Case study for Permaculture Association (UK)

The UK association chose to deliver their information for the case study in a presentation instead of the written questionnaire. Enjoy!

EPT participants feedback on the venue:

What I had learned
  • Positive vibrations
  • Gentle caring of people
  • Coordinating many different activities
  • Professional management
  • Not all rain!
  • Having a good environment
  • Great volunteer relationships
  • Motivated people
  • Inspired staff
  • Well established
  • Sharing what they have learned
  • Connected with association members needs
  • Awesone logistic
  • Wonderful webpage
  • 30 years experience, a good reference for Europe
  • UKPA shared about their mistakes and that is helpful + through working with them last years
  • Plenty of projects for future – Research, Funding, Activities
  • About managing LAND projects – limitations, difficulties, benefits
  • Wonderful people + efficient + inspiring + pioneering + cutting edge management + anarchic approach to management
  • Awesome LAND project
  • Big freedom in terms of decision making
  • Clearly defined CV
  • Similar organisations – Shared space, office
  • Build membership – website, good events, sign people up, PDC tutors
  • Patience – allow system to demonstrate our evolution
  • Function of British Permaculture Association – support members Volunteers (managing)
  • Organisation – support
  • Education, accreditation, promoting
  • Website – informative, good info, support to permies
  • Association – take more seriously, best practice, support, inspiring, networking, rules
  • CiviCRM, database
  • LAND, good model
  • Starting an association with a good/fancy website, use a good database, have some tools to start now in NL
  • Seeing the VSM in action – details, timeline
  • Inspirational team implementing PC ethics and principles in a funny and relaxed way
  • Building resilience
  • The value of having an office and employees
  • Cooperating with other organizations, TCV, LAND etc.
  • Very well organized, efficient
  • All the fields of application, research etc.
  • Open to other countries?!
  • Multidiverse income
  • How to catch money
  • UK – different density of population, wealth
  • Vulnerable economics
  • Network market
  • No organic biscuits!
  • Bill is watching!
  • Been around long time
  • People work more for what they are payed for
  • CGV model
  • Bloody lucky to have Andy and long term dedication
  • Structure of BPA
  • Database
  • History
  • Focus on membership, number of members
  • Good to be in partnership with local organizations
  • Less/fewer tutors than we thought
  • Enthusiasm as an organization
  • Efficiency. I can trust them to focusing on the tasks
  • Not shy to talk about money
  • The PAB/BPA structure has become clearer
  • Eye level communication (no hierarchy?) equal

What I would do differently

  • Clocing Andy & Joe
  • Design for stress–free working environment (people care)
  • Celebrate yourselves even more
  • Visible sideboard on roadside
  • More networking with the transition movement
  • Less bureaucratic, more user friendly
  • Other sources of financing (diploma is quite expensive)
  • Not giving students/grassroots education as much attention as formal education in PC – give grassroots/ordinary PC practitioners more attention
  • What really happens (e.g. LAND project) is not always the same as what is being advertised/told.
  • Bottleneck – not rely as much at one person (Andy s early days)
  • Desing to rely less on external funding? (don’t really know enough about it)
  • Expand the European PC network connections (shared projects, variety)
  • Balance the costs and fees of diploma
  • Work with young adults and children?
  • Improve connetions with others PC associations!
  • Different website
  • Base it in France
  • Economic resilience
  • Show whole team
  • LET network DO the work
  • Organic biscuits!
  • David listens
  • Reinvent yourself, stay ahead of curve edge!
  • Develop transparent long-term process for building the organization
  • Use the elders more
  • Plan to “birth” other national organizations
  • Make communication and information visible, e.g. by e-mail
  • The system of governance – make it regional
  •  Centralized structure with communication mechanism
  • Transparency about this to “outside”
  • Local outreach, integrating local communities
  • Set up databases right from the beginning
  • Wealthy sponsors
  • Should find another location
  • Design for national and international needs
  • Sustainable income stream
  • Transparency about this to “outside”
  • Developing transparent long term process for building the organization
  • Use the elders more