How to successfully plan and launch a community shredding day.

1. How To Organize A Community
Shred Event

2. Table of Contents
1. Overview
2. Step 1- How Large Should It Be
3. Step 2- Recruit Volunteers
4. Step 3- Pick a Document Destruction Company
5. Step 4- Location
6. Step 5- Promotion
7. Step 6- Organization
8. Step 7- Execution
9. Step 8- Completion
Strongbox Document Destruction

3. OVERVIEW
You can help protect people in your community from financial fraud by organizing a shredding event. Raise
peace of mind while helping people clean out unneeded paperwork!
The Problem
People often keep sensitive, personal documents like bank and investment statements long after they need
them. Those documents could make their owners vulnerable to fraud. Older Americans are a favorite target of
scam and fraud artists.
The Solution
You can help friends and neighbors better protect themselves from fraud by organizing a shredding event
where people can safely destroy and dispose of sensitive documents.
Time Commitment
As little as one hour to organize and recruit. Up to four or five hours on the day of the event, including
set up and break down.
Special Considerations
None.
Who can do this?
Everyone.
Great Reasons to do this Project
You raise peoples awareness of fraud and help empower them to protect themselves from fraud and scams.
The people you help can use this knowledge for the rest of their lives!
Strongbox Document Destruction

4. STEP 1: Decide how large an event you want to have
The basic elements of a shredding event are:
 Recruiting and organizing volunteers
 Finding a venue
 Hiring a document destruction company
 Promoting the event
 Setting up for the event
 Greeting attendees
 Coordinating how people move about the event
 Helping attendees at the event
 Cleaning up afterward
Strongbox Document Destruction

5. STEP 2: RECRUIT VOLUNTEERS
 For a small event, you may need only three or four people to help. For a larger event,
you might need 10 or 15.
 Reach out to people however you can, email, Facebook, phone calls, knocking on
doors, etc.
 Post your event on the bulletin board at your place of worship, local libraries, coffee
shops, etc. Try family, friends, colleagues and any other groups you belong to.
 Once you have a core of volunteers, assign people roles for planning and carrying out
the event.
Strongbox Document Destruction

6. STEP 3: Pick a Document Destruction Company
 Look for an established company with a good reputation for integrity and customer service. Ask for
references, search online for reviews and check with your local Better Business Bureau.
 Choose a company that performs on-site document destruction. Make sure the organization is a NAID
member. People enjoy knowing that their documents are being destroyed immediately. Also pick a
company that offers the ability to watch their documents being destroyed through an on-board video
feed.
 Ask the shredding company if it will donate the shredding service. Your event definitely qualifies as a
public service and the potential media exposure of providing a service for such an event is a great
marketing opportunity for the company.
 If the shredding vendor won’t donate or discount its services, look for community partners who might
fund the event. Partners could include banks, local TV and radio stations, the community newspaper,
faith organizations, local governments, schools and office supply or grocery stores.
 Most waste from shredding events is recycled, so you are helping the environment too!
Strongbox Document Destruction

7. STEP 4: Location, Location, Location
The ideal space for your shredding event will be:
 Large enough to handle a steady stream of people
 Easily accessible, both for attendees toting reams of documents and the
shredding company, which will have to park the shredding truck in a location with
good access.
 Start with community centers, libraries, and other municipal buildings and schools.
You could also try hotels and other buildings with large, open space on the first
floor.
 Call to ensure you have proper permits and insurance forms for a shredding
event. Most shredding companies can help you with this type of paperwork
Strongbox Document Destruction

8. STEP 5: PROMOTE YOUR EVENT!
 Call and/or email local media radio, TV, newspapers and internet. You are organizing a
valuable public service, so be upbeat and confident in urging the media to help spread the
word.
 Also invite them to cover the event live (but at this point mobilizing people to attend is more
important).
 Also post flyers in libraries, stores, community centers wherever you are permitted to do so
in the community.
 Ask your volunteer team to leverage their networks personal, professional, hobby groups,
etc. through email, Facebook, word of mouth and phone calls.
 In all your promotions, emphasize that fraud costs Americans millions of dollars a year and
that your shredding event will help protect people from falling victim to fraud.
Strongbox Document Destruction

9. STEP 6: Organize The Team
 Consider a common dress code for your volunteers so that your group and the customers
can easily the team members.
 Identify members of the organizing team. Opt for bright-colored T-shirts that are easily
identifiable.
 Ask volunteers to arrive 30 to 45 minutes early to help set up and clarify everyone's roles for
the day.
 Give everyone your cell phone number this includes the shredding company so they can
reach you if needed on event day.
Strongbox Document Destruction

10. STEP 7: Execution
Now its time to carry out your shredding event! Here's how:
 Arrive an hour before the event!
 Post signs outside the building so everyone can find it.
 Encourage your team to be friendly, calm and courteous throughout the day. For some attendees,
this will be yet another domestic task, and one that involves disposing of sensitive, personal
documents. If people become frustrated or impatient, be as helpful as possible in guiding them
through the process.
 Bring materials like work gloves, first-aid kits, name tags, snacks, drinks, paper
cups/plates/napkins and copies of the tip sheet (see below) to hand out. Provide snacks and drinks
for workers including employees of the shredding company.
 Keep track of time: Make sure your team members know what's expected of them, especially when
you want them to arrive and how long they'll need to stay.
 Keep your cell phone on and charged, in case anyone needs to reach you for event-related
questions or emergencies.
 Media: Decide who will conduct media interviews and direct photo opportunities.
 Keep lines moving: Make sure there is no time for a potential crook to linger; be vigilant about
document security. Exercise caution when handling sensitive documents so they are not lost,
misplaced or left unprotected.
Strongbox Document Destruction

11. STEP 8: Completion
 After the event, follow up with your volunteers and community.
 Tell them how many pounds of documents were shredded (the vendor should
know).
 Tell them how many people attended the event. Acknowledge and thank everyone
who helped.
 Post a notice of future events that volunteers can support so that you can further
engage them in community service efforts. Ask your team and attendees for
feedback to help you improve upon your success for future events.
Strongbox Document Destruction

12. Sample Community Shred Event Flyer
Community Shredding Event Date: _________________________________________
Time: ______________________________
Location: ___________________________
Why Shred Personal Documents?
Rifling through trash cans for personal information is a common tactic of identity thieves. Shred sensitive
materials to minimize your risk. Before discarding them, cut up expired credit and identification cards,
bank and credit card statements you no longer need, charge receipts with your account information,
insurance forms, physician bills and the like.
What Materials Should I Bring for Shredding?
Bring all sensitive paperwork that includes account numbers, birth dates, passwords, PINs, signatures
and Social Security and/or drivers license numbers. To protect your privacy, consider other items that
include names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. And when in doubt, shred your documents.
WHAT TO INCLUDE:
Account numbers (credit card statements, bank statements, canceled or unused checks, receipts, utility
bills, tax documents, etc.)
Birth dates (school records, financial applications)
Passwords and PINs (bank and credit card records)
Signatures (any forms or documents containing your signature, including canceled checks)
Social Security numbers (financial applications, tax documents, job applications)
Junk mail (credit card offers, loan applications containing your personal information, courtesy checks
from credit cards)
If you can, please offer a ride to a neighbor for this event.
If you would like to participate as a volunteer for this community shredding event, please contact
____________________________ at ____________________________.
We welcome greeters, document handlers, table workers and more.
Note to organizer : Check with the shredding company for a list of any items that should not be included.

13. Questions?
www.strongboxinc.com
Lars Talbert
President
ltalbert@strongboxinc.com
888-992-7876