Considering volunteering for Grow the Flow? Here’s what to expect.
I first learned about the environmental crisis with the Great Salt Lake in 2022. As a “transplant,” (someone who moved to Utah from out of state) I felt a sense of duty that if I was going to live and enjoy this magnificent place, it’s my responsibility to help protect it. I subscribed to the newsletters, I read articles, and I attended conferences to learn from the experts and the leading organizations doing the work. It was clear that Grow the Flow was one of the leading organizations in not only building public awareness and understanding to save the Great Salt Lake, but driving public policy to move resources and political will to do the same.
In March of this year, I attended a Grow the Flow volunteer meeting hosted by the Salt Lake City Chapter in Sugar House. I was immediately impressed by how organized the meeting was: agenda was set, time keeper was designated, meeting customs were identified. There were even snacks and a dry-erase board to collect “parking lot” ideas that inevitably come up in volunteer meetings that jolt you off course from your agenda and, before you know it, 20 minutes have passed. These folks knew what they were doing!
The meeting was structured and intentional, yet emergent. The group icebreaker was “What body of water helped shape you?” which allowed us to reflect on our relationship with water while sharing a bit about our background. Hearing about each volunteer’s connection to different bodies of water around the country — folks who grew up close to rivers, the gulf of Mexico, or the ocean — did what a good group icebreaker should do: grounded us in our shared purpose (water to the lake!) and built a sense of community.
By the end of the meeting, the meeting organizers had split all of us into small groups and assigned us projects with individual roles and suggested deadlines. This was my first foray into volunteering for Grow the Flow, and I have to say, it was a master class in volunteer management. A clear vision, paired with clear tasks, a timeline, and then they let us do our thing.
Our Volunteer Project: A DIY Air Filter Fundraiser at Fisher Brewing
Our volunteer team, led my myself, Lauren Branz and Haylie Jelsma, hosted a fundraiser event for Grow the Flow’s “DIY Air Filter Workshop Series.” This series will equip frontline communities along the lake to build DIY air filters to ensure they can have clean air during dust storms and wildfires. The DIY filters are a fraction of the cost of a store-bought air filter, and, when built properly, can significantly improve indoor air quality. Thanks to volunteer Lauren Branz, we partnered with Fisher Brewing for the event space, Patagonia Salt Lake City for a raffle give-away, and asked Grow the Flow’s Managing Director, Jake Dreyfous, to share remarks about Grow the Flow’s latest work on saving the Great Salt Lake. Volunteer Haylie Jelsma was instrumental in event outreach, planning and ticketing support at the event.
We were thrilled with the results: Over 100 people attended, $2,000 was raised for Grow the Flow, and a Q&A session that was slated for 10 minutes went to 25, showcasing just how engaged and fired up the attendees were.
Grow the Flow will continue to host DIY Air Filter Workshops for frontline communities. If you’re interested in attending or supporting, visit their events page or sign up to volunteer here.
Considering Volunteering for Grow the Flow? Some Keys to Success
Grow the Flow does a fantastic job with volunteer management and will provide you with a clear vision, goal, and sometimes a tentative timeline. They do not micromanage their volunteers (thankfully!) or tell you explicitly how to get the event done, so here are our tips to running a successful volunteer team, once you’ve committed to the cause.
- Develop your core strike team and communication channels. Once you’ve got your committed group together, decide on a communications platform like a group text, Slack, or WhatsApp.
- Commit to a regular meeting schedule. Meeting at the same time every week helps maintain a consistent schedule and momentum with your project.
- Define roles and responsibilities early-on. First define what broad roles will be needed and then map out a few high level responsibilities each role with “own” to reduce duplicate efforts. Many roles will overlap and that’s fine!
- Stay in touch with Grow the Flow throughout the project. As volunteers, it’s important to stay in communication with the GTF staff in case new information arises, priorities change, or resources become available that may be useful to you.
- Stay flexible! Don’t get discouraged when plans change or team members’ capacities decrease. It’s the nature of volunteering that projects are fluid and things change. Stay adaptive and remember your ultimate purpose —saving the Great Salt Lake.
If you’re looking for ways to get involved to save the Great Salt Lake, plugging into Grow The Flow’s community (by following them on social media, signing up for their newsletter, and regularly checking out their website) is the perfect place to start. Every person contributes differently, and there’s a meaningful role for everyone—one that aligns with your interests, strengths, and time. Water to the lake!
