KaBOOM! Forums

Kaboom does it First Class

I can not thank you enough for the great two days of We-play Houston.   I learned so much about the road map and all the steps it takes to make Play happen in our communities.        Going to a Kaboom Build was putting it all in to practice and more.   I can not wait to see the pictures.     Kaboom staff you are awesome.     I am ready for my next build and have been working on our own community project.   I can not thank you enough.   Houston area We-Play let me know when your Build Day happens and I will come out and volunteer.

Shelia

Hello PlayPals!

Once again it was thrilling to see each of you this past Thursday.  It is great to know that you found the presentations useful, but we don't want the learning to stop there. Some of you took the direct route to learning what a Build Day was all about and joined us for Friday's build. While it was warm outside, seeing the completed playground that afternoon made it worth all that hard work.  I hope you all found it to be just as exciting as I did.   

With that said:  Remember those questions y'all raised Thursday morning? Well posted below are the answers you all generated that afternoon.  Great work everyone, and let's keep the good ideas coming.

Yours in play,

The Training Team

What can we do to ensure great volunteer turnout?

• Strong committees
• Good media (flyers, radio, TV, church, service club and corporate announcements)
• Great organization from the start (have volunteer sign up sheets)
• Network recruitment (people hate to turn down a friend's direct request)
• Free food & Door Prizes
• Personalize Invitations
• Email Blasts
• Phone Tree
• Bring in entertainment for the Build Day (have a DJ)
• Competition between companies to see who can have the largest volunteer turnout
• Pep Rally (build some excitement prior to build day and encourage people to come help!)
• Make clear that Build Day will happen Rain or Shine.
• Make T-shirts
• Don't hesitate to make phone calls a few days before the build

What can we do to make our playground environmentally friendly?

• Use products which meet safety standards
• Local products  - regional materials means less gas
• Look up green materials and stick to guidelines
• Good maintenance
• Ask vendors the following questions to see if they're "green" 
• Ask from where they ship their equipment
• Do they recycle their boxes? Are their boxes made of recycled materials?
• What materials are used to make surfacing? Recycled rubber? Recycled wood chips?
• Encourage green transport and have bike racks 
• Natural colors that blend into the environment
• Recycle water bottles, boxes and other materials on Build Day!

Who are the key people to involve if you want to join the Playmaker?

• Community leaders
• Youth
• Identify other advocates/participants via KaBOOM! forums to see who is in your area
• School administrators, teacher, students
• Parks and Recreation Department
• City Council
• Homeowners Associations
• Service Clubs
• Sports Clubs/Teams and Athletic Facilities
• Hospital Employees
• Churches
• Sororities/Fraternities and Service Groups

How do we balance thanking both small and big donors?

• Offer levels of recognition by donation amount
• Name playground after the TOP DONOR w/ smaller sponsors noted in smaller print on a playground plaque
• Recognition wall/bench where larger sponsors are acknowledged
• Put sponsor names in rubber surfacing or in walking tiles near  the playspace
• Thank you notes
• Certificates
• Concrete pavers with names
• Newsletters
• Thank you lunch

How do we raise visibility and get word out about our project?

• Newspaper ads
• Evites
• Facebook/Online Social Networking
• Flyers
• Churches
• Media
• Grocery Store Advertisements (perhaps some fundraising too? People can donate upon checkout)
• Door to door advertisement
• Local associations
• Posting on Church, Boys and Girls Club, YMCA Marques
• School newsletters and PTAs
• Website via kaboom.org

How do we maximize our fundraising efforts?

• Call previous supporters
• Personal connections
• Have small community organizations make small donations and have larger organizations match a percentage (radio stations, TV stations, BGCA, YMCAs, 4-H Club)
• Research Grant Programs
• Pick a date and stick to it! Set up a fundraising committee
• Use KaBOOM! Tools to look at some awesome funding ideas?

What types of side projects can we add to our build?

• Vegetable gardens
• Benches
• Butterfly garden
• Photo tiles
• Garbage cans
• Playground rules
• Shade structures
• Platforms
• Murals
• Outdoor Classrooms
• BBQ Pits
• Splash pads/Slip and Slides
• Tree Nursery
• Short hiking trails
• Skate Parks
• Doggie Poo Stations
• Community Bulletin Board