Running a Community Cleanup

Overview

This playbook walks you through running a multi-site community cleanup event with PurposeTech Event Volunteering. It's based on patterns from organisations like Sustainable Coastlines, who use PurposeTech to coordinate events like Clean Up The Hutt — mobilising hundreds of volunteers across multiple sites in a single day.

What you'll have by event day:

• A volunteer portal with map-based site selection
• Volunteers matched to sites that suit their preferences and ability
• Automated communications and reminders
• Day-of check-in and coordination tools
• Post-event impact reporting

6 weeks out: Planning

Select your sites

Site selection is critical for a cleanup event. For each potential site, consider:

• Accessibility — can families with young children participate, or does it require serious tramping boots?
• Environmental impact — which sites have the most litter or need the most attention?
• Volunteer capacity — how many people can safely work at each site?
• Logistics — parking, bathroom access, equipment storage, water access
• Safety — any hazards (steep terrain, water proximity, traffic)?

Map your site categories

Tag each site with categories so volunteers can self-select based on their preferences:

Create your campaign in PurposeTech

1. Set up a new campaign with your event name and date
2. Create sites with descriptions, photos, and category tags
3. Add practical details: meeting point, parking, what to bring
4. Configure a single shift per site (cleanups typically run 3-4 hours)

Checklist

• Sites selected and assessed for accessibility/safety
• Site categories defined
• Campaign created in PurposeTech
• Sites created with descriptions and logistics info

4 weeks out: Registration and recruitment

Open registration

1. Open your campaign for volunteer registration
2. Volunteers browse the site map, read descriptions, and select the site that suits them
3. Enable group/team registration for families, corporate groups, or school teams

Promote the event

• Email your volunteer database and community mailing lists
• Post across social media with direct link to your volunteer portal
• Reach out to local schools, corporates, and community groups
• Partner with local council for promotional support

Equipment and materials

Start planning your equipment needs per site:

• Rubbish bags (general waste and recyclables)
• Gloves (multiple sizes — adult and child)
• Litter pickers/grabbers
• First aid kits
• Weighing scales (for measuring impact)
• Data collection sheets (litter audit forms)
• Signage and branded materials

Checklist

• Registration opened
• Recruitment campaigns launched
• Group/team registration enabled
• Equipment inventory planned

2 weeks out: Coordination and communications

Volunteer communications

1. Send a registration confirmation with site details and what to bring
2. Send a 2-week reminder with updated site information
3. Prepare a day-before briefing email with:
   • Meeting point and time
   • What to wear and bring (sun protection, water, sturdy shoes)
   • Safety briefing
   • What happens in bad weather

Site leader briefing

Recruit and brief a site leader for each cleanup location:

• How to use the check-in tools on the day
• Safety procedures and first aid
• Litter audit process
• How to contact the central coordination team

Review registrations

• Check volunteer numbers against site capacity
• Redistribute volunteers from over-subscribed sites if needed
• Target recruitment for under-subscribed sites
• Review coverage reports for a full picture

Checklist

• All automated emails configured and tested
• Site leaders recruited and briefed
• Volunteer numbers reviewed against capacity
• Under-subscribed sites addressed

Event day

Setup (1 hour before start)

• Site leaders arrive early to set up:
  • Equipment laid out at meeting point
  • Signage placed
  • Safety perimeter established (if near water/roads)
• Central team monitors the admin dashboard for real-time attendance

Check-in

• Volunteers check in at their site meeting point
• Site leaders confirm attendance via the platform
• Late arrivals and walk-ins are registered on the spot
• Safety briefing delivered to each group before starting

During the cleanup

• Volunteers work in small groups across the site
• Site leaders coordinate coverage and manage safety
• Central team monitors progress across all sites
• Coordinate any inter-site issues (equipment shortages, weather changes)

Wrap-up

• Volunteers bring collected waste back to the meeting point
• Weigh and record waste collected (by type if doing a litter audit)
• Group photo!
• Thank volunteers and share next steps

Post-event: Impact reporting

Within 48 hours

1. Send a thank-you email to all volunteers with headline impact stats:
   • Total waste collected (kg)
   • Number of volunteers
   • Number of sites covered
   • Top litter items found (if doing a litter audit)
2. Share impact photos and stats on social media
3. Tag corporate and community partners

Generate reports

Run your post-event reports:

• Attendance vs. registration rates per site
• Volunteer demographics (new vs. returning, individual vs. group)
• Site-by-site impact data
• No-show rates

Capture learnings

• Which sites worked well and which didn't?
• Was the equipment sufficient?
• What feedback did site leaders share?
• What would you change for next time?

Checklist

• Thank-you emails sent with impact stats
• Social media posts published
• Post-event reports generated
• Feedback collected from site leaders
• Learnings documented for next event

Resources

• Community Cleanups Use Case — platform capabilities overview
• Volunteer Management — managing your volunteer database
• Reports & Data Exports — available reports and export formats
• Campaigns & Events — campaign setup and configuration