Leadership Toolkit | PlantPure Communities

The Leadership Toolkit provides Pod Leaders (GLs) with guidance on how to maintain and grow community member participation in their Pods. This Toolkit also offers instructions on how to strengthen the internal structure of Pods by fostering inclusivity and engagement. The intention is to address the following challenges and needs a Pod Leader may face:

How to create and build momentum
Ways to engage volunteers/members in meaningful ways
Low retention of Pod members
Little or no increase in membership over time
Too much reliance solely on the Pod Leader

ACTION SHEETS

Establishing Membership

A successful Pod is nothing without enthusiastic members! Here are some tips to help you market your Pod and attract participants.

Connecting Online with Your Pod

There are many ways to keep in touch with your Pod members between events, some of which may also work to attract new people to join your Pod. This Action Sheet describes some of the many options available for communicating with Pod members online.

Finding Speakers for Pod Meetings

To keep meetings interesting, consider inviting a variety of guest speakers to offer their stories, advice, and motivation. Speakers can be both entertaining and educational.

Getting Your Pod Involved Around the Community

With the whole food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle as your foundation, consider taking on one of these projects or activities to create a positive, lasting impact on your community. A focus on making a difference in the community can unite members around the endeavor and attract new people to the movement.

How to Maintain Enthusiasm

In order to keep the interest of current members and continue to grow the Pod, it is crucial to keep members engaged. Below are some ideas on how to maintain interest and attendance of Pod meetings.

PPN Film Screening

Many Pods have found that screening the PlantPure Nation film by Nelson Campbell creates a sense of community and purpose, and helps to provide context to Pod members for both the origins of the Pod program as well as how their Pod is a part of a larger grassroots movement.

Running Successful Meetings

How well a meeting goes may determine whether or not someone returns for the next one. It takes practice to organize and hold inclusive, welcoming, and fun meetings, so here are tips we’ve gathered from other Group leaders about how to do so.

Hosting a Webinar with PPC

Hosting a webinar is a great way to engage your community and grow your Pod. In recognition that Pods might benefit from having access to a webinar platform and support, PlantPure Communities has developed an opportunity for Pods interested in conducting virtual events. Check out this Action Sheet for details on how to co-host a webinar with PPC.

INFO SHEETS

WFPB Books & Cookbooks

A list of books on the whole food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle. This list was developed with the help of Healthy World – Sedona, a member organization in the PPC Pod Networks.

Informative Newsletters

A list of websites with informative newsletters related to whole food, plant-based nutrition and lifestyle.

Minimal Cooking Ideas

Minimal Cooking Ideas – Several tasty 5-10 minute WFPB meals for busy days.

Movie List

Suggested movies for group meetings.

TEMPLATES

PPC Pod Badge

This badge is intended for Pod Leaders to use on your websites and flyers to show your Pod’s connection to the PPC Pod Network. (A preview of the badge is available here.) If you’d like to use the Badge, please complete the Pod Leader License Agreement to Use Pod Network Badge form and then email podsupport@plantpurecommunities.org to let us know you’ve submitted the form. By using the badge, you certify that your Pod is a member organization of the PlantPure Communities Pod Network; and that your Pod has read and adopted the PlantPure Communities Culinary Philosophy. This badge is restricted to Pod-related use only.

Sign-Up Sheet

This sign-up sheet is intended for Pod Leaders to use at events to collect participants’ names and email addresses.

Marketing/Promotional Materials

It’s possible to add details about your Pod and event to these templates.

Save the Date Card 1, Save the Date Card 2, Save the Date Card 3
Pod/WFPB Business Card 1, Pod/WFPB Business Card 2
Join a Pod Card
WFPB Flyer

PPC Canva Designs

Skill Sheet: Creating Digital Designs on Canva – Canva is a free graphic design software service that allows you to create digital designs for both web and print use. If you are interested in designing flyers, info cards, social media images, brochure, and more, Canva is a valuable and useful tool. This guide will show you how to set up an account and get started with a basic design.

We request that you review this Skill Sheet before accessing the templates via Canva which we have designed for your use. When you visit the following links, you will be taken to Canva’s website.

— BEFORE YOU BEGIN! — Make a copy and save as a new item, otherwise your changes will be made to the “original” template.

Save The Date Cards
Pod/WFPB Business Cards
Join A Pod Card
WFPB Flyer
Flyer to Promote a Pod Meeting

REPORTING

Over the past 5 years, Pods within the PPC Pod Network have produced extraordinarily inventive resources. Pod leaders have created presentations, hosted VegFests, held potlucks, and engaged their communities in unique ways. Let’s work together to recirculate these well-developed resources to newer Pod leaders. Instead of starting from square one, new Pod leaders from around the world will be able to emulate your success.

If you have created any powerpoint presentations, posters, business cards, newsletters, or other informational materials, please consider sharing them with your fellow Pod leaders. By sharing these materials, you can impact communities around the world! PPC will maintain an evolving and growing library of successful presentations and marketing materials that can help jumpstart this revolution. We cannot do this alone, and we are incredibly grateful to be working together to promote health!

Upload files directly into Dropbox by clicking this link or email your resources to podsupport@plantpurecommunities.org. Submissions should be editable and in a non-pdf format. Please include your name and Pod name on all submissions and know that they may be used on PPC’s website and social media.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Once prepared, you can view a list of frequently asked questions. Please let us know your questions so we can include them here!

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Please visit the Pod Leader Essentials webpage for information about the current Pod Support Programs.

Note: The links below are external links and will take you away from the PlantPure Communities website.

BOOKS

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg – http://tinyurl.com/lf6of2c – Improve the quality of your relationships within your Pod and learn to communicate effectively by building trust, preventing conflicts, and healing emotional pain.

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead by Brene Brown – http://brenebrown.com/books/ – This book will guide you towards creating authentic, approachable, dynamic leadership based on human connection.

Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson – http://spencerjohnson.com/books/ – Eliminate fear and anxiety so you can have a positive impact on your community as you work towards positive change.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey – http://tinyurl.com/ylrbea4 – Learn how to incorporate fairness, integrity, honesty and more into your Pod for maximum success and engagement.

How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age by Dale Carnegie – https://tinyurl.com/lrmzlb7 – This classic is essential for learning how to deeply connect with others and encourage productive, meaningful communication.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert – https://www.elizabethgilbert.com/ – If you’re not sure how to harness your unique talents for your Pod, this imaginative book can inspire you to actively pursue the ideas you’re passionate about.

Collaborative Intelligence: Thinking with People Who Think Differently by Dawna Markova, Ph.D., and Angie McArthur – http://cqthebook.com – A great guide for transforming the way you understand yourself and others, offering tools for effective communication. Explore how you can apply your own and others’ “thinking talents” when embarking on a team project or working through challenges.

TED TALKS

Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe by Simon Sinek

What It Takes to be a Great Leader by Roselinde Torres

How Great Leaders Inspire Action by Simon Sinek

Lead Like the Great Conductors by Itay Talgam

Everyday Leadership by Drew Dudley

How to Start a Movement by Derek Sivers

Learning from Leadership’s Missing Manual by Fields Wicker-Miurin

Listen, Learn . . . Then Lead by Stanley McChrystal

WEBSITES

http://blogs.volunteermatch.org/engagingvolunteers/

https://www.manager-tools.com/