Volunteer Opportunities - Volunteer Directors (2)

Volunteer Director

The objective of the Volunteer Directors is to make sure that all attendees who sign up to volunteer for a position are given an assignment (or multiple assignments, if the need is great) based on their availability. The Volunteer Director is a crucial position to fulfill, as CHART is almost entirely a volunteer organization and the conference would not be able to take place without the vital contributions of its attendees.

Pre-conference responsibilities

• The Volunteer Directors first need to reach out to the other conference team members and determine (based on previous conferences) when and where they need assistance, and for how long they will require the help of their volunteers (most are only asked to serve an hour at a time).
• The directors will then need to obtain a Master Volunteer Assignment Schedule from the CHART Website and customize it for the needs of the conference based on the podium flow and input from the other Conference Directors and the Board Member in charge. This schedule will be used to manage all the volunteers who have been issued an assignment and who have confirmed they are available.
• After the scouting trip, the Volunteer Directors will also need to find out if there may be a need for “traffic cops” – that is, volunteers who help direct folks to new locations. These people are especially important when a big group breaks up and has numerous locations to seek out (especially when it involves different floors) and the conference team is too small or too busy to handle the task. If the need is there, these positions should be added to the assignment schedule.
• Another volunteer position may open up if any of the general session speakers ask for a person to help monitor their book signing tables. If they do, the Volunteer Directors may need to add this request to the list of volunteer positions.
• The attendee lists from the CHART office will start to arrive 4-5 weeks before the conference, and updated lists will be sent out each Friday leading up to the conference. The Volunteer Directors will begin matching up attendees with the open slots, being careful to avoid any conflicts with pre-conference workshops, FTA Meetings, etc. To assist with this process, one of the directors should send out a mass email to all potential volunteers to find out who will be arriving on Saturday (and at what time) to make it easier to fill in the first day slots and avoid scheduling those arriving later.
• Some attendees will request specific volunteer duties when they sign up. To help facilitate these requests, the directors should include that information on their master spreadsheet and attempt to accommodate them when possible.
• Once all of the positions have been assigned, they will create Volunteer Assignment Sheets that contain the volunteer’s name, the position to which they have been assigned, and the contact information of the Volunteer Directors.These sheets must be emailed out to all volunteers at least two weeks prior to the conference, and it’s especially crucial to get the word out early for those volunteering on the first day – if theyhappen to register later in the afternoon, they may miss out on a task scheduled for Saturday morning.
• In the communication to attendees, the directors should specifically ask them to reply if they have any conflicts with the assignment. Based on the feedback, they may have to rearrange a few assignments to ensure that everyone is accommodated.
• After finalizing the master list of volunteers, the list should be forwarded to each member of the conference team and the CHART Office (at least one week prior to the conference) so that they know who will be helping them out during their activities.
• Any attendees who volunteered but were not selected for a position will need to be contacted and thanked for demonstrating their CHART spirit.
• Copies should be made of all of the Volunteer Assignment Sheets so that they can be inserted into the attendee binders at the conference (these sheets should include the cell phone number of the Volunteer Directors so that attendees can easily reach them on- site if they have any trouble making their assignments). Another possibility – instead of producing assignment sheets for the binders, make smaller assignment cards that contain all the same information as the sheets but can instead fit inside an attendee’s nametag.
• Finally, after the CHART office compiles the information on arrival and departure times for the conference team, the Volunteer Directors should seek out assistance from any other team directors with late flights who can help with conference clean-up.

Conference responsibilities

• Once on-site the Volunteer Directors should assist the team members to assemble the conference binders and insert their attendee volunteer sheets.
• Volunteer Directors should look over nametags to make sure that all volunteers have received Volunteer Ribbons.
• Once registration begins on Saturday, one Volunteer Director should try to be available to answer any questions about the assigned duties and also sign people up for any last- minute tasks.
• Be aware that sometimes the conference team may start to do the tasks that have been assigned to a volunteer. Try to avoid this, as it can be frustrating for a volunteer to alter plans to show up for their volunteer duties only to find that the task is completed and they are no longer needed.
• They will need to check in daily with the other directors to ensure that their volunteers are showing up, and recruit new volunteers to assist when need arises. If new volunteers cannot be found in time, the Volunteer Directors will need to fill in and assist the other directors with their tasks.

Strategies for success

• The Volunteer Directors should know how to contact their partner quickly in case of an unexpected situation (make sure their cell number is programmed in each other’s phone), and they should keep a copy of the master volunteer list with them at all times.
• If there are two Volunteer Directors for the conference, one suggestion for dividing the workload reasonably and efficiently between them would be as follows:
• One of the directors would manage the incoming attendee list from the CHART office. This task includes reviewing the attendees who have opted to be a volunteer and assigning these individuals to an open assignment on the Master Volunteer Assignment Schedule.
• The second director would then be responsible for customizing each of the Volunteer Assignment Confirmation Letters and sending them to each individual via email using the templates on the CHART website.
• When setting up the Master Volunteer Assignment Schedule, in addition to getting assignment needs from the other directors, ask the Board Member in charge if he/she can provide you with copies of assignment schedules from previous conferences of the same size to help you develop volunteer par levels for the different events.
• When emailing the volunteers prior to the conference with their assignments, keep the body of the email relatively simple (introduction, thank them for showing CHART spirit, asking for a reply to confirm acceptance) and have all the details of the assignment, along with contact information of the Volunteer Directors, on an attachment that they can print out and bring with them.
• The assignment sheets can be tailored to reflect the personality of the Volunteer Directors or to fit the theme of the conference. Photos of the directors are also encouraged so that the volunteers know who to look for if they have any questions.
• Volunteer Directors may need to fill in at the last-minute for any missing volunteers, or possibly ask other members of the conference team, mentors, Board Members, or close CHART friends to step in and help. Flexibility, creativity, and genuine appreciation for assistance are keys to success here to ensure that everything gets done.
• Consider printing out blank Volunteer Assignment Cards that can be used at the registration table to fill in any last-minute needs and distribute them to the volunteers.
• To thank the volunteers for their contribution, the directors may want to make a special “thank you” item (such as a signed note card with the theme of the conference or an item related to the host city) and place it in the volunteers’ binders.