Start a Service Project
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1. ORGANIZE YOUR GROUP
Identify members of your group who are willing to commit to helping others and creating change in the community.
Use team building activities to get to know the people you are working with. Your team will be working closely together for a significant period of time, make sure your team knows each other.
2. IDENTIFY ISSUES
The first thing you need to do is identify what issue your group wishes to change in your community. To focus your interest:
What’s important to your group?
Is the water undrinkable? Are there few jobs or activities for people? Are AIDS cases among teens in your community on the rise? Ask what causes these problems. Talk to others in your group to find out what interests them.
- What do you want to see happen in our community as a result of our project?
- Is there a specific issue that your group wants to help address? (see list of potential issues for ideas)
What are the needs of your community?
1. Brainstorm
- Call a group meeting and brainstorm challenges facing the community. Select one as your group’s top priority.
2. Call on the Experts
- Contact a local Volunteer Center (1-800-VOLUNTEER or www.1800Volunteer.org) for information on your community’s needs
- Check with the local Chamber of Commerce or City Planner’s office for a community needs assessment survey
- Check with your local Planning Council (www.napc.org) for information on your community’s needs
3. Pay Attention to the News
- Bring a week’s worth of local newspapers together or make a list of television news stories that inspire a need for change. Discuss the impact of community events and select one of the topics as your group’s top priority. What interests and abilities do you have?
Ask your group members to look inside themselves. Have them think about who they are and what they love to do. Perhaps you’re an outgoing person, or have a passion for music, or like using your hands. If you connect your vision to your personal life it will make your work fulfilling. If you’re athletic, for example, you may use your abilities to organize and train youth with disabilities in a Jr. Special Olympics.
Focus Your Volunteering Goals
Here are some questions that can help your group and the organization focus your volunteering goals:
- What do your group members want to carry away from their volunteer commitment? Do they want to learn about their community?
- Do any group members currently volunteer for the organization? What has their experience been like?
- Is an area of expertise your group members possess that would help an organization or help address a specific social issue?
Determine Your Commitment
- Which days and times is your group available to volunteer? How often is your amily interested in volunteering?
- What kind of project would your group be willing to give at least 25 hours to over the course of year? (See PVSA criteria for groups)
- Does your group want to create a relationship with one organization and commit to an on-going program? Or work on planning and managing a one-time event (fundraiser, tournament)? Or work with several organizations?
3. IDENTIFY COMMUNITY ASSETS
Remember that you are not alone. There are all kinds of people and organizations that are already trying to create change in your community. Identify the ones working on the issues important to your group and connect with them:
Volunteer Centers—are a key resource for volunteer involvement in a community. They promote volunteering, train and assist nonprofit organizations, recruit and refer volunteers to opportunities, recognize volunteers, and implement numerous programs designed help solve specific community problems. Find a Volunteer Center near you.
Community-Based Organizations—Community-based organizations can range from a council on aging, to a local hospital, environmental agency, or a homeless shelter. As you look at these organizations, keep in mind their purpose and how the issue you identified connects with that purpose. Research the yellow pages or contact your town/city hall, Volunteer Center or United Way for information about these organizations.
Government Agencies—This may include local elected officials or the departments that provide the services. If, for example, you are interested in coaching little league or soccer, the city or county parks and recreation department often run these programs. Or, if you are interested in starting a recycling program, your city or county government solid waste department may be responsible for recycling in the city.
Businesses—Many businesses are taking an active part in revitalizing communities. Some even have their own employee volunteer and philanthropy programs. You can ask local businesses for help in providing materials, money, people-power, and know-how. Don't ignore large companies who may have offices or factories in your area.
Schools—Aside from being a great resource for potential allies like teachers and administrators, schools also promote service either through extra curricular clubs or through service-learning (the connection between service and classroom curriculum). Schools also have available supplies, space, phones, computers, and other resources.
Add diversity to your options:
- Don’t be afraid to contact organizations that do not have high visibility in the community.
- Contact minority-led organizations and groups representing low-income people and neighborhoods and people with disabilities.
- Ask the larger organizations for the names of smaller or newly formed groups that are also working on the issue.
Once you’ve determined who else is working on the issue your group would like to address, learn more about who they are and what they do.
4. SELECT A PARTNER
Research Your Options
Once you have identified organizations that are addressing the issue your group has identified, do a little research to find out more about them.
- What types of programs, services, and activities do they offer?
- What kinds of volunteer opportunities do they have?
- Where are they located? What are their hours of operation?
- What expectations do they have of volunteers? (e.g., amount of volunteer time per month, training requirements, length of commitment)
Consider how much time your group members have, how many people will be involved, and logistical issues like scheduling and transportation.
Get to Know the Organization
- Schedule an appointment with the organization’s volunteer manager and find out how your group can become involved.
- Interview the volunteer manager to see if the organization possesses the Desirable Traits of Organizations. • Get a list of the volunteer position descriptions from the organization to see if your volunteer group can fit into existing roles. • Don’t be afraid to work with the volunteer manager to develop a new volunteer role that uses your group’s skills to address a currently unmet need of the organization or community.
Then choose an organization that is addressing the issue you identified and that can accommodate your group as volunteers. Consider your work with any organization as a partnership where both your group and the organization have a say in what happens.
Build a Good Relationship with Your Partner Organization
- Learn and understand the organization ’s mission
- Get to know the leadership, paid and volunteer
- Be considerate of their time and everyday issues
- Work with their volunteer manager to plan your group’s involvement
- Have a shared vision—neither the group nor the organization imposes its views, ideals, and expectations on the outcome
- Build open communication with the organization. The more communication between the organization and your group the more likely things will run smoothly.
5. DETERMINE HOW YOU FIT IN
In conversation with your partner organization, determine what needs your group can help meet and how to go about doing it.
Find out how your group can be most helpful to the organization.
- What volunteer roles should your group fill?
- Should the entire group volunteer together at the same time, or create a schedule of rotating shifts?
- Are there things your group can do outside the regular volunteer work to support the organization, like raising money, gathering supplies, or preparing materials?
6. START VOLUNTEERING
Put your group members into action and act as a liaison to the organization. Ensure that everyone has completed any necessary intake process, orientation and training. Set up a schedule for your group and help monitor that things are working well. Check in with your group and the organization to see how things are going.
7. REFLECT AND CELEBRATE
Help your volunteers to identify the positive effects of their work for their community and for themselves by building in opportunities for personal reflection during and after their volunteer service.
Celebration and Recognition. Make sure to recognize and celebrate the service effort of all your volunteers. You can do this through a simple “thank you,” or an event like a pizza party. People like to feel appreciated for their efforts and to know that such efforts were important and of value to the community.
Reflection and Evaluation. It is important for your group members to understand what they did through their service, both for themselves and for the community. Encourage them to think about what they learned about the issue and themselves. For instance, has their attitudes about homelessness changed after working in a soup kitchen, or did they know they could teach before they began tutoring?
Tips for Effective Reflection
- Allow time for reflection. Even a few extra seconds helps most people organize their thoughts.
- Directly relate reflection to the service being done.
- Plan for reflection from the beginning; be intentional about including reflection from the start.
- Reflection is a method of learning not therapy. It’s not appropriate to dig into people's personal lives. Make sure everyone knows that they’re not expected to tell secrets or private feelings or facts about themselves.
- The best reflection isn't always planned reflection. Be flexible and prepared to capitalize on “teachable moments.”
- By reflecting on their contributions, volunteers can feel empowered and take ownership for their work. As volunteers become more personally invested in the work, their commitment is likely to increase. Ultimately, the organization will have improved programs and services and healthier volunteers.