Combining community service with your convention.

Make a service project a part of your next meeting. The event may be just the right anchor for your association's AAA program.

Stretching and twisting their bodies, getting ready for the task ahead, 75 volunteers - organized into five teams - faced the dawning of the day of service with calisthenics. As the sun rose in the sky, they were steadfast in their goal - preparing a crack house for renovation into a youth center. Smashing walls and hauling debris, they worked diligently through the day with a sense of camaraderie and team spirit. This service day commemorated the conclusion of ASAE Boston 1996 and the continuance of a service tradition: Associations Advance America.

As the ASAE example attests, tying a community service project into an annual convention or other meeting creates an opportunity for conventioneers to actively participate in a worthwhile effort and to build teamwork skills. The end result for the hosting association isn't bad either - it may help build public image, garner publicity, or attract members to future meetings.

While most associations are involved in community service, many are not deliberately making it a part of meetings, says Richard Green, vice president of sales, Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, and moderator of the ASAE Chicago 1997 session "Leveraging Your Convention to Make a Difference in Your Host City Through Community Service."

Inherently a part of advancing America, a convention service experience could help anchor your Associations Advance America program by setting a tone of service for the rest of the year. "The whole spirit of what associations are about is volunteerism," says Deborah Bowen, CAE, vice president of administration, American College of Healthcare Executives, Chicago. Service projects "pull at the essence of associations. We can only ask from our members what we would do ourselves."

Getting started

Planning a service project is time consuming. The service site must be selected, supplies purchased, and volunteers recruited. "It's like planning a convention, all by itself," says Green. For this reason, he suggests that large service projects - defined by size of project or size of group - be directed by an organization such as City Year. The Boston-based organization sets up the service experience, purchases project materials, meets with the service beneficiary, and makes sure the project is completed.

City Year was founded in 1988 to promote the concept of voluntary national community service. As part of the AmeriCorps program, it recruits diverse 17-to-23-year-olds for a year of community service at one of its eight sites.

The organization also strives to engage citizens-at-large, companies, and associations in service activities through its Care Force initiative. "Care Force broadened our reach in terms of engaging people in service," says Jeff Paquette, director, Care Force. "We're looking at ways to engage people in the private sector in service, focusing some staff resources and funding on specifically looking at serving corporate clients and associations."

The purpose of Care Force is twofold. "We want to broaden our reach in terms of getting people involved with service," he says. "But also, we seek, through Care Force, to create a revenue-generating stream for City Year that can help broaden our funding base and [help us] become self-sustaining in the long run."

Care Force provides a turnkey service for groups that want to get their employees or members engaged in service, but that don't necessarily have the time, resources, community connections, or planning experience to design a service day.

According to Paquette, some projects are "very intensive to set up and require a lot of preparation and meetings with community organizations. Others are standing projects that are easier to pull groups into." The type of project planned depends on the group's interests. "They really are very tailored and customized days," he adds. The length of the day also depends on the group's interests. City Year's typical service day includes a morning kickoff - usually involving high-spirited calisthenics, an orientation to the service project, lunch, and a debriefing session. The majority of the day is spent on the selected service activity. Travel to the service site, cleanup, and an optional service celebration are also incorporated into the day. Care Force's fees, based on the size of the group and the nature of the project, have ranged from $40 per person to $100 per person. All revenue generated through Care Force supports the operation of City Year.

Currently, Care Force provides its turnkey service to meetings occurring in one of the areas in which City Year is established: Boston; Chicago; Cleveland; Columbia, South Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Rhode Island; San Antonio, Texas; and San Jose, California. A site in Philadelphia is scheduled to open in September. City, Year's goal is to operate in 2025 cities during the next five years. For associations interested in developing service experiences outside Care Force's areas of operation, Paquette says the organization "could provide some direction, consulting, or training."

What's in it for you

According to Paquette, a convention service project is a great way for an association to address an important community need. "From a business standpoint, it brings recognition and media to the group as well, so you're building credibility and doing something positive at the same time," he says.

A convention service project is an opportunity to

1. contribute something, other than money, to the host community;

2. promote community service as an important value to members;

3. promote team spirit;

4. build the association's identity and the morale of members, while doing something positive; and

5. enhance membership involvement opportunities.

"It's a powerful way to bring together those who have resources with those who have needs," says Hilary Freeman, special assistant to the chief operating officer, Jane Addams Hull House Association, the beneficiary of the service project planned in conjunction with ASAE Chicago 1997. It's also "something a little different for the attendees; it's fun and it builds team spirit. In addition, [participants] get to see another aspect of the host community."

Paquette agrees: "Service projects are a growing trend. I think it's a feature that might actually attract people to attend the convention and more strongly identify with the association."

Service Experience Tips

Thinking about anchoring your Associations Advance America program with a convention service experience? Consider the following before you begin:

* Budget. Build in the service experience as part of your convention budget. Include cost of materials; cost for a project coordinator, such as City Year; and so forth. Also check to see if you'll need special insurance coverage (see "Check Insurance Coverage for Off-Site Events" in this issue's "News & Know-How").

* Plan early. Allow four to six months to select a project that fits the group's interests and that can accommodate the number of volunteers you're likely to have.

* Collaborate. Reach out and look for alliances. Use all available resources.

* Market. Start promoting the service project as early as the first meeting registration mailing. Give members an early opportunity to schedule it on their calendars.

* Explain. Tell your members why the project is important and how their part fits into the vision for the community.

* Be committed. Mobilize a core group of two to four people who really take an interest in the service project. The project has to be something the group is really committed to having as part of its convention.

* Make it fun. Success is ultimately based on how many people give an extra day to participate.

* Make it free. More people may participate if they don't have to pay to do so. Obtaining a sponsor or collaborating with an allied society may help keep costs down.

* Follow up. Remember to say thank you to all who helped. You want them to participate again next year.

Resources

Following are some sources of additional information for those starting or expanding community service projects.

* Want to incorporate a service project into an upcoming meeting? Contact Care Force, [phone], for information on its turnkey service.

* To register a service commitment to helping youth or to learn more about what other organizations are doing, visit www.americaspromise.org, a Web site dedicated to propelling the missions and goals of the Presidents' Summit for America's Future.

* To learn more about ASAE's Associations Advance America program, visit the ASAE home page at www.asaenet.org and click on the AAA icon.

LaRonda R. Miller is editorial assistant for ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT.