Be Hands on Campus

Getting Hands On, and becoming an active, involved member of your community, will build up your resume, your education – not to mention the lives of those all around you.

Be More Knowledgeable About Service

Don't even know where to start? Becoming knowledgeable about the challenges facing your community, and discovering how you can engage to create meaningful service projects is a lot easier than you might think.

1. Choosing a Service Project:

There's a lot that goes into identifying where your interest meet the needs of the community.

Finding your Passion
An activity for narrowing it down. Learn More.
Assessing Community Needs
It's a public affair. Learn More.
Classes and Service
How community service can work with your class schedule Learn More.

Be More Organized, and Become a Better Leader

Learning how to apply organizational skills and techniques will not only help you effectively insight social change in your community, but will also give you the skills you need to excel in school and in your future career. These are the leadership skills that employers are looking for.

2. Planning a Service Activity:

You have an idea – now how do you make it a reality?

Project Plan
Getting organized is the most important part. Learn More.
Task List
The difference between a to-do list and an action plan. Learn More.
Resource List
Because you have to be honest about what you will need and where it's coming from. Learn More.

3. Money Matters:

Getting financially organized is an essential part of any project plan.

Budget Worksheet
Get started with a fill-in-the-blank style example. Learn More.
Finding Money
Learn where to look and how to ask. Learn More.

Be More Popular

Just because you've recruited 30 of your close personal friends to volunteer and gotten 100 shovels donated from the local hardware store doesn't mean you're finished telling the world about what you're doing.

4. Publicity:

Marketing your vision in a way that gets everyone excited.

Examples
Fliers and advertisements to get your publicity juices flowing. Learn More.
Spread the Word
Tips and examples for how to advertise your passion and your project to the community. Learn More.

Be More Effective

You may come home from a service project convinced that the community garden you just masterminded and planted is just the first step in the revitalization of your entire community and –soon to follow- the world. But it's important to learn how to gage how effective and connected to the project the volunteers and community felt at the end of the day. 

5. Service Learning/Reflection:

Teaching your volunteers how to make the connection between their lives, their actions, and the changes they can make in their communities.

Why Service Learning/Reflection Is Important
What do these terms mean anyway? Learn More.
How to Get Them Talking
Some ideas on how to lead these discussions. Learn More.

6. Recording and Reporting:

Getting down real numbers and facts about who, what, when, and how

Why Keep Track?
How acquiring the stats can be useful. Learn More.
Volunteer Registration
A sample registration form for you to use. Learn More.
Volunteer Sign-In
An example of the document you should bring on your service project day. Learn More.
Service Report
Important for your records, and important to Hands On Network. Learn More.

Be More Fun!

Inciting social change and becoming a leader in your community through public service is exciting, but, let's face it, hard work. Keep yourself, and everyone involved with your service projects motivated.

7. Appreciating and Celebrating Volunteerism

Throw a party, get some gift certificates donated to give away, hand write thank you notes, whatever you want – just remember that appreciated participants are participants who will be more likely to support you and your work in the future.

Appropriate Appreciation
Everyone is motivated differently. Learn More.
Action Plan:
An Appreciation Plan. Learn More.
Example Certificates and Awards
Learn More.
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