Seasonal or park clean-up events can be an excellent opportunity to get the community more involved in the parks they enjoy year-round. Hosting an event at one of your sites can also help the maintenance team catch up on less skilled work like trash cleanup, weeding, removing invasive plants, and other beautification projects.
But…a poorly planned event can mean the work wasn’t completed correctly and a negative experience for the volunteers. The result: the volunteers aren’t coming back, and maintenance staff have to work twice as hard to correct the “work” completed during the event.
Make your next park cleanup event a productive success! Here are some steps to help plan, execute, and evaluate your next volunteer cleanup event.
Determine Participants
Start planning by identifying who will participate in the cleanup event. Has a volunteer group contacted you? Is a corporate group looking to give back to their community? Are you planning an event that’s open to the public
The group that’s attending often impacts the work plan. For example, work for a senior volunteer group may look a lot different than a high school football team’s service project.
Identify who will be at an event by asking:
- How many will be attending?
- What are their approximate ages? Ability levels?
- Is preregistration required, or will walk-ups be accepted?
- What work do they prefer?
- How long do they plan to work?
- Are there particular sites they want to focus on?
- Do they have motivations for volunteering? (For example, an environmental group wanting to experience nature may not be interested in repainting a community center hallway.)
Once you have an understanding of the group that will be attending the event, how long they will be there, and the ideal work for them, you can start the event planning.
Select an Area
You probably have a good idea of what your sites and assets need. You can also review records of park inspections to determine appropriate areas for a volunteer group to help.
What to consider when choosing an area:
- Size of area
- Needs of an area
- Access to area (parking, restrooms, paths/trails, etc.)
- Accessibility related to the group’s abilities
- Area’s resilience to a group event (no rare native plants, erosion issues, etc.)
For larger groups, divide the area into sections. This way, your team can break up a large group into more manageable teams where someone from your agency can guide and direct them.
Plan a Date (and a Rain Date)
Your group may have a specific date they want to work. Once you have found a suitable site, make sure that the date is open. You don’t want to hold up a clean-up event in the middle of a large soccer tournament–maybe afterward, though.
As any park and recreation professional has experienced, the weather doesn’t always cooperate. While a bit of drizzle and wind may not scare away a group, you don’t want a group stomping through soaked turf or in danger of getting struck by lightning. Plan for a rain/bad weather make-up date. Make sure the anticipated alternate date works for everyone.
Promote the Event
If the event is open to the public, start promoting it early. Use all available channels to spread the word. Include a page in your program guide, post on social media, and/or partner with other local websites or organizations to spread the word. For example, if the local library puts out a newsletter, see if they will print a blurb about your event.
Pinpoint the demographic you want to attend the event and make sure you promote it on the channels they use regularly.
Consider setting up a way to pre-register for the event so you have the staff, equipment, and plans to facilitate the group. Decide your policy on participants who show up on the day of the event without registering.
Also, during the event, make sure someone is in charge of taking pictures and documenting the event for social media or press releases. Corporate groups, for example, may want some photo ops to show off how they are giving back and the progress they made.
Prepare Supplies & Equipment
You have an area in mind. You know who will be attending the event.
Now, you have to make sure you have everything available to make it a success. The supplies and equipment will depend on the type of work the group will perform.
Supplies and equipment for a cleanup event can include:
- Heavy duty gloves
- Trash bags
- Recycling bags
- Trash grabbers
- Wheelbarrows
- Safety vests (especially if near roads or trails)
- Snacks and water
- Loppers
- Garden equipment
- Landscaping materials
- Cleaning products
- First aid kits
- Hand sanitizer
You also want to make sure there is access to restrooms and other amenities to keep the group comfortable, depending on the weather conditions. For example, setting up some tents or temporary shade structures can help provide relief on a hot, sunny day.
Partnering with local vendors or even asking the group to bring some supplies can help offset the costs of holding the event.
Organize Tasks for the Event
Handing each volunteer a garbage bag and a pair of gloves and sending them on their way may seem like the easy way to run the event. It is also an easy way to ruin the event.
While picking up trash isn’t exactly rocket science, volunteers often need guidance. Giving groups designated areas or specific tasks will bring more focus to the event. Also, make sure volunteers know about potential dangers–like poison ivy–or delicate native plants that should be avoided.
Consider having different types of tasks available. Not every volunteer is the same. Give opportunities for volunteers to help with other aspects of the park cleanup–like sign-in tables, handing out refreshments, or collecting trash bags once they are full. Volunteers who do tasks that they feel are impactful and enjoyable will have a more positive experience.
Get Feedback
Don’t miss the opportunity to get feedback for your event. Get opinions about what worked. Find out what was challenging about the event.
Designate a staff to check in with the volunteers and listen to what they say at the event. Different perspectives can help make planning future events more worthwhile for groups.
You may also want to have volunteers complete a follow-up survey a day or two after the event. Some staff are more willing to write or type their responses than being interviewed by a representative of your organization.
Document for Future Planning
After the park cleanup event, especially a successful one, you have the framework for future events. A little time reflecting and reviewing volunteer feedback helps improve the framework and make it a more valuable experience for the volunteers and your staff.
Document your plans, decisions, and outcomes for future reference. Also, list the challenges you faced, how you handled them, and better ways to do things in the future.
Make sure staff have easy access to your documentation. Your future team will thank you.
The Takeaway
A park clean-up event can be an excellent opportunity to involve your community in necessary park maintenance. Careful planning, execution, and documentation help make the event more impactful for your agency and the volunteers participating. The extra time spent planning and reviewing helps guarantee the success of your cleanup event.