[Organizers] Volunteers

Sun Feb 12 16:01:20 PST 2017

Thanks very much for responding, Dugan. I quite agree that volunteers do it
only partly to get in free (though that is a part of it for many of them,
as for your folks).

We distribute jobs somewhat differently, as I expect most people do.
Instead of three hour-long shifts on the door we have two people in the
beginning, and when the dance starts they alternate dancing and sitting
with each other, since the flow of people slows down a lot. Works ok,
though if there is a shortage of preferred partners it can be hard if the
dancing person is slow to return and release the other. And our dance
manager puts out flyers, puts up signs and tie-dye sheets on the balcony,
does whatever needs doing, and does a lot of set-up and take-down, with a
lot of help. We too have a number of people who help with set-up and
take-down without being formal volunteers or getting anything in return,
which is encouraging.

David

On Sat, Feb 11, 2017 at 11:23 AM, Dugan Murphy via Organizers <
organizers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

> Hi, David,
>
> I run a weekly (49 dances per year minus weather cancellations) Thursday
> night contra series in Portland, Maine.  We started in June and we've had
> about 70-100 dancers each week since then.
>
> Our in-dance volunteer structure is largely based on Will Loving's
> structure for the weekly contra series in Amherst, Massachusetts.  We have
> five volunteer positions at each dance: setup/breakdown (shows up an hour
> before the beginner lesson and stays 30 minutes after the last waltz to
> arrange and breakdown signage, tables, fans, sound baffling blankets, etc),
> 3 greeters for the door (one hour each), and one dance manager (makes sure
> the performers and all the other volunteers have what they need, counts the
> money, pays the band, etc).  Each of these volunteers is offered free
> admission in exchange for their service.
>
> Because so much of the value that our in-dance volunteers bring is that we
> can rely on them showing up, they are only offered free admission if they
> sign up ahead of the dance.  Some dancers help out anyway, which is a
> bonus.  We tell those dancers that if they want to get in free next time,
> they can get in touch about a volunteer slot.
>
> We keep track of dancers who offer to volunteer so we can make these
> arrangements.  When new people express interest, we add them to the list.
>
> Our dancers have have expressed appreciation for the training documents we
> offer them in advance of their service so it is very clear what they are
> and are not responsible for.  These documents are also largely based on
> similar materials used in Amherst.
>
> Here's our guide for greeters: https://docs.google.com/document/d/
> 1CkWK5swVLJejYfUdcDwMeJHUzjKCdYPtD4YB5cSxtv0/edit?usp=sharing
>
> Here's our nightly checklist, which includes actions by setup/breakdown
> volunteer, dance manager, and greeters: https://docs.google.
> com/document/d/1m1HNwV2pzx0n6qqoueuD4KQlhXYSVVneez538_H0mhw/edit?usp=
> sharing
>
> As our series matures, I am finding it easier to recruit volunteers at the
> same time that it is becoming more common that dancers help out without
> being asked.  Though it is becoming more common that dancers show up early
> and stay late to help without being asked and though it is becoming easier
> to recruit a greeter on the fly when someone doesn't show up, I really
> appreciate having volunteers for each evening worked out in advance.
>
> I'm thinking about your concern, David, of removing the financial
> incentive to volunteer by changing to a pay-what-you-can system.  Keep in
> mind that financial incentive likely is not the motivation for dancers to
> volunteer.  Most of them likely also carry some degree of responsibility to
> help the series prosper.  Many also likely appreciate the opportunity for
> extra socializing.  Those benefits of volunteerism won't go away with a
> pay-what-you-can system.
>
> Dugan Murphy
> Portland, Maine
>
> dugan at duganmurphy.com
> www.DuganMurphy.com
> www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com
> www.NufSed.consulting
>
> Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2017 17:46:21 -0500
> From: David Chandler via Organizers
> Subject: [Organizers] Volunteers
>
> I'm interested in how other groups handle in-dance organizational tasks -
> collecting admissions, putting out refreshments, sound and perhaps checking
> shoes at the door. Do you use volunteers? Pay people? If volunteers, do you
> have a structured corps of volunteers you rely on or just ask for
> volunteers as needed? It would be very helpful if you mentioned how
> frequently you have dances, and roughly how many attend your dances.
>
> We (Country Dance New York) have a pretty formal system, and put on roughly
> 80 dances a year (weekly Tuesday and Saturday 9.5 months a year), getting
> roughly 40-50 for English and 60 plus for contra. Some people volunteer for
> only one or a few dances, but a lot of the work is done by "full-time
> volunteers," who do at least 8 tasks during the fall and/or spring. In
> exchange for this they get in free to every event. The tasks are also
> pretty structured - only members can work the door in order to increase
> security of funds, and attendance is kept on an iPad using Square so there
> is some training involved; refreshments involve buying food, refilling
> water pitchers and putting out a number of different things to eat at the
> break, then washing dishes and cleaning up. Volunteer coordinators line up
> people for each task in advance. In general this works very well - tasks
> get done, and volunteers who are short on cash can get in free. The
> downside, in my view, relates to our feeling dependent on the system and
> thus reluctant to consider other options for fear we would lose our
> volunteers. In particular, some have suggested that it would be more fair
> to lower our admission rate for those most likely to be in need (students
> in particular), or to go to a "pay what you can" system of some sort. The
> reports I've read suggest that "pay what you can" usually works out well,
> with perhaps increased attendance and no loss of income. However, we can't
> do that because if people could get in by paying what they can the
> incentive to be a volunteer would vanish and we are afraid we would not be
> able to get things done (or a very small group would have to do them, and
> burn out since we have so many dances). However, I have heard rumors that
> other dances don't have such a structured volunteer system and still manage
> to get these in-dance tasks done. I would love to hear how you manage
> getting tasks done with volunteers, especially if you have a "pay what you
> can" or very reduced rate for those in need.
>
> Thanks!
>
> David
>
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