Benefits for volunteering? What do you think?

[RoamingGnome]

Here is a suggestion on how to get more at the con volunteers.  You offer those who take a few hours out of their time to help volunteer with a raffle ticket.  Say for every couple of hours you volunteer you get another ticket.  Then have a some prizes raffled off.  This would also count for those who sign up before the con to volunteer during it.  Just a thought.

[EvilMonkey]

That actually sounds really cool.  This year we will definately be looking at giving back more to our staff and volunteers, without whom we wouldn't be able to hold the convention.

[RoamingGnome]

That actually sounds really cool.  This year we will definately be looking at giving back more to our staff and volunteers, without whom we wouldn't be able to hold the convention.

Well I know that it really worked well at the Comic Con down in San Diego.  Plus they always had a volunteer booth running the whole time for people to go up and see where help was needed and put some time in.

[superjaz]

i'm wondering about staffers working too much is anyone have a list going during cons and see who hasent had a break latly, who need a meal?

[kylite]

due to the lack of staff/volunteers we we often pulling duble shifts and such LOL.  its what we do.  Quite often the staffers never get to see a single event or go to a single panel.  We are there to make sure everyone has a good time.

[guspasho]

I hope you don't mind I edited your title for clarity. "Suggestion" is about as vague as one could get.

We try to make sure that super-volunteers get compensated in some way, such as promotion to staff and/or admission to the staff dinner (which is a staff-only event after the end of the con, of course.)

Staff dinner is kind of spendy so we couldn't offer it to everyone, but we definitely would like your ideas for offering benefits for volunteers. Anything to get more volunteers! (and staff!)

[Waffles]

your idea is a good idea I kind of wished I would have used it. like gus said we are always needing staff and volunteers

[RoamingGnome]

Well one thing you might want to do is set up a booth specificly for volunteering.  Then make a schedule in two to four hour blocks allowing people to sign in there to pick when they want to help (this being for those who go there and then decide to help).  One that way you can guesstamate how much help you will have.  You probably should have under the director of volunteers the gopher boy/girl who during the event staff members can grab him/her to request volunteers for whatever things need more people.

[Antares]

I think the raffle is a great idea - another idea is having a volunteer position called "Yojimbo Waterboy" - someone who's duty would be to check up on everyone to make sure they are okay, give them a bathroom break if they need it etc.

[modab]

The biggest problem with volunteering this year is that some people thought it could be handled as a part-time position, which is kind of impossible. Next year I will press for a full-time volunteer coordinator as mandatory, because I'm sure we didn't get as much volunteering as we could have this year.
The initial instinct is that, okay, we don't have enough help, so everybody has to have split duties. But this makes no sense for the volunteer coordinator, since their sole purpose is to increase the amount of help we get. If you spend less time trying to get help, staffing the con actually gets *harder* not easier. So, in a way, the Volunteer Coordinator is the *one* staff position at the con that has to be fully staffed the whole time (even registration can take a break in the evening!). Whoops.

Anyway, I don't want to beat the concept into the ground. Sorry about that. I think volunteer raffle tickets are a great idea. I think there should be a volunteer coordinator booth as well. Maybe next to, but definitely separate from the info booth. And it should be equipped with a computer.
And there should be a volunteer meeting at least 3 times during the con, once on Friday night (to rope in people that prereg friday night, since they are likely to be the most prepared of people at the con, and we can get them to help with the Saturday morning scramble), then Saturday late morning, and Sunday late morning.

[valliegirl]

I firmly believe, much like Spiderman, that volunteering or staffing is it's own reward.

But, then again, I might be a little crazy.  ^_^

I hope whoever is chosen to be the volunteer coordinator by the next Ops person takes these suggestions to heart, because everyone likes incentive.

[RoamingGnome]

I firmly believe, much like Spiderman, that volunteering or staffing is it's own reward.

But, then again, I might be a little crazy.  ^_^

I hope whoever is chosen to be the volunteer coordinator by the next Ops person takes these suggestions to heart, because everyone likes incentive.

Well I think the raffle idea is more for getting those who hadn't thought of volunteering but have a little time while they are there that they can spare.  Those who already plan on volunteering way before the con started are the hardcore and do it because they like helping out.  But I think it would help give incentive to the person who really doesn't have anything going on during a two hour block of time to help us out.

[valliegirl]

The biggest problem with volunteering this year is that some people thought it could be handled as a part-time position, which is kind of impossible.

Asking for my own confusion...  In that sentance, are you refering as "volunteering" as the managerial position or speaking of volunteering in general?

But I think it would help give incentive to the person who really doesn't have anything going on during a two hour block of time to help us out.

*nods*  It's a great idea.

[superjaz]

pulling double shift and stuff work short term but they are what lead us to getting this bad cold after the con...

[TomtheFanboy]

The San Diego comi-con (now Comic-Con International) has a very complex and thorough set up when it comes to volunteers. The hours that you contribute add up to different tiers of prizes. One tier gets you a T-shirt from last year, the next tier gets you a volunteer T-shirt, I think the 3rd tiers got you and exclusive staff T-shirt. I only went to the comic-con in 2003 but I did volunteer for a couple hours on the first day.

I helped at registration, in fact.  

I think that a raffle is the easiest way to reward the volunteers. It's cheap and is just enough incentive for most people to do something they'll feel good about anyway. I figure that since a lot of the convention attendees aren't there the whole weekend, Having a raffle drawing every night.
It would be really cool to have some sort of swag, like maybe a 2006 T-shirt or something for the people each day, and then have a special drawing at the R&R for the volunteers who were there all weekend. Maybe have a DVD or a CD-ROM of the AMV winners ready for the end-of-con drawing.

Yet another reason we need to have a volunteer coordinator from the get-go.  :roll:

[guspasho]

The biggest problem with volunteering this year is that some people thought it could be handled as a part-time position, which is kind of impossible.

Asking for my own confusion...  In that sentance, are you refering as "volunteering" as the managerial position or speaking of volunteering in general?

I took it to mean the managerial position, it makes more sense than to expect our volunteers to be full-timers

[valliegirl]

I took it to mean the managerial position, it makes more sense than to expect our volunteers to be full-timers

*L*  Yeah, exactly what I was thinking.

[Vondan]

Why spend $40 to wait in line for 2 hours under the hot sun.  Spend those 2 hours volunteering inside ware there is air conditioning

[kylite]

AMEN TO THAT!