Tips & Advice

How To Plan a Service Project

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12 June 2012

by Mandy Morgan

Let’s face it, sometimes we just cannot find a volunteer opportunity in the community that fits our needs. So what is the next best opportunity? Make one of your own. We all have a cause that we are passionate about, so find an organization in your community or something that you are passionate about and get started. Friends are the number ones to recruit, and getting their help on an event can make it fun and help  get the word out. So give a call to a local non-profit and see what kinds of help they need. Once you’ve decided on your event, start planning for it. Sit down with a parent or other friends, even someone from the non-profit, and come up with a list of supplies that you are going to need.

If you’re hosting an event in your community, offer to have lemonade, food, or some fun activities for your participants to join in on. This can also help to raise more money, awareness, and inspire a good attitude to your participants.

Then get the word out! I love to make flyers on construction paper. Make some flyers and post them around your neighborhood. Include the specifics, like date and time, and how long the event is going on for. You can even have a mini party with your friends or those who are helping out to make all the flyers. Give your friends some flyers to hang up in their neighborhoods, too.

If you have any local community bulletin boards, like in a grocery store or other local business, make sure to post your flyers there. Work with a parent to help advertise online or in your community’s newspaper, so news of the event reaches out to everyone.

Then on the day of your event, be ready to go! Get set up, have your helpers on-site, and start having fun. Whether you’re collecting cans, or raising money for a local animal shelter, having fun is the best part. Get your friends and family involved during the day of your event, and you can always ask for help transporting your funds or donated items back to the non-profit you held the event for. And who knows, you might even start a new event that the non-profit hosts every year.