historic estates, and more. The organizations they support may be large or small – our member institutions include those with operating budgets ranging from under $150,000 to more than $25M with employees numbering tens to hundreds. Attendees join from across the US and, in some cases, internationally. For clarification, please note that attendees are not Board Members for APGA but board members for our member organizations. 

The Garden Board Member Experience is a four-part webinar series for 50-60 attendees per session. Sessions take place over the course of two to three months, each focusing on a topic that supports the overarching theme of the Experience. 

APGA is requesting proposals to facilitate the 2025 Garden Board Member Experience. The selected program lead will propose a theme and session topics appropriate for an audience of board members and executive leaders within the public horticulture industry. The program lead will develop engaging content that includes credible speakers, materials, activities, and additional resources that aim to grow the capacity of board members to serve well in their roles. The program lead will schedule and present four live virtual sessions which may be structured as webinars or workshops.  

About Us

About the American Public Gardens Association 

The American Public Gardens Association, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is the leading professional organization for the field of public horticulture. We advance the field by encouraging best practices, offering educational and networking opportunities, and acting as champions on behalf of our members and public gardens worldwide. We work together with our members and others to strengthen and shape public horticulture, providing the tools and support industry professionals need to better serve the public while preserving and celebrating plants creatively and sustainably. 

Since 1940, we have been committed to increasing cooperation and awareness among gardens. Our members include more than 11,000 individuals at nearly 600 institutions and corporations, primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as 12 other countries. Our members include, but are not limited to, botanic gardens, arboreta, zoos, historic estates, college and university gardens, parks, display gardens, and research facilities. 

Our Mission: We champion and advance public gardens as leaders, advocates, and innovators in the conservation and appreciation of plants. 

Our Vision: A world where public gardens are indispensable. 

Our Core Values: Cultivate Passion, Elevate Our Voice, Collaborate Authentically, Grow Thoughtfully 

Duties & Responsibilities

Prior Garden Board Member Experience programs include: 

2024 – 90-minute sessions held biweekly
“Green Growth: Navigating the Financial Foliage & People Perils” 

The Leadership Partnership – the critical relationship between the Board and Executive Director
Fundraising as a Board Member – strategies, donor engagement, and ethical fundraising practices
Going Beyond Nominating – responsibilities of recruitment, development, and governance
Nonprofit Finance 101 – financial literacy for complex concepts 

2023 – 90-minute sessions held biweekly
“Cultivating Abundance” 

Sowing the Seeds – enabling positive culture and leading with excellence
Managing the Ecosystem – purpose-driven Board leadership for community impact
Planting the Garden – Board responsibilities of guidance, connection, and communication
Bringing in the Harvest – utilizing the talents of Board members as active participants 

2022 – 90-minute sessions held biweekly
“Risky Business” 

Preparing the Soil: Board Practices that Support and Inhibit Risk-Taking and Risk Oversight
Feeding Your Mission: Managing Fiduciary Risk
Provide Support: The Board’s Role in Managing Reputation Risk
Extend the Season of Your Mission: Candid Reflections on Risk and Reward 

Application Instructions

Submission Instructions 

Submit a full proposal to Lauren Garcia Chance by 5:00 PM ET on September 30th, 2024. Proposals should be emailed to lchance@publicgardens.org and must include the information listed below. 

Company name, or names and affiliations of program leads

Name, email address, and phone number of main contact 

A detailed summary of the proposed presentation, including:  

Overarching theme of the Experience

Topics of each of the four virtual sessions 

Target outcomes of each session; detailed concepts that will be learned and understood by participants 

Resources to be included in presentation and/or provided to participants; attach examples where possible 

Names and credentials of tentative or anticipated speakers/presenters 

Session length and proposed timeline of session schedule 

A summary of the presenters’ experience working with or presenting to Board members; include program titles and dates of presentations where possible 

Detailed description of project costs and billing, including how changes in scope, and budget overages are addressed. 

Proposal and Program Timeline 

On or before August 15th, 2024 Requests for proposals initiated 

On or before September 30th, 2024 Proposals due to APGA 

On or before October 31st, 2024 Program lead selected; agreements signed 

On or before November 30th, 2024 Program scheduled; promotion begins 

January 2025; date to be determined Program begins 

On or before March 31st, 2025 Program concludes