Jump to content

Getting People To Show Up For A CITO


Recommended Posts

I find it easy to locate places that need a CITO event. I have had no problems working with land managers to organize them and the logistics usually aren't an issue.

 

The hardest part for me: getting people to show up. Anyone have any tips/tricks for increasing turnout at CITOs?

Edited by Joshism
Link to comment

Offer prizes or breakfast. I got tons of people by donating raffle prizes and giving out doughnuts

 

If you have to bribe people to do it then why bother? We had a CITO event, and that day had a unplanned snowstorm. And yet we still had people show up, and then to top it off, a couple people got together the next weekend and actually did some CITO'ing.

Link to comment

Plan a CITO in my area on a Saturday, and I'll try to be there. I haven't been to one yet, but the only reason is lack of opportunity (the one's I've seen listed have generally been during the week, when I had to work). I did plan on going to a couple on the same Saturday a while back, but I forgot about it until that afternoon.

Link to comment

I find it easy to locate places that need a CITO event. I have had no problems working with land managers to organize them and the logistics usually aren't an issue.

 

The hardest part for me: getting people to show up. Anyone have any tips/tricks for increasing turnout at CITOs?

Show them the forum thread about "best CITO finds." Point out that their personal net worth may increase. :)

Link to comment

Similar to Kacher82, if it's held on a Saturday, I'll usually show.

Events held on weekdays and Sunday aren't a good fit for night-shifters.

Sometimes we'll attend something on a Friday, if not too beat from just getting out of work.

Probably a 1/4 of cachers we know are on night shifts.

 

Agreed with T.D.M.22, if bribes are needed, are they really gonna help out or simply hang out, awaiting "stuff" to be passed out?

- I'd like someone to help, not watch the rest of us work.

I don't believe donuts and prizes get people to attend, they have to want to.

If it just takes donuts, I've got a barn that needs painting and Double D it is! :lol:

We've noticed CITO attendee numbers and CITO in general drop when numbers became the rage.

We now pick up cans and stuff when we hit hides after the numbers folks have already gone through, passing it by, heading for that next smiley.

- I'm sure many have seen the same, thirty people ahead of you and no one picked up the can 10' from GZ.

 

There's a CITO nearby me (on a Sunday) and the CO acquired prizes for an atendee raffle.

- Last I heard, the number of prizes match folks showing up...

 

So I guess all you can do is hold an event and just hope for the best.

Link to comment

I have three tips. 1. make it on a Saturday or another day that people might have the day off. 2. Put it in a area that has some caches so people can find them during the event. 3. offer prizes one could be an ammo can that is ready to go out or everyone who comes gets a film canister yes I know that probably would be the best prize. Good luck with your next cito.

Link to comment

Some tips from http://www.geocachin...m/cito/faq.aspx

 

How do I get people to help me?

 

It is important to actively promote your Cache In Trash Out event. Here are a few suggestions for generating community excitement and involvement:

 

  • Post a CITO event page at www.geocaching.com/seek.
  • Post a note in Groundspeak's regional forums announcing your plans.
  • Post a note in your local geocaching organization's forums.
  • Contact your local media outlets (news, print, web sites, community notices) to encourage more involvement and increase public awareness. Be sure to provide the media with the URL for your event and www.geocaching.com/cito.
  • Ask local businesses to donate either supplies for the work, or prizes to encourage more participation.
  • Place links to your event in all your cache pages. Don't forget to remove the links once the CITO event is over!
  • Mention the CITO event in your cache logs, and point people to the source of more information.
  • Make CITO merchandise available at your event. There are trash bags and other items available at http://shop.geocaching.com/default/gear/cito

Link to comment

I think an interesting idea would be to give away raffle tickets in accordance to how much trash the individual brought in. It could be by pounds of trash, number of bags, etc. and there could be either a main table or a main person that they report to. In order to get a raffle ticket, they would have to fill at least one bag of trash, which would keep people from just picking up a bottle or two while they wait for prizes to be dealt out. I think it would be good motivation and is pretty fair - the more work you do, the better chance of getting a cool prize!

Link to comment

I think an interesting idea would be to give away raffle tickets in accordance to how much trash the individual brought in. It could be by pounds of trash, number of bags, etc. and there could be either a main table or a main person that they report to. In order to get a raffle ticket, they would have to fill at least one bag of trash, which would keep people from just picking up a bottle or two while they wait for prizes to be dealt out. I think it would be good motivation and is pretty fair - the more work you do, the better chance of getting a cool prize!

 

Again why should we have to bribe people to show up? I'll quote myself here:

 

 

 

If you have to bribe people to do it then why bother? We had a CITO event, and that day had a unplanned snowstorm. And yet we still had people show up, and then to top it off, a couple people got together the next weekend and actually did some CITO'ing.

