Christmas In Action ® - Wichita County TX Inc

A House captain is a:

                                                                    Leader                    Planner

                                                                    Motivator                QA

                                                                    Counselor                Safety - Risk Manager

                                                                                    Manager

Things To Do

     Before House Captain Orientation
     After House Captain Orientation
     Project Selection Night
     After Project Selection
     Night Before Project Day
     Project Day
     After Project Day

Things To Do Before House Captain Orientation

 ·        Recruit volunteers.

 ·        Know the skills of your team.

Things To Do Right After House Captain Orientation

 ·      Continue Recruiting volunteers if needed.

 ·        Get a commitment of team members and how long they will stay on the job.

 ·        Find out who has tools and what kind of tools.

 ·        Food – determine how to feed your team, if you are asking for donations ask early.   It is best to feed at the site.  How about a BBQ, burger/hot dog burn.

Project Selection Night

 ·        Welcome

 ·        Be sure everyone signs in

 ·        Introduce board members

 ·        You were issued one part of a two-part ticket at house captain orientation.  The second part is in this pot and will be drawn to determine the order in which the house captains will select his/her project.

 ·        Material available at:

   o       Lowe’s

o       Builder’s Lumber

o       Vic & James for paint (exterior colors have already been picked by the homeowner and marked on the appraisal form.

o       Sutherland’s

 ·         Pick up supplies early

 ·         Hours that CinA building will be open

 ·         Volunteers younger that 18 must have waiver signed by parent or legal guardian

 ·         Return all tools to CinA building

 ·         All paint you’ll be buying is latex and the paint brushes can be cleaned with soap and water

 ·         Return all unopened/unused material to the store where they were purchased for a refund

 ·         Return all opened material (nails, paint, etc.) to CinA building

 ·         We will begin by calling you up in groups of ten according to your ticket stubs

 ·         Fill out your expense voucher and have it signed by the executive director or the president.  One voucher per project.  (two projects – two vouchers)

Things To Do After Project Selection Night

 ·        Go by the house as some as possible and visit with the homeowner.

 ·        Explain to the owner that the work will be accomplished the last Saturday of April.

 ·        Inspect and evaluate the work to be performed.

 ·        Make sure you only perform what is on the work sheet and explain to the owner that you only can do the specified work.

 ·        Make a list of the required items needed to perform the work.

 ·        Make a list of what tools you will need and check with your team members to see what tools they will be able to bring.

 ·        Find out what expertise each of your team members has.

 ·        Assign jobs based on expertise of team.

 ·        Remember that you are the site manager.  It is your job to ensure that everyone is used to the best of their ability.  You are not the one performing the work.  We suggest that you find someone with a pickup and designate him or her as your “gofer”.

 ·        Make sure you can accomplish all of the assigned work.  If not, then be willing to work other days or explain to the homeowner that you will not be able to perform the jobs that will take longer.

 ·        Go by the Christmas in Action building and see what is available for you to use.  This needs to be done as some as possible because our supplies and equipment arte limited.

 ·        Go to Lowe’s, Builders Supply, Sutherland’s and pick up building materials that you need.  Sorry due to non-compatible billing option between Christmas in Action and Home Depot, we can no longer use Home Depot. 

 ·        If you are painting, and we do not have the paint you need in our building, go by Vic & James Decorating and buy your paint.  (Paint Only!!)  Ensure that it is only the specific color that was identified on the sheet in your project folder.

 ·        Prepare your team.  We have videos available at the CinA office for certain projects.  Have the team member the will be performing the task come by and view the video, if we have it.

 ·        Ask an expert at the building supply store (i.e. Lowe’s) about the project and make sure you are ready to perform it.

 ·        If you have Internet access, this is another good source of information.

 ·        Arrange for lunch.  Some local restaurants are willing to donate food for the work teams on Project Day and ask for a receipt.  See board members for a letter covering donations.  Do this early.  Also, ensure you have plenty of water on hand.  It is easier to eat at the job site, as some people do not return.

 ·        Be prepared for the unexpected!

Things To Do Before Project Day

 ·        Visit the homeowner again.

 ·        Prioritize the tasks.  You do not want people working on top of others.

 ·        You should have already started to get volunteers.

 ·        Go over lists of tasks; check the list of material on the appraisal form.

 ·        Check the number of hours and time indicated on the appraisal form.

 ·        Mentally go over the tasks.

 ·        Plan how they might be done.

Things To Do Project Day

 ·        Be the first on the site.

 ·        Talk with the homeowner and explain one more time what you will be doing.

 ·        Give your team a safety briefing before starting to work.  (Ladder, power tools, scraping, painting, etc.)  Post all safety signs.

 ·        Assign all of the team members a job.

 ·        Do not start a job you cannot complete.  If you have to work extra days, and you are not going to be able to do so, then do not start that particular task.  Please do not start something you cannot finished!

 ·        Make sure there is plenty of water available.

 ·        Keep on top of all the jobs.  When materials are needed, make sure you get them as quickly as possible.

 ·        Talk with your Area Coordinator.

 ·        If you have any problems whatsoever, call the Area Coordinator immediately.

 ·        For emergencies call 911 first, and then call the Area Coordinator.

 ·        Keep a checklist of the projects your team is working on and have the homeowner check them off on the work-accomplished sheet, as they are finished.

 ·        When you have trash ready for pick-up, call your Area Coordinator to schedule a pick-up.  If you have a way of taking the trash to the Transfer Station, then you can get a letter from your Area Coordinator.  If you have a dumpster, level out the load, safety.

 ·        Cut trees, limbs into manageable lengths, separate trash loads do not mix.  If so we have to separate at the Transfer Station.  (Last year we took 53 loads to the Transfer Station.)

 ·        Clean up your work site.

 ·        Contact your Area Coordinator and tell him/her you are finished.  Bring the completed folder with all forms finished and any tools you may have signed out to the CinA office.  At that time we will give you the “T” shirts and letters for your team.

 ·        If you cannot finish, let your Area Coordinator know when you will be able to complete the job.

After Project Completion

Before issuing T-shirts and Certificates, the following must be returned to Christmas in Action®:

 ·         All signed out tools and equipment

 ·         Turn in Project Folder, to include:

   o       Expense voucher

o       Volunteer Waiver of Liability (Every volunteer signs; required to get T-shirts)

o       Parental Permission Form (required for any volunteer under age 18)

o       Homeowner’s Satisfaction Form (to be completed after all work is done)

o       Project Evaluation (completed and returned to CinA with Project Folder)_

o       Team Demographic Sheet (filled in)

o       All Purchase invoices

 Thank you for your help and interest.