Tracking Events and Hours

Recording Events and Volunteer Time

Beyond school presentations, DAP includes community events, Red Ribbon Week activities, and other engagements. Tracking these activities—and the volunteer hours they require—gives a complete picture of your program's impact.

Types of Events to Track

Red Ribbon Week Activities

• Ribbon and materials distribution
• School-based events during the week
• Community celebrations
• Lodge Red Ribbon activities

Community Outreach

• Health fair booths
• Community festival presence
• Back-to-school events
• Youth sports events

Lodge-Hosted Events

• Family drug prevention nights
• Youth recognition ceremonies
• Community speaker events

Estimating Event Participation

Event participation can be harder to count than classroom presentations:

• Booth visitors: Use a clicker or tally sheet to count people who stop
• Materials as proxy: If you distributed 200 items, you reached at least 200 people
• Sign-in sheets: For lodge events, have attendees sign in
• Reasonable estimates: When exact counts are not possible, estimate conservatively

Tracking Volunteer Hours

Volunteer hours demonstrate the investment your lodge makes in DAP:

What Counts as Volunteer Hours

• Preparation time (creating materials, planning)
• Travel time to and from activities
• The activity itself
• Follow-up tasks (thank-you notes, reporting)
• Training and meetings related to DAP

How to Track Hours

• Have volunteers report their own hours
• Create a simple sign-in/sign-out sheet for events
• Estimate standard times for common activities
• Include all volunteers, not just presenters

Reasonable Hour Estimates

For reference, typical activities might include:

• School presentation: 2-3 hours (including travel and setup)
• Community event booth: 3-5 hours per volunteer
• Red Ribbon Week distribution: 1-2 hours
• Lodge event: varies by event complexity

Entering Events in CLMS

1. Select the appropriate event category
2. Enter date and location
3. Record participation numbers
4. Add volunteer names or count
5. Enter total volunteer hours
6. Note materials distributed
7. Add description if helpful
8. Save the entry

Year-Round Tracking

DAP activities happen throughout the year:

• School year (September-May) is busiest for presentations
• October peaks for Red Ribbon Week
• Summer may have community events
• Track everything—small activities add up