Centralized Access for Programs and Volunteers
The Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service (an event that spans Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware) uses a central organizing system so that anyone who wants to volunteer for this specific event can visit their website and be matched with an existing project. The system:
- Allows programs to register their projects. Programs can return to the site at any time to manage their contact information; update, confirm, and add projects; manage volunteers and view their contact information; and manage their free t-shirt orders.
- Provides a place for individuals and groups to register to volunteer. Volunteers can return to the site at any time to select volunteer opportunities, update contact information, review or change their selections, and more.
Project Assistance
Each year, starting in September, Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service holds a series of planning workshops and webinars to provide project coordinators with information, technical support, and referrals to other partners organizing King Day of Service projects. In addition, the King Day of Service Project Development Kit (updated each year) helps community groups and programs successfully plan and participate in the event, including new ideas for organizing projects, partnership-building ideas, and ways to use King Day as a springboard for ongoing community involvement. This coordinated support system helps build the capacity necessary to get projects completed.
Community Participation
While event staff who match volunteers with projects try for diverse groups to promote better understanding, they also try to include members of the communities that are being served. When groups that consist solely of outsiders are sent into communities, there is little chance that members of those communities being served will embrace the projects as their own. Community members must be active participants in the service projects so as to develop the sense of community ownership that leads to a sustainable effect. This dual-focused process of diversity and inclusion reflects the spirit of the day — breaking down barriers and learning from one another.
Community Sponsors
The participation of each volunteer is acknowledged with a free commemorative t-shirt. With over 100,000 volunteers participating in the 2012 event, providing that many shirts was a considerable expense. To cover the cost of the shirts, as well as other operating costs, over 50 sponsors were recruited to fund the event. The sponsors were acknowledged by having their logos featured on the back of the shirts, on a large backdrop behind the speakers at the event headquarters, and on a page within the event website.