Friends of the Fox River relies on its partners to help plan and organize cleanups throughout the year, and especially on It’s Our Fox River Day (IOFRD), held every year on the third Saturday in September.
- Create a team, partner with community groups and/or neighbors.
- Pick a site. Maybe you have one in mind already. If not, find publicly owned land along the river
for your cleanup, like a park or municipal property. Consider parking options, and a large enough
gathering space to speak to all volunteers at once. - Contact the site’s landowner. Discuss your plan and ask if their organization would co-sponsor
the event (and waive any permit fees). - Register your cleanup with Friends of the Fox River (FOTFR). Call us about assisting with
permits and additional insurance as needed 815 356 6605. - Announce your Cleanup. FOTFR will post your event on social media, put out a press release,
and send mass mailings. Market your event in through your channels too. - Raise money and/or get donations. You may want to provide volunteers with snacks or maybe
even a free lunch. Ask your city council, your local elected representative, the Chamber of
Commerce, national retailers like Walmart or Target, and local businesses for donations and/or
supplies. Use the provided sponsorship letter template, if practical. - Get the trash picked up. Often your town, township or other public land owner has the equipment
and manpower. You may have to reach out to a waste hauler for a donation or coordinate with
neighbors to place collected trash in residential receptacles. In many cases, participants can take
small amounts to dispose of at home. - Run the Cleanup. Set up a registration table. Welcome and register volunteers. Organize them into
teams. Hand out supplies. Deliver the safety talk. Take photos. - Thank everyone! Offer verbal thanks the day of the event. FOTFR will send thank you emails to
all volunteers. - Send your photos, an event summary and registration sheets to info@friendsofthefoxriver.org and
contribute your event’s data to the larger trash collection and volunteer totals.
