Service projects benefit the community but they can also be an important part of your employee recognition program. Planned projects help to build camaraderie, reinforce corporate culture, and provide employees with a structured way to contribute their time and talents.
Coordinating a community service event may seem like a daunting task, but with careful planning your project will come off without a hitch. Recently, Quality Incentive Company organized a day of beautifying at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, TN. For those of you who are not familiar with Memphis, Shelby Farms has about 4,500 acres of trails and green spaces that are open to the public free of charge. It was a perfect day and our group made a big impact mulching trees at the entrance of the park.
If you are thinking about doing a community service event, consider these tips when planning your service day.
- Get the Input of Your Team: Each group has their own set of strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Our office has lots of gardeners and outdoor enthusiasts which helped us to select Shelby Farms as our project of choice.
- Have a Point of Contact: If you are working with an outside organization, make sure you have a point of contact to help you with planning and organization the day-of. When organizing a project with lots of participants last minute questions are sure to come up. We had questions about clothing and tools, and I was glad to have a contact to provide answers and direction the day of the event.
- Recognize and Review: Don’t forget to recognize the participants who went above and beyond to participate in your project. It is also important to get feedback in order to improve your next event. Things to discuss in your review session include: Was the event well-attended? What kind of impact did your group make in the community? What would you change for next time?
Our project was a huge success. We had excellent weather and were able to support such a great cause in our community. Now it is time to start planning our next event!