Group Project Planning Guide
Organizing a group project? We can help! Below is a guide to making your Community Outreach Week service project a success.
Step 1: Identify a Project
Identify an organization in your community that can benefit from your service. Consider organizations that are personally important to you, where you could learn more about your community, who could benefit from your specific skills, or that relate to your alumni chapter, department, or student organization's expertise.
You can also check out these resources for ideas:
If you need help identifying a service project in West Michigan, the GVSU Community Service Learning Center (CSLC) can help. They often know of partners in the community who are in need of a volunteer project.
Schedule a time for your group to volunteer between Saturday, March 23 and Saturday, March 30, 2019. Reach out to the organization to learn about their needs and opportunities and find a time that works for you and your group.
Consider the following when scheduling your group project:
- Time of day - Lunch times and evenings tend to be popular for those who work during the day, evenings and weekends are popular with families, and late afternoons and evenings are popular with students.
- Duration - How long will volunteers be occupied? Projects between one and two hours are generally the most popular and accessible, especially on weekdays.
- Location - Is the project in a location that is easily accessible?
- Type of activity - What is the volunteer activity you'll be doing and is it a good fit for the members of your group (consider all abilities, environment, weather, if children/families will participate, etc.).
Step 2: Create Your Project
Fill out and submit the Create a New Service Project online form. This form will collect your information (as the project leader) and details on the project, including the benefiting organization, project location, date and time, project host (such as an alumni club or chapter, GVSU department, student organization, etc.), as well as a brief description of the volunteer activity.
After the form has been submitted, a staff member will review the details and approve the project. Once the project has been approved, it will be posted to the Volunteer page on this website. We will also send you a confirmation email with some additional information including a direct link to the project sign-up. All group projects will be listed on the Volunteer page. While many project are hosted by various alumni clubs, GVSU departments, or student organizations, all Community Outreach Week projects are open to all Lakers to participate.
Step 3: Get Ready to Volunteer
Ahead of your Community Outreach Week project, a few things will happen:
- We will send you, as the project leader, a packet of information, including a list of the people signed-up for your project.
- All registered volunteers will receive a reminder email a few days before the project. This email will include the project name, location, time, and other important details.
- You will want to review this Pre-Volunteer Information from the Community Service Learning Center to make your volunteer experience even more impactful and relevant.
Step 4: Volunteer
This is what you've been planning for!
A few important reminders:
- Make sure everyone signs-in.
- Greet each volunteer and have everyone introduce themselves.
- Get an overview from the organization and understand how your activities will impact their mission.
- Take pictures and post on social media using #LakerforaLifetime
- Thank each of the volunteers for participating in Community Outreach Week.
Step 5: Wrap Up
Be sure to send us the project sign-in sheet so we can capture your group's volunteer activity.
You can also send us pictures from your project.
Share pictures of your volunteer experience on social media.