There’s no feeling quite like the one you get from supporting a cause you care about. Whether it’s serving a meal at a soup kitchen or walking dogs at an animal shelter, it just feels good to give back. Chances are, many of the residents living in your community feel the same way. But some might not have the time to look for volunteer opportunities.

This spring, consider bringing your residents together for a volunteer activity to support a non-profit organization in your community. The organization will appreciate the extra hands, and your residents will appreciate the opportunity to give back to the community while getting to know likeminded neighbors. And let’s face it – happy residents are more likely to stay at your community year after year!

Interested in organizing a volunteer activity in your community? Here are a few ideas to help you get started.

Recruit a Committee
Don’t get overwhelmed by doing all the work yourself. Instead, recruit a group of committed residents to help you plan the details of your community’s volunteer event.

Choose a Cause
According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations registered in the U.S. So how do you choose just one cause? Ask your residents!  Send a quick email survey to ask residents what types of causes they’re interested in supporting. After all, people will be more likely to support a cause they feel passionate about. 

Organize Your Event
Once you have an idea of the types of causes your residents are interested in supporting, think about what kind of volunteer activity would work best. If you want to keep the activity onsite, consider holding a clothing, book or canned food drive. Or, organize a community yard sale with the proceeds benefiting a local charity. If you’d prefer to go offsite, contact local non-profit organizations to ask about volunteer opportunities they have available for groups. Some ideas include serving a meal at a homeless shelter or cleaning up a local park or nature preserve.

Get Local Businesses Involved
Ask local businesses like restaurants, bars and grocery stores if they’re interested in partnering with you to make your event a success. It could be as simple as promoting your event on their community bulletin board and social media channels, or more involved like helping recruit additional volunteers or supplying lunch during the event. 

Recruit Volunteers
Once you’ve nailed down the details of your volunteer event, put a call out for volunteers. Include information about the event in your newsletter, mention it to residents who visit the leasing office, put reminders up on your Facebook page and hang signs in common areas like the laundry room and elevators. If you get enough interest, you could even plan a twice yearly or quarterly event. Then, promote this to prospective renters as a unique feature of your community!