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National Gardening Association2011-2012Annual ReportGarden.org | KidsGardening.org

Garden.orgOur mission is to help gardeners grow – in knowledge, environmental awareness, and enthusiasm.In the many ways the National Gardening Association reaches gardeners, we help makehome, school, and community gardens greener and more productive. From vegetables, herbs,and fruits to trees, lawns, flowers, and houseplants, we provide folks with the informationthey need to get started in the world of gardening and grow and maintain thriving, sustainable,and environmentally responsible food gardens and landscapes.On NGA’s Garden.org website, gardeners can access a multitude of articles on all facets ofgardening to find how to grow all kinds of plants, identify and control pests and diseases,or figure out what kind of weeds are sprouting in their garden. They can also watch helpfulvideos and check the Events Calendar for upcoming programs in their areas.Regional Garden ReportsThe twelve Regional Garden Reports in our free nationally mailed monthly e-newslettersprovide timely and regionally accurate advice on what to do when in the garden. The GardenTalk section of the newsletter keeps our readers abreast of the latest developments in theworld of horticulture, including new plants, products, and cutting-edge research.Custom Newsletters & InformationWe continue to provide even more great gardening information through the custom newslettersand Web content we provide to clients, along with answering many inquiries from the mediaand the public. Our popular Facebook page is visited by hundreds of gardeners weekly, wherethey can find a daily post from NGA, connect with other gardeners, and get their questionsanswered by an NGA horticulturist.All of our efforts support our broader goal of helping individuals and communities usethe power of gardening to promote health and nutrition, sustainable development, andenvironmental stewardship – all while enjoying the fun of “playing in the dirt!”2 The National Gardening Association | 2011-2012 Annual ReportGarden.org | KidsGardening.org 3

KidsGardening.orgKids Garden NewsInspiring educators and parents with practical and fun lesson plans and activity ideas, themonthly e-newsletter Kids Garden News is mailed to approximately 180,000 subscriberseach month. In addition to new articles written by NGA staff, in 2012 featured articles werecontributed by members of the KidsGardening Advisory Board, offering first hand accountsof youth gardening programs around the country. In addition, our special features column,Books in Bloom, will soon be available as a full curriculum package. We are working with thecolumn’s authors to have the publication ready next spring. Kids Garden News draws visitorsto KidsGardening.org and is a highly valued newsletter for keeping educators, parents, andvolunteers excited about gardening with the kids in their lives.“I want to thank you for all that thiscourse had to offer! I came awaywith many great ideas and resourcesto follow through on. I look forward toimplementing some of the ideas.”KidsGardening.orgLaunched in July of 2011, this year the new KidsGardening.org website continued to evolveto meet the needs of educators, parents, and volunteers. Education staff began the task ofreviewing and updating articles and lesson plans to maintain the website’s reputation as themost comprehensive collection of youth gardening content available online. Explored byover 250,000 visitors, the website has been visited by gardeners across the country and aroundthe world.“The class was an incredible experiencefor me and one I will be using a greatdeal in the future. Thanks for puttingtogether such an experience and figuringout a way for it to happen online.”School Gardening 101, Online InstructionSchool Gardening 101 was pilot-tested in May and went live with three sections in June ofthis past year. Over one hundred participants took advantage of this worldwide educationalopportunity during the summer course sections. The course was designed and developedwith Longwood Gardens to create the National Teacher Institute. School Gardening 101instructs educators, volunteers, garden coordinators, and many other school garden users onthe benefits of school gardening, the types and themes of school gardens, how to recruit andmaintain a support network, and how to find and adapt appropriate core curriculum material.Winter sections of the course will be available beginning in January 2013, and registration forone section is already full! NGA is now working to complete a second online course, SchoolGardening 102, which will extend online learning opportunities for those students whohave already completed the first section of the course.“Thank you for your dedication andlove of gardens. Your enthusiasm iscontagious. As I put in my evaluation,this was the best class in regard toknowledge and practical application.”At-A-GlanceKids Garden News- 180,000 subscribers per month- Featured articles offer first hand accounts of youth gardening programs.- Books in Bloom curriculum package coming Spring 2013KidsGardening.org- New website launched in July of 2011- Over 250,000 visitors from throughout the USA and around the world.School Gardening 101, Online Instruction- Launched in June 2012 with over 100 participants for initial course offerings.- Winter 2013 course sold out.- Second online course, School Gardening 102, coming in 2013.4 The National Gardening Association | 2011-2012 Annual ReportGarden.org | KidsGardening.org 5

AcknowledgementsFinancial ReportNGA wishes to thank our funders and partners:AssetsRevenue- Ball Horticultural/Burpee- Burlington Garden Club- Center for Technology – Essex Jct., VT- City of South Burlington- Country Home Products- Espoma, Inc.- Robert Maxfield – in memory of Nancy Maxfield- Schiller Grounds Care, Inc.- Subaru of America, Inc.- Syngenta Crop Protection- Teachers College, Columbia University- The Home Depot Garden ClubCurrent AssetsCash and Cash Equivalents..............................................$17,379Accounts Receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts of $13,000............113,131Inventory, less allowance for obsolescence of $10,000.........................196,695Other Receivables .......................................................1,387Prepaid Expenses.......................................................63,001- Federated Garden Clubs of Vermont- The Scotts Miracle-Gro CompanyTotal Current Assets ..................................................$391,593- Flower Power Fundraising, Inc.- Jamba Juice Company- Longwood Gardens- Mantis- Master Gardeners of Vermont- Wheeler Foundation- Yum! FoundationProperty and EquipmentLand Improvements ..................................................$161,439Furniture and Equipment ...............................................305,925467,364Less Accumulated Depreciation ..........................................330,215Other Assets$137,149Educational &Research Sales 56.8%Contributions &Sponsorships 20.6%Publishing &Advertising 20.5%Investments .........................................................$351,027Royalties 0.8%Prepaid Expenses.......................................................42,299Deferred Compensation .................................................26,433Investments 1.3%Total Other Assets.....................................................418,759Total Assets .........................................................$948,501ExpensesLiabilities & Net AssetsCurrent LiabilitiesAccounts Payable .....................................................$14,747Accrued Liabilities......................................................68,707Deferred Revenue ......................................................51,698Total Current Liabilities ...............................................$135,152Longterm LiabilitiesDeferred Compensation ................................................$26,433Deferred Royalties......................................................84,768Total Liabilities ......................................................$249,353Net AssetsUnrestricted / Undesignated ...........................................$699,148Program Services 75.8%General &Administrative 19.6%Fundraising 4.6%Total Net Assets......................................................$948,501Financial data as of August 31, 2012.12 The National Gardening Association | 2011-2012 Annual ReportGarden.org | KidsGardening.org 13

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