Are you looking for creative ways to engage volunteers, respond to community needs, and raise money for a good cause? Consider a serve-a-thon!

Similar to walk-a-thons, serve-a-thons use a team-based approach to raise money for a designated cause. Participants secure sponsors who pledge to support their service, usually based on the number of hours served.

Here are a few steps to guide you in planning an environmentally based serve-a-thon.

Develop a plan. Form a committee you help manage the neighborhood cleanup project. State a specific purpose (i.e., clean up the local park, raise money for a specific cause/organization). Create a timeline and plan for implementing your ideas, and get the word out.

Build your teams. Team leaders recruit 6-12 friends, family members, coworkers, or others for their teams. They can even create team names to be included on the event t-shirt. Each member will be responsible for a minimum donation.

Set a location. Identify an area to clean up – a road, a series of roads, a park, a school, etc. Check the area for appropriateness before assigning teams to serve in that area. Ask your local government for recommendations of roads/areas that need to be cleaned. Don’t be afraid to ask if they will pick up the trash and recyclables you collect!

Secure resources. Buy or get in-kind donations of needed supplies, including trash bags, gloves, and hand sanitizer.

Keep your fundraising goal in mind. Make sure all teams are well informed, empowered, and equipped to fundraise. You want them to feel comfortable asking for pledges. Remind team members that they are giving people an opportunity to support a specific cause while beautifying the community, You can also take advantage of online fundraising tools such as Crowdrise or First Giving.

Review last minute details and communicate with volunteers. Ensure volunteers have project details, such as time and location, and that materials are ready. Educate volunteers about acceptable recyclable items (click here for a project playbook that includes an environmental service learning activity for youth!), and encourage them to be aware of safety at all times.

Collect donations and trash! Have teams collect all donations so they can be compiled and given to the cause or organization of choice. Lead your team in a safe and fun environmental project. Remember to separate trash from recyclables!

Recognize volunteers and celebrate. Thank volunteers for their work and for the donations collected. You may want to recognize the top fundraisers and/or the team that collects the most trash/recyclables.

Reflect and learn. As with any service project, take time to reflect on the experience, the impact of the project on the community, and what you learned about yourself, the issue, or the community.