 

They got absolutely nothing out of it, not even a smiley.

Link to comment

I think an interesting idea would be to give away raffle tickets in accordance to how much trash the individual brought in. It could be by pounds of trash, number of bags, etc. and there could be either a main table or a main person that they report to. In order to get a raffle ticket, they would have to fill at least one bag of trash, which would keep people from just picking up a bottle or two while they wait for prizes to be dealt out. I think it would be good motivation and is pretty fair - the more work you do, the better chance of getting a cool prize!

 

Again why should we have to bribe people to show up? I'll quote myself here:

 

If you have to bribe people to do it then why bother? We had a CITO event, and that day had a unplanned snowstorm. And yet we still had people show up, and then to top it off, a couple people got together the next weekend and actually did some CITO'ing.

 

They got absolutely nothing out of it, not even a smiley.

 

So, the people who showed up during the snowstorm didn't log as attended?

 

 

Link to comment

I think an interesting idea would be to give away raffle tickets in accordance to how much trash the individual brought in. It could be by pounds of trash, number of bags, etc. and there could be either a main table or a main person that they report to. In order to get a raffle ticket, they would have to fill at least one bag of trash, which would keep people from just picking up a bottle or two while they wait for prizes to be dealt out. I think it would be good motivation and is pretty fair - the more work you do, the better chance of getting a cool prize!

 

Again why should we have to bribe people to show up? I'll quote myself here:

 

 

 

If you have to bribe people to do it then why bother? We had a CITO event, and that day had a unplanned snowstorm. And yet we still had people show up, and then to top it off, a couple people got together the next weekend and actually did some CITO'ing.

 

They got absolutely nothing out of it, not even a smiley.

 

That's awesome that you have so many dedicated people in your area! I definitely wish more areas were like that and people didn't need the extra kick in the pants to get to the event (especially during a snowstorm). But since the OP seems to be having some trouble with this approach, I thought that maybe a raffle might help him with his specific situation.

 

Additionally, I personally think it's nice to have a small reward for people who make the time to come out to help the environment and have seen many non-geocaching events like this (e.g. local park clean ups) offer raffle prizes as a sign of appreciation. It could even be something as small as a few lanyards - just something to let the attendees know that you really are thankful that they came and made your event successful.

 

Is this the right method for everyone? Not at all. But it's at least something the OP can consider to see if it's right for him. =)

Link to comment

I think an interesting idea would be to give away raffle tickets in accordance to how much trash the individual brought in. It could be by pounds of trash, number of bags, etc. and there could be either a main table or a main person that they report to. In order to get a raffle ticket, they would have to fill at least one bag of trash, which would keep people from just picking up a bottle or two while they wait for prizes to be dealt out. I think it would be good motivation and is pretty fair - the more work you do, the better chance of getting a cool prize!

 

Again why should we have to bribe people to show up? I'll quote myself here:

 

If you have to bribe people to do it then why bother? We had a CITO event, and that day had a unplanned snowstorm. And yet we still had people show up, and then to top it off, a couple people got together the next weekend and actually did some CITO'ing.

 

 

They got absolutely nothing out of it, not even a smiley.

 

So, the people who showed up during the snowstorm didn't log as attended?

 

Maybe is wasn't clear enough. They show up, not do a CITO. I'm sure they logged the first time. After all the did show up. Some left, some stayed and helped out with something else that was going on. Next weekend they, and some who didn't show up the first time, actually completed the CITO. They didn't get anything from showing up again, and those that weren't there the first time, didn't get to log it. They did the CITO, just to do something good.

 

And to be clear I'm not saying don't give prizes. A coin or cache container is one thing, but when it come to the point where you have to tell people there are prizes just so they show up, well IMO the point of a CITO isn't to win prizes, it's to volunteer your time. Do you really want people there if they don't want to be there?

Link to comment

I hosted a CITO last August (so that helped) but we ended up having a decent turn out and collecting quite a few bags of trash. Just a few things that I noticed might help:

 

* Add a fun activity in as well. We all picnicked together and shared deserts before CITOing.

 

* Pick and area with some caches. Not only did we clean up lots of space at our nearby park but we also cleaned up areas leading to caches. This way some folks got to score caches and CITO.

 

* Provide bags/ gloves/ and supplies. I let people know that I had plenty of latex gloves and our park ranger provided trash bags, garbage pickers, and the space to dump the refuse.

 

* Talk to your local cachers through a forum or Facebook page. I actually planned many of the event details with my local group before submitting the event. That way I knew I had picked a date and time that worked for a number of local folks and could anticipate some attendance!

 

Good luck!

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...