YOUR CHECKLIST FOR A SUCCESSFUL GROUP PROJECT Before the Project Determine your objectives. What do you want to achieve for the company and for the community? Secure the project date and time. Find a date that works best for both your company and your partner agencies. Conduct an agency site visit. The visit allows you to become more familiar with what the agency does, review specific details of the project, and determine how the agency staff and  the volunteers can best make use of their time together. Develop a publicity strategy. Be proud of what your team accomplishes – spread the word in internal newsletters, and send press releases to local newspapers.  Recruit volunteers. Use company-wide email and voice-mail messages, put up fliers around the office, put a notice in the company newsletter, have sign-up tables outside the office or outside the cafeteria during lunch to get the word out about the project. Reconfirm with participating volunteers a few days before the event. Stress to volunteers to let the person in charge of recruitment know if they are unable to participate so that you can know how many people you can count on. Order food, snacks and beverages for your group. Discuss lunch, water and snack provisions with your agency contact. Day of the Project Get there early. The agency representative(s) and project leader(s) should be at the project site 30-60 minutes before the project begins. Make sure all the supplies and materials are on-hand and that doors, parking lots, and restroom are unlocked.  Go over the day’s agenda with the agency representative(s). Greet the volunteers. When volunteers arrive, introduce the project leader(s) and agency representatives. Also, have volunteers introduce themselves to other volunteers.  Explain the day’s project in detail. Discuss the day’s itinerary and exactly what the volunteers will be doing. Assign tasks accordingly and encourage group interaction. Tasks can also be assigned prior to the project, but may need to be altered in the event that some volunteers are unable to participate. Make sure volunteers know the location of restrooms, refreshments and extra supplies. Let them know who they should go to for questions. Provide volunteers with special training if required. If volunteers are planting trees or painting a building, they need to know how to do the work. Provide them with all the safety and equipment they need and make sure that they know how to safely use all  the tools. Motivate and encourage volunteers. The volunteers are there because they care about families and the community. Continually thank them for doing a good job and giving back to their community.    Capture the spirit of the day. Take pictures and make a video. Make sure you have signed photo release forms from everyone. If someone is unable to be photographed put a special symbol on his or her name tag. Get quotes from employees and key executives. These can be used to publicize both internally and externally. Allow enough time for cleanup. You want to leave the agency looking better when you leave than when you arrived.  After the project Recognize the volunteers. Have key executives thank volunteers and project leaders in person or via voicemail, email, and/or a memo. Place a congratulatory note in their personal files. Have an ice cream social or other event to say thank you.   Publicize the event internally. Put up photos around the office, on your computers, write an article in the company newsletter, show the video at an employee event. This will help to reward all the hard-working volunteers as well as encourage more participation in the future. Publicize the event externally. Send a follow-up press release detailing everything that was accomplished. Take an ad out in the newspaper thanking employees for a job well done. Contract industry-specific associations and trade journals to be featured in their publications. Evaluate the success of your project. Measure your efforts. Coordinate with the agency to receive a report on the value of the work done in the community. Have employees complete a survey to see if you met your internal goals. Make note of any suggested improvements for future projects.    Thanks to United Way Massachusetts Bay