New World Survival · Community Garden Field Manual
Volunteer Workday & Maintenance Binder
Turn maintenance findings into scoped volunteer projects with prepared tasks, named leads, weather and safety controls, inclusive participation choices, quality closeout and leadership transfer.
Plan before recruiting. Do not announce a workday until the useful outcomes, task stations, materials, supervision and stop conditions are clear enough to run from this binder.
1. Annual maintenance / workday calendar
| Month/season | Routine chores | Likely workday/project | Owner | Weather/season note |
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2. Backlog-to-workday selection
| Backlog ID | Need | Why now? | Can volunteers do it? | Approval cleared? | Select? |
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| | | ☐ yes ☐ lead ☐ qualified | ☐ | ☐ |
| | | ☐ yes ☐ lead ☐ qualified | ☐ | ☐ |
| | | ☐ yes ☐ lead ☐ qualified | ☐ | ☐ |
| | | ☐ yes ☐ lead ☐ qualified | ☐ | ☐ |
| | | ☐ yes ☐ lead ☐ qualified | ☐ | ☐ |
| | | ☐ yes ☐ lead ☐ qualified | ☐ | ☐ |
| | | ☐ yes ☐ lead ☐ qualified | ☐ | ☐ |
| | | ☐ yes ☐ lead ☐ qualified | ☐ | ☐ |
| | | ☐ yes ☐ lead ☐ qualified | ☐ | ☐ |
| | | ☐ yes ☐ lead ☐ qualified | ☐ | ☐ |
3. Workday outcome sheet
Outcome 1 + definition of done Outcome 2 + definition of done Outcome 3 + definition of done 4. Approval / stop-task screen
☐ Landowner/sponsor approval confirmed
☐ Utility marking/excavation requirements cleared if needed
☐ Accessibility impact reviewed
☐ Material/soil safety issue resolved
☐ No unresolved electrical/plumbing/backflow/structural work in volunteer scope
☐ Pesticide/chemical work is outside general volunteer scope unless specifically authorized
☐ Youth/insurer restrictions reviewed
☐ Qualified contractor/specialist tasks removed from general task board
5. Task station cards
| Station | Purpose / finish condition | Level | Crew size | Lead | Tools/materials | Alternative role |
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| | ☐ open ☐ lead ☐ qualified | | | | |
| | ☐ open ☐ lead ☐ qualified | | | | |
| | ☐ open ☐ lead ☐ qualified | | | | |
| | ☐ open ☐ lead ☐ qualified | | | | |
| | ☐ open ☐ lead ☐ qualified | | | | |
| | ☐ open ☐ lead ☐ qualified | | | | |
| | ☐ open ☐ lead ☐ qualified | | | | |
| | ☐ open ☐ lead ☐ qualified | | | | |
| | ☐ open ☐ lead ☐ qualified | | | | |
| | ☐ open ☐ lead ☐ qualified | | | | |
| | ☐ open ☐ lead ☐ qualified | | | | |
| | ☐ open ☐ lead ☐ qualified | | | | |
6. Leadership assignments
| Role | Primary | Backup | Decision authority / responsibility |
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| Event lead | | | |
| Weather / stop-work lead | | | |
| Tools/materials | | | |
| First-response / emergency contact | | | |
| Task lead 1 | | | |
| Task lead 2 | | | |
| Task lead 3 | | | |
| Closeout recorder | | | |
7. Recruitment information
Physical/task descriptions Restroom/water/shade disclosure Accommodation/contact method 8. Participation menu
| Need | Heavy/mobile | Moderate | Seated/low exertion | Short/flexible |
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9. Weather / heat plan
Forecast source / check time Hot-weather modifications Water location / supply owner Cancel/postpone decision owner Reschedule communication method 10. Lightning / severe-weather plan
Safe substantial building or hard-topped vehicle location Unsafe shelters to avoid
☐ shed ☐ pavilion ☐ tree ☐ hoop house ☐ open shelter
30-minute-after-last-thunder rule included?
☐ yes
11. Emergency / site information
Site street address / gate First-aid supplies / AED if site provides Emergency vehicle access / meet point Incident reporting contact Sponsor/insurer procedure location 12. Tools / materials staging
| Station | Tool/material | Qty needed | Qty ready | Inspected? | Return location |
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13. Five-minute opening briefing
☐ Why today's work matters
☐ Task stations / leads
☐ Site boundaries / areas not to enter
☐ Water / shade / restroom
☐ Heat / lightning / stop-work authority
☐ Emergency address / contact
☐ Tool issue / return
☐ Report damage / injury / near miss immediately
☐ Ask before changing a design or task
14. Volunteer sign-in / task assignment
| Name / ID per policy | Contact if collected | Task | Lead | Time in/out | Accommodation/role note if volunteered |
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15. Mid-event change log
| Time | Condition/change | Decision | Who decided | Communicated to |
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16. Task quality / closeout
| Station | Finish condition met? | Tool return complete? | New hazard? | Accepted by | Photo/record |
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| ☐ yes ☐ no | ☐ | ☐ | | |
| ☐ yes ☐ no | ☐ | ☐ | | |
| ☐ yes ☐ no | ☐ | ☐ | | |
| ☐ yes ☐ no | ☐ | ☐ | | |
| ☐ yes ☐ no | ☐ | ☐ | | |
| ☐ yes ☐ no | ☐ | ☐ | | |
| ☐ yes ☐ no | ☐ | ☐ | | |
| ☐ yes ☐ no | ☐ | ☐ | | |
| ☐ yes ☐ no | ☐ | ☐ | | |
| ☐ yes ☐ no | ☐ | ☐ | | |
17. Incident / near-miss routing
Use the sponsor/insurer/organization's official incident form when required. This sheet only records routing so an issue is not lost.
| Date/time | Brief event | Immediate action | Official report required? | Reported to | Follow-up owner |
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18. Unfinished work carry-forward
| Backlog item | Safe temporary condition? | Owner | Next action | Due | Needs approval/material? |
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| ☐ | | | | |
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19. Volunteer experience / leadership transfer
What volunteers accomplished What wasted time / frustrated people Emerging task lead / next role Thank-you / follow-up method Volunteer feedback to use next time 20. After-action review and handoff
☐ Completed outcomes recorded
☐ Backlogs updated
☐ Tools/materials returned and damage tagged
☐ Incident reports routed
☐ Routine chores created for repeat problems
☐ Volunteer contacts/privacy handled per policy
☐ Thank-you sent
☐ New backup lead named
☐ Next workday need/date reviewed
Three changes for the next workday