Project Design:  Tips for building an effective community service project

1. Define the need.
2. What is the goal of the project- are you going to solve the problem, educate people about it, try to change perspectives, etc.?
3. Determine how you are going to measure the success of your project and create the necessary means to do so- forms for recording how many are impacted, how much material is distributed, etc.
4. Record project detail-volunteer time spent on the project !
5. Be sure to be aware of cultural sensitivities involved in the project - make sure the project is "open" to people of all backgrounds and is respectful of all people's beliefs.
6. Make sure your project is friendly to families- that it includes opportunities for children and adults to work together, side by side!
7. Build different "jobs" or "duties" into the project so that people with different interests and different time constraints can participate and be involved.
8. Enlist the community to help- post volunteer opportunities in local newspapers, local community centers and with the local volunteer center.

Some Useful External Links
Join Hands Day
Stay up to date on this year’s deadlines and information for Join Hands Day.
National Fraternal Congress of America
Read current news, updates and information from the NFCA.

Tips for local recognition 
Even though WOW/ALA is creating a national awards program, it is important to recognize your volunteers locally as well.  Sometimes a simple thank you can go a long way. We’ve put together some tips and ideas for easy, fun ways to say thank you.

Need Extra Help from the community for some of your projects?
There are easy ways to recruit people from the community to help you with your projects.  Be sure to register every project you have planned for the year at www.seniorcorps.org and www.volunteermatch.org.  Both of these websites draw thousands of volunteers every day who are looking for projects like yours to help out with!