1: Pack ahead of time! Seriously, I know that this seems obvious, but a large majority of folks don’t do it. There is nothing more frustrating than showing up to help somebody take boxes to a truck, and realize that they need you to pack everything for them. Have large furniture disassembled, that way screws won’t go missing, and things will go smoother too. Put anything like screws and small pieces in sandwich bags, clearly label what they go to, and tape it onto the object (or keep them all in one place). This will mean that you don’t have to dig for tools at the last minute, and you don’t have to waste anybody’s time either.
2: Have the right equipment there before anybody shows up to help. If you have extremely heavy things, you should have a dolly too. You can rent them from moving truck companies and they are often included with your rental. If you are going to need one, please spend the extra money on one. Don’t make people get hurt to save a few bucks (you could get slapped with a lawsuit if somebody gets injured on your property). The right equipment includes having an adequate moving truck too. Don’t make several trips across town when you could just get a bigger truck. Time is valuable to those helping you, and the cost of gas usually makes the larger truck a better choice. Don’t forget to have extra blankets and cushions to protect large items like mirrors, and other random objects.
3: Feed everyone! The least you can do is feed your crew. Moving is tough work, and exhausting! You should have food for everybody before or after (I recommend before because then more people show up on time). You should also have snacks available throughout the move such as energy bars, muffins, etc. Keeping your crew hydrated is another critical thing to do. Cold beverages should be available from the second they walk in the door, until they are all gone. I recommend having a large cooler by your front door, full of ice, water bottles, and sports drinks. Do not have some plastic cups that people can get their own drinks with. Plastic cups are annoying because they spill, they don’t hold much, and bugs get in them. Here is a great idea for you, have several markers next to the cooler so people can write their names on their drinks and store them in a shady place for a while.
4: Have a game plan. As I walk in to help, I often look around and have no idea where to begin. There are people going in and out of rooms, grabbing anything they can see, and then standing by the truck until somebody tells them what to do with the box they have. Assign people to be inside the truck taking the boxes and loading them properly (obviously this should be somebody you trust to make good decisions). Show them where the blankets and other things are so that they can store you large, fragile items properly. Assign a few people to each room; it can get difficult to manage 10 people going in and out of one room until it is cleaned out (a lot of collisions occur like this, resulting in broken items, messy floors, and frustrated helpers). Instead, have some upstairs, and some down, in different places. If possible, have any fragile items stored in one room, like the living room. That way, you can ensure that qualified people are handling those items. Obviously the fragile items should be very clearly marked. In fact, keep markers everywhere, just in case you need to do some last minute labeling, or you need to correct something.
Remember, volunteers most likely have no idea which toys belong to Andrew, and which ones are going to Goodwill. On a side note, label boxes clearly for the receiving crew as well. Here is a great idea, tape boxes shut with certain colors of duct tape, one for each room. Make a sign ahead of time saying which room each type of tape goes into, and hang it on the entrance to your house. Don’t put “blue tape = Jake's room.” Instead, put “Blue tape = 3rd room on the left, top floor (Jake's room).” It would be helpful to also put the corresponding tape on the doorway of each room to quickly verify. If you really want to, you can also write names on the tape so that you can quickly identify which room it belongs to. Writing the name may also help younger helpers find which rooms it goes to. This helps everything go faster, and means that you can help bring in boxes instead of answering questions about everything! It’s very annoying when you have a heavy box in your hands, and you have to find the owner before you can do anything with it.
Have fun!
