Twenty-five years ago, the Southside Community Land Trust in Providence, RI, started converting contaminated and neglected property into community gardens. It created numerous programs promoting gardening, nutrition, and social entrepreneurism—especially for low-income and minority communities. But the organization relied mostly on federal and state grants for funding, and it needed a plan to cultivate individual donors.

During the seventies, the real estate market in Providence, RI, was so weak that people burned down their homes because they could make more from insurance than from property value. Land wasn't worth much; at one point, city officials tried to give away property for only one dollar, and still no one wanted it. The city's Southside was littered with vacant lots and burned out buildings.

But in 1981, a group of students from Brown University converted one of these lots into a model "sustainable house," and a huge gardening effort took root—City Farm. They remediated the soil, and eventually the three-quarter-acre lot became a model farm for organic practices. Now City Farm hosts a summer children's garden program, where kids spend days gardening and learning about nutrition, hunger issues, and land stewardship. Workshops are held to teach people about safe growing practices, high-yield gardening methods, organic practices, composting, and canning.

Twenty-five years later, the Southside Community Land Trust, which runs City Farm, has reclaimed five acres of once blighted land; helped fifteen schools start their own gardens and gardening clubs; started a farm on fifty preserved acres for teaching sustainable farm practices; established the Broad Street Farmer's Market, the only one in the state to accept Food Stamps/EBT; and assisted in the start-up of several minority-owned farm businesses.

The Southside Community Land Trust has a $975,000 operating budget, funded primarily by grants (70%). The rest comes from sales of products (14%), special events (6%), donations (5%), memberships (2%), garden or field trip fees (1%), and other miscellaneous methods (2%).

However, over the past few years, the grants have not only been harder to get, but they also require a lot of staff time. The Land Trust needed a plan for individual giving.

Kate Hitmar, the outreach and development director, said that when they received donations in the past, it was never for more than $500, and they never really knew who their donors were.

"Only once or twice had individual donors given a gift greater than $1,000, and those were usually because of some dire need," Hitmar said.

The Land Trust sent a team to a Benevon 101 Workshop in March 2005, and it completely changed how they cultivated individuals.

Now they host introductory Point of Entry^® Events called "Seeds of Hope" at 10:00 a.m. the first Friday of each month. After a presentation at the organization's office, guests walk to the city's oldest, largest community garden and then cross the street to City Farm. There they sample edible flowers and other produce.

At the Land Trust's Ask Event^™ in October 2005, guests sat at tables with vegetable bouquets and tasted farm-fresh organic eggs from the organization's Urban Edge Farm. Guests liked the taste and different sizes and colors of the eggs so much that they took the extras home.

Hitmar said the speakers really connected with the audience. She said one speaker, a college student, had everyone in stitches before the pitch.

"I heard from several people who said they were planning to give a certain amount, but after the program they gave more," said Hitmar.

With 109 guests in attendance, the Southside Community Land Trust raised more than $100,000 in gifts and pledges, including a donation of $5,000 a year for five years and several donations of $1,000 a year for five years.

"We didn't have an individual major gifts program before, but now it's happening," Hitmar said.

NOTE: Please do NOT contact these organizations directly with your questions about the Benevon Model. They, just like all nonprofits, are busy fulfilling their missions, and have generously contributed their stories with the understanding that readers of our Web site will not contact them directly. Instead, please direct any questions about Benevon to info@benevon.com or (206) 709-9400. Thank you for your consideration.