Green Neighbors – Proposal Review Process

One of the ways Green Neighbors (GN) seeks to support green initiatives in our neighborhoods is by helping communicate about and/or fund projects (when money is available) or by providing time and volunteer effort, whether through assisting with project development, staffing tables at a booth, or volunteering on neighborhood projects such as park clean-up days.  We welcome proposals by members and non-members for projects we can help with.

We anticipate these guidelines will be revised within six months, but below are the current procedures and answers for frequently asked questions.

What is the average scope of a proposed project?

GN is a small, community-based organization.  Our person-power and financial capabilities are growing but do have limits.  We are currently focusing on projects that require manpower and no or very little funding; we could potentially fund a project requiring up to $500 but would do so rarely.

Does my idea require a formal proposal?

Any idea that requires funding must be submitted to GN via a formal proposal. For ideas requiring time or effort instead, a proposal should be written include if more than two GN members would be engaged or more than 12 person-hours would be needed. Proposals also must be submitted when there would be presentation or mention of GN supporting or being involved in the project.

When can proposals be submitted to Green Neighbors?

GN meets on the third Monday of every month, unless that date falls on a federal holiday (alternate dates will be announced; see our calendar for the exact dates). The quarterly meetings where we discuss proposals are: January, April, July, and October.

Option 1- Submit online prior to quarterly meeting; vote occurs at quarterly meeting

• Submit your proposal to greenneighborsdc@gmail.com at least one week before the quarterly proposal meeting.
• GN members may contact proposers in advance of the meeting with questions.
• You will have an opportunity to make up to a 15-min presentation at the meeting. Otherwise, you are welcome but not required to attend the meeting.
• The idea will be voted on at the meeting after 15 minutes of discussion.

Option 2- Present in person at quarterly meeting; vote occurs at following meeting

If you are unable or do not wish to provide an online description of a proposal in advance as in Option 1, you may still present at a quarterly proposal meeting.

• Provide one week notice to greenneighborsdc@gmail.com that you would like to present.
• The meeting facilitator may allot up to 15 minutes for presentation and up to 15 minutes for discussion.
• The proposal will be voted on at the following meeting, after more discussion, if necessary.

Option X- Time-sensitive proposal

• Time-sensitive proposals may be proposed outside this schedule.
• Email greenneighborsdc@gmail.com with the request to see if/how much time could be dedicated to a new proposal in the next meeting.
• Submission online in advance of the meeting is required in this case, and GN members may contact the proposers with questions
• Your presence is preferred, but not required at the meeting.

What needs to go in the proposal?

Below is the suggested proposal outline/template. GN will only review a proposal that is complete. A Word document is preferred even for an in-person presentation, as GN meetings generally are not equipped with projection tools.

Submission Date:

Submitter’s Name:

Submitter’s Contact Information:

Project Lead and Other Points of Contact (if applicable):

Proposal Title (will be listed online in meeting minutes):

Option (1, 2, or X):

Quarterly Meeting Target (if applicable):

Objectives and Relation to the GN Mission:

Describe the idea and its intended impact.  In other words, what are the project’s mission, justification, and its relationship to the GN mission?  If it impacts the public or a specific audience, what is the expected number of public participants?  Are there any other benefits you’d like to describe.

Resources required:

What are the requested funds? Please include an itemized budget. (At this point, GN cannot fund proposals requiring in excess of $500, and would more commonly fund projects with smaller budgets.)  Expenditures must be tracked and receipts provided.

If you are seeking volunteer help, how much effort would this project require, e.g., as number of GN members required and estimated person-hours over a defined time period? Are there any special skills needed (e.g., language interpretation)?

What resources, if any, are also being contributed from a non-GN individual or organization?

Project management:

Please provide information on:

• how the project will be communicated to internal and external project participants;
• communication to the wider public;
• the timeline (include any important dates and/or phases of implementation);
• when the project would be considered complete and successful; and
• notable risks?

Proposal Discussion

• GN will only discuss proposals where answers are given to all of the questions above. Before each proposal meeting, a facilitator will determine which proposals have met the requirements for consideration.
• As noted earlier, the facilitator may allot up to 15 minutes of presentation and up to 15 minutes of discussion. If additional time is requested, either further advance notice needs to be given, or we may move your presentation to a subsequent meeting.
• GN may work with the proposer to amend/modify the proposal during or after the meeting.
• Note: GN reserves the right to ask for more information and to postpone further discussion and the decision until the next meeting.

Proposal Voting

• Proposers can’t vote on their proposal. Sorry!
• GN members that are unable to attend a proposal meeting may provide input and (optionally) a vote to the meeting facilitator before the meeting. If there was a modification of the proposal based on the discussion, or if a change in the absent GN member’s vote would affect the final decision, the meeting facilitator may send the discussion notes to the absent member within two days and request a re-confirmation (or reversal) of the absent member’s vote within three days.
• GN members may vote by proxy.
• In the case of a lack of quorum for voting, online voting may be utilized. The initial proposal will be shared via the GN listserv (not the website), along with a summary of the meeting discussion. Online voting will be open for only one week after the meeting.

Accepted proposals

The minutes from the meetings will be posted online, and will list accepted proposals.

• We may wish to post further information on our website but will work with the proposer on that.
• Receipts will be required for any spending that occurs. If any funds are required beyond those budgeted for the project, the money must be requested in advance. To request additional funds, send the request in writing to greenneighborsdc@gmail.com at least one week prior to the next meeting (does not have to be a quarterly meeting).

 Thank you.  We look forward to seeing the ideas for helping expand green initiatives in our DC neighborhoods!