Trash in the streets, weeds overgrowing onto sidewalks, garbage piling up – it is not only unsightly, but it is hard to be proud of your city if this is what you see all around you every day. Taking care of your city and working to keep it clean is not only good for you and your fellow citizens’ health; when the streets and sidewalks are clean it also has a positive psychological impact. If you own a business, organizing a city clean-up is good publicity, but more importantly, it shows the community that you really do care and you are happy to do your part. So, if you’ve decided you want to clean up your city, where do you start?

Plan Ahead

Running a business always gives you something to do – ordering stock, helping customers, running a crm comparison – but organizing a community project really doesn’t take that much time. A good place to start is working to get the word out about what you are doing, what you hope to accomplish, and why this project is important. Put up flyers in your business’ neighborhood, put a notice on your website and social media pages, and contact the media to let them know about your clean-up day.

About a month before the event, start asking volunteers to sign up so that you know how many to expect, and get their contact information when they do sign up. That way, you can remind them about the time and date of the clean-up, and you can also let them know any needed information, such as where you will all be meeting and where they can (and can’t) park. Also, think about the logistics of the event. Where can volunteers go to use the restroom? If they are collecting trash, where can they put it all? Will you (or another volunteer) take the trash to the dump, or would it be better to rent a dumpster?

Gather Supplies

One reason it is good to know how many volunteers you have is so that you can make sure you have enough supplies for them all. If you are picking up trash, you want to be sure you order enough large garbage bags, gloves, and litter grabbers. (You may even ask your city if they would donate these supplies, as many cities have programs to help keep cities clean.)

Divide and Conquer

For an effective clean-up day, a plan is needed. Once you know how many volunteers you have, you can decide where they are most needed and where to send them. Divide them into groups and ask them to tackle a specific block or vacant lot filled with trash. Other volunteers may be assigned snack duty, delivering bottles of water to the hard-working volunteers.

Be Grateful

From the volunteer sign-up to after the event is through, make sure you let your volunteers know how grateful you are that they have stepped up to help. Don’t forget to thank them (often). You should also plan on having drinks and snacks available to them. Consider a pizza party or other celebration after the work is done – after all, it isn’t just about trash clean-up, it’s also about neighbors getting to know each other. Volunteers who are treated well will volunteer again!

It’s your city – take pride in it. Very often people do want to help, but they don’t know where to start. They are waiting for someone to take charge and set the wheels in motion for them. Organizing a clean-up day is a great way to be a part of your community while making new customers (and new friends!).