Download the Printable Checklist Here

Preparations

1. Choose the dates for your shoe drive – somewhere between 1 and 2 weeks long. Be sure to allow time for advance publicity.
2. GET THE WORD OUT. Write an article for your newsletter, make announcements at meetings, put up posters, distribute flyers & door hangers. Tell friends & family – everyone welcomes the excuse to clean out a closet for a good cause! Don’t forget grandparents and other older adults, who often have quite a collection of shoes they no longer wear.
3. Assemble collection boxes or barrels. Big plastic toy tubs – or large, sturdy boxes donated by local stores – work well. Have your volunteers decorate them with cutouts of shoes.
4. Decide where to locate the collection barrels. Somewhere in an entry area is ideal – so donors don’t have to lug heavy bags of shoes across the building.
5. With luck, your collection barrels will fill quickly. Have large storage bags or boxes on hand so you can make room for more shoes in the barrels, and find a place to store them until your drive is over.
6. Have plenty of large rubber bands on hand, too – you’ll want to be sure the two shoes of each pair are banded or tied together so they don’t get separated.

Running a Successful Drive

1. Involve as many volunteers as possible in your preparations by giving each a simple job: decorating or placing barrels, writing announcements, making colorful posters, creating a collection graph. This encourages them to pass the word on to their family & friends.
2. If kids are involved, put them in charge of emptying out the barrels, banding pairs together and filling the storage bags or boxes. You might even have them sort the different types of shoes, count them and chart them. A contest between grades or classes livens things up, too.
3. Give regular updates throughout your drive – news that you’ve collected lots of dress & casual shoes; heels; sandals; work shoes; snow, hiking or cowboy boots & children’s galoshes or sports shoes reminds people that you’re interested in ALL their shoes.

Wrapping it Up

Call Shoe Kansas City to let us know that your shoe drive is coming to an end. Provide an estimate of the size of your collection and a date when you wish to deliver it. We’ll provide directions for your drop off.