Campus Move-Out Program Checklist & Timeline

This is the timeline underneath our full operator's guide to starting a program, laid out as a checklist you can work from directly. It assumes a typical spring move-out / fall move-in academic calendar — shift the dates if your institution runs on a different schedule. For an interactive version that adjusts to your own storage and collection choices, use our Program Planner.

January – February: Secure buy-in and a site

Get sign-off from housing, sustainability, and facilities offices
Identify a summer storage location and confirm square footage
Decide donation-only vs. collect-and-resell (see our model comparison)
Set a rough budget and staffing plan

March: Recruit and plan logistics

Recruit or hire student staff and volunteer leads
Order collection bins, boxes, or carts
Map collection points to residence halls
Draft donation guidelines (what's accepted, what isn't)

April: Communicate and prep

Get signage and donation guidelines in front of every resident, via RAs and hall staff
Confirm hauling/transport from collection points to storage
Do a dry run of your inventory or logging process
Confirm insurance/liability coverage with risk management

May (Move-Out): Collect

Staff collection points during peak move-out days
Log items by category and weight as they come in, not after
Move collected items to summer storage on a rolling basis
Track volume by building to redeploy staff where it's needed

June – July: Process

Sort, clean, and repair items as needed
Price items for resale, or route to donation partners
Photograph and catalog anything going into a storefront
Check storage conditions (pests, moisture) periodically

August (Move-In): Sell or distribute

Open the move-in storefront or distribution event
Staff pickup windows or a pop-up sale
Track revenue and units sold if running a resale model
Collect student feedback for next year

September – October: Report

Pull total weight diverted, revenue, and students served
Calculate emissions avoided if you're reporting to AASHE STARS
Report results to housing, sustainability, and student leadership
Document what worked and what to change for next year

Where campuses most often lose momentum

Two points on this timeline account for most first-year programs that stall: the March recruiting step (waiting too long to staff up means a scramble in April), and the June–July processing step (a summer with no dedicated staff means inventory sits untouched until move-in is already close). Building both into your staffing plan before move-out, not after, is the single biggest predictor of whether a pilot becomes a permanent program.